So, after fifteen books, you may have noticed I put a dog in every single one of them. Some dogs play a greater role than others, but they are each unique in their own way. My purpose, other than feeling like it's sort of a trademark at this point, is too add an extra touch of humanity to my characters--because a hero who relates to an animal has to be loveable, right? Oh, and a little comic relief. Most of my canine characters are pretty funny. Wilde One is no different, although I'd have to say hero-meets-dog happens in a pretty unique way. Here's the excerpt.
A big rig thundered by, and Ainslee let out a
squeal. But when the Mack truck passed, the dog—if the damned animal was a dog
and not a big rat—was still cowering in the slow lane. She leaped out of the
car.
“Holy crap!” Griff shoved open his door then slammed
it. “No, Ainslee. Stay back. I’ll grab him.”
Horn blaring, a white pickup barreled nearer.
Sprinting forward, Griff dashed out into the freeway to scoop the quivering
bundle off the pavement. Brakes screeched, but he made it to the edge of the
road with a foot or two to spare. The animal in his hand growled.
Griff’s gaze clashed with terrified brown eyes.
“Don’t think about biting me.”
Jogging back to the SUV, he handed the tiny critter
to Ainslee. Remarkably, it didn’t make any threatening noises at her. Cradling
the dog against her chest, she climbed into the car. After running around the
rear of the vehicle, he opened the driver’s door and slipped inside then waited
for a string of cars to pass before pulling back onto the freeway. They’d gone
at least a mile before his heart stopped pounding.
“It’s okay, baby. You’re safe.”
Baby? Oh, she’s
talking to the damned dog.
“God, I must be crazy. That truck almost killed me.”
“Thank you, Griff. It would have broken my heart to
see this sweet boy get squashed.”
He noticed she didn’t
mention the state of her heart if he’d been turned into a grease spot by
oncoming traffic.So, what do you think? Is Griff hero-worthy for risking life and limb for a miniature pup? Do you like your romance with a side of doggy humor?
Here's my own personal canine comedian...Ginger.
You can pick up your copy of Wilde One at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, or KOBO to see how it all turns out for Griff and Ainslee. Find more info on all my books on my website. Happy reading!
Those eyes on Ginger. Patiently allowing you to take her picture. What a good girl! Love that scene with Griff playing second fiddle. He tries! Best of luck on this one, too.
ReplyDeleteAwww...Ginger is adorable! I just finished Wilde One, and love the way the pup isn't overly infatuated with Griff (and vice versa), but they do come to terms eventually! (Argh...I forget his name. I hate when I do that!) That little element adds a lot to the characterization (of man and dog) and is fun reading. Congratulations on another fantastic story, Jannine!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margo. Ginger and I were playing "kick the ball" until she wouldn't put it down for me to kick. Hence, the look. We have to do this in the kitchen every night when I'm trying to cook dinner. I guess we know who's boss!
ReplyDeleteGinger is adorable. But I'm prejudiced. LOL So glad you enjoyed Wilde One, Leah. Rocky is the dog. Yeah I loved the standoff relationship between him and Griff.
I loved the excerpt and the hero's reaction to suddenly being pushed into the background by a tiny pup. I sometimes use dogs or cats in my books. I agree. It adds a deeper touch of humanity to our characters.
ReplyDeleteYes, dogs can be foils, show a softer side to a human, and help with plot development, too. My editor made me find 'reason' to place a dog in my funeral planner series...my Scottie had to have an arc, too...over the three books. Aargh! You are brave to put dogs in your books, Jannine. For one thing, I keep forgetting where they are and whether or not they've been feed/walked/let out. For another thing, one of my Beta readers, who doesn't like dogs, thought I wasted time/words on the animal. Can you imagine...people who don't like dogs? You're reminding me that every choice we make in writing a novel, has a bigger effect than we think!
ReplyDeleteYes, Vonnie, Griff and Rocky have a complex relationship. It was fun having my hero compete with a five pound dog. LOL
ReplyDeleteI've done than so many times, Rolynn. Forgotten all about the dog then had to go back to write him or her in. As for a character arc...really? I'd say the human character's arc in response to the dog is the key, not how the dog changes! And, no, I can't imagine not liking dogs. But in my current WIP, I have a dog AND a cat, just to keep the cat lovers out there happy.
I'm a dog lover. Lost our Rusty a little over a year ago to cancer. That's a nice trademark and you write them well. Good excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brenda. Sometimes including a dog is easier than others, but I'll keep doing it just because...
ReplyDeleteAs you probably know, I'm not really a dog person, but I LOVED Rocky! I was so glad he got to play the hero, too. I just finished Wilde One last night and will get my review up today. It was sooo much fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alison. I appreciate that! I must say Rocky is one of my favorite dogs I've written. He's quite a character...if you'll excuse the bad pun!
ReplyDeleteLove this! Not only was it amusing, it made the hero admirable. Excellent!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ally. My job here is done!
ReplyDeleteDitto what Alicia said. I love dogs--in person & in fiction. How a person interacts with a pet says a lot about him/her. Your dog is precious, Jannine.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane. She has her cute moments.
ReplyDelete