Here are a bunch of cat pictures, that is, cats (and two dogs) with Hild, followed by Hild-inspired art and artefacts. Some of these you will have seen before, some are new.

First, pictures sent by readers of their cats (and two dogs) reading (ignoring/sleeping on/about to destroy) the book.

Bliss (who supervises Jo Booms) reads to the fish

Cassie, who owns Brian Zottoli, ponders Hugo nominations

Stinkyboy the valiant (and greatly missed) guards Colleen

Fitz (who owns Traci Castleberry) can read upside down—and prefers library books

Ajax, who utterly dominates David J Williams, can also read upside down

Hilda (who advises Pastor Pilgrim) communes with an ARC

Kevin dreams of being a gesith.

Harvest Moon (who shares Jo Booms with Bliss and Joy) likes reading on the mantel

 Joy, who owns Jo Booms (at least for now) reads her six-day old son, Wensleydale, to sleep…

…and Wensleydale gets big enough to learn to read

Petunia will fight you for a book

Talya the Russian Princess (who is served by Anne) has her way with Hild

And now readers’ artistic imaginings of Hild and other characters. These first two are pictures of Hild by Justine. In the first, I imagine Hild’s just figuring out this staff thing.

And here she’s a bit older, a bit more at home with it. But clearly unhappy about something. Maybe she’s just seen what happened to the farming couple who hosted that family of bandits.

The second two are by Angelique, one drawn not long after a magnificent gift of wine while I was still writing Hild and neither of us knew where the story was heading or how much of Hild’s life I would cover. But we did know we’re both fans of Asterix the Gaul…

The second is after Angelique read the book and was complaining about some of the character names—and assigning different ones. (“Gwladus,” for example, became “Gladys.”)

Cian, by Felix Ortiz, stands tall, very tall (not to mention broad).

Here’s a pic based on Hild, by Carolyn Raship, who is selling the painting on Etsy—with more than a quarter of the sale price going to Planned Parenthood. So go buy it.

And here’s Hild sitting by her favourite pool, by Alexandra Filipek. I really like the sun-dapple on the tree…

This is Rocket, guardian of the Prelinger Library. Sent by Megan.

From Scott at Big Rock Forge, a wonderful seax inspired by Hild’s own, and based on the Hurbuck style. Instead of a black (cow horn) grip, this one has a bird’s eye maple grip and ancient fossil mammoth bone/brass bolster. For more see Big Rock forge’s Facebook page.

From Catie LeCours, whose mum bought her a copy of Hild, this picture of Cian and Hild.

A photomontage by Spanish artist Elena M.P. Cajal, from her exhibition, Mujeres Poderosas, “Powerful Women: Forgotten by history and religion,” a series of large historical photomontages featuring women such as Hild, Hatshepsut, Wu Zetian and Sappho.

If you have art you’d like to share, please send it!