Author Interview Christy Matheson: The White Deer of Kildare

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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.

Christy Matheson Interview

1. How did you choose your genre? What made you write this book?

I write what I love to read. I read tons of fantasy and historical and romance, and everything has to have excellent character development. So I’ve ended up writing something that is a bit of a genre mash-up, but it serves the characters and the story.

I read a ton of fairy tales when I was younger. So this fall, when I was reading through a fairy-tale book every night and my son was asking questions, I thought it would be fun to do a retelling. I mulled that over for a while, wondering how to make it mine. The magic sparked when I had the idea that it would feature an American divorcée, trying to build a new life with her family in an ancient Irish castle… and then the witches arrived. Eight books later, and I’m still writing their family!

2. Writers write what they know, and must observe the world. Are you a first born, middle or last child and how does this shape your view of the world?

I’m a first born through and through. I think the biggest way that affects my writing is that I just do things. I juggle raising five kids, major food allergies, special education, and when I decided to start writing professionally I just figured out how to make it happen.

3. Where is your favorite place to write?

I love writing anywhere peaceful and beautiful. I choose the best light and the best view.

4. How do you feel about killing your darlings, and what do you do with the remains?

I…actually don’t think I have darlings. I want every paragraph to serve both the emotional reading experience and the plot. Sometimes I think something is working well, but if my writing partners tell me that it’s not, I cut it. So it wasn’t really a darling, it was a misunderstanding.

5. You are introduced to your favorite author. Who is it, and what is that one burning question you must ask them?

I don’t think I have one burning question, either. I would be honored to have a conversation with any of my favorite authors, but I’d just want to hear their experience of the world. It would be neat if we found something in common and connected as human beings.

6. Inquiring minds want to know…tell readers something about you that no one knows.

Um…this interview is really hard. I’m spinning my wheels here.

You see, I’ve homeschooled my middle children since kindergarten, and they’re both now in high school. We all work pretty independently, but that’s a lot of hours we’ve spent in the same house, having conversations about random things and seeing each other at weird moments. Everything that is so eclectic about me that most people would never think about, the two of them have probably seen and we’ve laughed about it.

7. You are stranded on a deserted island with only a back pack for company. What three items are in your survival pack?

First off: I grew up in Alaska, part of the time in a cabin in the Bush. I could have a whole discussion about survival packs, but it’s probably not what you’re looking for. In the logical-survival materials I have a mini solar panel. (Yes, I actually own one of these.)

For a pack for company…well, first of all, obviously my Kobo. I can’t imagine not being able to read.

Secondly, my embroidery bag with plenty of supplies.

Thirdly, my computer. If I were just waiting around for rescue, I might as well get some more books written!

8. If you could have one super power in your existence, what would it be?

A time turner, definitely. I could do a lot with a couple more hours per day!

9. Favorite snack?

Bean to bar artisan chocolate. But honestly, I don’t snack a lot, but I sip tea constantly.

10. Indy 500 – Do you know how to get where you’re going or do you drive the speed limit?

I go at the speed of traffic, but on the higher end of it!

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:

Raindrops slide down the windscreen of the Peugeot, and condensation creeps up the windows as we let the minutes tick by. We got to Cork airport early, but Aiden and Kaylee haven’t changed their minds. No way, no how are they getting on that plane back to America.

Aiden lifts his phone and snaps a picture of the distinctive swoop of the departures building, then turns and gets me in the frame. Ca-tip. Ca-tip. He hunches and his thumbs fly over the screen.

“Okay,” Aiden says. “Done. It’s official now.”

He’s trying to prove that I did my best to drop them off, but I know it won’t be enough. The teens’ biological parents are both going to blame me for violating the custody agreement.

Within seconds, my phone buzzes against my leg. In the back seat, Kaylee’s pings, then dings, then chirps. Aiden, who at 16 always plans ahead, switched his to silent mode before unleashing the storm of recriminations. I should have done the same. I close my eyes and lean my head against the cold window. Buzz, buzz, chirp, ding.

“Are you sure you won’t get out…” My voice can’t turn this into a question.

“Have we missed the plane yet?” Kaylee demands.

“No,” Aiden and I say together.

We sit without talking. More pings.

Amber: Please.

Please please please please please.

One mother to another. Please.

In my heart of hearts, I sympathize with Amber. I’d want to see my children for Christmas, too.

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Christy Matheson 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: