Animals as Secondary Characters

Animals as Secondary Characters

I’m an animal lover. Our small farm in Western Washington near Puget Sound consists of two pony-sized dogs, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and one prima donna horse. You’ll rarely read a book of mine which doesn’t have an animal as a secondary character. Animals add a bit of humor and fun to any situation.

In The Gift Horse I experimented with a small amount of scenes in Gabby’s point of view. Gabby is a very large Hanoverian show horse. She’s got an attitude, and she knows how to use it. Essentially, she’s modeled after my own opinionated Hanoverian mare. Throughout the book, the heroine is being sabotaged, and Gabby witnesses the acts on more than one occasion. I loved developing Gabby’s character, giving her a quirky personality and a voice.

In Fourth and Goal, the animal star of the book is a kleptomaniac chocolate Lab named Simon. Simon is constantly stealing things, such as the heroine’s only set of car keys. He is also terrorized by the heroine’s cat.

Horses and dogs were a natural for me to write about. Cats were not, until a few years ago when my cat-hating husband allowed a stray cat into our house. The next thing we knew, we were owned by a cat. I knew this cat (and how quickly he won over my husband) had to be in my next book and he is.

In my sequel to Fourth and Goal, the heroine is an animal communicator. The animal star of the show is the orange tabby cat who lives next door. The cat, a bit of a drama-queen, is quite vocal after having been relegated to the role of barn cat by the new owner of the property.  The heroine confronts her neighbor, a bad-boy pro football player, and insists he take care of his cat. The football player has no intention of letting a fur-spreading, litter-box using, flea-infested cat into his home. The cat’s goal is to reinstate his role as house cat. If you have cats, you know what’s coming next. In no time, the tabby has taken over the house. He sleeps on the pillow, uses the arm of the leather couch for a scratching post, and spreads cat hair everywhere. The hero is at his mercy. You gotta love a man who loves animals, regardless of his other flaws. It’s a hoot writing about how this little tabby cat wraps the hero around his paw and a great way to show this alpha male’s soft side.

I’ll continue to use animals in my books for as long as I write. Do you enjoy reading a book with animals as secondary characters? Have you read any good books lately with animals as secondary characters? I’d love to hear your comments.

Jami Davenport
http://www.jamidavenport.com
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/jamidavenport
Blog: http://jamidavenport.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jamidavenport

Jami Davenport has been writing since she was old enough to know the alphabet. An advocate of happy endings, Jami writes sexy romantic comedy, sizzling suspense, and equestrian fiction. Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her husband, a former Green Beret turned plumber. In her spare time, Jami rides and shows her dressage horse. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, the setting for her first two books. In her opinion, it is the most beautiful place on earth.