Straight Chatting from the Library: Christy Matheson

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READ THE INTERVIEW

What is the favorite book you remember as a child?

At the city library, I would always go to two shelves: Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the Wizard of Oz books. Every week, I would get another couple books from each series, continuing to rotate through. One day, my mother told me that I had to read something other than those two authors. I was devastated…but I also found many more good books.

At my school library, I read fairy tales—every single volume they had. I remember laying on the floor between the stacks, sinking into the stories. By the time I finished all the fairy tales at my school library, I moved on to the fairy tale section at the public library, and the wealth of fairy tale retellings. I read all those, too; Robin McKinley was my favorite.

Now this amuses me, because there is no way one person could read the entire fairy tale section at our public library, let alone every retelling available! There are simply too many. However, even at the time, I probably read thousands of fairy tales in dozens of collections.

What books do you have on hold at the library?

Let’s see, I have to check…

I was going through and reading the books that kept getting mentioned as examples of cozy fantasy, so I have “Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries” and “A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking.” Then I have Sarah Adam’s “Beg, Borrow, or Steal” and Lucy Score’s “Maggie Moves On.” I don’t remember why; when the book becomes available, it’s like a present to myself. “Ooh look! It’s a fun book that Past Christy thought I’d like!”

Do you have any bad book habits?

I don’t think I, personally, have bad book habits. But I have five kids, kindergarten through high school, and they definitely have some. I remind them to put books away neatly, but honestly, I think battered picture books are a good sign—that’s how kids grow up to be readers.

E-Reader or print? and why?

E-reader all the way!

Remember those five kids? I find it so much easier to fit reading into my life when it’s in a small, light, glowing package. Five out of five of my kids have a hard time sleeping, so I’ve spent soooo many hours laying next to a child in bed while they fall asleep. I can prop my Kobo on the pillow next to me, and the soft light doesn’t keep my child awake. My other main reading time is at breakfast or lunch, and my Kobo wipes off easily and props up between the cutlery (I used to use an apple, but now I have a fancy folding cover).

I appreciate many aspects of reading a print book, but an e-reader makes it so much easier for me to actually have reading time.

One book at a time or multiples?

Basically…one book.

But there are exceptions. If I’m reading non-fiction, I always have a fiction book going too. If I need to read something for a review, I sometimes read that at lunch or between tasks while keeping my main story for bedtime. I don’t have a particularly dislike of juggling multiple books, I just don’t usually do it.

Dog-ear or bookmark? (don't worry—Librarian Judith won't hold it against you—much)

I am the queen of picking up whatever little random bit of something useless and handy to make bookmarks. Envelopes, permission slips, kleenexes (unused, of course), bit of fabric, popsicle sticks…

Never, ever dog ears.

When do you do most of your reading?

My longest reading times are in bed in the evening.

But here’s a confession: Lately, I’ve been so stressed with trying to juggle everything, that I’ve ended up doing other things after getting into bed. I finish up an Amazon order or post on Instagram Stories. I realized that I have read fewer books in this last year than probably ever in my life before—I think it was around 75. So right now, I’m trying to make a concerted effort to really put fences around my reading time, and not let anything else sneak in.

The problem is that I like reading too much. As a busy mother and trying to start a career, it’s really hard to make time for things that I just plain enjoy. Do you have that problem?

Re-reader or not?

You probably could tell from my first answer…definitely a re-reader!

What would make you not finish a book?

There are so many wonderful, beautiful books in the world, I really believe it’s better to spend the time with ones that give you joy, rather than finishing for the sake of finishing.

At the beginning of a book, the biggest reason I put it down is for writing style or info-dumps. By the middle of the book, if I set it down at the end of a reading session and don’t care enough about the characters, I probably move on. With the books I love, I am constantly thinking about when I’ll have the next opportunity to read again, and it’s almost a visceral pleasure to join them again.

There are so many excellent books in the world! It’s okay to move on to the next one.

And I truly hope that you will pick up “The White Deer of Kildare” and discover that it’s the kind of story that works for you. I know this blend of deep character within an adventure story isn’t for everyone, but some readers love it—and I hope you will too.

READ THE 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.

READ AN EXCERPT

Human Saba is slightly taller than I am, very upright, her eyes very round and brown. Her skin is white—not a euphemistic “white” like mine, but white like a piece of paper or bleached linen. It is startling; slightly inhuman. Glancing around the room, a couple of the others have a complexion like hers, a few are fair and blond in the Saxon style, and most are either Black like Oisín, or olive-skinned and black-haired. As a historian, I am fascinated; I suppose this is a period when the different waves of migration are all present.

As a mother…this is not good. Not good at all. Still holding Saba’s hand, I twist and look all around both of us, but Kaylee’s pompom garland is nowhere to be found. I sip my tea. It tastes like the Mandarin Orange Spice I was drinking before, but it does not transport me back to the 21st-century.

“Saba?” My voice comes out half-choked.

She turns to me, her face lighting up with a smile. “Maura, dear! Aren’t you excited? My husband and his men will be back in time for the Solstice!”

I understand her, and I am vastly relieved. Whatever language they are speaking here, it is just as clear to me as Saba’s grasp of everything we said in modern English.

“Do you remember me?” I ask. “Do you remember why we are here?”

MEET THE AUTHOR

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.

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