by Lois Winston
Over the last few years there have been many
sub-genres of lit-fic cropping up. It started back in the late nineties with an
onslaught of chick lit. These were stories not about furry yellow-beaked farm
critters but about twenty-somethings with jobs they hated, serial bad dates, a
tendency to indulge in too many margaritas, and an obsession with designer
shoes and handbags. Chick lit led to lady lit, lad lit, mom lit, hen lit,
boomer lit, and geezer lit.
And now we have doggie lit. I’ve noticed over
the last few years that no matter the genre, whether romance or mystery or
straight fiction, a huge percentage of books have dogs in them. It’s not just
that the protagonist has a pet pooch. These dogs are becoming major secondary
characters in many books. Sometimes they even have a point of view in the
story.
I’m not sure how I feel about giving a point of
view to a pet, but I do like the trend of making dogs in books more than just
window dressing or a convenient way to get a character from Point A to Point
B. (Dogs do have to be walked several
times a day.) If done well, dogs can add quite a bit of texture and color to
the story because they have distinct personalities.
In my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery
series, Anastasia’s mother-in-law Lucille, a die-hard nineteen-fifties style
commie, owns a French Bulldog she calls Manifesto (after the communist
treatise.) Everyone else calls him Mephisto or Devil Dog. He’s got that kind of
personality. Since the best stories always have characters who are polar
opposites, thus creating conflict, I’ve given Manifesto his own nemesis, a
corpulent white Persian by the name of Catherine the Great.
Catherine the Great belongs to Anastasia’s
mother Flora, a former social secretary of the Daughters of the American
Revolution. Lucille, Manifesto, Flora, and Catherine the Great all live with
Anastasia, her two teenage sons, and their pet parrot in a small suburban
rancher where Lucille and Flora (and therefore Manifesto and Catherine the
Great) are forced to share a bedroom. Not only do Flora and Lucille fight like
cats and dogs, but so do their cat and dog. Conflict, conflict, conflict—the
basis for all good stories, right?
Another component of a good stories is
character growth. So I wondered, why should that growth be limited to the
two-legged characters in a story? Revenge
of the Crafty Corpse, the third book in my series, presented the perfect
opportunity to delve into this subject. Because Lucille is in a rehab center
convalescing from surgery, the rest of the family must care for Manifesto. The
results are quite surprising, but I won’t spoil the fun for you. You’ll just
have to read the book to find out for yourself.
Revenge
of the Crafty Corpse
Anastasia
Pollack’s dead louse of a spouse has left her with more bills than you can
shake a crochet hook at, and teaching craft classes at her mother-in-law’s
assisted living center seems like a harmless way to supplement her meager
income. But when Lyndella Wegner—a 98-year-old know-it-all with a penchant for
ruffles and lace—turns up dead, Anastasia’s cantankerous mother-in-law becomes the
prime suspect in her murder. Upon discovering that Lyndella’s scandalous craft
projects—and her scandalous behavior—made her plenty of enemies, Anastasia sets
out to find the real killer before her mother-in-law ends up behind bars.
Buy
links:
Award-winning author Lois Winston writes the
critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series featuring
magazine crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack. Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, the
first book in the series, received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Kirkus Reviews dubbed it, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to
Stephanie Plum.” Other books in the series includes Death By Killer Mop Doll, Revenge
of the Crafty Corpse, Decoupage Can
Be Deadly and the ebook only mini-mysteries Crewel Intentions and Mosaic
Mayhem.
Lois is also published in women’s fiction, romance, romantic suspense, and non-fiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. In addition, she’s a literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer. She often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.
Lois is also published in women’s fiction, romance, romantic suspense, and non-fiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. In addition, she’s a literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer. She often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.
Visit Lois at www.loiswinston.com, visit Emma at www.emmacarlyle.com, and visit Anastasia at the Killer Crafts
& Crafty Killers blog, www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. Follow everyone on Twitter @anasleuth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming Wednesday....author Kaye George on researching the mega fauna of North America for her Neanderthal mystery series. (If you sign up at the right to follow this blog, you won't miss a thing!)
- Sheila
Stories with pets and children are not only heartwarming, but add a sentimental touch to a "human" character.
ReplyDeleteOr in the case of my books, they add comic relief! ;-)
DeleteIt's about time doggies got good roles in books. And cats, too, I guess. As usual, the timing in what I laughingly call my writing career stank. I wrote a book from the POV of a Yorkshire terrier before this trend became a trend. Of course, I also had a guy named Harry Potter in a book before J.K. Rowling's first book was published. I'm glad pets are "in" again, but I'm still cranky. That may have something to do with this being the first morning of Daylight Saving Time.
ReplyDeleteAlice, I so know what you mean. My timing has been off my entire life, and Daylight Savings Time isn't helping this morning!
DeleteFun piece, Lois. Not all series/books with dogs (and cats) as vital characters anthropomorphize, of course. As a long-time dog & cat writer (i.e., nonfiction books & articles), my biggest gripe about animals in many novels is inaccuracy. I admire series in which the animals are realistic and accurately presented, and that's what I strive for in my Animals in Focus mysteries. Thanks for being here today - always a pleasure.
ReplyDeleteThanks for inviting me, Sheila. When my kids were little, they loved the Richard Scarry books. My father-in-law hated them because of the anthropomorphic characters. Your comment reminded me of that.
DeleteI wouldn't say I hate anthropomorphic characters, or even animal pov, if it's well done. I just feel that using animals as human stand-ins has the potential to further distort people's mis perceptions of their pets' behaviors and motivations, and that's often a recipe for problems.
DeleteI totally agree with you Sheila. I prefer realistic portrayals of animals, although an animal viewpoint character is speculative. *s*
DeleteI agree. Animals add a wonderful element to stories. I want my stories to be a fun read and inform the audience, for me, that includes middle grade and young adults. I did a lot of research with Service Dog organizations and asked a lot of questions.to make sure the dog facts were correct. While teaching, I found my students got immersed in stories with almost any kind of animal, but most related to dogs or cats. Look forward to checking out your books.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sheri. Hope you enjoy them. Along with dogs and cats, little girls love stories about horses.
DeleteA French Bulldog named Manifesto. Does it get any better than that?
ReplyDeleteI'm with Sheila on presenting things realistically. Of course, then I turn around and have a dog who had the first pet LiveJournal (she says, giving her dinosaur status away) and have a couple of mysteries with tiny bits of doggy POV, but I swear...I tried to do them as a dog *would* think. Which is why they're short, because no one can read a whole book of that. (Or write one...) But hey, realism for the other books, I swear.
Hi Doranna--
DeleteThe pets in my books add color to the story but aren't part of the plots.
I've read a few books written with the dog's POV. At first it bothered me, but then I just thought of them more like fantasy or paranormal stories, and I was OK with it.
I also love the idea of a bulldog named Manifesto. It makes someone as craft-impaired as I am want to try the books!
DeleteI use a dog narrator in my Doodlebugged mysteries (and they're fairly short) but also try to make my dog realistic as to how he behaves--more nose driven than sight driven, metaphor impaired, and generally living in the present. What I love about writing in that pov is the opportunity for humor through the dog's misunderstandings. He sometimes functions as an amiable unreliable narrator, and lightens scenes that otherwise might be too emotional for the tone of the books.
Thanks, Susan. I'm intrigued by the way you've described your doggie narrator.
DeleteWell said. But don't discount a cat having a point of view in a good cozy mystery. I've written three cat mysteries and the cat does seem to take of the stories as we go along. We'll see what the public thinks as Black Cat's Legacy is coming out NOW. I've also added a Search and Rescue dog, so I believe in equal opportunity. Luck with all your great stories, ladies.
ReplyDeletewww.mindcandymysteries.com
Elaine, there are many people who enjoy books where the pet has a point of view, but you can't please everyone. You may get a nasty comment or two. Then again, we all get those snarky reviews from time to time, no matter what we write. It's all part of the business. Good luck with your book!
DeleteAnimals can provide a new or different dimension to stories and also add relationship elements. The way characters relate or respond to animals opens a window to the human characters too.
ReplyDeleteElle
Exactly, Elle. That's the way it works in my books.
DeleteNice post, Lois. I agree with Elle. Pets can "show" us another dimension to our characters, one that is usually caring and compassionate. Also, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about reading a story from an animal's point of view until I picked up Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie series told by Chet the dog's POV. I was hooked immediately, but then good writing is good writing.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that we will see another side to Manifesto now that his surroundings have change.
Manifesto is definitely evolving, Kathleen. He and Anastasia have had a "meeting of the minds." ;-)
DeleteAnimal/pet sub-genres will hopefully continue to grow as pets become more entrenched as family members. Dog lit, cat lit, it's all good or should we call them bark lit or meow lit ;-)
ReplyDeleteLayla, I'm wondering if some author might eventually move beyond cats and dogs to turtles or ferrets, perhaps? You never know how the muse will strike someone.
DeleteRichard Adams' novel Traveller is narrated by Robert E. Lee's horse, is is very well done.
DeleteKathleen, I agree!! I LOVE the Chet and Bernie books. So deftly handled with excellent characterizations all around--both human and dog. As you say, good writing!
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with the Chet and Bernie books. I'll have to look them up.
DeleteCompanion animals are so much more than "pets." I'm glad that fiction can help reflect a growing understanding of our fellow creatures.
ReplyDeleteKathleen, I think whenever authors can educate their readership about any issue, it's a wonderful thing. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteI can't resist picking up a book with a cute dog on the cover!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, no dogs on my covers. At least not yet. But Manifesto, AKA Mephisto the Devil Dog, gets lots of pages.
DeleteGreat post! And a confession...just had my 2nd "dog viewpoint" thriller published. As a behavior expert, I like to think that my "best guess" is more realistic and doesn't fall into the fantasy genre, but the only one able to tell us that is...the dog. And he ain't talking!
ReplyDeleteLOL, Amy! Someday that dog might surprise you.
DeleteAmy, yes, your talking dog is based on serious knowledge! As we know, there are all-to-many inaccurate portrayals of animals, whether their pov or not.
DeleteOops, had to send too soon - my dog was talking to me.
DeleteLOL! And actually, my dog doesn't "talk" in the books (other than with tail, ears, fur, etc), but he does "think." *s*
ReplyDeleteGotta run, my cats are talking to me, too. Me-wow!
I meant thinking - I think of dogs as "talking" when they send their "thinks" to us via eyes, ears, posture, tail.... Your dog talks to us, the readers. :-)
DeleteYou can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat dogs, cats and other animals and I've used that aspect of my characters in my "Immortal Relations" series of Paranormal-Romance. Of course I would never stand for a character's ill treatment of one!
ReplyDeleteI think you can also tell a lot about a character's ill-treatment of anyone, Vamp Writer, whether pets or people. There are some "rules" about cozy mysteries, and one of them is that you never harm or kill an animal or a child. However, there are many very gripping suspense and thriller novels where these things happen. It all depends on whether the violence is gratuitous or a vital part of the story arc. And, of course, readers should make the decision whether or not to read those books based on their comfort level. For me, there's already too much real violence in the world. I read to escape real life. So I stay away from those books as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteHi Lois. For me, a pet fits anywhere. I usually have a dog somewhere in most stories and books. Even in GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie I have a brief German Shepherd appearance to show a little of my character Becca's fears and problems to deal with.(And to add a little humor, too)
ReplyDelete