Fantastic Felines: A Guest Post by Heather Fawcett

Agnes has devoted her life to finding forever homes for stray cats, but to save her shelter from dark magic, she’ll have to team up with a cunning magician. Read on for an exclusive essay from author Heather Fawcett on writing Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter.

Like many authors, I keep an indeterminate number of story ideas in my head, waiting for their chance to become novels (not all of them will, of course). One of these, which took up residence for years and years, was little more than a setting—“a book about a magical cat shelter.”

Then, back in 2022, I came across an article by the CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, about the growth of the stray cat population in Montreal. The increase—which was leading to more animals suffering and dying outdoors, in a city with harsh winters—was being combatted by hardworking volunteers through a TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) program, but it was still an ongoing problem. I couldn’t stop thinking about that article, and it ultimately gave me several pieces of the story that became Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, including the idea of setting it in Montreal.

Montreal has long been my favourite city in Canada, though I’m not from there (I was born and raised in Vancouver, on the west coast). Even before Agnes, it struck me as an ideal setting for a fantasy novel. Particularly cozy fantasy, a subgenre that often incorporates, among other things, good food and a setting with charm, both of which Montreal has in abundance. Of course, it’s also a big city with traffic and other big city problems, but you’d be hard pressed not to be enchanted by a visit to Rue Saint-Paul or The Plateau.

While I worked on the book, I spent a couple of weeks in the city, particularly the neighbourhoods that inspired the one Agnes settles in, Old Montreal and Mile End. I visited museums to get a sense of what life in the 1920s was like, but most of my time was spent wandering the streets, taking photos. And yes, I met several cats, one of whom makes an appearance in the book (no spoilers, but he’s represented by a certain orange boy with an impressive set of vocal cords).

Most readers will probably assume I was motivated to write Agnes Aubert by my love for cats, which is true. I consider myself an animal person in general, and as much as I love dogs too, I’ve only ever owned cats. However, that’s only half the story. I was also motivated by a desire to write about good people, people who are compassionate, kind, and motivated by a desire to help others, even when the cause seems hopeless or overwhelming. Agnes exemplifies these qualities, and I can only hope that my depiction of her will ring true with those who dedicate their time to caring for stray cats and other vulnerable animals.