Pets In Fiction

Hey all,

After several months, it's finally time for another guest blogger and today's author speaks about something near and dear to my heart. 

Critters in fiction.  As you know many of my stories also have animals in them and I believe they very much add realism to any book.  Kelley Heckart should know since it sounds like she's had a few critters in her life.  So let's hear a little bit about Kelley.  

According to her website... Though Kelley resides on the earthly realm with her husband and two dogs, she always has one foot firmly planted in the otherworldly realm of mystical creatures, fierce warriors and magic. A psychic once told her she has an old soul and this comes across in her tales of long ago places. An avid reader, she turned her lifelong passion for Celtic mythology into a way to express herself through writing.

And it sounds like she has some interesting stories to tell.  So please join me in welcoming Kelley Heckart and let's see what she has to say about Pets In Fiction...

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I love animals and grew up with pets in the house. We always had at least one dog in the family and I remember a parade of mice, rats and birds in our house when I was growing up. Even after I moved out of my parents' house, I had a dog, and now my husband and I have two dogs. I think this influences my writing because most of my characters have pets.

When I was researching for my latest release, Cat's Curse (Book One in my Dark Goddess trilogy), I discovered that medieval kings usually owned hunting hounds. My hero is an Irish prince and I decided to give him two hunting hounds as his pets. When my heroine first meets this prince, he is arrogant and unpleasant at times, but she discovers he does have a tender side when he shows affection to his hounds. The dogs play an important part in bringing them together. Another character in this book, a Pict king, likes to collect exotic animals like wildcats and birds of prey. This reveals something about the king's personality, and his penchant for collecting exotic creatures plays an important part in the plot.

In another book, Ravenwolf, the mysterious white wolf in the story is based on my beautiful, intelligent American Eskimo. The wolf plays an important part in the plot and the story wouldn't be the same without her. This story is set in Alba (Scotland) in the land of the Picts. The Picts and Celts sometimes kept geese as watchdogs because of their aggressive nature. I have had first hand experiences with geese at a local duck pond and I can verify that geese are, indeed, aggressive. I was chased many times by geese. I thought a goose would make a cool pet for my hero and heroine when they lived in a crannog out on an island loch. The goose added some humor to the story.

Horses play an important part in my stories since my books are set in historical time periods. I like to give them names to show how close the bond can be between human and animal. One of my main characters in my Dark Goddess trilogy is a horse whisperer. When researching the Picts, I came across some information about a secret society of horse whisperers. This unique gift comes in handy during battles. Other animals also appear in this trilogy. A wolf seems like he is a goddess's pet until he shapeshifts into a tall, golden-haired man. Now, that's the kind of pet I like.

I think pets can add something important to a story. They can help show a different side of a character or they can add some humor. Sometimes the story wouldn't be the same without them. Kind of like how in real life pets can make a huge difference in a person's life. My life wouldn't be the same—it would be a lot less fulfilling without my two dogs to entertain, give me companionship and teach me how to live life one day at a time. Have you ever noticed how animals/dogs know how to enjoy life?

Do other writers like to add pets to their stories? Do readers like to read stories with pets in them? 

Kelley Heckart

'Timeless tales of romance, conflict and magic'

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Good question, Kelley.  I know I appreciate a story more when there is a critter in it.  What about it readers?  Do you like a story that has pets in it?  If so...why?  Leave your comments below.

And if you want to get to know Kelley a little better and check out some of her work, head over to one of the places below.  You'll find all sorts of goodies there!

Thanks Kelley for being a part of my blog!  Happy writing and many good sales to you!

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.goodreads.com/kheckart

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

http://www.myspace.com/phantomqueen3

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