by Linda O. Johnston
As I’ve said here, and elsewhere, many times before, I’ve been writing for a long time. My stories have varied from paranormal romance to mysteries to romantic suspense and more.
The backgrounds and themes in each series have been primarily different— but one theme appears a lot: dogs.
No, this isn’t the first time I’ve written about special themes here, but that’s a topic always on my mind as I write, and as I read what other writers write.
My first mystery series, the Kendra Ballantyne Pet-Sitter Mysteries, featured a woman named Kendra Ballantyne, of course. She was a lawyer who lived in the Hollywood Hills, and she had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lexie. I was a practicing lawyer then, I lived in the Hollywood Hills, and one of my Cavaliers at the time was named Lexie. My Lexie was definitely a good model for the one in my mysteries.
I’ve also written other mystery series and several series for Harlequin, including Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and they usually feature dogs. Plus, I also wrote paranormal romance for Harlequin Nocturne, which no longer exists, and they featured Alpha Force, a paranormal military unit of shapeshifters—mostly werewolves. Yes, canines.
Other writers use different themes, of course. How do we choose our themes? However we want to choose them!
How about you writers reading this? Do you focus on any particular themes? If so, how do you decide which to use?
I’m sure I’ll keep writing about dogs, and most likely other animals, for a long time!
I don’t know if I have a theme that runs through my writing, but with one glaring exception every fictional piece I’ve written includes a character who has overcomes trauma in a positive way. My first publication, a short story in a Sisters In Crime anthology, featured a man whose response to trauma was – shall we say – less than positive.
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That sounds like a theme to me, Miko. I’d imagine your readers hope to see what kind of trauma your protagonist in each new story will face.
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Linda – I know you will always have dogs, and especially your cocker spaniels, somewhere in your stories. I think that’s wonderful that you can focus on something so dear to your heart in your writing.
I tend to want to include something about Hollywood in the 1920s and 30s. But that’s a very limited subject and for a limited audience.
You’re is a much easier theme to have!
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Hey, Rosemary, they’re not cocker spaniels but Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, although cockers are fun too. And focusing on something important to us is part of the reason to write!
Hollywood history is a wonderful subject to write about–especially since there are so many strange things going on about Hollywood and the movie industry these days. Readers must really enjoy learning more, in stories, about how things used to be.
But yes, especially these days, dogs are in a lot of peoples’ hearts, so reading about them can be enjoyable.
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If there is a theme in my books, both the mysteries and the Christmas books, it would be that the main characters are nice folks and by the end of the story they have learned something about themselves and about life, because if they aren’t learning, they aren’t living.
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