LUCY BURDETTE: Today I’m delighted to welcome my good friend Christine Falcone back to the blog. She has a new book out this month, BORROWED TROUBLE, the second in her Melanie Bass mystery series. And Hank! There’s a theme here this week too—pets in mysteries. I know you’ll enjoy Chris’s story (and her book too, coming mid-October from Level Best Books.)
CHRISTINE FALCONE: Thank you, Lucy, for inviting me to be on Jungle Red Writers today.
One of the characters I most enjoy writing about in my Melanie Bass mystery series is Melanie’s dog, Bruno. Bruno, a terrier mix, is an exceptionally well-behaved dog because, well, I have complete control over what he does. Wouldn’t it be great if we could make our real-life pets always do what we wanted and never misbehave? But no matter if they do not always behave perfectly, much like our children, we love them anyway. I have a Border Collie mix named Toby. He is a good boy too, except when he sees a squirrel, or a chipmunk, or even a bird and he whips me off my feet as I cling to his leash. (It would not be safe for him to wander off leash in our neighborhood). He likes dogs, but is iffy with people he doesn’t know, and turns into a Cujo when someone (You know who you are UPS delivery person) dares to come to our door. But really, he is (mostly) a good dog.
In writing about Bruno I realized that giving my main character a pet comes with a lot of responsibility. Just like in real life, you have to remember they need to be fed and walked. I found the necessity of getting home to feed and take out Bruno has actually helped me in transitioning my main character from one situation or location to another. But what if your protagonist is unable to get home in time to take care of their pet? Sometimes we get our main characters in dangerous situations, and in addition to dealing with the trouble they are in themselves they have to worry about who will look after their pet until they extricate themselves from the difficulty they are in. Melanie solved the problem by getting a conscientious dog walker. Like in real life, it was necessary to make sure Bruno’s health was being looked after. This led to Melanie meeting her love interest, handsome and single veterinarian, Justin McKenzie.
Bruno is Melanie’s main confidant as he is always there to listen to all her problems, comforts her when she is upset, and will tackle anyone he perceives as a threat – no matter their size. This goes both ways, though, as in book two of the series, BORROWED TROUBLE, it is Melanie’s protectiveness of Bruno that leads her to get mixed up in a dangerous police investigation.
So, if you feel your protagonist needs a little something to spice up, or complicate (in a good way) their life – have them get a dog, Or a cat.
Have you ever been annoyed by how pets are portrayed in fiction? What is it that has annoyed you?
ABOUT CHRISTINE FALCONE: Christine Falcone’s short stories have appeared in publications such as Imagine, Larcom Review, and Deadfall: Crime Stories by New England writers. After working for nearly forty years as an RN in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Christine is delighted that retirement coincided with the publication of her first full length mystery, EX’D OUT, published in October 2022. The second in the series, BORROWED TROUBLE will be out in October 2023. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. She lives on the Connecticut Shoreline with her family and a dog who is not nearly as well behaved as Bruno, the beloved canine in her novel.
Congratulations, Christine, on your new book . . . it does sound as if Melanie has a lot to contend with this time.
ReplyDeleteI only get annoyed at pets in fiction when it's obvious that the animal [usually dog or cat] is obviously "window dressing" and the animal isn’t ever fed or walked or petted . . . .
Joan, exactly! Sometimes it is obvious that the author has no idea about how much commitment goes into caring for a pet. Dogs especially need to be taken care of more than once a day.
Deleteexcellent point ladies! The pets are real characters with needs, just like the people!
DeleteYou have all echoed my thoughts exactly!
DeleteCongratulations on your upcoming release. I enjoyed the first book in the series. I do feel that some animals, especially dogs, are neglected. They need to be walked, fed, and loved, as does cats.
ReplyDeleteI agree Dru.
DeleteCHRISTINE: Congratulations on your second Melanie Bass book. I do enjoy reading K9 series since the dog is a key member of the team & is well-taken care of both physically and emotionally.
ReplyDeleteYes, many cozy mystery series have either dogs or cats. They are usually on the book cover (cuteness factor). But the protagonist can get so busy at work + doing some amateur sleuthing, and the pet is neglected. OK, a cat is pretty independent & can handle being alone most of the day. I remember reading many scenes where the amateur sleuth comes home late at night. The cat greets them at the door & demands to be fed but is quickly satisfied once it gets some food & water. I don't like it when a dog is stuck alone at home all day without being fed, walked & played with. I am glad you had Melanie hire a walker for Bruno.
Thanks Grace. I agree that the cats in our books have a little more room to be forgiving if their person is off sleuthing all day. I feel very lucky that Melanie has Jenny to take care of Bruno when she is unable to get home on time.
DeleteChristine, congratulations on your new book. I do love to see pets in series. It seems that all of the contributors this morning have the same complaint about sleuths neglecting their pets in books. Authors who own pets are less likely to do that. Jenn and Debs and Lucy have lots of well-cared-for dogs and cats in their series and you know that they have the experience of pet ownership even before you see their furry Facebook posts.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, I think it may make a difference how you write about them if you do have or have had a pet. I think it is reflex to think of the pet as if it is your own in real life.
DeleteCongratulations, Christine!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Edith.
DeleteEdith, your book pets are all well cared for, too. Even the parrot;>)
DeleteHere's another question, who are your favorite pet characters in mysteries? I love Bruno, of course, but also love Paula Munier's dogs. And Ziggy and Evinrude in the Key West mysteries, though this is making me think Ziggy might need more action next book:)
ReplyDeleteChet (the dog) and Bernie by Spencer Quinn, Deputy Mattie Cobb & K9 partner Robo in Margaret Mizushima's Timber Creek K9 series are some of my faves. Although I love Robert Crais' Elvis Cole PI series, his excellent stand-alone book, SUSPECT, has a dog as the main character. Maggie (the German shepherd) did 2 military tours in Afghanistan sniffing explosives until her handler is killed. A traumatized Maggie is sent back to the US where she is teamed up a damaged LAPD K9 handler Scott James. They work on a case together and end up healing each other.
DeleteLucy, I love Ziggy and Evirude in the Key West mysteries.
DeleteSomehow I think of that house with Hemingway's Cats in the Key West. Isn't there a Hemingway's Cats House museum?
Favorite pet characters? I loved Caspar, the hearing dog in Penny Warner's Gold Country mystery series (from the 1990s?). The Dog who came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith. I often notice dogs in English mystery novels. Loved Emma ? the dog in the Maisie Dobbs mystery novels. Emma's human is Anna, a young evacuee. And there was a collection of short stories (mystery) before the pandemic. Jacqueline Winspear's short story had many different dogs who actually had conversations. I forgot the name of the book with the mystery short stories collection. And I loved Nana in the Peter Pan stories. Nana was a St. Bernard dog who is a nanny to the Darling children.
In my WIP, I have a dog who is undergoing training to become a Hearing Dog. I wonder if that was unusual in 1920s England? That is something for me to research.
Diana
Those are all wonderful pet characters! I hope someday to get to see all the polydactyl cats inn Key West.
DeleteClyde, the dog in Barbara Nickless's Sydney Parnell mysteries is quite memorable and played a very important part in the books. As a person who has had golden retrievers, one with an eating disorder (she ate everything), I loved Bob, the golden retriever in Janet Evanovich's books. I laughed out loud at his antics.
DeleteWhen my youngest was in about fifth grade she and I read all Lillian Jackson Braun's "Cat Who" books. The Siamese cats in the series were so wise and had so much personality. The idea behind the cats solving the crimes is a little woo-woo, but the whole series is fun for other, equally improbable reasons, too.
DeleteOne of my all-time favorites is Charlie Harris' Diesel. He's often on his way to the utility closet when they return home--seems to be the kitty loo equivalent of "powder room." Also, he gets to eat a lot of chicken. I also enjoy his young friend Ramses, who seems to so often make it into Azalea's totebag to go home with her for an evening. My main peeve with animals in books is more of an art department thing--I do not like animals portrayed on tables covered with food! Who knows where those paws just were (possibly the kitty loo!) - Melanie
DeleteGillian yes! Bob in Janet Evanovich's series had me laughing out loud more than once! Also, the tiny kitten, George in one of Jenn McKinlay's romance series. It was such a perfect addition to the love story.
DeleteAlso, I love how Gemma and Duncan have accumulated dogs, cats and kids in their family. It is the most natural and believable fictional acquisition, making a wonderful family!
I resd the Lillian Jackson Braun books with my daughter too. We both enjoyed the wise siamese kitties in her books. There were fantasy/psychic elements in her books, but still .very enjoyable mysteries! The main human character Jim Q was very engaging and interesting print journalist.
DeleteChristine, welcome to JRW and congratulations on your new novel! I am laughing because your story reminds me of my dog in real life.
ReplyDeleteYour dog looks adorable. I look forward to reading your novel with the dog.
Question: Do you think dogs often reflect the personalities of their humans?
Trying to recall if I have ever been annoyed by dogs in novels. As I recall, the dogs in novels do act like dogs in real life. They are fed, petted and walked. Not annoyed, though amused is my reaction more often. There is a dog in the Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith. The dog has a gold tooth. This dog loves to nip at ankles. The dog's human is an Artist.
However, there is another dog in another series who is "hearing impaired", though you don't say that these days. It is evident which generation that author is from because my generation would say Deaf or Hard of Hearing. And in the latest installment, there is talk about a Cochlear Implant for the Dog. Not sure if that makes sense in real life. I remind myself that this novel is FICTION.
Diana
Thank you Diana, I hope you enjoy BORROWED TROUBLE. As far as dogs reflecting the personalities of the their humans - I am quite sure they reflect the state of mind or emotions. I think when we act nervous they get nervous or on high alert, and when we are calm it helps to keep them ( a bit) calmer. I have found this with my own dog.
DeleteCongratulations, Christine!
ReplyDeleteI love pets - pretty clear since both my protagonists in my Laurel Highlands series have dogs and even Betty in the Homefront Mysteries has been adopted by a stray cat. Betty has it easy. "Cat" as she calls him, takes care of himself. But I had to give Jim Duncan, who is a police officer, a very helpful neighbor to take care of his Golden Retriever when necessary. And now she helps out with Rizzo and Pixel, Sally's retired-racer greyhound.
The only thing that annoys me with pets in mysteries is what others have said - when they are just window dressing. Even fish need to be fed!
Having a pet does give you a reason to bring in other characters to help with their care, or interact with them in an interesting way. In the first book in the series, EX'D OUT, Melanie meets and takes in her ex's first wife, Lynn. Bruno immediately loves Lynn and Melanie feels a tweak of jealousy. Lynn turns out to be an animal lover, though, and a great help in seeing that Bruno is taken care of.
DeleteI love pets in stories but only if they are really a part of it. I don't like seeing a pet just as a decoration. I want to read about the character feeding the pet, caring for the pet as part of the story. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteI agree. Just as with any character - they need to have a purpose for being in the story.
DeleteCongrats Christine! Your new book sounds wonderful. I love books where dogs and cats are treated realistically. I love Lucy's Ziggy, and the cats. I remember in one of the Key West Books (Key Lime Crime??) Miss Gloria finds a kitten at a murder scene and after a waiting on a list she finally gets the kitten she loves. Another author Valerie Burns' protagonists usually have 2-3 dogs. They are constantly being let out, fed and snuggled.
ReplyDeletethanks for remembering the rescue of T-bone the kitten in THE KEY LIME CRIME. There was so much reality in those scenes:)
DeleteYes, I loved that Miss Gloria rescued T-Bone - I have seen with my own eyes how he preened at being a character in the story! I will have to check out Valerie Burns's books.
DeleteCongratulations, Christine. A dog, I am embarrassed to say, is an enticement to my reading a book. And, yes, worrying about good care of pets in my books is helped by the 16 year old beagle looking at me now.
ReplyDeleteHow can you resist those eyes?!
DeleteChristine: WAVING! The new book sounds wonderful - congratulations!! I do enjoy pets in books. I gave the protagonist's neighbor a dog in one of my books. A grumpy elderly dog based on one we had next door that terrorized my daughter. Really, not a dog person.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hallie! I like seeing grumpy or otherwise ill behaved in books also, though. It is very realistic (see my description of Toby's behavior towards anyone who shows up at our door.!) Just like people animals come with various personalities and quirks.
DeleteWell done, Chris! You really know how to make Bruno a natural part of the storyline. I've had the pleasure of reading BORROWED TROUBLE in advance, and I'm excited to get my hands on the official release.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ang. Certain little dogs you are very familiar with also influenced the development of Bruno.
DeleteBruno (and Toby) sound delightful. Your comments about using the animal instead of having him as background are ringing an alarm bell for me. Two books ago I gave my protagonists a lab-whatever mix named Oscar. He was a vital part of the story, then, but in the manuscript I'm working on, I realized his owners have spent a LOT of time dashing away from home to solve crimes and poor Oscar has been left unaccounted for! I need to go back and make sure he's getting walks and fresh water regularly or I'm going to get called out (rightfully) by readers.
ReplyDeleteAnd by all the four-legged members of your own family, Julia. Elisabeth
DeleteI remember Oscar! Yes, show him a little TLC in the next book. As you know, dogs, even more than some readers, can be very forgiving!
ReplyDeleteYAAY! A theme! And congratulations--Bruno sounds perfect. And, Christine, you are so right about being able to control a fictional dog--for better or for worse. I gave Jake Brogan a dog, golden retriever Diva, in the Jane and Jake books--and it was so much responsibility to keep Diva taken care of that I decided to have Jake give Diva to his mom. Both Mom and dog (and Jake, who lived a mile away) were supremely happy, so hurray. Another pacing problem successfully solved. xxx
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny, Hank. I forgot that you gave Jake's dog away.
DeleteToday's conversation reminds me of Rhys telling everyone how difficult it was to send Molly Murphy to Paris with her infant son in tow. She really explained quite clearly why authors are loathe to allow even married sleuths to have children.
Ha! Good solution Hank! I think many parents eventually end up with their busy offspring's animals - in fiction and in real life.
DeleteYay! Perfect solution, Hank!
DeleteDiana
I don’t have anything new to add that differs from the other commenters regarding the protagonist ignoring/forgetting their pets. As an example of an author who remembers that actually caring for pets is an essential part of pet ownership is Krista Davis. In both of her series (A Domestic Diva and the Paws and Claws mysteries), she always mentions taking the dog(s) for a walk and feeding the cat and dog as a part of her character’s daily life. In my own life, I feel guilty even running errands because that means I am leaving my pup alone!
ReplyDeleteAnd Christine, I loved your first book, Ex’d Out and look forward to reading your newest release. Congratulations! — Pat S
Oh yes, Krista's characters are excellent pet owners. Lottie and Tbone would die to eat what her animals get in the Paws and Claws mysteries!
DeleteThank you, Pat!
ReplyDeleteSept. 5th, 2023
ReplyDeleteI continue to have problems commenting on the blog, as my Google account won't come through on it and other ways are just as uncooperative. But, it's Kathy R., and I do love stories with dogs in them. Of course, I'm a dog person, so that affects my dogs in reading affection. Congratulations, Christine, on your new book. I'm glad that Melanie has a reliable dog-walker, because I'm always concerned about the pets in books if their owners are delayed in returning to them. Bruno sounds like a great dog (and, I think your Toby sounds delightful, too). And, although I'm a dog person, I have fallen for some cats in books, too, like Evirude and T-bone in Lucy's books. I'm so impressed with you Christine, working as a nurse for 40 years and now having a second career as an author. I wish you all the success, and it sounds like readers are already giving you that.
Thank you, Kathy.
DeleteCongrats on your release, Christine! I will read anything with dogs! Adding your book to my TBR!!!
ReplyDeleteJenn, I love the dogs in your novels. Diana
DeleteCongratulations Lucy on your new book! It looks and sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteI love dogs in books. Of course they can’t always be perfect. Lol! But, you as a author you sure do make us fall in love with them too.🥰
Sherry Brown
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