Sheltie Gazette: Your present is better than mine
Feb 12, 2026 3:01 pm
Hey ...
I just looked at our shared family calendar and figured out what I'm getting for Valentine's Day. My husband is leaving for Italy! So I get all the tooth brushing, reminding kids to do their piano practices, dragging my teens through filling out applications for summer programs, and my favorite six-year-old spending the whole day bouncing in my face asking what we're gonna do next.
That, and I was supposed to send matching card-but-not-cards in to his class today. Any other parents here who haaaate the "sending in matching cards" thing in elementary school? The kids always start out enthusiastic but then run out of steam, and it's a sobbing meltdown at the dinner table because their hand hursts and they don't want to write their name on six more cards, and there's glue everywhere you've got to clean up once you've managed the meltdown and bedtime.
Meanwhile, my husband will be having tiny cups of coffee and talking to adults.
Seriously, he's a great husband and dad, and twenty-plus years into marriage I don't really expect much out of Valentine's Day. (Except glitter glue and arguments about candy.)
It's just that his job takes him to places like Italy and Mexico, and my job takes me to...well, really super exciting places but only in my imagination!
So just to help us all feel better, here's a little jaunt to Medieval Ireland, and some Valentine's Day presents for you.
Time slip into this Cinderella variation
Now presenting..... a new cover and new series category for THE BOAT ON THE LAKE OF REGRET! To celebrate the re-launch, I'm putting this sweet fantasy romance on sale just through Valentine's Day weekend!
What do you think? I love all the little details and hints, like the (historically accurate) boat, the Seven-Inch-Man with a feather duster (it's related to the first test he gives the princesses), and my favorite is the music notes swirling around Hannah.
If you've read the book already, it's the same one—I just changed the cover. But if you've been on the fence, now is the perfect time to nab your copy, because I'm not planning on offering any price drops lower than this.
Imagine a castle where the tea never goes cold, the library has a grand piano, and your bedroom reflects your soul.
It sounds like paradise, until the Fae lord demands a test of true love. Hannah and Dylan are childhood sweethearts thrown into a world of magic and monsters, but the real challenge isn't the dragon in the lake - it's knowing who they really are. High stakes, low spice, and all the cozy vibes you crave.
🏰 Need a book vacation? Start The Boat on the Lake of Regret today.
(Be sure to scroll down for the Sheltie news and pictures...)
But when one book isn't enough...
Hannah's fairy tale is a full-length novel, but it's a quick read. That might not get us all the way through Valentine's Day weekend. I suggest a box of chocolate-covered artisan marshmallows (seriously, they're entirely different from the store-bought kind), and here's a whole bunch more romantic fairy tale retellings for you!
These indie authors collected fairy tale and myth retellings. Lots of romance, from sweet to dark. The other Cinderella retelling has a cowboy on the cover (I'm intrigued) and two books with ravens (even more intrigued). There's one that looks like it might be a retelling of one of the Castle in Kilkenny books I'm working on (can you guess which one??) and you'd better believe I'm going to read that! I love how fairy tales become something new and fresh with each retelling.
These books are only on sale through the 15th, so be sure to click through and see if anything interests you. And yes, they are for sale, not free.... because indie authors deserve to be paid for their work, too.
If you're looking for free books...
Here's the monthly sci-fi and fantasy promo. This one looks like it leans pretty sci-fi and kind of dark. If that's not what you're looking for, I see a cute novella from the POV of a mouse, a magical inventor with a lantern that doesn't work, and a Latina witch with a talking cat.
And if you're too busy with the glitter glue...
Here's one for short stories. You can read one while your child's hand recovers enough to write their name six more times.
And now, my bossy dogs have something they want to say.
Woof, woof — I found some news!
Inish, grumpily: You're not supposed to put so many links in a newsletter.
Adare (the bi-black): But I'm EXCITED!
Inish: It will distract the readers and they won't click anything.
Adare: But I'm so HAPPY!
Inish: Besides, the Author Shout Award is for a different book. It's for the Squire and His Magical Library.
Adare: I'm happy about that TOO!
Inish: You have to follow the rules or—
Malin: It is my job to collect all the links. All the books. All the news. I will deliver every single tidbit to our loyal readers!
Inish: Follow the rules!
Malin: I FOUND ONE MORE!
Malin's last tidbit
I interrupted our regularly scheduled programming with this time-sensitive sale, but I promised that I would answer all your questions about my upcoming release! I loved your questions — reply to this email if you want your question included in the next newsletter!
As a teaser, here is one:
Q: Are your Shelties the inspiration for the dogs in The Little White Cat & the Dog Who Wasn't?
A: I can't ever think of one particular person, dog, or incident that I write directly into my books. I'm not the sort of person who listens in the coffee shop (or the dog yard!) and takes note of interactions to write them down. So none of the dogs in my book are based on Inish, Malin, or Adare.
But I do think that my ability to observe — in detail and without judgement — is the key to writing characters that my readers find realistic and engaging. I've tried to do the same with the dogs (and sassy cat!) in this book.
Inish: Stop! Stop! No more links!
Malin: I'm gonna do it! If you don't like it, you can fight me!
Inish (promptly does just that)
Adare: I LOVE that book. I LOVE that link. Please click all the links. I love YOU too!!!
See you next week! Bye for now—
(I'm just a wee bit busy, what with separating the dogs and brushing all the teeth)
Christy & the Shelties
Bona fide picture of Inish, sitting by himself with an annoyed expression, while I tried to get pictures of all three dogs together.
Adare and Malin loooovveee each other. And you. And the treats they are sure I have in my pocket.
In case you couldn't even find Inish in the previous picture. Here he is. He thinks everyone else is going to steal his fair share of the treats.
