When I say “nonhuman characters,” of course, I mean
animals. Since I am deeply concerned with the welfare of animals and love my
furry children, I use them in much of what I write. How characters interact
with animals in a story speaks of their intentions and moral fiber. If a character kicks a dog or runs a horse
into the ground for no good reason, you can bet the reader isn’t going to like
them very much. They may seem like
subtle signs of character building but they’ll make a difference in the
reader’s perception of that character.
For instance, if a character who is handsome or
beautiful, attentive, and charming shows up in the beginning as a possible love
interest, an animal can be a way of warning the reader this person needs
further investigation. A negative comment about a beloved dog, or a show of
distain for a sickly cat should lead the reader to understand this character is
not to be trusted.
In Harmonica Joe’s
Reluctant Bride, the villain, a ridiculous, bumbling man threatens Lola believing,
like everyone else in the story, that she is the infamous Callie Magraw. To
intensify Weston’s villainous intentions and show what a deadly threat he truly
poses, I had him shoot Joe’s dog, Argos. The dog almost dies. I hope the reader
hates him for it. If no one got what a
ruthless scoundrel Weston was before he shot Argos, I’m certain they will after
he commits such a horrible act on an innocent dog. Joe and Lola, of course go into action and
save the dog’s life but no one is about to forgive Weston for shooting Argos.
The dog also likes Lola right away, confusing Joe about
his belief that Lola is really Callie. Callie, naturally, didn’t like Joe’s
dog, but Lola showers Argos with fond attention.
So, in my mind, an animal in a story can tell the reader
a great deal about the characters that live in that book.
Excerpt of Lola and Joe after they discover Argos has
been shot:
Lola knelt on the floor beside the dog and worried over
him. “Is he going to be okay, Joe? He looks so awful.” She ran her hands through his thick fur and
said a silent prayer that Argos would recover.
Her heart squatted in her chest, dark and heavy.
Kneeling beside her, Joe whispered. “Not to worry, darlin’, Argos is going to
have a hard time, but he’s going to come out on the other end just fine. We’re going to make damn sure of that.” He reached out a hand and ran it in a light
stroke along Lola’s cheek to wipe away the tears that had fallen without her
realizing how much she needed to cry.
Harmonica
Joe’s Reluctant Bride is also available in a western collection
titled A Cowboy’s Brand for 99 cents
on Amazon.
An animal can show the deep psychological trauma of a
story character as well.
In Fly Away Heart
I presented an abused dog, neglected and beaten by Edgar Effird. The dog’s
abuse also represented the kinds of abuse Edgar heaped on his son, Sid.
Although Sid was also a villain, I hoped to show how his father dominated him
and forced him to do horrible things. Sid was as abused as the dog—and that
gave a bit of hope that he might eventually turn his life around some day.
Excerpt of Robin as he rescues the Effirds’ dog:
The dog drew his attention when it whined pitifully. Its
brown eyes seemed to plead with him. Somehow, he just couldn’t bring himself to
walk away from the suffering creature. If he couldn’t get to Lilith, at least
he could get this dog to safety. He knew, if he left the poor thing here, it
would die a slow death for certain.
He made his way to the shaking pile of bones that
resembled a dog and removed the clamp on the heavy chain. The dog could barely
walk, and it made Rob sick to see the bones protruding from the animal’s ribs
and hips. What kind of human beings were
these two men? Did they eat babies
for breakfast? He hoisted the dog into his arms, walked back to the car,
opened the back door, and placed the dog on his jacket on the back seat.
Something in its brown eyes looked like gratitude, mixed with fear. Rob felt
his heart crack.
Fly
Away Heart is also part of a wonderful collection of five sweet
novels titled Love’s First Touch on
Amazon for 99 cents.
I’ve also written animals as heroes like Ajax, the war
horse, in the WWI novel, For Love of
Banjo. And Jasmine, the elephant, rescued by the Wildings in The Beast of Hazard along with several
other circus refugee animals. But one of my favorite hero animals is Lonesome,
the patient pinto horse, in Home For The
Heart, my recent submission to Prairie Rose. In this story an orphaned,
half Lakota boy with a chip on his shoulder finds a change of heart during
equine therapy with Lonesome.
I love animals and want them to live happy, carefree
lives. I do my part to help advance their cause. Animal rescue and conservation
of the earth and its creatures are things I care about passionately, so no
wonder I enjoy writing them into a story. Animals can tell us so much about the
characters’ true motivations for good or evil. If a dog bares its teeth and
growls in one of my stories, the reader will want to pay attention. Just sayin'...
Sarah J. McNeal is a
multi-published author of several genres including time travel, paranormal,
western and historical fiction. She is a retired ER and Critical Care nurse who
lives in North Carolina with her four-legged children, Lily, the Golden
Retriever and Liberty, the cat. Besides her devotion to writing, she also has a
great love of music and plays several instruments including violin, bagpipes,
guitar and harmonica. Her books and short stories may be found at Prairie Rose
Publications and its imprints Painted Pony Books, and Fire Star Press. Some of
her fantasy and paranormal books may also be found at Publishing by
Rebecca Vickery and Victory Tales Press. She welcomes you to her website
and social media:
