Blog Tour: THE WHITE DEER OF KILDARE by Christy Matheson

 

THE WHITE DEER OF KILDARE

Christy Matheson

 

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GENRE:  Time-slip Fantasy

 

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BLURB:

 

There's a deer sorting Christmas decorations in Maura's kitchen...

 

All Maura wants is a peaceful winter holidays in her dilapidated Irish castle, but her ex is threatening her with family court, and her second grader has invited a strange--completely unclothed--friend, to spend the holidays with them. Oh. And the friend’s dog, which is not actually a dog but probably one of the white deer of Celtic myth.

 

Maura distracts herself from her husband’s threats by trying to discover why a Fae deer is in her kitchen, when the two women accidentally end up in the Ireland of ancient myth. The White Deer was the human queen of this castle, but it appears she has husband trouble too. Perhaps...the deadly sort of trouble.

 

Can Maura rescue her new friend — or is Maura herself so tangled in the White Deer's fate that she won't make it home to her children alive?

 

This novella will appeal to readers who enjoy cozy fantasy, ancient history, Irish folklore, and uplifting stories about motherhood and found family.

 

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Excerpt Three:

 

Just think, you shall be at Dún Ailline and see your father soon,” Maeve suggests.

 

“No, I shan’t!” Saba bursts into speech. “That’s what Fionn told me while we were walking. He’s not taking me home after all.”

 

That’s too bad of Fionn, to disappoint his wife so soon after returning! And he went on about how he loved her more than the moon and stars.

 

“Where are we going?” Ailbe asks quietly.

 

“That’s the other trouble.” Saba squeezes Ailbe’s hand. “Most of you are staying here. Fionn wants to travel quickly, and is only allowing me one of my ladies to care for my needs.”

 

My heart swoops in fear. If Saba leaves me behind, I will be sickeningly alone in a strange land. And what about the best druids in the south of Ireland—they were going to help me return to my children.

 

The six ladies in waiting exchange looks, and all turn to me.

 

“You must take Maura, of course,” Maeve says.

 

“Of course,” the others murmur, eyes cast down.

 

Or perhaps I should stay with my own castle, and hope that one day I just walk through a door into my own rooms?

 

“There is something about the way she came to us,” Ailbe says. “I believe there might be a reason for her presence just now.”

 

“Besides”—Maeve drops her voice so only Saba and I can hear—“Maura is a mother herself, and our queen might need the advice of a married woman.”

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GUEST POST

 

What have you learned from being a writer that you wish you had learned earlier?

I’ve been writing, making art, and playing music since I was very little, but as I became a teen I turned more and more focus to music. That absorbed my time, energy, and became my social circle as well—in fact, my husband has his background in jazz guitar.

 

After working as a piano teacher for a while, raising my children took all my energy for another decade or two. But my early training as a classical pianist has been the bedrock for working towards becoming a career novelist in my 40’s. I guess we’ll have to check back in thirty years from now to see how writing has changed by trajectory by then!

 

Here are five lessons that I have learned from my classical music training that have served me well as a writer. 

 

• Take criticism & work with it

• I took private piano lessons for about twenty years, plus lessons on two additional instruments. Beyond the childhood stages, a “private lesson” basically means an hour straight of someone telling you what to do differently. In music, it’s considered an honor to be allowed to take a masterclass, which is the opportunity for someone who doesn’t know anything about you, your struggles, or your artistic vision to lecture an entire audience about what you’re doing wrong.
  
  It was wonderful. I learned to push myself, approach art both logically and creatively, dig deeper, and eventually built confidence in my own artistic vision—which continues to deepen as I work with others.
  
  I hear writers discuss the difficulty of hearing feedback about their “baby,” whether to “kill their darlings,” and defending themselves to editors. I…just don’t get it. If an editor suggests that I cut the dialogue to get to the point, I’m thankful they took the time to work with me, and I go back and I cut dialogue.

• You’ve never heard of “musician’s block”

• There were times in college when I fell asleep in the practice room, woke up, and kept practicing. Because that’s how you get better and meet your goals. The same is true for writing.

• The performance is about the audience

• We all truly deeply loved music, and we messed around with it together and on our own. 

But performers thrive on the audience response. Some writers talk about “writing to market” like it’s a dirty thing, but the way I see it, if I want you to read my books then I need to write a book that you’ll love. I absolutely spend energy figuring out how to write in a way that resonates with people, and I believe that is part of the artistic vision.

• Your first gig isn’t ready for Broadway

• Musicians expect to practice for years before they’re ready to bring their music to a real audience. Writing novels is incredibly complex, even for writers who have written their million words. I’m not trying to sell anyone my first few attempts at writing a novel—and that said, my 30th book is going to be better than what I’m writing now.
  
  (For those who are curious, The White Deer of Kildare is about my eighth, depending on how you’re counting. I’m currently on my eleventh—I’m about to release one just for my newsletter subscribers, so be sure to sign up so it comes to your in-box.)

• Art is a collaboration. We are always better when we work together.

• My writing is only as good as it is because my critique partner challenges everything in my first draft. Every round with an editing team improves my work. I love collaborating on anthologies, just like I loved playing in a symphony. I have writing friends to discuss problems, share successes, vent about juggling work and kids, and even rent a cabin in the Rockies together. (We didn’t get much writing done, but we sure talked about our writing!)

 

• And finally…creating is being alive.

• For myself, making art is essential to living. I was thriving back in the days when I went from the practice room to choir rehearsal to the music library (singing while I walked, always), and I’m striving for that in my writing life now.
  
  It isn’t just about the end product. I need the thrill of the vision, the frustration of getting stuck, the exhilaration of working my way out again.  I’ve been an artist and creator in many ways, but for me, life is just a shadow without that process.
  
  But…it’s also about the end product. Making something for myself quickly falls flat and isn’t worth the effort. You are an essential part of everything I do. I’m so excited to share my work with you, and I can’t wait to hear what you think.
  
  Together, we make a symphony of story.

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Christy Matheson writes award-winning fiction about friends, family, and finding one’s place in an ever-changing world.

 

She is the author of "The Castle in Kilkenny: Fairy Tales" novella series. Each one sets a traditional Irish fairy tale within a modern blended family, perfect for readers wanting a cozy family adventure.

 

Christy's regular historical work (sans fantasy elements) can be found in the award-winning "Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women," of which she is also an editor. Her Regency novels are represented by Kristina Sutton-Lennon and have won pre-publication awards for women’s fiction.

 

Christy is also an embroidery artist, classically trained pianist, and sews all of her own clothes. She lives in Oregon, on a country property that fondly reminds her of a Regency estate (except with a swing set instead of faux Greek ruins), with her husband, five children, three Shelties, one bunny, and an improbable quantity of art supplies.

 

Website: https://christymatheson.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christy_matheson_author/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091887100897

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christy.matheson.author

Newsletter: https://sendfox.com/ChristyMatheson

Substack: https://unspokenstoriesofwomanhood.substack.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49771827.Christy_Matheson

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222331492-the-white-deer-of-kildare

StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/e19858d0-1d3c-4fd0-a2bd-6a83060e16b5

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christy-matheson

https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-white-deer-of-kildare-the-castle-in-kilkenny-fairy-tales-book-2-by-christy-matheson

 

Universal Buy Link: includes Amazon (different countries), Kobo, Apple Books, Google Play, Barnes & Noble:

https://buy.bookfunnel.com/exmh6b6hgx

 

Amazon.com Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DPSGKQ5H

Kobo Buy link—book available on Kobo Plus: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-white-deer-of-kildare

 

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GIVEAWAY 

Christy Matheson will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour and a fine writing notebook with personalized art to a second randomly drawn winner.