Newsflash! There’s an extra-special bond between writers and
their pets. But you probably knew that already. Just click on practically any
author’s Facebook page, and there’s a good-to-excellent chance you’ll see plenty
of pics featuring their loyal keyboard companions.
Hemingway had his polydactal cats (you can visit more than
60 of their descendants roaming his Key West home). Emily Brontë
tromped the moors with her formidable mastiff, Keeper. Sartre and Twain often
wrote with cats in their arms. And Agatha
Christie was a confirmed dog lover.
I love the fantasy of a snoozing pet curled on my lap as I
write the Great American Mystery. Maybe with a toasty fire going in the background,
and a cup of cocoa—or, in warmer weather, gently whirring ceiling fans overhead
and a giant glass of iced tea with lemonade. Even better, what if my pet wasn’t
just your run-of-the-mill muse, but actually wrote those gripping tales as I slept?
Sadly, none of those things are ever going to happen. My dog
Farley hasn’t shown much interest in penning books—only in eating them. And his
co-pet, a devious black cat named Lucy, isn’t much help, either. In fact, the
two of them work in tandem to make sure I have zero words on the page by the
end of each writing session. They’re a great team.
I always get the same question when people meet Farley. Did
I name him after the dog in that cute movie with Jennifer Aniston? The naughty
dog with the fur and heart of gold? Sorry, no. My dog is Marley with an
“F.” He was actually named after Chris
Farley, the late comedian. The two have quite a few similarities, it turns out.
They’re both on the larger side, blond, extremely talented, and always in
motion.
We chose Farley from a litter of four adorable brothers. He
seemed the most enthusiastic on the days we visited and we had this crazy idea about
letting a puppy choose us.
We ignored
that he was also the one circling the perimeter, over and over—kind of like me
in the writing process. And he always had something in his mouth. That was cute
when it was a mini Lamp Chop toy. Now it’s shoes and toilet paper off the roll
or my feet when I’m trying to talk on the phone. And once it was an entire
folder of handwritten notes for my manuscript in progress.
He’s been to nonstop obedience classes—I have the bank
statement to prove it. In puppy class he literally chomped on his fancy
completion ribbon as they took the group picture. In the more advanced classes
he was a champ in the ring—and a crazy hellion the minute we got home. We tried
agility for a while, until I won five months in PT. When I have a serious
deadline, I’ll admit that I dump him off at doggy day care, and pay extra for
the dogbone-shaped pool.
Do you have
a helpful muse, of the pet (or any other) variety? Let us know in the comments--and include a pic if you'd like!
LISA Q. MATHEWS is a former lifeguard, competitive figure skater, and Nancy Drew editor. Like her co-sleuths in The Ladies Smythe and Westin, her first series for adults, she enjoys rich desserts, Nora Ephron movies, and above all a good mystery. Visit Lisa at lisaqmathews.com
LISA Q. MATHEWS is a former lifeguard, competitive figure skater, and Nancy Drew editor. Like her co-sleuths in The Ladies Smythe and Westin, her first series for adults, she enjoys rich desserts, Nora Ephron movies, and above all a good mystery. Visit Lisa at lisaqmathews.com
