Today, while sitting at the Thanksgiving table (and subsequently going early Black Friday shopping), something struck me. Of course, as a writer, I grab onto these ideas like a terrier and refuse to let them go. This was partially inspired by the Westminster dog show going on this morning (congrats to Charlie the Skye Terrier!), and partially by my need to write a human series alongside the Feline Investigation Crime Unit.
This novel series focuses on a big cat sanctuary. The owner of the sanctuary employs marginalized people no one else will take in, troubled youth, and ex-cons to help take care of and bond with the big cats. Using a unique "hands on" approach, each handler is periodically assigned a big cat to work with. They go through a "trial period" to ensure their personalities match, then they get closer and closer to the cat and earn their trust. The cats are used for educational purposes, and sometimes commercial or movie shoots.
There will be five main characters for the first series. One will be the owner's daughter, who is a troubled mentally ill teen struggling with her illness and her sexuality. One will be a newly released ex-con, who went to prison for dealing drugs for a long time, and is trying to learn how to fit back in society. One is a transgender boy who comes from a broken and violent home, trying to recover from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. One is an autistic girl whose special interests are big cats, and who resents her parents for the way they treat her and her autism, as she is nonverbal. The last character is another troubled teenager, a girl who was kicked out of her parents' home for being gay. The main plot of the story involves their storylines combining, and how they treat their cats.
Does it sound interesting? Is there anything you want to suggest?
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