From New Zealand With Mischief: The Gnome Who Changed Everything

 

Six years ago, my son returned from a trip to New Zealand with a suspiciously quiet carry-on item. Nestled in his bag was a white ceramic gnome with a glint in his eye — or maybe that was just my imagination (gnomes are good at that).

He arrived starkly bare (well, in gnome terms — unpainted), wearing nothing but a fantastic golden hat, bold possibilities, and a rather smug beard. The only thing he demanded was a display place, so he moved into my entertainment center, where he sat silently for six years under my cat’s watchful, judgy eyes.

Little did I know this pint-sized ambassador from a gloriously foreign realm would become the muse for my latest book, The Gnome with the Golden Hat. Oh, not at first — it happened in stages, the way great things often do. It all started when I finally decided to paint him last month.

It’s proof that inspiration doesn’t always arrive as a sweeping revelation. Sometimes it shows up wrapped in bubble wrap, carrying the faint scent of adventure — then takes its sweet time, sitting around for years before finally revealing the story it had tucked away all along.

So if you’re curious how a silent garden ornament ended up at the heart of a whimsical tale (and maybe stirred up a bit of gnome politics along the way), you can now find The Gnome with the Golden Hat in print and ebook on Amazon. Because every golden hat deserves its legend.

Cats, Cameras, and Compassion: A Little Love Letter to Hannah Shaw’s Cats of the World

Let’s be honest — most of us have bought at least one coffee table book purely for the pictures. (Guilty as charged.) But Cats of the World by Hannah Shaw is different. It’s one of those rare purr-fect finds that combines drool-worthy photographs, charming writing, and a deep pulse of genuine heart.

First, a fun fact you won’t see on the jacket flap: Hannah Shaw is the daughter of none other than Tommy Shaw — yes, that rock star from Styx. Turns out star power runs in the family, but so does raw talent. Hannah’s not just any celebrity’s kid cashing in on a famous name. She’s a bona-fide wordsmith. As a writer myself, I can confirm she’s got the chops: playful turns of phrase, well-paced stories, and a knack for bringing out the personalities of her feline subjects.

I stumbled on Cats of the World in a delightfully roundabout way. Last year, It flashed by on TV one afternoon, a teaser for a new book about global cats (and let’s be real, they had me at “cats”). Not long after, I met Hannah at a bookstore event. She was warm, funny, and exactly the sort of person you hope an animal advocate would be — someone who doesn’t just coo at kittens for the camera but rolls up her sleeves to rescue them.

And about that camera: the stunning photographs in this book are by her husband, who clearly knows his way around both a lens and a whiskered subject. Together, they’ve created more than a book — it’s a globe-trotting gallery of feline fabulousness. From scrappy market cats to sun-drenched porch loafers, every page is like a little passport stamp to another corner of the world, each paw print telling its own soft-footed story.

What I love most is that underneath the glorious shots and Hannah's kitten-claw sharp writing beats a very big heart. Hannah has dedicated her life to rescuing the tiniest, most vulnerable kittens. The ones most people overlook. The ones who need more than just food — they need someone to fight for them. That compassion radiates through every page.

So if you’re looking for a book that’s as easy on the eyes as it is good for the soul, snag a copy of Cats of the World. You’ll get dazzling photos, edgy and soulful writing, and maybe — just maybe — a little nudge to be kinder to the small creatures in your own orbit.

After all, rock stars come and go, but kindness? That’s truly legendary.