Animal Antics and Inspiration by Fern Michaels

By Fern Michaels

I’ve been an animal lover all my life, but dogs have been the main focus. It didn’t matter if they were mutts, or pure bred. If they needed a home, I let them move in. At one point I had six at the same time, which is probably why they play such important roles in my books. They were under my feet, under my desk, on the sofa, or on the bed. 

Dogs love you unconditionally, they are loyal and are great listeners. It’s not easy to find those things in most relationships. LOL. But what started my mission is actually an incredibly sad story, so pull out some tissues. One morning while I was having my coffee and watching the news, there was a funeral procession on TV. At first I wasn’t sure who it was for but then discovered it was for a beautiful German Shepard, K-9 who was killed in the line of duty. My heart broke. Why didn’t he have a bulletproof vest? That same day I phoned our local sheriff and gave him an earful. Twenty years later, I think his ears are still bleeding. The sheriff explained that there was no budget for K9 Kevlar. I went straight to my desk and wrote out a check to outfit all the dogs in our community. Since then I’ve outfitted over thirty K9’s units across the country. Several years ago I was honored by a town in Connecticut for helping them replace one of their K9’s who passed away. But there can be silver linings in sad stories.  Dogs’ lives are being saved, and that’s an exceptionally good thing. 

Over the past few years, I have grown to sincerely appreciate cats but would have never placed a wager on it. It’s not that I didn’t like them. I just didn’t understand them. My first foray into the feline arena was when a skinny orange tabby was sitting on my porch one morning. She looked up at me and stared. It wasn’t a pathetic expression, simply an acknowledgement. More like a “how do you do?” I immediately rummaged through my cupboard and found a can of tuna and dished it out for her. You know that expression about if you feed a stray animal, they will keep coming back? It is true. I have a confession to make. A few weeks later someone rang the security gate. I checked the video and saw a burly, hairy, creepy-looking guy standing outside. When I asked who it was, he growled and asked if I had seen his cat and described the feline that was staring up at me. He then went on to say he needed the cat to catch the rats in his garage. Ew. I told him I hadn’t seen the cat, but I wasn’t about to steal her either. I decided to let her make up her mind where she preferred to live. She hung around for days until I finally let her in. She never set foot near the door again, and chose to perch on my dining room table, where she could oversee the action and avoid Harvey. 

Since I had been warming up to the idea of caring for a cat, one of my daughters showed up with a kitten she found hiding under a car. As with most kittens, she was really cute, but she had one very defining feature: one of her legs was stubby, and I felt compelled to adopt her. Little did I know that the gimpy feline had more spring in her step than most people. Evidently she has no idea she is what we would consider being compromised. 

One night, around two in the morning, my dog Harvey was yapping his Yorkie head off. I shot out of bed like a rocket and grabbed a baseball bat from behind the door. Trust me, I really don’t know how to swing one, but if push came to shove, I’d figure it out in short order. Besides, I watched Field of Dreams a few times. 

As I tiptoed my way toward the kitchen, poised like Derek Jeter, I noticed another sound in the background. It was the sound of water running. Sitting next to the kitchen sink was, none other than Mz. Boo. She gave Harvey, the snitch, a dirty look. Another night I woke up to Andy, Aunt Bee, and Opie having a conversation in the kitchen while Mz. Boo had her paw next to the remote. It’s under lock and key now. Good thing I don’t have Alexa or another AI voice activated device. She’d probably meow her way to Animal Planet. 

Less than a year later, my daughter showed up again with another cat claiming it was Mz. Boo’s mother. I don’t know how she figured it out. Is there an Ancestry for cats?? Suffice it to say, I adopted her, too. 

I have to admit they’ve wrecked everything, and I wouldn’t change it a bit. They make me laugh and the camaraderie, yes, camaraderie, is heartwarming. We understand eachother and appreciate what we bring into each other’s lives. They know I am their family, and they are my fur-family. Pets make a tremendous contribution to our emotional and spiritual well-being. They’ve inspired my work. 

I am proud to say I’ve turned into a crazy-cat lady so don’t be surprised when you find them in the pages of my books. 

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ABOUT FERN MICHAELS

Fern Michaels is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of the Sisterhood, Lost and Found, Men of the Sisterhood, and Godmothers series, as well as dozens of other novels and novellas. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages and sold over 150 million copies. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her fur family of dogs and cats, as well as a resident ghost named Mary Margaret. Visit her website at FernMichaels.com.

Santa’s Secret

By

Fern Michaels

In this uplifting holiday novel from New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels, there are secrets to be uncovered, friendships to deepen, and romance in the air when four women travel to Italy for a Christmas to remember.

Christmas is filled with beloved and long-kept traditions, but sometimes, there’s nothing better than creating brand-new ones. That’s why Francesca and her high school friends Amy, Rachael, and Nina are traveling to Italy to spend the holidays with Frankie’s boyfriend, Giovanni, and his family. 

Giovanni and his brother, Marco, run a small Italian restaurant in Manhattan, where cherished family recipes delight tourists and locals alike. But there’s one recipe that eludes the brothers. Their mama refuses to divulge the secret behind her coveted panettone, claiming it is “Santa’s secret.”  

While Frankie joins Giovanni and Marco in the kitchen, hoping to uncover the mystery of Mrs. Lombardi’s mouthwatering panettone, Amy, Nina, and Rachael are on their own quests. Amy wants to see the sights, Nina needs career inspiration, and Rachael longs to meet some eligible Italian men. 

Can one trip provide the answers everyone seeks? With a stunning Italian backdrop and a sprinkling of holiday magic in the mix, there may be all kinds of sweet surprises in store. 

         A detailed menu and recipes for a traditional Christmas Eve dinner is included. 

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Category: On Writing