Reading: Siren by Tara Moss
Listening to: Free Falling by John Mayer
Watching: Vampire Diaries (Season 2)
Making me smile: My cute as a button new born son!
I’m so excited to be posting here for the first time, even if I am a little behind schedule! I had a good excuse though, with our first baby arriving 3 weeks early . . . small but healthy, and super cute! So a huge thank you to Natalie Anderson for stepping up to fill my spot last week.
At the moment I’m working on the proposal for my fourth book with Harlequin Romance, and I’ve just realised it’s my first story that doesn’t include any pets. Yet. As a very passionate animal lover who enjoys nothing more than being surrounded by animals, I seem to have turned all of my characters into animal lovers too. Or at least they are by the end of my stories!
From a loving Golden Retriever who helps heal a little girl’s broken heart in my first book, to a waggy-tailed little scruff ball of a dog in my second book and a Labrador puppy in my third, there’s no escaping the four-legged creatures. I’ve also added horses into my last one for my cowboy hero, which was great fun to do, and let me share a personal interest with my readers.
But just because I love animals doesn’t necessarily mean all the potential readers of my books will, so it’s a matter of writing pets into each story without letting them become too dominant. My question here is whether you like reading about animals, or whether you’d prefer the characters you read about to be pet-less! I also seem to have a penchant for writing children into my stories, but that’s another question entirely and one Natalie talked about last week.
Soraya's debut Harlequin Romance, Soldier on Her Doorstep, is out in the UK in June/USA July. For more information head to www.sorayalane.blogspot.com
Love that picture of the dog, Soraya - is he/she yours. Anyway he's the picture of bliss, isn't he!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely a fan of animals in stories! Always have come to think of it! My favourite stories as a child ALWAYS had animals in them and preferably horses!
So I'm looking forward to your stories with the gorgeous animal characters.
Congratulations on your wonderful little newborn boy!
:)
Sharon
Yay on your first post with us, Soraya! Welcome!
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge animal lover, like you, and animals frequently find their way into my books. I love to read books with animals in them -- I think that's one of the reasons I like Jennifer Crusie so much (that, and her sense of humour!)
Enjoy your little boy!
Welcome to the world, little man! Hope you get lots of time to enjoy him, Soraya. =)
ReplyDeleteI love, love animals in romances. Or in any book. Or in real life. Can't wait to meet the dogs in your books! (Which reminds me, Nikki Logan promised me a penguin book one day...)
I love stories with animals in them. Dogs & horses . . . a must when I'm writing and/or reading. My own horses often turn up in my books.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new baby!
Hi Soraya! I do enjoy animals in book - but have never written one into one of mine... hmmm.. might have to sneak one in sometime! But it's hard to think of one that could go into some glam apartment setting - tropical fish just don't seem as cute somehow! ;)
ReplyDeleteLove the pic of your gorgeous dog by the way!!!
Hi Soraya,
ReplyDeleteI love reading about animals in books. But had to chuckle at Natalie's animals in glam apartment settings.
Congratulations on baby Lane's arrival. Enjoy your quiet times with him.
I'm eagerly waiting for season 2 of Vampire Diaries, though we bought the DVD's upto episode 10 and watched it already!
Congrats on your bouncing bub, Soraya.
ReplyDeleteAs an animal lover I definitely love animals in stories!!
Natalie's comment about tropical fish in a glam apartment setting reminds me of a fabulous Robyn Grady book, Naughty Nights In The Millionaire's Mansion.
ReplyDeleteThe hero, Mitch, goes to a pet shop to buy a dog, but the pet shop owner, Vanessa, talks him into buying a fish instead. Problem is, the fish won't stay in his bowl so Mitch asks Vanessa for a house call. It's funny and sweet and sexy. Loved it. =)
Soraya
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the birth of your Son such a joy
I love stories with pets in them and children I love animals and have never been without a pet and can't imagine life without them.
I say keep the pets in the stories
Have Fun
Helen
Hi Soraya,
ReplyDeleteand congrats! :))
I love animals in books, and grew up on animal stories - White Fang, Call of the Wild, The Black Stallion, Silver Brumby and Black Beauty. And have to agree with Rachel - Robyn Grady's book, Naughty Nights - it was fantastic. Gold fish, who'd have thought!!
Sorry it's taken me so long to get back here! Yes, the pic is of one of my four-legged friends - her name is Ella and she loves cuddling up on our sofa like she is in the pic.
ReplyDeleteMel - Black Beauty, the Black Stallion - absolute childhood favourites of mine :)
Congratulations on your new baby!! I love all animals and do enjoy it when they are in stories too. It's one way I judge a person. I happen to have 4 cats at the moment but I've had 7 at one time (and a couple of dogs) and I also care for feral cats. So my vote is definitely yes!
ReplyDeleteLove love love! animals in stories. They can be such great characters. We've just adopted a new cat from the SPCA last week so its interesting times as she fits in with the other animals (cat and bunnies).
ReplyDeleteHuge congrats on the baby, Soraya. 2011 sounds pretty darned good for you so far!
Soraya, I love animals in romances, but I am pretty picky. I want the animal to be there for a bigger reason than just showing that the hero or heroine are animal lovers. I want it to further the plot in some way.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I love books that feature an animal as the main character -- Black Beauty was a major fave when I was a kid :-)