I'm very keen on animals, like you are, I'm sure. Especially giant, lumbering, prehistoric mammals, although beasties of all sizes and genera win my heart.
I'm even pretty sweet on spiders. (More on those to come.)
Mastodons are much associated with the La Brea Tar Pits, which are just east of the fictional Wilfair Hotel. I wanted the friends of the Wilfair world to have sort of an "animal spirit" they could reference and occasionally imitate, a creature that was a bit mystical and mythical and a little shaggy and a little tusked and a little -- make that a lot -- hard to find nowadays.
The mastodon won out and won my heart.
When Fair Finley makes awkward hand claws in the books, and summons her mastodon "rrowr," I usually have to pause my typing and make claws and a fierce face, too. You can guess that is totally attractive and not at all strange.
Image: jjjj56cp
