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Okay, if you know the history of my romantic life, you know I've been single and continue to be single. The new man in my life is barely a pound in weight and walks on all fours. He is only 7 weeks old, and still very much a baby. But he's stolen my heart completely.
I chose to go with a mixed breed of Maltese and Poodle. I've had 4 Toy Poodles in my home over the years, but I've never tried a Maltese. This little guy really has the look of a Shih-Tzu without the overbite.
After a long list and deliberation, I've settled on naming him Bingley. Yes, it comes from Pride & Prejudice. (I'm an Austen fan!) Truthfully, his name was Mr. Darcy for a few short hours, but after sleeping on it, I decided it was too long, and I didn't like shortening it to Mister or Darcy. So, he's Bingley, because he is sweet, intelligent, and a good companion.
Also, as you write your stories, do you consider adding pets? It seems like most people I know have a pet of some sort. JoAnne has her Shih-Tzu, Susan her turtle, Kelly her dogs and horses, Connie her cats, and so on. Only Annie in our department has willingly avoided the temptation to be a pet owner.
I've read many fun stories using pets as part of the setting and even developing them like a secondary character. Janice Thompson has the memorable Sasha in her Bridal Mayhem books. I recently read an unpublished manuscript that had a dog in the story. IMHO the dog could have been used even more to further the conflict, but I did enjoy his presence anyway.
Pets are a natural part of most settings, and pet owners enjoy reading about pets, so don't overlook them in your stories.
23 comments:
Our cat is Amelia Earhart, so named because as a kitten she'd "fly" leap from one place to another in an effort to avoid being caught. Not exactly a name from literature, but I do think T.S. Eliot would be an appropriate name for our next cat...
Back in the 80s, we had a cat named Boy George because...well, it was just a strange little kitty!!(Mom and Dad had no idea who Boy George was, but my sister and I did! LOL)
We also had a kitten we named Tyson (for Mike Tyson) because boxing was his favorite pasttime. Tyson didn't live very long.
Again, not literature, but...life!
How could I leave out the current mongrels?
Our Himalayan is named Knox because we got him in Knoxville, TN, and our Black Lab is named Dakota, because my daughter thinks the Black Hills of (South) Dakota (is/are?) the most beautiful place she's ever been and we'd just gotten back from there when we got him, and he's as black as black can be, so she named him Dakota. I call him Monstro because he's huge. That would be from Pinocchio...
Still not anything meeting your query though, huh? I'll go now! :-)
No baby yet, huh, JoAnne??
We had a cat named Ramona Oscarette Mathilda Ferguson. The Ramona and the Mathilda were from books my daughter loved. The Oscarette was from the movie Oscar with Sylvester Stallone. Can't tell you how many times we watched that show. My daughter used to love S.S. -- she even named two turtles Oscar. :-)
Your pup is precious. I'm not really a dog person but I'd sure like to get my hands on him. Sooooo cuddly-looking!
We have our animals named after land marks. However, a couple of close friends have their cats named after an author and a few literary characters. Dickens, Mr. Darcy, and Bingley are the cats. Lucifer is a cat named after the cat in Cinderella. They pretty much fit their name sakes...
Bingley is so adorable! No wonder you lost your heart to him! He really looks like a Bingley, too.
My cat is Quicksilver Girl, from the Steve Miller song. When I sing it to her (and I use the word "sing" with great license!) she watches me intently. Of course, she may just be making sure I will stop that horrible sound...soon.
After all, I do have the cat food opening fingers, so it's imperative I stay healthy.
She got her name as Christa's cat did--there's a line in the song, "She spreads her wings and she's free." Quick would stretch her arms and legs out as far as possible and leap on us, looking for all the world like a grey flying squirrel. Of course, that was many cans of Fancy Feast ago.
I always try to put an animal in my stories. Cora in "Angel's Roost" is Quicksilver Girl, even to the snoring. I've had other animals in my stories, but she's my favorite.
Enjoy Bingley!
My dog, Sheba, is named after "THE QUEEN OF SHEBA" she came into our home and took over... thus the name.
Ginger, in my new book, TO TRUST AN OUTLAW, is named after a horse I had as a kid. I loved Ginger and wanted her to live on in fiction.
Pets, huh? Does Hector count as a pet or a pest in Petticoat Ranch?
In Of Mice...and Murder I've got a cat named Grizzly and he may be eating all the mice in Carrie's house or...he...may be getting ready to have kittens.
In the first book of the Heartsong Series I'm working on I've got a buffalo named Bill. My heroine loves him, my hero is just begging for an excuse to shoot him.
Animals are a great way to have a character, alone in a scene, have someone to 'talk the scene' too, I like them.
At home, we had a dog named Dingo, an australian shepherd. We loved Dingo, he's not with us anymore.
Now we have cats, too many mostly wild barn cats. We call them...yellow.
Bingley is darling! I hope you have a very happy future together.
I enjoy including pets to my stories. In my new novella "Moonlight & Mistletoe" in A BIG APPLE CHRISTMAS I have a Westie that adds to the fun. I love the drawing the artist did at Barbour of Miss Molly (the Westie in the novella).
Oh, what a CUTIE!!!! A real cuddle-puppy. :) I'm glad you found the "right one."
I only named one of our cats, Schatze. She is a flamepoint and she lives up to her sweet name. My dh, though, named two of our cats after Star Trek (not literature by any means). One cat is named Spot, after Data's cat. Spot ended up adopting me as her 'person.' She actually has a fictional kitty named after her in my 2nd cozy mystery. The other family cat with a Star Trek name is our gentleman kitty named Jean-Luc, who is indeed very proper and never fights to get to the food dish.
Jess, how do you call a cat when the name is as long as Ramona Oscarette Mathilda Ferguson? By the time you get the name out, the cat could be 10 streets away. LOL
Thanks for all the comments and well wishes. I'm glad to see you are making use of pets in your stories.
This is so funny, but my dog is named Bingley, too (full registered name: Lacy's Mister Charles Bingley). He really looks somewhat like Mr. Bingley from the newest P&P movie. You can see a picture at lacyjwilliams.com (warning: page has not been updated in forever).
Gotta love it!
Ah, Laci, your Bingley looks sweet. A therapy dog sounds like a great service. Probably makes it easier for you to talk to patients with a dog along.
Well, I don't think this qualifies as literature. But we recently purchased a Jack Russel Terrier, and my kiddoes, coming off of the third Pirates movie, named him Captain Jack Sparrow. He does have an eye patch so qualifies as a pirate of sorts! You can take a look at him here: http://bethgoddard.blogspot.com/2007/07/captain-jack-sparrow.html
Blessings!
Beth
Bingley is adorable. My pup is named afer a British character, too. She has what I hope are good intentions, but often the result is a disastrous mess. Her name . . . Bridget.
Becky, you made me laugh. Thanks, I needed it today after all the car trouble we've had. :( Ever put a car in the shop for maintenance and it comes out "sicker" than when it went in?
Ramona went by just Ramona. We've always felt the need to give full names to our pets. LOL It was fun putting gifts from her under the Christmas tree. I loved signing her name in 'cat scrawl.' :-) Ramona died on Thanksgiving four years ago. sniff-sniff. I still miss her.
Cats! I love them! I've often thought about adding a cat into one of my stories!
The first Christmas after my divorce, God sent a lovely tortoise-shell cat to my second-floor apartment. I named her Clara, after the girl in The Nutcracker.
Bingley had his first vet check up. He is perfectly healthy and just over two pounds.
Bingley is adorable!! I love Jane Austen too. Can't wait to see "Becoming Jane." :-D My oldest daughter is named after Brooke Shields and my middle daughter was named after Hayley Mills. Not characters from books but from film. :-) My youngest is Allie after her dad (didn't want to go with Alberta)...besides she looks like an Allie.
What a beautiful love story!
RE: An Editor in Love (Cute title!)
I'm so glad that Bingley found you. And that you found him. It's a match made in heaven.
Congratulations on your tiny (two pound-healthy) new, sweet puppy! Maltipoos are too cute! I can see why you fell head over heels...
I've never had a poodle, but I can guarantee on the Maltese side---you're in for a F-U-N dog with personality that won't quit until Bingley tuckers out for the night and rolls over on his back with all four paws in the air.
Many smiles,
Jacqueline Overpeck
Author Jackie O
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