Peyton, after a nap while I edited.
I can't think of any authors who do not have a pet of some kind. Many have cats, and a few have dogs. I have in fact met authors who advocate for animals' rights more fiercely than their own. Unlike some in the profession, I'm not as much of a hermit as I could be. I teach regularly; I'm happily married; and I have a few friends and a great many members of the extended family here in Canterbury, meaning I can visit and catch up with them often. But our house still felt a little too quiet for my liking.
And so it is that a little Yorkshire Terrier came to join my husband and I. A teacher at one of the schools I work at told me she would be avoiding my house, as Yorkshire Terriers are "little yap dogs". We've had Peyton for nearly a week and she hasn't barked once, not even when music students have come to the house. She's fantastic for cuddling, and when I ask her to come, she is happy to respond and snuggle up next to me on the couch while I write and edit.
I never realised that dogs bear so many similarities to wolves - even tiny dogs, like our little three kilogram girl. When I wrote The Sianian Wolf, I did a decent amount of research on wolves. I remember, as young as twelve years old, writing a detailed report on their behaviours and mannerisms in particular situations. Dogs easily reflect this. Peyton responds best to routine and a confident Alpha in her new home. Despite her soft exterior and calm personality, Peyton has plenty of the wolf within her - more perhaps than the main character of my Fledgling Account series, Rafen. She gives fantastic company while I continue the sometimes lonely work of writing.
And so it is that a little Yorkshire Terrier came to join my husband and I. A teacher at one of the schools I work at told me she would be avoiding my house, as Yorkshire Terriers are "little yap dogs". We've had Peyton for nearly a week and she hasn't barked once, not even when music students have come to the house. She's fantastic for cuddling, and when I ask her to come, she is happy to respond and snuggle up next to me on the couch while I write and edit.
I never realised that dogs bear so many similarities to wolves - even tiny dogs, like our little three kilogram girl. When I wrote The Sianian Wolf, I did a decent amount of research on wolves. I remember, as young as twelve years old, writing a detailed report on their behaviours and mannerisms in particular situations. Dogs easily reflect this. Peyton responds best to routine and a confident Alpha in her new home. Despite her soft exterior and calm personality, Peyton has plenty of the wolf within her - more perhaps than the main character of my Fledgling Account series, Rafen. She gives fantastic company while I continue the sometimes lonely work of writing.
The 2015 release of The Sianian Wolf.
