HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: You know Jeffery Deaver? Of course you do. He’s the amazingly talented and incredibly successful thriller author, who has the creepiest characters ever. (And some of the most wonderful.) This weekend he gave a terrific seminar for MWA. And one of his absolute credos—well, so funny that it’s exactly the same thing that the revered John Carenen explores today!
NUMBER ONE RULE
by John Carenen
There's a saying around mystery writers that you can kill off all the people you want, BUT YOU BETTER NOT KILL THE DOG! Human beings can be mean and evil, killers, rapists, and all kinds of scum, but the dog is man's best friend, and he'd better not be killed.
One of my favorite writers is the late Robert B. Parker, best known for his "Spenser" private detective series set in Boston. A constant in Spenser's world is his German Shorthaired Pointer, Pearl. (Prior to Pearl, there was a white Bull Terrier whose name I have forgotten, maybe because it didn't last long at all in the series, or real life.) Pearl is badly spoiled and referred to as "our baby" by Spenser's main squeeze, a Harvard-educated psychologist. Unfortunately, Pearl adds nothing as far as crime solving is concerned, but does provide a consistent part of the setting.
On one occasion, and one only, Pearl alerts Spenser's girlfriend, Susan, that there is trouble ahead on the street by her home. Just that once. When one Pearl ages and dies, Spenser replaces her with another German Shorthaired Pointer, also named Pearl. This was true in Parker's personal life as well: same dog, same name - up until Parker passed away.
Of course, one of my favorite dogs is Fang, from the Harry Potter series. Fang is a Mastiff, one of the largest of all dog breeds. He is huge and fierce looking, but he is a "bloody coward," according to his keeper, Hagrid. Fang is afraid of spiders, strange sounds, and loud noises. He appears as visual comic relief, more than anything else.
And speaking of big dogs, I have a special place in my heart for Hooch, from the movie, "Turner & Hooch." In that movie, Tom Hanks co-stars with Hooch, a Neapolitan Mastiff with a penchant for eating furniture. Hooch also makes others suffer due to his problem with flatulence. I won't say what happens to Hooch.
I happen to like big dogs, and in my personal life we've always had good-sized canines. There were Golden Retrievers, English Bulldogs, and a couple of rescues with pit-bull lines. All wonderful. As a writer, though, I think the protagonist having a dog adds an extra dimension to the complexity of the hero, more so than if he had, say, a pet iguana.
In my Thomas O'Shea novels, the main character has Gotcha, an English Bulldog that adds humor, but also lends a hand (paw?) when bad guys show up. In a stand-alone novel I'm just starting, there's a giant dog (Bluto, a Cane Corsi/Bullmastiff mix) that is the only friend the protagonist, a reclusive widower, depends on for companionship.
And speaking of dogs, there's "Old Yeller," but I'm not going to say what happens to him, either, being true to the writers' creed.
HANK: Oh, no, don’t tell! Femmes who’s your favorite fictional dog? I’ll take—Asta! (And I don’t think I have a favorite fictional iguana…)
John Carenen, a native of Clinton, Iowa, graduated with an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from the prestigious University of Iowa Writers Workshop and has been writing ever since. His work has appeared numerous times in Reader’s Digest (including a First Person Award), McCall’s, Dynamic Years, and other periodicals. He has been a featured columnist in newspapers in Morganton, North Carolina and Clinton, South Carolina. His fiction has appeared in regional literary magazines. A novel, Son-up, Son-down, was published by the National Institute of Mental Health. He is happily married to (long-suffering) Elisabeth, and they have two grown daughters, Caitlin and Rowe.
When he isn’t writing, he thinks about getting in shape, cheers for the Iowa Hawkeyes and Boston Red Sox, and takes frequent naps. He has traveled extensively, having visited 43 states and 23 countries. He is a USAF veteran, having served in the Philippines and Massachusetts.
A retired English professor at Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina, he is hard at work on another novel.
I know that I will absolutely stop reading a book if they kill off the dog!
Posted by: Rowe Carenen | March 28, 2018 at 06:31 AM
It is pretty amazing, isn’t it? I mean, I understand it, of course, and feel the same way about cats!
John, I love the way you talk about whether the dog advances the plot. Or not. That is so wise!
And sometimes, having a pet can’t even make it difficult… Having a dog means the detective have to take care of their pets, right? And that is not always convenient…
Posted by: Hank Phillippi Ryan | March 28, 2018 at 06:42 AM
I have two standard poodles and so does my protagonist. In real life, dog walkers find an astonishing number of corpses in the woods (or is that TV?). The poodles also have an intruder bark that alerts her to the bad guys skulking around her cottage.
Posted by: Margaret Hamilton Turkevich | March 28, 2018 at 07:07 AM
As a matter of fact, I DID have a pet iguana years ago. My son named him Angus(after Angus Young). Angus had the run of the house and he absolutely loved me. He would run to meet me when I would walk through the door, climb up my leg (ouch!) and ride on my shoulder. Sometimes he would sit on top of my head while I worked at the computer. He slept on the back of an easy chair in my bedroom and he used a litter box.
Posted by: Jeanine Cronin | March 28, 2018 at 08:39 AM
I like big dogs, too, John. Can't stand little fluffy yappers, but I'd never kill any animal, cat or dog, in a novel.
Posted by: Elaine Viets | March 28, 2018 at 08:44 AM
When you first mentioned Fang, my mind went to Fang from the Nate the Great picture books. Of course, Fang is the neighbor's dog, and Nate winds up with his own dog, Sludge.
If I'm going for favorite, I'll take Reddy, Trixie's dog in the Trixie Belden series. A couple of times, Reddy plays into the plot in some way, but most of the time, he's just there for atmosphere.
Posted by: Mark | March 28, 2018 at 08:55 AM
Oh, I forgot about Reddy! SO great!
Posted by: Hank Phillippi Ryan | March 28, 2018 at 09:00 AM
Jeanine--really?? Amazing. Amazing!
Posted by: Hank Phillippi Ryan | March 28, 2018 at 09:01 AM
Oh, Margaret, you are so right! Dogs can be a big plus!
Posted by: Hank Phillippi Ryan | March 28, 2018 at 09:01 AM
I've never been particularly partial to cats, but my long-suffering wife is pretty fond of our orange tabby Beeker. I'm pretty sure I'd have to sleep on the couch if I killed off a cat, too.
Posted by: John Carenen | March 28, 2018 at 09:49 AM
Margaret- Standard poodles are beautiful dogs! So smart and I love that they don't shed. Gotcha hasn't happened upon any bodies yet, but that's a good idea.
Posted by: John Carenen | March 28, 2018 at 09:50 AM
An iguana trained to use the litter box is really impressive, Jeanine!
Posted by: John Carenen | March 28, 2018 at 09:51 AM
I don't think I could any pet in a book, Elaine. I don't like the fluffy purse dogs either, but it isn't their fault and I couldn't do them in even in fiction.
Posted by: John Carenen | March 28, 2018 at 09:52 AM
I never read the Trixie Belden series, but my girls did!
Posted by: John Carenen | March 28, 2018 at 09:53 AM
Hmmm...I'm in the midst of writing my new book--wonder if my character needs a dog?
Posted by: Hank Phillippi Ryan | March 28, 2018 at 12:32 PM
Hank - Thank you for your kind remarks. And yes, I think your character needs a dog, even more than the dog needs the character. How he/she interacts with the protagonist can reveal the character's character. Or just be comic relief to ease the tension.
Posted by: John Carenen | April 01, 2018 at 03:42 PM