by Linda O. Johnston
Last time I blogged
here at Writers and Other Animals, my topic was Animals, Novels and Me. I
described how all of my cozy mysteries, and some of my romances, involve
animals. Why? Because I love animals!
Today I want to talk about
how many animal themes there can be in cozy mysteries. The answer, of
course, is that the possibilities are infinite, as wide in scope as there are
animals.
I'm especially a dog
lover. I think that's apparent by my focus on dogs in my mysteries,
especially my Pet Rescue Mysteries. My protagonist Lauren Vancouver runs
a wonderful no-kill shelter that also saves cats, but she, too, is more of a
dog lover so the stories are mostly themed around issues that threaten dogs.
And in my upcoming
Superstition Mysteries, my protagonist there, Rory Chasen, who happens to own a
lucky dog named Pluckie, will become the manager of the Lucky Dog Boutique.
I'm not the only one
who centers cozy mysteries on dogs. For example, my host here at Writers
and Other Animals, Sheila Webster Boneham, writes the Animals in Focus
Mysteries. That's Animals in Focus, not Dogs in Focus. Even
so, many of those animals happen to be dogs. Her upcoming book Catwalk
obviously features a cat, but that doesn't mean dogs don't play a major role,
too.
Then there are the
Pampered Pets Mysteries by Sparkle Abbey, which likewise feature dogs... and
cats. And the Downward Dog Mysteries by Tracy Weber, where yoga is
important, but so is the protagonist's dog. And the Paws and Claws
Mysteries by Krista Davis--also featuring both dogs and cats. And the
Barking Detective Mystery Series by Waverly Curtis, which happens to have a
very special Chihuahua in it.
Some mysteries feature
cats without dogs, such as The Cat in the Stacks mysteries by Miranda James and
the Magical Cats Mystery Series by Sofie Kelly.
Other animals can be
the subjects of mysteries, too. I took advantage of that in my Kendra
Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries. Kendra happed to live in the Hollywood
Hills, as I do. She is a lawyer, as I was. And she happens to own a
tricolor Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lexie, which, coincidentally, is a
description of my older Cavalier. You can guess by the titles of some of
the Pet-Sitter Mysteries what animals besides dogs were featured in them:
NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FERRETS, FINE-FEATHERED DEATH, MEOW IS FOR MURDER, THE
FRIGHT OF THE IGUANA, NEVER SAY STY, and FELINE FATALE, to mention a few.
I haven't attempted to
describe all the mysteries there are that happen to involve, or feature,
animals. That's partly because there are so many of them! Plus,
there are more being published all the time. Apparently not only authors,
but readers, too, enjoy animals in their mysteries!
How about you?
Do you enjoy animals? Reading about them? Having them as pets?
Come visit me at my
website: www.LindaOJohnston.com You can also
friend me on Facebook. I additionally blog weekly on KillerHobbies.blogspot.com on
Wednesdays, where my Killer Hobby is supposed to be pets--but we all know that
pets aren’t hobbies. They’re family! I also blog on the 18th of
each month on Killer Characters--or at least my characters do. And I
additionally blog on Inkspot, the blog of Midnight Ink authors, and on the 6th of each
month at A Slice of Orange, the blog of the Orange County Chapter of Romance
Writers of America. As I've mentioned before, I blog a lot!
Thanks for being here again, Linda!
ReplyDeleteI love mysteries, especially ones with animals! I love the Magical Cats and Cat in the Stacks mysteries - and my own, featuring a cat who plays Scrabble, will be out in December from Berkley (Nick and Nora mysteries - Meow if its Murder). Have read Lindas and Sheila's and love them, too. so many books - so little time
ReplyDeleteThanks for inviting me to blog here again, Sheila!
ReplyDeleteA cat who plays Scrabble? Sounds delightful! I'll be watching for it.
ReplyDeletePets enhance our lives so much, it's no wonder they play a role in so many fun mysteries!
ReplyDeleteThey certainly play a great role in your mysteries, Tracy!
ReplyDelete