Having just spent two days at a holiday arts and crafts show, I had plenty of time to chat with attendees.
One observation from the event: many people wear their hobbies and interests on t-shirts that make for good conversation starters. For instance, I chatted with a woman who was wearing a “I love dogs and books” shirt. Since we had those interests in common, it was easy to start up a conversation.
I said, “I love dogs and books, too. In fact, there’s at least one dog in each of my books.”
She responded, “The dogs don’t die, do they?”
“Oh, no,” I assured her. “There might be some people who die, but NEVER the dogs!”
“Good,” she said. “I hate books where the dog dies.”
We were in agreement.
Sunny, the dog in Proving Her Claim and When the Chokecherries Bloom, and Maddie, the border collie in Lone Tree Claim, play important roles in the story lines. But when I started writing Medicine Creek Claim, I decided to change it up a bit. Apparently, Lizzy Ward was a cat person, and her yellow cat was named Butter. Butter was a good mouser and pulled her weight around the farm.
Imagine my surprise, though, when a dog appeared halfway through the book! On the Ward sisters’ journey to Dakota Territory, a stray dog appears out of the shadows one evening. Butter was Lizzy’s cat, so Charlotte immediately adopted the stray. Shadow joins the family and becomes a protector and mischief maker.
The fourth book, Iron Horse Claim, continues the tradition, but this time the dog, named Scout, belongs to Max, Lizzy’s son. What could be more iconic than a boy and his dog?
As I used to tell my sons, every boy needs a dog and every dog needs a boy.
Also, every writer needs a muse. My muse is Zinc, a rescued border collie mix, who inspired Maddie in Lone Tree Claim.