I write with Boromir

Let's cut to the chase. Right now I'm living with my parents and we have three cats. Let me tell you about them.

1. Lucky: A fifteen-year-old Siamese who runs at the sight of any living creature that isn't part of our family. She also adores my father and follows him around the house, crooning with a special little "I love you" meow.
2. Eowyn: Yes, she's named for that warrior woman from Lord of the Rings. She's also referred to as hotdog, because when we first rescued her from the ditch (all of our cats were abandoned as kittens), hotdogs were the only thing she would eat. Eowyn has perfected the mournful cat yowl.
3. Boromir: Yes, like the dude from Lord of the Rings. What can I say, we have a running theme in this house. Our sheep are named after Grecian gods. Anyway, Boromir is also a girl. She is particularly fussy about being touched and is quite talkative. I've mentioned her before.

They are all good and dandy, but what you're all probably wondering is where I'm going with this. Well, while I've never had the joy of attending a writing retreat, I've can safely say that cats make some of the best writing partners.*

Now, I'm talking about Boromir in particular, as she's the only one who will visit me for extended periods of time. While I write, she likes to sleep on my bed. Occasionally I poke her with my foot, she lets out an adorable sleepy cat noise, and then we both get back to business.

Boromir is possibly the cutest cat ever. Just saying.

It doesn't seem like much, but it's nice having a low-key writing companion that isn't always asking why I haven't edited my next chapter yet or why I'm watching videos on YouTube. Also, Boromir's particular enough about being touched that her presence isn't super distracting. If I shower her with too much love, she'll whip out those teeth and claws as quick as a bullet.

So, yeah. That is my daring writing companion. But what about you guys? Who do you write with? Any pets, or are you lucky enough to have a writing buddy in the flesh? Tell me in the comments!

*Disclaimer: I am a rabid cat person.

My cat could be your super villain

Sometimes the craziest things happen when you least expect them . . . aka, when you're sleeping. For those of you who were following me on Twitter a few days ago, you might have found something entertaining in your early morning feed. For those of you that missed it, a quick rundown:

Yes, my cat was dive-bombing headfirst into furniture while playing with a mouse, which was screaming for its life as she flung it into the air. I love cats, but the next time you want to write a good villain, go watch a cat play with a mouse for a while--they're sadistic little fuzzballs.

In fact, animals in general are great to observe when you need help developing a character. Kinda sounds ridiculous, huh? Why not just watch a movie or read a book and observe on those characterizations?

Well, the emotions of animals are often expressed in the extreme.

When your dog is afraid of being left alone and accidentally locks himself in a room, he'll freak out and dig through the sheetrock (the dog was fine, btw). When your prissy cat refuses to drink water out of her bowl, she'll show up every time you go to the bathroom in hopes that you run the tapwater for her (this is a different cat).

They may be a little melodramatic, but these kinds of behaviors are fantastic. They're raw and primal and sometimes that's what a writer needs when trying to flesh out a character. Like animals, people don't always act according to logic, they act according to how they feel.

So next time your characters feel a little flat, channel your pets. Go visit a friend with a dog and watch how he reacts to things. Remember my cat as a super villain: she tortures the hero until he thinks all is lost, but somehow, in the end, he survived to fight another day.

What about you guys--any interesting pet stories? Have cats left you fleshy goodies on your front porch? Have you ever transported a dead llama? Tell me in the comments!

Oh, and if you haven't done so already, go enter my giveaway!