Sheltie Gazette: When I chose the floor
Nov 13, 2025 11:22 pm
Which are the stories you can't help thinking about, ?
When I was in junior high, the school roof collapsed in a snowstorm. My alternative school had been assigned to a decrepit elementary building years before, so overall this was a good thing—after insurance paid to rebuild the auditorium, it was by far the nicest area in our school. It was a spacious polyhedron, carpeted in a peaceful blue with blond wood accents, including a stage area as part of the floor.
Back in those days, 1% For Art was still going strong, and one of the installations was a series of 13 wooden masks and figurines installed around the many short walls creating the shape of the building. They were created by an Alaska Native artist and used a modern interpretations of Native images around youth and going out into the world.
Once the room was finally unveiled (after years without an auditorium!) our English class spent a unit studying it. We learned about the process, the significance of communal spaces, and finally each of us chose one of the pieces of artwork. We spent a whole class period in front of our chosen art, and since this was an English class, we wrote about it.
I loved the artwork, I really did.
But I chose the floor.
That was the story that pulled me in; that I couldn't stop thinking about. That patch of blond stage existed for just that moment in a liminal space; not quite new and not quite used. The room was so new—and so long-anticipated—that people had only visited it. The music groups were still on hiatus. The theater classes still met in the English teacher's classroom. We hadn't had an all-school meeting or a dance. So students and teachers walked in to explore the auditorium with a sense of wonder and reverence, and that stage called out in different ways. Most people naturally detoured around it. Some leapt to the middle to belt out a song. Girls in cute shoes walked circles and giggled to hear how their heels echoed.
So in this liminal moment, the wood wasn't yet scuffed and worn in the general miasma of community life. There were little tiny high-heel-marks in one line, here. There was a patch of dirt just there. There was a scuff from the one cart that one teacher had rolled by. An abandoned scarf. I wrote about it for the whole hour.
Thirty years later, and it's still the untold stories that pull me in. The artwork is beautiful, but everyone knows it's there. I can't stop thinking about the stories that are forgotten.
The story is about Fionn mac Cumhaill
Everyone knows that. He has an entire mythological cycle, one of the most ancient texts in our civilization, and he also features in some of the best children's books ever (I have read aloud the Tomie di Paola ones many many many times). So even the stories about his wives are really about Fionn; the Dark Man chased Saba for years, and she was only able to find respite and be herself (literally; her human form) under Fionn's protection. So when the Dark Man tricks Saba out of Fionn's castle, the story is really about the fight between the two men—the Dark Man and his sorcery vs Fionn, the warrior and poet. Saba is just the tug toy between them.
I retold Saba's story in The White Deer of Kildare—or at least, the part of it that makes it into Fionn's story. But it wouldn't let me go.
What happened to Saba after the Dark Man chased her to the Peaceful Valley? (Which seems, from the texts, to be a portion of the Fae world that only Saba can enter and exit at will.) She's safe, but that really seems pretty miserable to be stuck in a magical valley all by yourself! I can't help but think that whatever patience or resignation Saba started with, it would be running out as her pregnancy advanced. As mothers, we have a desperation to provide for our children, and no matter how peaceful the valley might be, it doesn't feel adequate for a baby.
And what about Fionn? Saba believed he loved her. In the stories, we are told he looked for her desperately, but.....c'mon, folks. He knew she had gone to the Peaceful Valley before. He knew the Dark Man was her enemy. If he was really the greatest and wisest warrior in Ireland, was it really that hard to find her? The original stories fully acknowledge that Fionn was hot-headed and imperfect, and he seems particularly fickle when it came to women. In the original text, Fionn rages, searches for Saba, and then... goes on with his life.
But Saba couldn't. She was trapped.
But she didn't give up! In my stories, I have imagined Saba as one of those people who is always enthusiastic and always ready to try something new. She's pretty, she's bubbly, she makes friends with everyone.....but underneath, she's tough as nails and stunningly competent. Kind of xxxxx vibes, but with ancient vibes and an evil sorcerer chasing her.
And that's my story in the Kindness anthology...
Saba is running anywhere she can, and she's determined to make the best of wherever she lands. Absolutely rock-solid determined....oh, and the clothes are pretty cute in this time too. Because if she can't escape both Peaceful Valley and the Dark Man in her own world, what's left? Bounding through time to a different Ireland.
(This concept, by the way, is also rooted in mythology and also some modern theories—that time is not linear but tied to location. You'll notice that my characters always come out in more or less the same place they started, and the whole series is set in the same area in Ireland.)
In this story, Saba is holding onto the last threads of hoping that Fionn loves her and is still looking for her. She's very pregnant and making a plan for birthing a baby. Although she lands in a place she had no idea existed at all — a library! — she is quite determined to be helpful. The most helpful. The bestest helpful help that ever did help.
But she finds something different than she ever expected...
But who did Saba leave behind?
Because that's another story I can't stop thinking about. Who was Saba forced to abandon? She didn't have other children, Fionn could take care of himself....but there were the ladies in waiting.
In ancient Celtic society, the contract between the queen and her ladies-in-waiting was clear and straightforward—and the contract was with the queen. Life in this period was hands-on work for everyone, all the time, so the ladies helped the queen with her jobs (spinning, weaving, hosting, and monitoring the health of everyone in the castle). In return, the queen provided political protection, education for the younger ladies, and most importantly, she negotiated marriage contracts for them all. By contracting one's daughter to a queen in a different part of Ireland, a king or nobleman essentially gave their family access to a whole different set of connections. The contracts ensured that the queen would negotiate the wedding contract with the same care that the girl's father would have used.
So what happens when the queen disappears? The ladies of the palace are without protection. Fionn, the king, has absolutely no responsibilities to these women or their fathers—this is essential, because (at least in my telling) Fionn was kind of a selfish dolt, but he was responsible and wouldn't have broken an actual contract.
So he has all these young ladies in his castle, and no obligations to them or their fathers. He takes on the "arranging marriages" part, but not in the way that Saba or the fathers would have approved...
And that's my story in the next anthology, coming out in December, and the companion novel coming out early next year.
So...which stories hold onto you?
Are you intrigued by the stories that don't make it into the books? The women who are left behind; the children who are too small to matter; the people who quietly fix things in the background?
One day, maybe I'll manage to write some of the tropes that book girlies love to talk about — The Chosen One, enemies to lovers, cute dragons baking cakes. Maybe I’d even sell more books.
But meanwhile, I can’t stop finding the stories of the people who were left behind. I hope you’ll join me.
Obligatory links
Saba’s story is in Where Kindness Lives: A Women’s Fiction Anthology. There are eight other authors, and the stories run the gamut from historical to modern; teen protagonists and grumpy old women. To be honest, we’ve done some round-robin editing and I’ve helped with publishing steps, but I’m saving my whole read-through for when my paperback copy arrives, because I hear this book is beautiful and I want to be able to enjoy the surprise, so I'll send you a full review after I see it!
Several of us did a podcast talking about our writing process. Spoiler: I thought writing this story was as pleasant as bonbons and oolong tea, but some of the others struggled with the format.
It’s designed to be a set of stories that is uplifting in difficult times, perfect for holiday gift-giving or a cozy read in front of the fire.
Happy World Kindness Day…
…and just a reminder that the e-book price is going to go up after this. I voted to keep it at $2.99, but I was over-ruled. 🤷🏻♀️ It’s only a couple dollars, but if it makes a difference to you be sure to get your copy now. This anthology is currently only available on Kindle and in KU, but it sounds like we’re going to switch it wide after a few months—so if you’re one of my Kobo or Nook readers, hang tight, and if you use KU then borrow it soon.
Saba’s library story is exclusive to this anthology. After a year, I might repackage it into a novella or part of another book, but this anthology is the only way to get this story (which had a vignette in Magical Libraries).
Meanwhile, if you need some free books, here’s some options.
Short stories
I know there’s lots of parents and caretakers on this list, and I find short reads are perfect for this chaotic time of year. If you’ve finished the Kindness anthology and need a bite-sized read for the end of the day or waiting for the pie crust to blind bake, here’s some all-genre options:
Cozy lit
Busy time of year. Chaotic politics. We all need a cozy escape, and here’s a few.
A little bit of everything
None of that tickle your fancy? Here’s a wide range of free reads and a nice fall picture.
Are you holiday shopping already?
All of my stories are now available in paperback form! I bundled the novellas, so it’s a more immersive reading experience and a much better price point for you. These three volumes contain all six of my currently-published works.
I’ve also teamed up with other indie fantasy authors to offer this book fair. Most authors are offering discounts, signed copies, and bonus swag. My paperbacks are $2 off and the e-book omnibuses are $1 off, and if you let me know you’ve ordered I will mail you an autographed book plate.
This fair has something for every kind of fantasy reader on your gift list — including yourself!
Whew, that was really long…
I guess I got carried away with the stories about uncovering the hidden characters in mythology, and then there’s a lot going on this time of year! I’ll send you a dog story next week, and there’s one in my Instagram here.
Don’t forget to take care of yourself as the season gets busy and the days get short! Curl up with a blanket and a warm cuppa your favorite drink….and happy reading.
Best wishes,
Christy & the Shelties
Inish advocates for the good cuddle and a good nap philosophy.
He's helping me write the next story, and will tell you all about it
in the next newsletter. Also cookies.
