Sheltie Gazette: Your backstage pass for "Boat on the Lake" ⛵️
Aug 07, 2025 1:01 pm
Welcome, , to your special behind-the-scenes tidbits for The Boat on the Lake of Regret!
Malin, on behalf of All The Shelties: We have been working very hard to herd together ALLLL the interesting information for Christy Matheson's new release!
Adare: Unfortunately, we were distracted by needing to bark at deer. They were in our yard!
Inish: Don't forget the squirrels! Highly suspicious!
Malin: Shh! We're talking about books, and we've even got a new story below! Let's get started.
The Book: The Boat on the Lake of the Regret
He has one last chance to be a fairy tale hero.
But she didn’t agree to be the damsel in distress.
Adare, the Best Friend:
First, let's make sure everyone is comfortable. Let's put on some mood music! Author, what did you listen to while you were writing The Boat on the Lake of Regret?
Author: I went with traditional Irish music for this one, for example, De Dannan, Christy Moore, and Anúna.
I was able to find Irish/Gaelic music of the medieval period, which allowed me to imagine exactly what Hannah and her sisters would have been hearing during the ball. This is a big treat after writing 3rd century—we have little idea what their music sounded like!
In the first chapters, Hannah plays two traditional hymns. I like how both of these are an intimate connection with the singer, which is what Hannah was striving for.
St Patrick's Breastplate by Annmarie O'Riordan — Be Thou My Vision by Nathan Pacheco
Malin, Benevolent Boss of the Whole World:
Character! That's an important part of your books! Tell us about this Hannah.....does she play the piano, like the children in my house?
Author: She does, but all of your children play piano because I play piano. When Hannah was a little girl, one day after church she snuck into the choir stalls and started picking out hymns on the piano. At least, small Hannah thought they were hymns. The church organist offered to teach her, but her parents didn't have a piano. So one of the older girls would walk her from school to the church every day, and Hannah would practice in the Sunday school room until her mother could come and pick her up.
Malin: So there is no piano in Hannah's house?
Author: A couple years ago, Hannah's father got a new job. Her parents bought a grand piano, and they want Hannah to win competitions.
Malin: Is Hannah happy now that she's rich?
Author: Hannah and her parents have very different ideas about whether money can buy happiness. That is the source of Hannah's conflict. But she still loves to play the piano.
Malin: Maybe her piano has a ghost in it, and that's why she isn't happy. Or a squirrel. That can be a problem with pianos. I can bark at it for her.
Author: I will pass along your generous offer.
Inish, King of the Side-Eye:
I'm suspicious. You say this is a fairy tale retelling, but is it REALLY a fairy tale?
Author: Yes, this plot actually stays quite close to "The Three Crowns." I added the characters and the modern frame, but all the plot points are taken from the fairy tale. I just enrich them and add emotion...and okay, I have to confess. I really have a problem writing one-dimensional characters, so the "bad" princesses and princes became pretty interesting.
Inish: So the whooooolllle story is exactly like the original?
Author: The twist before the happy ending in the original is a canonic ending that wouldn't make much sense to modern readers.
Inish: Ah-ha! I knew it! You cheated!
Author: I added in a different twist, which is ALSO from Irish mythology.
Inish: Completely?
Author: Absolutely. Even the details.
Inish: I can accept that.
Adare, the Best Friend:
I found some of the things that people are saying about The Boat on the Lake of Regret on-line! They love it so much, just like I love you so much. Look at these 5-star reviews!
"The relationships were really well done...
I loved the inclusion of the fae and their antics. They were a little ridiculous and over the top. There was magic and wonder throughout. Time is interweaving in the story l and I love how the author does this."
"This isn't just a love story.... It shows us how constantly being bombarded by negativity can affect our own self-worth... It shows us that we are as rich as the poorest amongst us and that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect."
"I love the depth and complexity that Matheson brings to their romance. The emotions and issues they struggle with feel very real and relatable, and aren’t trivialized ... because the characters are so young."
Inish, King of the Side-Eye:
But you call this historical fiction. If there are fae, is it really historical?
Author: It is strongly grounded in the real events happening at the time. In 1536, King Henry VIII of England was launching a military assault against Ireland, and those battles drive the essential plot action from the very beginning of the book, to the dramatic concluding scene.
We also have to remember the Irish people accepted Fae as part of their lives, so who are we to assume they were incorrect?
Inish: That's a good point. But we historical readers like to learn. Can we learn anything new from this book?
Author: How much do you know about Ireland in the 1530's?
Inish: They didn't cover that in puppy kindergarten.
Author: It wasn't included in most of our school curriculum (unless, of course, you're Irish), so it's safe to say that most people will learn some new history. For instance, here's Silken Thomas, 10th Earl of Kildare.
Malin, Benevolent Boss of the Whole World:
That's all well and good, but let's get to the important things. What treats did you eat while writing this book?
Author: Well, I bought a croissant, but you ate it.
Malin: No I didn't.
Author: Yes you did! I put it aside for when I finished a chapter and you stole it.
Malin: I stole it, yes, but you cornered me and pried it out of my jaws. I didn't get to enjoy it at all.
Author: But then I didn't enjoy it either.
Malin: So what else did you eat?
Author: Nothing. I was too busy writing to make any treats, or even go back to the bakery.
Malin: That's highly unfortunate.
Adare, the Best Friend:
Can we talk about love?
Author: Yes! This is the first of my fairy tales to add a strong romance element, but I plan to write more romance-fairy tales.
Hannah and Dylan have always known they would end up together. Dylan first proposed when they were six, and Hannah said yes.
But as time goes on, things aren't as easy as they seemed at six years old. In fact, as the story opens, neither Hannah nor Dylan are really sure that the future they've imagined is ever going to come true...or even if they want it to. Can they find happiness together, or is it time to move on?
Malin, Benevolent Boss of the Whole World:
WAIT WAIT STOP THE PRESSES!!!
I was searching over hill and dale, and I found something WONDERFUL. It's a new short story! How exciting! We love new things!
Author: I hope you love it too, !
Yes, I wrote "The Two Rings" to connect these two books. The events in Aiden of Florida lead directly to how Boat in the Lake gets started, and this little story (about 30 pages) answers questions that neither of the other books can address, because it's what only Dylan knows.
Malin: How can your readers get this delicious story?
Author: We've updated the files for The Knight of Terrible Valley and Aiden of Florida so this story is included. If you've already bought the book, if you refresh your e-reader or app, the new story should show up at the end. If you haven't bought the book yet, the new story is definitely included in your purchase, so now is the perfect time to get it!
"I was touched in ways I didn't expect and that is something I absolutely loved about it."
"That spark of nobility is core to his character."
Malin: But what if I bark at Kindle really really a lot and still the new version doesn't show up?
Author: Sigh. I really don't understand why these things do what they do.
Just for my newsletter subscribers, here's a link directly to the story. But I think you will enjoy this a lot more if you have read Aiden's story first, since the story doesn't re-introduce the characters and the set-up.
(Be sure to use the same email address where you receive this newsletter, because it's only available to subscribers.)
Inish, King of the Side-Eye:
But you told us that Boat on the Lake of Regret is a stand-alone!
Author: It is. Hannah, the narrator of Boat on the Lake, doesn't know anything that happens earlier.
So in fact, if you want to find out the answers along with Hannah, I would suggest you read "The Two Rings" after you finish her book.
Inish: I am going to collect ALL the books in my SPECIAL collection and not let anyone touch them. I also have two pens and a squeaky toy, but I think stories are even better.
Adare: Especially when they have cuddles!
Malin: Get your copy now! We can all bark at it together—I mean, we can all read it together.
Inish: Can we eat croissants while we read?
Author: I don't know, I'm busy writing the next book. Do you want to go to the bakery?
Shelties: Sorry. Too busy reading. This is even better than cookies. Mmmm....
"...a well-told coming of age story with several twists."
