Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Die, Mosquito, Die - Insects in Books by Morgan Mandel

If I sound a bit violent about mosquitoes, well I can't help it. They're everywhere and totally annoying. They got me wondering about insects in books. I've seen them in fun movies where they try to take over the earth and wreak dire havoc.

What about books? Have you written a book where an insect plays any part at all? Do you recall any books with insects in them?

Now, excuse me while I try not to scratch another bite.

Morgan Mandel
http://facebook.com/morgan.mandel
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14 comments:

Ciara Gold said...

Interesting topic. I've actually included a few insects in books, but none had a magor role. Hmmm, but food for thought. Will have to think on that one. I did read a book once where the hero and heroine were in South America I believe and some boring type insect wormed its way under her skin and of course the hero had to save the day and remove the annoying pest.

Unknown said...

I love the topics you introduce. They are so stimulating. I just finished a story in which there really wasn't a hero or heroine, per se. The main character is a necklace and that was tough enough. I've never had an insect in a leading role, and I think I'll pass. I hate bugs. If anything can get this fat butt moving, it's a creepy, crawling bug of any kind. :)

Helen Ginger said...

I feel your itch, Morgan. We've been driven crazy by mosquitoes. I stopped walking on my elliptical trainer because of the bites I was getting (it's in the garage). But...I discovered Off's clip-on fan repellent thingy.

I can't say I've written a book where insects or bugs played a prominent role. It's an interesting idea, though.

Stephanie Burkhart said...

Morgan, bless you to tackle insects. Does my children's book that just came out count? It's called The Giving Meadow and it has a caterpillar, frog, bee, ladybug and snake in it. It's a very sweet story about sharing and caring. I've used insects in some of horror short stories, but I've pretty much kept out of my romance writing. I dunno... a think a few knats might have annoyed Dimitri and Sharon while on the run in Destination: Berlin. *smiles*
Steph

Morgan Mandel said...

Steph, children's books definitely count as books, so we'll include your contribution. (g)

Morgan Mandel

Unknown said...

MORGAN--no, no, and no. I taught biology, and one course I took in grad school was entymology--I had to find 200 different species, preserve them, stick insect pins through their bodies, and study and identify each one as to its scientific name. Then I had to make display boxes for them. Whew! For example, each different butterfly was a diffirent species. But it's hard to find that many. My kids were in 1st and 4th grade, so every day after school--this was in the spring, they picked up their jar and little net and went looking for me. I gave them a dime for each different one they brought in. This kept those kids busy from school to dinnertime, almost. They became very competitive and looked upon it as a job. They're in their 40s now, but they still remember things like that. We love insects--except roaches and flies. Celia

Bob Sanchez said...

Ah yes, Morgan. In my novel When Pigs Fly, the bad guy Diet Cola tries to kill a roach. Eventually he catches it and pulls its limbs off while he imagines doing the same to the story's hero.

Kathy Otten said...

Love your topic. I had a fly crawling up a rifle barrel while my hero lay in the grass, and I may have had an occasional mosquito, but I hate bugs and in my fantasy world there aren't any. LOL

Pat Brown said...

In my last 2 books there were insects in. One, Forest of Corpses, they play a fairly prominent role. In my SF Fall Into the Night, a butterfly plays a role in showing how the perception. On one planet, everything is toxic, so when people of that planet are terrified of any encounters with even what we think of as harmless, pretty bugs.

Maggie Toussaint said...

Hi Morgan,

Living in the deep South as I do, insects are a part of daily life. The only time we don't have mosquitoes is when its too hot for them (upper 90s), too cold for them (nights of 50 degrees or lower), or too windy for them to fly. Being immersed in a bowl of bugs every day, they always make it into my books. In a recent paranormal my agent s marketing, the book opens with my landscaping heroine digging a hole for a cherry tree on land that used to be woods. Mosquitoes are thick as a cloud. Poor Mary Jane, that's the least of her worries, as she's about to dig up a person.

And in my October 2010 release, MUDDY WATERS, which is set in coastal Georgia, there are insects galore. They are such an integral part of living that it would be weird to not mention them.

N. R. Williams said...

I had a fly buzz my heroine while she was riding a horse beside a very handsome prince and he was telling stories about his cultures legends.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author

Deb Larson said...

lots of bugs and insects in children's books! Some lots of fun others a big creepy!
In my werewolf book, my wolf liked to snatch an occasional insect just for fun.

DL Larson

Margot Justes said...

Bugs are not my thing-if found in house they are escorted out and need to fend for themselves. I will not kill them but will not write about them either.
This has been a terrible summer for us and great for those blood sucking critters. I'm in my Vampire mode.

Margaret Tanner said...

Hi Morgan,
Now mosquitoes. Could I tell you some tales about those horrible creatures. I don't write about them, but we have swarms of them in many places here in Australia. A standing joke here when talking about how bad they are is - "The mozzies were so bad they nearly carried me away last night."

Cheers
Margaret