Today is the release of the next Six Frosted Roses fairy tale retelling, Gilded in Ice by Sarah Pennington. Now I have the honor of sharing a character spotlight:
The Cat
Whatever the creature was, it acted like nothing more than a perfectly ordinary cat all that evening. It finally ventured back down halfway through dinner and deigned to lap at the small bowl of broth and meat that Mrs. Dennel put out for it. It ate as neatly and politely as a gentleman at a fancy party and licked its paws carefully afterwards. And when dinner was over and the family retreated to the warmth of the living room, with its radiator and relative lack of cracks in the walls, the cat watched for some time from the door, keeping its distance from everyone—until it padded over to Kona and pushed itself into her lap, shoving aside the sock she’d intended to darn. It meowed plaintively at her and didn’t stop until she set the sock aside and started combing out the tangles from its fur with her fingers.
The cat might have lost his name some time ago, but a cat without a name is still a cat. Rescued from a magically-induced blizzard by Kona Dennel, he became attached to the Dennel family, venturing out during the day and returning at night to sleep by their radiator. A long-furred black-and-copper Stjernesøkeren woodcat, he was clearly well-loved by a family of means at one point — but these days, he ranges across the streets of Innsjøby, making the city his home.
“Isn’t this sort of place a little upscale for a street cat?”
“I wasn’t always a stray. I have a pedigree, remember?” The cat gave an indignant flick of his tail and jumped down the last few steps. “Though this is ritzier than anywhere I’ve ever lived, I’ll give you that.”
In Innsjøby, though, even cats can have secrets. Only a select few members of the Dennel family — Kona, her twin sister Roselle, and their mother — are aware that the cat is under an enchantment of which he cannot speak, even if he can talk. Though he occasionally references a more fortunate past, he keeps his background almost as close a secret as the nature of his enchantment. But if he’s going to find a way to free himself, he’s going to need help — and many of the secrets he’s been keeping will be revealed.
Character art of the cat is by the lovely and talented Hannah Williams. Find more of her art on her website, Facebook, and Instagram!
More info on where to find Gilded in Ice and more of Sarah Pennington's writing:
Gilded in Ice
Add Book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58463912-gilded-in-ice
Author Bio:
Sarah Pennington has been writing stories since before she actually knew how to write, and she has no intention of stopping anytime soon. She is perpetually in the middle of writing at least one or two novels, most of which are in the fantasy and fairy tale retelling genres. Sarah's first published work, Blood in the Snow, received a perfect score and Special Unicorn status in Rooglewood Press's Five Poisoned Apples contest. When she isn't writing, she enjoys knitting, photography, and trying to conquer her massive to-be-read list.
Find her online at: Author Site || Wordpress Blog || Blogspot Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Amazon
Book Description: Bastian has two new missing person cases. One is cold. The other is his own sister.
Since his success solving the Midnight Show disappearances, Bastian Dennel is sitting pretty. And with the new high-profile cold case that just got dropped in his lap, he’s pretty sure things will stay that way for a while. But when he finds out his sister has gone missing without a trace, he’s determined to find her and bring whoever’s responsible to justice — even if his only lead is a stray cat with a knack for vanishing unexpectedly.
Kona Dennel’s plans have already been upended, so when the talking cat she’d befriended asked her for help breaking an enchantment, she didn’t see any reason not to say yes. She didn’t expect to be trapped in a frozen mansion or to be drawn into conflict with a mysterious lady of the fair folk. Even the cat is hiding more secrets than she realized. It’ll take a skilled detective to untangle this web . . . but since Bastian isn’t here, Kona will just have to do it herself.
Secrets abound, and the one creature who knows the truth isn’t talking. Can Bastian and Kona outwit a fae who’s been at this for centuries? Or will thawing out the long-frozen truth drop them in over their heads?
A magical mystery reimagining Snow White and Rose Red and East of the Sun, West of the Moon in the jazz-age world of The Midnight Show.