Cats and killers just seem to go together—especially in a mystery series.
Now writing a mystery series is a bit different than stand alone books. On the plus side, you have many of your main cats—er characters— already poised and waiting to get into the action. You know what they look like, what they normally eat for breakfast, and you have the family relationships firmly enough in your mind that you don't need to refer to charts. Plus you have those pets ready to do some heavy lifting in the cuteness arena.
But there are a few land mines, too. You either need to keep really good notes, or have an above average memory to recall that three books ago your heroine redecorated her living room and now her walls are slate grey, not forest green. And of course your Black Lab can't suddenly morph into a Dalmation or a Calico cat into a grey and white.Then there are the relationships. You mustn't forget your sleuth was heading off on a tropical holiday to visit a character you've decided now you don't like. You have to figure out a way to get rid of him before she gets attached. Of course, he could turn up as a body in the next story.
The best part for me is the pets. Have you noticed that nearly every cozy mystery series has at least one fur-baby? In my Island series, Abby has an orange tabby named Ajax. In the Boarding Kennel series, Taylor has a Jack Russell Terrier named Tristan and a gray tabby cat, Denver.
Allowing characters to have pets is one way to keep the writer away from the Rescue Kennel and stop her from becoming the crazy cat lady.
Below is a photo of my real-life friend, Zoey. Like all cats, she's a pain in the you-know-where sometimes. She helps me write, sends e-mails when I'm not looking, and keeps the keyboard warm. Her antics give me fodder for my imaginary cats and I love her dearly.
Now writing a mystery series is a bit different than stand alone books. On the plus side, you have many of your main cats—er characters— already poised and waiting to get into the action. You know what they look like, what they normally eat for breakfast, and you have the family relationships firmly enough in your mind that you don't need to refer to charts. Plus you have those pets ready to do some heavy lifting in the cuteness arena.
But there are a few land mines, too. You either need to keep really good notes, or have an above average memory to recall that three books ago your heroine redecorated her living room and now her walls are slate grey, not forest green. And of course your Black Lab can't suddenly morph into a Dalmation or a Calico cat into a grey and white.Then there are the relationships. You mustn't forget your sleuth was heading off on a tropical holiday to visit a character you've decided now you don't like. You have to figure out a way to get rid of him before she gets attached. Of course, he could turn up as a body in the next story.
The best part for me is the pets. Have you noticed that nearly every cozy mystery series has at least one fur-baby? In my Island series, Abby has an orange tabby named Ajax. In the Boarding Kennel series, Taylor has a Jack Russell Terrier named Tristan and a gray tabby cat, Denver.
Allowing characters to have pets is one way to keep the writer away from the Rescue Kennel and stop her from becoming the crazy cat lady.
Below is a photo of my real-life friend, Zoey. Like all cats, she's a pain in the you-know-where sometimes. She helps me write, sends e-mails when I'm not looking, and keeps the keyboard warm. Her antics give me fodder for my imaginary cats and I love her dearly.
In honour of the pets we all love, I'm making the trivia quiz in my next newsletter all about cats. If you haven't subscribed yet to my monthly newsletter, you can visit www.sharonmcgregor.com and sign up. I'll try to keep you entertained.
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