Happy reading and not-quite-college-decision-day, !

Wait... you probably aren't thinking as much about college decision day as we are. It's a big deal, partly because all those decisions are a big deal when you're on the cusp of adulthood.

Do you think that is because emotions are more intense, or because that is the time of life when we often make the biggest decisions? Either way, it's exciting (and terrifying), and I'm also enjoying being back in the head of a 17-year-old for my current writing project. I'll share details below!

I'm also getting into the behind-the-scenes stuff that doesn't make it into the glossy finished photos.

But first...

Let's go back to libraries for a minute

Last week, I wrote to you about libraries we had visited on our college tours (and I love the library stories you send me in return!). But apparently I forgot that this newsletter isn't just a conversation with my favorite book-ish people, it's also supposed to be where I encourage to you to read my books.

So if I were any good at marketing, I would have remembered to say:

✨ Libraries are wonderful! Request my books from your library! ✨

• All my e-books are available on Overdrive, and all my paperbacks are available for libraries. You'll have to request that your library purchases my books. Library acquisitions are driven by customers, so your request makes a difference!
• I have the collected editions of the "Castle in Kilkenny: Fairy Tales" available on Hoopla, Borrow Box, and Cloud Library — that means Maura's first three novellas in one volume, and Rian's two stories in the next volume. All the same words, collected in larger books.
• Hoopla takes months to upload, so The Little White Cat & the Dog Who Wasn't isn't available on that platform yet—but it's available everywhere else!

If your library uses Hoopla, my understanding is that you just search my name and can borrow my books immediately! I get paid for each borrow, so it's a win-win.

(If you're interested in the logistics of supporting indie authors, I've included a little more context in the postscript.)

And now...what's on my desk?

I have had a super chaotic head space lately, on the two edges of book creation. I've been working on final-step line edits for my upcoming Regency series (more on that next week!)....and I've been doing big-picture work for my Castle in Kilkenny series.

I've been working with a blurb editor to clean up all the blurbs for the series, and with my new cover designer to add a couple more fresh covers. Meanwhile, I've been making sure my plotting all works out, and researching more aspects of folklore to inspire any missing holes.

For my next mini-trilogy, I'm retelling Ireland's most famous fairy tales. Hopefully, their fame means there is something to catch my readers' imaginations! But to keep me on my toes, these stories kind of fade away into vague tragedy with multiple alternate endings. This clearly will not do, so I'm weaving in other folklore characters, trials, and of course the emotional needs of my main characters.

This is my sewing desk.

I swear, I do actually use this space... apparently not recently!

How do I write?

I do not plot my stories in any kind of traditional way, with outlines and plot cards and all that. I test out scenes in my head, and when I come up with a scene that feels charming or compelling or emotional, I take notes so I don't forget it. Whenever I get bored, I feel like readers won't be interested either, and I'd better come up with something better.

I work through each entire story 6-10 times before I start actually writing, although by then I have notes and scraps of internal or external dialogue. If it's a new-to-me narrator, I will play with working out some scenes so I settle into their voice, but in this case I'm just going back to Maura, Rian, and Aiden. Coming back to a narrator I've already written is like settling into comfortable pajamas and chatting with an old friend! I can hear their voice and observations all around me. (Stay tuned, and I'll tell you about why Ailbe, in Little White Cat, was my most distinct and yet uncooperative narrator.)

By this point, I'm working out all the details of all the rest of the books in the Castle in Kilkenny series. Each book (a novel or novella) is a stand-alone fairy tale, but the same characters come together through the whole set. The first three books were Maura and her children; the next set introduced Rian and his son; and this next set is where they come together... kind of!

So by the time I start to write, I can write fairly quickly and come out with something pretty close to the final form. But then, pretty much always, when I send it to my editor, she asks some questions (or has a misinterpretation!) that drives the story to a higher level with more interconnection. I love interwoven stories and those aha moments!

Speaking of the next edit and aha moments...

An entire year ago, I wrote a novella as a reader magnet for my series. I came up with a way to weave in Hannah, give some background on the castle, introduce the Robinsons moving to Ireland, and use a quintessential Irish character. So I had The Leprechaun in the Castle mostly ready (one scene was adapted as a short story in Magical Libraries), but in the rush of other author-ly duties, I didn't get around to putting it together and sending it to you.

But that turned out to be a good thing.

After I published the next book, I could see something that was emotionally essential to deepen this story. So I've had it on the back burner to go back and add a couple of scenes before I did the final polishing... but I still didn't do it.

And then, a couple weeks ago, I suddenly saw what it was missing!!! This is going to add whimsy, add tension, and really double down on the "magical library" element. I'm so excited to see it come together!

So this week, after turning exhaustive (and exhausting) line edits to my publisher, I am back with Hannah Rowland, the boyfriend she wants, and the trickster leprechaun she knows better than to get involved with. And thanks to my team, I have a cover! And a blurb! Scroll down to see, because first of all...

Moving sale, book giveaway!

My author friend D. Liebhart is moving and wants to get more of her paperbacks into readers' hands rather than her moving truck. There aren't many paperback giveaways, and I know some of you love them!

These beautiful books have thousands of reviews and have won multiple awards, and this giveaway is just for my newsletter! If you like thought-provoking fiction, click through because you have an excellent chance to win!

Win two paperbacks

And look what I found... dogs in fiction!!!

So excited to share this promo with you — fr*e stories about dogs!! There's pet rescue, sci-fi, cozy murder mystery, not-so-cozy mystery, heartwarming, and even a cat. Click the button to see if you find your next charming read!

Canines in Fiction

Update from the Shelties...

You know those sticky traps that are supposed to release a pheromone and catch pantry moths? While I was writing this newsletter, Adare somehow got himself stuck in one of those. Adare has the World's Most Delicate Skin, which is unfortunate because he also has enough fur to befit a wooly mammoth.

So my daughter held him lovingly, while I gave him a haircut. Now one of his paws is visible, instead of being a fluffy mop. We did not take any pictures because he would be too embarrassed, but here is Adare impersonating a rug, a blanket, and a stuffed animal.

He's currently dozing under the piano, all moth-related trauma forgotten.

Good-bye for now! Have a happy weekend — and I'm still accepting suggestions for annoying Fae in Aiden's next book. I love writing with reader input, so let me know if you have anything you'd love to read about!

Happy reading, and watch out for moths,

Christy & the Shelties

P.S. #1: Libraries and writer income

Obviously, your reading is for you, but I know some of you having helping hearts and want to know more about supporting indie authors.

Recently, the major e-book distributer has added fees to maintain author accounts. This is unfortunate, but they are trying to combat accounts that proliferate only to produce AI slop, which is even more unfortunate.

We can avoid the fee by selling enough books on the platform, which is because the AI slop accounts earn money by selling a few copies of a ton of different "books" (because no one actually wants them, so they don't sell many). For me, this is a little bit of a challenge because I go direct with all the main accounts (Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble), not through a distributor. The only accounts I use with them are the little European bookstores (like Tolino), Smashwords, and....

LIBRARIES. Really, I am on that platform because it's important to me to distribute to libraries. So, I've decided to take this as inspiration to really work on getting my books into libraries this year! I have so many memories of my childhood in libraries, taking my own children to libraries, and (yup!) scrolling the library app on my phone to find that book someone just recommended.

I would really, truly, be so very joyful to see my books in more libraries... and I really, truly, cannot do it without you. Your library will trust your recommendation!

P.S. #2: Blurb and cover reveal!

Annnddd buying secrets... shh! This upcoming book (free for newsletter subscribers!) is the prequel to The Boat on the Lake of Regret. I'm going to be putting that book on the Cozy Fantasy sale next month, so go on over to Goodreads and put it on your "want to read" shelf (or leave a star rating if you've already read it!), but hold off a couple weeks.... you'll get the prequel and a discount on the main novel! Now without further ado...

Bargaining with the Fae is dangerous…but true love is worth the risk.

Hannah and Dylan have been engaged since they were five, and they’ve always said they’d get married when they finish school. Except, Hannah’s mother doesn’t want Dylan around—no matter how hard he works to save for a house. 

So, Dylan and his best mate cook up a scheme to get the money quicker—and impress Hannah’s parents—they’re going to catch the Patchwork Man, a dangerous Fae who has been causing so much trouble the Kilkenny Town Council is offering a hefty reward. 

Hannah tags along because it’s their date night—but she didn’t expect to find anything, certainly not a leprechaun sitting on the piano, offering her a wish in exchange for her music. 

But Hannah knows better than to bargain with the Fae…

…until her parents decide to send her away. Now she has to find the leprechaun again—and make a wish that can’t backfire.

This novella is a prequel to both Castle in Kilkenny series, with a piano-playing heroine, childhood sweethearts, and a full story about a trickster Fae in a magical library. Read now — to discover the world of the Fae is closer than we might think.

P.S. #3: Have you stuck around this long?

It's not even finished yet, but I'm so excited..... in honor of my first novella winning a gold medal, I'm working with my cover designer for a new version of The Horned Women! This isn't the final version, but here's a sneak peek at a series graphic I'm trying out.....

Castle in Kilkenny: Fairy Tales