Famous authors and their pets

Hello, from a new craftie lady! I’m Dana Mentink, author of three Harlequin LIS books and a Heartsong Presents mystery series. I’d like to say I live a glamorous life with limo rides and people to follow me around and arrange bits of my life. In truth, I’m the farthest thing from glam that a middle aged mommy type can be. Recently, I decided to investigate the lives of some uber famous authors and see what their lives have in common with mine. You know what I found? What’s the one thread that binds me with the four great authors I researched? We all have faithful companions of the animal variety. I myself have a dog rescued from starvation and a turtle with foot problems. More on that later. Let’s check in with some rich and craftie authors, and see who hangs out in their lives.

Janet Evanovich shares office space with her beloved parrot Ida. He’s 24 years old and she describes him as “quite rude.” Janet gets up every morning at 5 a.m. to write when it’s just her and the parrot. How’s that for a faithful companion?

Ernest Hemmingway was a cat lover. He had 30 pet cats and the most unusual was a six toed cat given to him by a ship’s captain.

Sue Grafton is also a cat lover. She cares for Beau, a feral cat, and Molly and Emma, the more domestic variety. Emma insists on keeping a cardboard box in the kitchen so she can keep tabs on the comings and goings of the household.

Charles Dickens owned Turk the mastiff, but his favorite pet was a pet raven named Grip. When Grip passed, Charles had him stuffed. The bird now resides in the Free Library on Logan Circle in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

So there you have it! The key to being an uber famous author of mystery and suspense? Share your life with a pet! How many of you out there share your hearts with something furry or feathery? Write in and tell us all about it.

“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.” –Charles Dickens