This is my companion of the last year and a half. Holly. She's a rescue of indeterminate lineage. Chocolate lab certainly, the thousand-teeth grin hints strongly at pit bull, the baying at sirens indicates strongly, hound.
It took a couple of days to settle into our routine, for Holly to figure out when to sit around and do nothing (i.e. when I was in my chair, writing), and when we could go outside (I aim for hourly stretch breaks). And she learned not to bark at squirrels through the windows, or nudge my chair every 5 minutes to make sure I'm not dead. She is, in fact, the perfect companion.
Plus, she's stupid. Really stupid. Fall-off-the-deck, eat wasps, never-bring-a-ball-back-I-just-found-this-thing, Odie, stupid. Which also suits me perfectly :)
This is Finn--my previous companion and mother to the dog of my heart (Benn, not featured here today :)), whip smart and gorgeous. She was a great companion. Why am I sharing this, aside from the fact I think all writers should have some some of animal friend, be it a dog, cat, rabbit, goldfish? Strangely, the hero and heroine of my next book, DANGEROUS WATERS, are called Holly and Finn :). I didn't plan it, it was one of those freak moments where my subconscious was obviously at work (maybe trying to even out the playing field as the hero of STORM WARNING is called Ben--aforementioned dog of my heart), but I'm kind of in love with the whole concept now. Most people won't know. Fewer will care. But I know and I care :)
Do you have a companion? Is he/she smarter than my lovely Holly? Please share :)
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More information about Toni's next book can be found on her website.
27 comments:
Gotta say it. I love your friends.
I had a chocolate brown Chesapeake bay retriever I adored, and still miss. He was great to write with. So empathetic...
Happy Writing
Jo-Ann
Sweet doggies!
Anyone who's seen my twitter icon/whatever-you-call-the-little-picture has seen The Lab, who thinks she can still fit in my lap because The Fluff does sit in my lap while I write.
Thank goodness there isn't a photo uplink because I nearly posted a photo (after another cup of coffee I'd have realized that was a bad Thing) :)
Hah! I forgot I used that pic over here - the yellow blob in my lap is 75 pounds of Lab
So, does Holly know you say those things about her...? :-)
No companions for me, unfortunately, thanks to allergies. I think it's grossly unfair to have been born a cat person AND allergic.
Jo-Ann, some people think Holly might have some Chesapeake i her but she HATES water. Thanks!
Cathy LOL@THE LAB. Too funny that he sits in your lap!
My daughter hates the fact I call Holly stupid :) But compared to my old dogs, she does really stupid things. It was the wasp eating that nailed it. *Snap* *Ouch* *Snap*
I'm allergic to cats but only a little. It sucks though if you love them :(
I posted my current pair of idiots (oh yeah, dumb as rocks) yesterday. Before Loki, we had Grendel, a shepherd/Saint mix who was almost neurotically attached to me--as in she'd panic if I left her sight.I'd be so lonely without dogs, so I do take allergy meds so I can have them.
They're funny, aren't they, Cindy? I saw your 'babies' yesterday. Gorgeous :)
Lovely pics, Toni!
I'd be lost without my lovely dog. (Not so much the cat because he thinks he can type...LOL) My desk doesn't feel right if I can actually reach it without having to move a lab out of the way first.
Love this post Toni!
I lost my two Boxer mixes about 7 years ago.... and adopted two rescues about 18 months ago. I had written a Boxer mix into Dangerously Close and because of my new Pitbull addition, I ended up making that dog part Pit. I'm deathly allergic to cats, but I love my puppy dogs. And they're very good at determining break times. LOL.
Shirley--I know :) And I know you lost one recently. I thought of you when I wrote the post. ((()))
Dee--they really have a hold of our hearts :) And what is it about cat fur??? Now I need to read Dangerously Close :)
Only critters I have are the lizard that run arounf on my deck.
Haven't had a beloved pet since we lost Jackie. Had her for almost sixteen years and cried for days afterward. Whe I wrote she would come in quite often for a hug. Not sure which of us needed it more.
I remember when Holly arrived on the scene! :)
I lost my puppy eleven years ago and haven't been able to muster up the strength to go through it all again.
BUT, I am thinking of getting a fish. If I do, I will post pictures here!! It will be an awesome fish, I assure you. :)
No Toni, I don't have a dog. But we did have a cat, Pussywillow by name. (I might give her a different label today!) She
used to walk my children to the school bus stop, and then walk back at the correct time to meet them at the end of their school day. Truth is, she thought she was a dog. We all mis her. Thanks for sharing. Jean
Rita--I love lizards. We have 2 geckos too :) Holly would eat them if she could just figure out how to get inside the glass :)
Elise--we all cried and cried and cried when we lost Benn. It's so sad to lose them. ((()))
Maureen--goldfish are the most amazing creatures. Seriously. :) I want photos.
Jean--Pussywillow sounds lovely. ((())) The one downside is losing them. But I wouldn't be without one, not right now.
I'm so jealous. Almost as handsome as my Jake, who's also stupid according to my husband but his love is unconditional, (Jake's that is!), so what do I can if he's lacking in the brains department.
What a beauty! My cat, Tinker has always been my writing buddy. She comes when I call her and follows me everywhere. We swear she's half dog!
I love this post, Toni. What a great personality of your dog. I have a cat that keeps me company now. My dog Sam, went to heaven a while ago, she always kept me company while I worked through my first book.
Wendy--Jake sounds adorable :)
Wynter--I think some cats have automatic dog status. Tinker sounds like a cool cat!
Jules (()) for Sam. It's sad when we lose them.
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