Today’s post is a call back to “Pet Words of Wisdom” from March 2024, posted just after we had to say goodbye to our beloved cat, Mittens, who was nearly eighteen when he passed. He was the last of the six cats in the many years my wife and I have lived in our little house. All of them brought great joy and liveliness to our home. After he died, we decided we needed a break.
That break ended last Saturday when we adopted Maeve and Moxie, pair of nine-month old kittens, who were part of the last litter born to an outdoor colony. The two were very underweight when they went into foster care, but now are glowing with life, love and energy.
Maeve in a rare moment of rest.
Moxie imitating a work of art, with the window frame serving as a faux picture frame.
Suddenly our quiet house has returned to an earlier time, with cat toys strewn about and the thundering of small paws down the hallway at 2AM when the wee furry ones have zoomies in the wee hours.
Now, despite being a lifelong “servant to cats” as well as a friend to dogs, I hadn’t included a pet in any of my books until my second Meg Booker mystery, Book Drop Dead, which sees Meg adopt a stray kitten she finds outside the library. However, little Honorius does not help solve any murders.
Writing a cozy featuring pets that are involved in solving a mystery is enticing, but of course there are already many such mysteries out there. Not that that’s ever stopped me before when an idea takes hold, but, just as I did with cozies in general, I’d want to read a stack of pet mysteries.
I’m already huge fan of Jeffrey Poole’s Corgi Casefiles series which give much inspiration for a potential pet-centered mystery, with his clue-detecting corgis Sherlock and Watson.
Now if I were to write a “pet helps solve mystery” novel it would of course have to star a cat or cats.
With that in mind I have Rita Mae Brown’s Mrs. Murphy cat mysteries, Shirley Rosseau Murphy’s Joe Grey series, Lillian Jackson Brown’s Cat Who books, and Miranda James’ Cat in the Stacks series on my to-be-read list of cat mysteries.
In honor of cats in mystery fiction, today we have an excerpt a from 2024 post by Elaine Vets on including pets in mysteries, as well as a 2016 post by James Scott Bell, on herding very different kinds of “CATS.”
Both post are well worth reading in full.
We all know that getting a reader inside a lead character’s head is one of the keys to compelling fiction. But it has to be done seamlessly so it doesn’t jerk us out of the narrative and put a crimp in the fictive dream.
Which means we have to learn to handle what I call “Character Alone Thinking Scenes” (CATS) in a deft manner.
The first issue is whether to begin the book with a CATS. As last Wednesday’s first-page critique demonstrated (in my view, at least) the answer should almost always be No.
Why? Because we have to have a little personal investment in someone before we can care deeply about their feelings.
Imagine going to a party and you’re introduced to a fellow with a drink in his hand. You say, “How are you?” and the guy says, “I’m really depressed, man, I wake up every day and the room looks dark and the sun never shines, even though it’s out there, and I don’t see it because of the dark dankness in my soul, and life has lost its meaning, its luster, whatever it was it once had for me when I was young and ready to take on the world. Ya know?”
AHHHH!!!!
Well, the beginning of a book is like walking into a party. The reader wants to meet interesting people. And interest is aroused by what people do. The way you catch readers from the start is through action and disturbance, not feeling and expounding.
I can’t tell you the number of manuscripts I’ve read over the years that did not begin with a real scene, but instead opted for the inside of a character’s head. What I usually do in such cases is flip the pages until I get to some dialogue, because that automatically means we’re in a scene. And 98% of the time that is the best place to start. (Sure, an argument can be made that a great style might be enough to carry the opening pages. But it better be truly great and truly brief.)
So, re: the opening—save your CATS for later.
Once you’re into the novel there are two types of CATS to herd—active and reactive.
In an active scene, the character is alone but with a major scene objective (something that materially relates to the plot), and thinks while trying to overcome whatever scene obstacles are in her way.
In a reactive scene, the character is alone with a chance to reflect. She may be thinking about what’s already happened in the story, or her current psychological state, or the other characters. When done well, reactive scenes strengthen our emotional bond with the character.
James Scott Bell—October 1, 2017
I’m writing a new mystery series set in South Florida. Here’s one of the hairiest problems I considered: did I want my protagonist to have a pet?
I like pets, and they’re popular with mystery readers. Especially cat and dog mysteries.
Many cozy readers are familiar with Laurie Cass’s Bookmobile Cat series. And that’s just the start of the good felines. There are series with Cat Cafes, Klepto Cats, Magical Cats, witches’ cats, library cats, bookstore cats and more.
Cats who talk and solve mysteries aren’t my cup of tea – my cats can’t even open a can of food for dinner. But what do I know? Readers love felines who can perform semi-human feats.
I could also give my new protagonist a dog. Dog mysteries are definite people pleasers. There’s a pack of them, including David Rosenfelt’s series, featuring work-avoiding, dog loving lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara.
Tara is a lovable companion. Other mystery series feature working dogs, such as FBI special agent Sara Driscoll and her search and rescue Labrador, Hawk.
Here are more good reasons to have pets in mysteries:
Walking a dog is a good way to meet people.
Animals are good judges of character. Dogs (and some cats) can rescue or defend you, warn you with a timely bark or hiss, even uncover a clue.
A pet in your mystery can be plus. Readers identify with pets. “Your cat reminds me of my orange tabby, Ginger. She loves to . . .”
But there are major downsides to consider. Pets need care. Your detective can’t be on the track of a killer and suddenly stop the investigation to make a phone call. (“Psst! Mark. I’m staking out the killer’s house. Will you walk my corgi? I just got a new living room rug.”)
Dogs also have to be fed and groomed. Cats are a little more easy care. Your detective can open a big bag of dry food and leave out a bowl of water, but sooner or later the litter box has to be cleaned.
Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series has a unique, easy-care animal, a hamster named Rex. Rex lives in a cage on her kitchen counter. Rex sleeps in a soup can and runs on his hamster wheel. Stephanie occasionally tosses him a grape for a treat.
But she’s such a good writer, Rex seems real. Once, some thugs held Rex for ransom, and I genuinely hoped the little critter would survive.
For this new series, I decided to go pet-free.
Elaine Viets—August 8, 2024
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- Do you enjoy reading mysteries about pets? Any favorites?
- Have you included pets in your fiction? If so, what sort and in what fashion?
- How do you herd JSB’s “CATS” when you write?
Dale, congratulations to Maeve and Moxie for ensconcing themselves in a wonderful home where they will be pampered and loved by obedient servants 😉
The second book in my series, Stalking Midas, featured a cranky character with nine rescue cats. The feline ringleader named Rambo was an important antagonist who caused several major plot twists. Great fun to write as comic relief in the often-grim story of elder fraud.
Added bonus: I gave some well-deserved recognition to the nonfictional spay-neuter task force that does excellent work in our area.
Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie make me chuckle.
Looking forward to seeing Maeve and Moxie in a new series?
Thanks so much, Debbie. We feel blessed and are so happy to provide these two with a loving home.
I love your feline antagonist Rambo–what fun he must have been to write. It’s great, too, that you gave recognition to your local spay-neuter task force. My wife and I donate $ to ours, Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, and if I do write a cat-centered mystery, I need to follow in your literary footsteps and mention them.
Maeve and Moxie are certainly worthy of a series 🙂 You might very well see their fictional analogues at some point.
Well technically, since I write historical there are always animals in them, but have never done a mystery with the intentional use of pets involved in the storyline. Having grown up and watched several TV iterations of the Lassie series, I always wanted to write a book featuring a pet but have never come up with an idea that could compete with Lassie. 😎
But animals can be used powerfully in story — you have only to listen to Michael Martin Murphy’s classic song “Wildfire” to see how much amazing story you can create AND powerfully involve humans with the right animal/story.
“Character Alone Thinking Scenes” – I agree stories should not typically start with these, but there are also times of exception. I wonder if a reader’s acceptance of CATS scenes depends on whether they are introverted by nature?
I also loved Lassie as a kid, and she’s likely why some of the very first novels I read as a grade schooler featured dogs, such as “Silver Chief Dog of the North,” and of course “Call of the Wild.”
Interesting thought about reader introversion being a factor in whether leading with a CATS works. I don’t know.
Congratulations on your new cats. Kittens are chaos agents, but fun to have around. I hope they give you inspiration, as well as love. Thanks for mentioning my blog. My new Florida series is also pet-free, but I couldn’t write without Vanessa, the black cat who rescued me.
Thanks so much, Elaine! “Chaos agents” is the perfect term for kittens. Your post is a keeper.
You put it perfectly, cats (and dogs for dog lovers) rescue us as much as we rescue them.
Almost all of my books have pets in them. Especially the more than 25 Amish fiction novels I’ve written, including the most recent one that includes a beloved herd of goats as well as cats, dogs, a rooster, and several horses. My readers really respond to pets. Initially my biggest problem was mentioning a pet early on and then forgetting to mention it again. Now it comes naturally and the pets often play a part in the characters’ story arc and emotional growth. I really had fun researching how to raise goats–especially interacting with them at a farm that opens its doors to the public. You can even “cuddle a cow” there. Finding ways to keep my writing fresh in this genre is a challenge. My romantic suspense & women’s fiction also include pets. They tell readers something about the characters and who they are.
Having a menagerie of pets to keep track of would be a daunting task for me, Kelly. It’s great to hear you’ve gotten a handle on that with practice and now the “pets often play a part in the characters’ story arc and emotional growth.
“Cuddle a cow”–now there’s a great premise for an important scene!
I can imagine it is indeed a challenge to stay fresh in that genre–can see a similar challenge with cozy mysteries, and your using research to spur creativity is a great approach. Thanks for sharing it here.
I’m just starting a book where a beagle finds a bone that starts the mystery, and in the past I’ve included a Puli (the dog that looks like a mop). Mostly my books are pet free simply because of what Elaine said about the detective having to stop and make sure the dogs get out…
Your beagle that finds a bone which starts the mystery is a terrific example of how pets and animals can be catalysts for stories.
“The dog that looks like a mop” made me chuckle, Patrica!
Waaay back in 2012 I pitched a new series to my then only publisher about a private foundation that helped people, and who acquired a mysterious dog who found those people needing help. At the time I called it “sort of the A-Team meets Lassie.” They loved the idea, and so began my sojourn with with a dog named Cutter and a series entitled Cutter’s Code. I am now writing book #21 in that series, and was recently told it’s still the publisher’s best selling of many K-9 centric series. And thankfully I’m still loving it. So yes, dogs. In other series it’s horses, another great love. Never had a cat, so I leave that to those who know the little beasties…
What a fantastic tagline, Justine. Congratulations on now writing #21 in that series! I’ll have to check your series out.
Glad you decided to get back to pet ownership by adopting Maeve and Moxie. There are too many homeless cats and dogs in the world, and not nearly enough homes. All my characters have had pets, but in my latest series, the DeeLo Myer cat rescue mysteries, cats play a major role.
Thanks so much, Sharon! You are right, there are too many homeless cats and dogs and not enough homes. We were very happy to take this pair in.
My characters have had pets — usually dogs, but the occasional cat shows up. However (and apologies to cozy writers–I draw the line at giving them a POV or making them talk. Just can’t accept it.) Mine have a purpose for being on the page, but it’s not to ‘talk’ to readers.
I’m starting a new book, and my two protagonists each have dogs, but I haven’t determined their official roles yet.
One of the things I enjoy about “the Corgi Casefiles” is that Sherlock and Watson don’t have POVs, instead, their own and first person narrator Zach and his friends have to suss out what the dogs are indicating by their behavior, usually pointing to a clue to be discovered.
A dog for each protagonist–I love that!
I just realized there is a very specific reason I do NOT have a pet in my story: to the central main character, a former physician turned novelist because she is too ill to continue practicing medicine, getting a cat (which would be her choice of pet) would mean that she was settled, had accepted that this single life with illness and a cat was her reality, and was reasonably content living that way.
As the story goes on to show, this is NOT the reality her gut subscribes to: she does not want companionship from a pet – she’s not ready to take that as a final lifestyle.
That restlessness colors and lines her path, and makes her vulnerable to what happens.
Great point about your main character not wanting to accept an identity she sees having pet would give her.
Congratulations on acquiring the new family members, Dale! And congratulations to Maeve and Moxie on having the good fortune to land in your home.
I included the border collier Barkley in my Watch series. He’s smart and cute and acts as a sounding board for the main character. Barkley also played a major role in the second book in the series when he was confronted by a rattle snake. The dog’s decision to risk it all to save the horses mirrored the dilemma the main character was facing.
Also can’t leave out the giant gelding Old Dan in the Lady Pilot-in-Command series. Dan was instrumental in foiling a crime and saving his owner’s life.
Good luck with the kitties!
Thanks so much, Kay! These two have really livened things up here, and in a very good way.
Your own fiction provides examples of how pets can liven a narrative.