Writing Buddies Blog Carnival

About every writer I know has a furry companion. I have a cat who loves to curl up next to me while I'm working, and once upon a time, I had a beloved dog who sat under my desk every time I wrote.

They are part of the family, and part of our writing process, too. Our love for them, and their love for us, is unconditional. I can't imagine my life without a pet, even though losing them is one of the hardest things we can go through.

This is my Charlie Brown. He was one of the best dogs - and best friends - I ever had. A Border Collie/Retriever mix, he loved to fetch, loved to chase thunderstorms (translation: he would run around and around the backyard whenever it thundered), and loved to be right by my side. I lost him quite suddenly back in 2008 and really, my life hasn't been the same since. He was my constant shadow and, well, even my adorable kitty hasn't been quite able to fill the void. I paid tribute to Charlie by putting him as a character in my last novel. It's the least I can do for my beloved buddy. (Good grief. Tears are running down my cheeks as I write this...the grief we feel when we lose our pets never really leaves, does it?)

 This is Kathryn. We named her after Catherine the Great, but obviously, we changed the spelling. Ha! My daughter and I rescued her from a no-kill shelter here in town a few years ago. At first, she was very skittish. She was a former stray cat who had kittens and was taken to the shelter. Someone must have hurt her quite badly in the past because she was very, very wary of us for a long time. But I kept working with her, kept loving her, and she is now a content kitty who loves to sit by me while I write, wake me up in the morning, and "talk" to me about her day. She is one of the most vocal cats I've ever owned and it makes her incredibly fun to be around. You can literally have a conversation with her.

See? She's talking in this picture! Probably telling me to QUIT TAKING HER PICTURE, ALREADY.

Without further ado, here are some other writing buddies!

Jasmina Bolanger, a very talented travel and food writer, who blogs at East of Paris, has an adorable dog named Draga. Draga just had a visit with the vet (who made a house call, even!) and is thankfully feeling better, back to sitting next to Jasmina's desk as she writes. :-) I'm so glad Draga is feeling better, Jasmina!

The Second Sentence blogger Elisabeth has an adorable pup named Buster. This guy has an incredibly sweet disposition, according to Elisabeth, but is such a sucker for attention that it makes it hard for her to write!

And oh my goodness, this face will melt your heart! Moe, an Akita-Chow mix, who belongs to blogger Catherine Ensley at Words World and Wings looks like an absolute sweetheart!

Valerie at For the Love of Pete has a dog duo that goes together like salt and pepper.
 :-) I loved reading about these two radically different dogs, Willow and Kona, and how they bring such life and love to Valerie and her family.

Young adult author Christine Fletcher blogs over at Piccalili and has a hilarious post about her three-legged cat, Seamus O'Leary, that LOVES to be part of the writing process! This kitty has some awesome moves!


I'll be updating throughout the day for more blog posts, so be sure to check back.

Thanks to everyone who participated!