What is it about puppies and kittens and ponies (and even
hamsters, though I have never had one) that we love? Every jaunt through Facebook includes adorable pictures of friends’ furry loves (my
own included), heartwarming stories of
pets reunited with their pet
people, or passionate pleas for adoptive homes for animals in distress.
Most of my friends have pets. Most of my family and extended
family are pet lovers, too. I have two
rescued cats and two noisy and happy parakeets. Pets are like members of the family. I like people who like and respect and
protect animals.
So what does that have to do with romance novels?
I love to read sweet romance and light mysteries. I also
like to write them. I feel that a large
part of the joy of our stories is directly related to the ability to identify
with.. and LIKE the characters. Though
it may sound corny, in a good book, they actually feel like friends to me.
Real. The kind of people I like.
I am seeing how the memorable characters in my favorite
books (both romance and mystery) often have a pet that matters a lot to
them. Like Stephanie Plum and her
hamster, Rex. Or Jesse Stone and his big
lovable dog. Jessie. This can also been seen in sweet romance movies, like Tom
Hank’s adorable dog Brinkley in “You’ve Got Mail.”
In many of my
earlier books, my characters have pets too.
In “Daring Hearts”, my heroine helps a sad little boy get a puppy. In “Love, Julie”, my heroine saves and trains
a wild horse that people have given up on.
In “Noah’s Bark”, my heroine is a veterinarian who fights for animal
rights and cares for a bevy of animals, usually with no pay. In “Patient Heart”,
it’s all about an errant pony.
There is a certain kind of sweet loving heart that is open
to loving a pet, and that trait is very attractive to me in a romance novel, as
well as in real life. In our sweet
romances, the emphasis is on heart and character and story. The inclusion of
pets often makes the story richer, more realistic and heartwarming to me.
What do you think? Do you have a pet? Do you find stories
richer with characters who love their pets?
Christine Bush is the
award winning author of many books and novellas of sweet romance and light
mystery. When she isn’t writing, she can be found working with clients as a
Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, or teaching Psychology at a
local college. She lives with her family
and two crazy cats in northeastern Pennsylvania, and loves to hear from readers
and aspiring writers.
Check out her reissued Award Winning
book “Cindy’s Prince!”
