Critters in Fiction

 JENN McKINLAY: I know we've talked about this before but as my asst is about to launch DUDEsday (every Tuesday in May and June on my Insta/FB), having critters in fiction is on my mind. 

What is DUDEsday? It's a chance to win this sweet bookmark of Dude (you can see him carrying a stick on the book's cover). Right now, you can jump the DUDEsday line by leaving a comment on this blogpost to be entered to win this Dude bookmark. Winner will be announced in tomorrow's blog. Good Luck!

Who is Dude? He's the Harlequin Great Dane sidekick of Hannah the female main character of The Summer Share. Not gonna lie, I feel like Dude steals the book just like the donkey Maybellene takes the spotlight in the book I just turned in entitled If Summer Never Ends. Why do I have a Great Dane and a donkey in my romcoms? Because I love animals, obvi, but also because I think they add comic relief and give insight into my main character's ability to care for others and be vulnerable. 

Looking back, I realize there have been critters in all of my books just as in my life. Currently, I live in a house with 2 dogs, 5 cats, and several feral yard cats that we share the care of with our neighbors. That's A LOT of critters. 

I have noticed that many of the books I've read recently do not have critters, although I've been reading a lot of fantasy so sometimes the critter equivalent is a sentient houseplant or a dragon, there's a fairly wide spectrum there. I can't say that I'd reject a book with no furry sidekicks, but I definitely enjoy a book a little bit more when they appear.

How about you, Reds and Readers? Do you notice when there's a pet? Do you have a preference, pet or not pet? Do you think they add value or detract from the story? 

Haiku Poetry Day!

 JENN McKINLAY: It's national Haiku poem day! Let's give it a go!

When words are planted,

pretty poems bloom in spring—

silence becomes verse.

From the National Day Calendar:

"Observed annually on April 17, National Haiku Poetry Day encourages all to try their hand in creativity. Haiku poetry is a form of Japanese poetry that is non-rhyming and usually consists of 3 lines with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5. Usually, an element of nature, a season, a moment of beauty, or an individual experience inspires haiku poems. Sensory language is used to capture a feeling, image, or moment."

The most famous Japanese haiku (according to Google) is Matsuo Basho's "Old Pond" (Furu ike ya), written in 1686. 

The Pond (Matsuo Bashō)

Japanese: 

古池や  (Furu ike ya)

 蛙飛び込む (kawazu tobikomu)

 水の音  (mizu no oto)

  

English translation:

An old silent pond...

A frog jumps into the pond—

Splash! Silence again. 

Real talk: I am not a poetry person, while there are some poets I love

such as Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, Elizabeth Barret 

Browning, Maya Angelou, Edgar Allen Poe...um...never mind, 

apparently I am a poetry lover and didn't know it. LOL.

How about you, Reds and Readers, can you Haiku? Do you enjoy 

poetry? Who's your favorite?

April Surprises!

Jenn McKinlay: April is always a big month for me for two very good reasons. First, it is my wedding anniversary (27 years this year) and second, spring has finally taken root. Ha! See what I did there? Spring? Root? Very punny, I know. Julia covered the melancholy that comes with the arrival of April, and I do get it, but I tend to see it as more of a month of surprises.

The wedding anniversary is a big deal because quite honestly, I spent most of my life not planning to marry. Not that I have anything against marriage. It just wasn't part of my agenda. I blame my brother. We're Irish twins and since he was only 11 months older than me, I just did whatever he did. I mean, really, why play house when you can play pirates?

This attitude pretty much shaped my formative years. My poor mother used to put me in a dress every day and then as soon as her car pulled out of the driveway, she was a high school librarian, I ran back upstairs and changed into my play clothes (jeans and T-shirt) and then went to school. This went on until my second grade teacher sent home a note ratting me out because she was concerned that I was wearing the same clothes to school every day and, yeah, I kind of smelled.

Suffice to say, my mother got shorted on the daughter front. She did not get a mani-pedi buddy in her little girl, no instead she got a pre-adolescent who announced that she was going to travel the world and have four children but never marry. Yes, I did! I think it is a testament to her Connecticut Yankee constitution that she didn't stroke out but just smiled and nodded and said, "We'll see."

Fast forward a few years and a few boyfriends later and there I was married to the other half of our whole. Mom was quite relieved. So April is always a favorite month for me because it really does make me believe in the unexpected. Sort of like gardening in central Arizona, I am always delighted when my peach and pomegranate trees bloom and later fruit. Spring always amazes! As does life!

So, Reds and Readers, what is your favorite thing about spring?