Congratulations, — you’ve survived to 2025!

I’ve had this newsletter planned out for a while. I was going to tell you my exciting writing goals for 2025, but do you want to know the truth? I’m tired. It’s hard to act excited right now.

Maybe it’s the aftermath of the holidays, which were wonderful, but it takes non-stop work to organize all that “magic” for our kids and extended family. And I’m working hard to not think about the upcoming political changes. Or maybe it’s because my kids need a lot in the upcoming weeks, which pushes all my writing tasks not just to the back burner but crashing right off the stove.

So what am I going to do about it? First of all, I’ll have a cup of tea. Go ahead and pour yourself one too.

Then, I’m going to apply a couple lessons from motherhood. 

• Fake the change you want to see in yourself.

Even when I’m tired and frustrated, I know how to say “I’m so excited to see your mystery glob of tape and small plastic objects!” and “I would love to put down these urgent projects and read you a book!” (Not in those exact words.) But the thing is, although it doesn’t start out as how I’m feeling, the action helps to get me there. I am proud of my kids’ creativity with large amounts of tape (truly vast amounts of tape), and it does make me smile when they laugh uproariously at the same joke in the same book. Every. Single. Time. 

• If there’s anything you learn from raising five kids, it’s how to be organized. I see this with every other big-family mom, and I’ve got to trust myself here. I always manage to do enough, and I’m going to do it again.

So, here’s some tea. And below that, here are some things that I’m really, truly excited about writing in the coming year — even though I'm not feeling it today. And I would really, truly like to hear from you, so there’s some questions at the end. (I don’t have to fake that one; conversations with fellow readers are always more invigorating than blobs of glue and sparkles.)

New kyusu tea pot, only because my child broke my previous new one

This newsletter:

1. My writing goals for 2025
2. Puppy Christmas pictures
3. A girl, a dog, and a castle
4. Christmas embroidery project (hint: total fail)
5. Free books: Strong women in fiction

P.S. New feature -- in conversation with you

Writing projects for 2025

1. I have planned several more fairy tale novellas for the Castle in Kilkenny series. I just received some more research books in the mail….
2. ….and am reading through, seeing how which story can fit which character. I’m working on Aiden’s, haven’t decided on the story for Kaylee but…
3. I am super excited about Maura’s love story! She needs to recover from her divorce, so it will be a few books along, but I have some wonderful scenes figured out.
4. And Oona winds up with the swans in “The Children of Lir”…I also have a magical library story.
5. Do you enjoy paperbacks or audio? Once I have a few fairy tales published, I will offer a paperback collection. I’m learning about audio options too, in order to make my books more accessible….and so you can listen while you sew!
6. Our wonderful committee is working on a second Feisty Deeds anthology. I love putting on my editor hat and having the privilege to work with a variety of historical fiction. I haven’t decided what story I’m writing, but probably 1700’s.
7. Hopefully, this will be the year that I will have a publishing deal for my novels. But I’m not in control of that, so I can only trust that the whimsy winds of the publication industry will blow my way!
8. I have another idea for a series of novellas — Regency, my favorite period — but it has to wait on seeing how the other plans go, and I don’t want to make this too long, so…..

Do you have opinions about books?

….I admit, that question is a bit of a gimme. Of course you do. I really hope you are willing to share your opinions, starting with do you like love stories.

Your opinions on books for 2025

Puppy Christmas Pictures

Here's some fun pictures for you!

I was pretty pleased with myself for convincing all three dogs to pose under the Christmas tree. Please appreciate appropriately.

A Girl, a Dog, and some Playful Fantasy

I just “met” Angelica Jackson through our mutual writers group, but I immediately thought that many of you would like her books. Her latest book is Stay, Girl and it is about — gasp! — a dog.   

Angelica’s other series is a contemporary fantasy that shares some elements with my fairy tales series — including a castle. I enjoyed this line, when the narrator sees the castle out the car window:

Check out dog and castle books

(These books aren't free but they are very inexpensive.)

And the best part? Angelica knows Gail Carriger. I am definitely fan-girling over here!

Winter Break Embroidery Project

I had made up this ornament kit for myself on a previous Christmas. Compared to my usual thread painting, wool felt embroidery is faster than a speeding Sheltie.

But after three weeks, this is not in any way growing into a Goose A-Laying. It's more like....a Goose A-Laying egg. An unfertilized egg. Sitting out in the snow. Possibly eaten by raccoons.

Very small, highly unfinished project

Moral of this story: I can not juggle it all. 

Strong Women in Fiction — Free stories to perk you up

Just in case you need perking up too! I know you look for books with strong female characters, and here are a whole bunch of them. They’re all free, and plenty of novellas for testing a new author. This batch does lean towards fantasy/sci-fi, but there is a variety if you scroll, including lots of cozy mystery. I recommend: 

Everything You’ve Ever Known — by Jess Ames

When her best friend calls the main character to witness her teenage sons' prank, I was laughing out loud. Definitely a grown-up version of the tape blobs I mentioned at the beginning.

Folkloric Fae — Karenza Grant

Like Maura, her main character loves folklore….and then keeps encountering supposedly-mythical creatures.

The Story of Sassy Sweetwater — by Vera Jane Cook

This is for all my southern women’s fiction friends — this is beautiful! You’ll love it! So Southern, so sassy.

Coming on my TBR: A Ballad of Hate & Hope -- I love that cover!

Find some new Strong Women in Fiction

Meanwhile, have you grabbed your copy of The White Deer of Kildare? I can't wait to hear what you think. My highly critical writing partner says Horned Women was fine but this is GOOD, and if she dispenses with praise of that caliber then you've gotta be curious. 😉

Thank you for reading — the Shelties rounded up a bumper crop of news this time! 

Yours in general exhaustion,

Christy & the Shelties 

P.S. New feature — in conversation

Chatting back with some comments you have shared with me...

My Shelties would love to meet your pets — definitely your min-pin and Shelties love cats. (In a good way.) However, that cute squirrel had probably better stay home, or my dogs will succeed in making him even more like a ping-pong ball....although we might all get a good laugh out of it.

A lot of you like hot chocolate! If you come to visit, I usually make it with good-quality cacao powder, sweetener of choice, and hot water. If you prefer hot milk, we have almond milk; so many people in our house are allergic to dairy that I don't even keep it in the fridge. Do you make it that way? Or from a mix? Do any of you use those solid chocolate chunks?

And someone collects varieties of tea! I'd love to chat tea. I have pretty much every category on hand (fancy herbals, Celestial Seasonings, fruit teas, green teas, flavored teas) but my favorite is high quality, unadulterated black tea. I have a very large collection, all imported from England and China, and I love to share.

Some people are leaving comments below the newsletter in the browser. I didn't know you could do that! I get emails with your comment and I am so excited....I just haven't figured out the correct button to push in order to reply to you as myself. One of these days I will spend some time fiddling with it.

I think it is so interesting when I asked if you identify with characters in books, someone mentioned characters they aspire to be more like. What an intriguing question! What about you — is there a character you find inspirational to your own life?

Also, thanks for the compliments on my dogs. I do love these pups. They keep me smiling, and ensure that I may have hard days but I never have dull days.

Want to join the conversation? You can reply to this email, find me on socials, or I have some questions here. Or apparently you can reply to the newsletter in the browser, and I'll figure that out soon! Thank you so much for spending time with me! ❤️