Sheltie Gazette: Houston, the cats have a problem
Feb 19, 2026 11:16 pm
Hello and all my favorite readers —
First of all, the Shelties have discovered an evil interloper in our happy book-world... aka, a technology problem. Apparently, my email server and the platform that hosts my book giveaways are currently not talking to each other.
This means, that when you click the button in my newsletter to claim one of your free books (like Magical Libraries), you are getting an error notification saying it can't validate your email address. I am communicating with both sets of customer service and hopefully this should be resolved by tomorrow.
Meanwhile, I am super duper sorry for the inconvenience. If you're new around here, please be assured that usually this works seamlessly! If you ever do have trouble with a download, please do "reply" to the newsletter. I get your email, I can see the link you're using, and usually I can send you a work-around. Right now, the entire system seems to be down.
Malin is dragging the naughty servers to customer service
Inish has a skeptical side-eye for technology break-downs
Meanwhile, let's talk about fairy tales!
I'm working on the final edit round of The Little White Cat & the Dog Who Wasn't, and I'm super excited for you to read it! It has twenty-five dogs and one sassy cat (aren't they all?).
I invited you to ask me anything about this book, and here's some answers!
What kind of dogs are in this book? Do you have that breed?
The dogs in this book are all Irish wolf-hounds. No, I don't have one — and probably no one does, because the breed was diluted so much that the modern breed is re-created from similar breeds, using descriptions from ballads and ancient artwork.
I devoured a really amazing book, The Curious History of Irish Dogs by David Blake Knox, in researching this book. Now I need to come up with an idea for a book about Kerry Blue Terriers or the Red and White Spaniel!
What other really cool research did you discover?
and
Are there textile arts in this book?
You know that trope in historical fiction where the main character hates doing embroidery, and this is supposed to show us that she is creative, brave, and intelligent?
Well, I believe that we can be creative, brave, and intelligent, AND ALSO enjoy textile arts, and I love sticking those characters in my books!
There's some embroidery in this book, but I really took a deep research dive into weaving crios belts. They have been made in Ireland for hundreds and hundreds of years, and are still woven in Gaeltacht regions today. There are several ways that a woman might have woven them, including using her foot as the loom!
What fairy tale did you use for this story? How close did you stay to the original?
The original fairy tale that I retold is called "The Little White Cat," and my story uses all of the elements of the original. The sorcerer Trencoss and the Palace of a Thousand Doors; the dogs as guards; the Fae white cat and the double quest he provides (one for the sorcerer and one for the prince) are exactly the same from the folktale. As usual, I enriched the story with not only realistic characters and intensifying the drama, but also wove in other elements of Irish folklore, such as communicating with animals and the challenges that Ailbe and Trencoss give each other.
If you enjoy the unusual and unexpected, you'll get to experience a little-known fairy tale.
And if you're a life-long fairy tale lover, then you'll spot traditional tidbits throughout the whole novel!
But wait... what happened to Oona and the Swan?
If you've preordered Oona & the Swan, don't worry — the next installment of the Robinsons' misadventures with their unpredictable castle is coming soon. And if you love animal stories, this is going to be another animal-full fairy tale adventure!
Frankly, when I was writing The Little White Cat, I had a very limited window between other projects. I had planned this book out ever since I introduced Ailbe in "Escape to Peaceful Valley," but I was running out of time. I told myself that I would work on something with no pre-order and no sequels, so if it didn't get finished in the allotted window I would just set the story aside and no one would be disappointed.
Oona's story leads directly into the next, so I didn't want to release her book without a clear promise of when the next story about Maura, Aiden, Oona (and their really eclectic assortment of animals!) is coming out. But I'll have an update on those stories soon.
Meanwhile.... I made it through Ailbe's story! 🎉
Um... how do you pronounce Ailbe?
The short answer: It's "Ava."
The long answer: Ailbe is the older version of the Irish name Ailbhe. The Irish pronunciation is a beautiful softening between the /b/ and /v/, so it's a little more fluid and delicate than anything we have in English. But the English version is just plain and simple "Ava."
How does the cat come into the story?
And that is the subject of the entire next newsletter!
Meanwhile.... what is your wildest cat story? Reply to this email and tell me about a cat you've known who was tricky, sassy, bossy, or showed up in places you never expected. (You know—like a cat!)
When I searched my photos for "cat," it thought I wanted this.
I mean, who wouldn't? But it's not a cat.
There's also the time we met hundreds of cats in Greek Ephesus in Turkey.
My kids loved it! More cat photos coming next week!
Ailbe won't escape her prison until she can free the dogs, too....
And these authors also wrote "Noble-bright" fantasy — books that celebrate the good, the true, and the beautiful.
Happy reading, and I'm off to go check my emails from tech support (and finish editing that book)...
Don't forget to send me your cat stories! And if you pre-order your wolf-hound and cat book today, then it will be a happy, cozy surprise when it shows up on your e-reader on March 10th...
