Happy February, and reading friends…

When I am eating, if little puppy Inish puts his paws on me, that gets his happy little mouth closer to the food. Inish fondly believes that this makes it more likely that the food will go into said mouth, despite how I have pushed him off my knee approximately four million times and given him the deliciousness approximately zero times. Those statistics are pretty hazy, and Inish is quite sure that this time it’s going to work. He’ll try the other knee.

We’re not going to make any correlations about real life here, folks. He’s just a puppy.

He doesn't really want tea, I was just trying to get a photo. He wants pad see yew and peanut butter toast, particularly.

If you’re new here, welcome. You probably arrived via my novella The Horned Women. Readers say “it felt like I was transported to Ireland and I was living in an ancient castle” and “the plot is engaging and unexpected.” What did you think?

I just changed the cover, so you might have seen either version.

Review The Horned Women here

Meanwhile, in this newsletter, I talk a lot about my Shelties, because they’re sweet and don’t need to worry about internet privacy. (I also have five kids, who do.) And because the way politics are going, we need a smile now and then. 

Speaking of which, my corner of the internet is always welcoming to all, including those who are queer, Black, trans, farmers, foreign aid workers, and everyone. I write books about characters like us because we all deserve to be seen. 

Progress on Aiden’s book

The Knight of Terrible Valley (and Aiden of Florida) releases February 22nd! 

In Horned Women, we learn that Maura’s teen stepchildren have chosen to live with her rather than either of their biological parents. In White Deer, we figure out that the kids can’t even stand to visit their old home, but Maura isn’t the type of mom to push kids when they aren’t ready to talk about things. In this book, we finally get Aiden’s point of view as the magic of Terrible Valley pushes Aiden and Kaylee to confront the memories they tried to leave behind. 

Oh, and adventure? When a Patchwork Man snatches 5-year-old Oona, Aiden has to rescue her with nothing but a little red mitten and a hurley stick.

(If you don’t know what hurley is, it’s like upside-down hockey crossed with soccer, except strangling people with your stick is a normal move. Guys in southern Ireland are seriously obsessed, to the point where I’m sure it breaks some Rule of Authenticity to try to write about a 16-year-old boy in Kilkenny without making the story about hurley.)

This novella is coming together more slowly than the first two, I think because there is so much internal tangle mixed in with the external adventure. Teenage emotions and misconceptions are so big and so strong, and I trying to do justice to Aiden. I can’t wait to share it with you!

I want to find out Aiden's secrets!

And now for your free books…

I had the pleasure of reading The Errand by Vanessa Lind last month, and I am delighted to be able to offer you a free copy. It does absolutely everything a novella should do, and it’s got early 60’s historical context, romance, and it’s set in a bookstore. 

Ingrid is visiting her old friend in Astoria, Oregon—supposedly to acquire a first edition book, but clearly to find herself. And maybe love. 

With all the chaos of (gestures vaguely at everything), I’ve been finding it easier to concentrate on reading novellas. The Errand had enough depth to be engaging and emotional, while still being easy to hold in your mind and finish quickly. I hope you enjoy.

Get my free copy of The Errand

Are you a fantasy or historical reader?

Many of my readers come from one group or the other, so I decided to offer you one of each for February. Click your favorite to find your next free read!

Historical:

My WWII writing friends tell me that Gary Baysinger is an award-winning novelist and his A Kind of Homecoming is worth snatching up.

As a Regency writer and historian, I flew through the grand-ball adventure in The Requisite Courage over breakfast one morning, and am looking forward to diving into Darcy.

Check out FREE historical fiction

Fantasy:

If you want something sweeter than the cake my Horned Women make, check out Desserts & Dragons. 

If you are enjoying hanging out in Heroic Ireland with Maura and Saba, you might enjoy a trip to Arthurian England with The Knight, the Lady, & the Lion.

There's also tons that look sexy and high adventure if that's what you're in the mood for!

Find my next FREE book with Women in Fantasy

Urgent! Final question….

Which cover do you like more for Aiden’s book? I have heard some strong opinions, and there’s still time to change. Also, neither version are uploaded to the sale sites yet, because I'm making myself finish writing the story first! (It's almost done. Really. Hopefully today.)

And… if you want to join my ARC team and get a free copy (probably on Monday) don’t forget to fill out this form.

I want to join your review team!

Best wishes,

Christy & the Shelties: Adare, Malin, & Inish

This one's Adare, and he's got a secret. Or maybe just a kiss.