The Lore of 2023

Senchas Claideb's Year in Review and a Look Forward

As we approach the end of, what I would consider, one of the busiest years of my life, I decided my last Wednesday post of the year would be a retrospective for myself and this Substack—which is still in its relative infancy—and looking ahead to what is in store for 2024.

Before diving right in, I want to give a big mòran taing (“many thanks” in Gaelic) to all my subscribers who joined Senchas Claideb in the first few months of its life. I’m thankful to get to share my ideas and original stories with all of you and for your continued support. Here’s to hoping many more come and spread the lore!

Before Senchas Claideb

From last January to the tail end of April, almost everyday I feverishly worked on my master’s thesis in the midst of being a teacher’s assistant, carving out what little time I had to write my own fiction, and braving the Nova Scotian winter. Regularly, I stayed right up until closing time at my university’s library, stacks of books surrounding me as I fleshed out my arguments and research as much as I could before the closing bell rang or fatigue made me give in for the night. For Christmas of 2022, I received a Miskatonic University hoodie from the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society that I wore on occasion to the library. When research and writing seemed to drag on, I’d sometimes pretend I was a grad student at Miskatonic delving into esoteric tomes and compiling forgotten lore into my thesis. Although my focus was more on swords than sorcery, it nonetheless fit the aesthetic of a lone grad student toiling away at his thesis.

In the midst of writing my thesis, I came across Substack and I started jotting down ideas for what would become Senchas Claideb. Given my workload at the time, I couldn’t invest as much attention into the project as I wanted to, but I quietly planned and researched on the side, readying myself to launch into it once I completed graduate school.

My whole postgraduate experience challenged me as an independent scholar of Celtic studies and overall as a writer. Feedback from my advisor made me reconsider what I actually knew as someone who studied mythology, history, and language by myself for the past decade. It both humbled me and opened me to the new possibilities of what I could learn as someone who enjoys studying Celtic-speaking cultures and a writer of fiction primarily inspired by their history and traditions.

In the end, I managed to successfully complete and defend my thesis¹ on the morning of Tuesday, April 25th. I had fantastic support from my professors and fellow grad students as I capped off my research with a presentation and discussion with experts in the field. I passed with only needing to make minor edits, which according to the faculty, was uncommon for Celtic Studies students. It was a great relief to finally be done, although I knew part of me would miss the long hours studying in the library, the classroom discussions with fellow students, and nights of just hanging out with friends in a small university town. Serendipitously, my thesis was on the rites of passage in Gaelic culture and literature, so it was inevitable that I would have to leave that all behind someday—my rite of passage had finished, and for once in my life I was not entirely sure where I would go.

The very next day, I was off to Halifax to get ready for my trip down south to the hometown of the father of Heroic Fantasy—Cross Plains, Texas, where creator of Conan the Barbarian, Robert E. Howard, lived, wrote, and died. Every June, the town of Cross Plains hosts fans and scholars of Howard’s work at and around the very house he lived, where they can meet, connect, and bond over the life of one man who wrote stories that lasted generations. This celebration is known as Robert E. Howard Days (or simply Howard Days), and draws in fans from all over the globe. I attended it once before in 2021, where they celebrated Conan the Barbarian in comics. Although I was not familiar with the comics, I knew and loved Conan and Howard, and ended up making good friends with people who shared a passion for all stories by Howard and his fellow writers such as H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. Robert E. Howard Days 2023 celebrated 100 Years of Weird Tales, the pulp magazine which famously published Howard and Lovecraft’s stories during its original run. The crowning event of the gathering, however, was the reveal of the acquisition of Robert E. Howard’s original writing desk. After many years of tracking and conversations with the family who acquired it following Howard’s death, the table will be restored² and returned to Robert E. Howard’s bedroom.

Where Legends Were Wrought

Outside of my academic work, I had two publications release this past year. The first was “The Vengeance of the Silvern Hand” in Broadswords and Blasters’ Futures That Never Were one-shot Sword & Planet anthology. Futures released in February of 2023, about a month before the submission deadline for my thesis. The release inspired me to press on with my work, knowing that I still had things outside of academics going for me—things I looked forward to working more intensely on once I completed my program.

The second, “The Abartachs’ Hostage”, was published in DMR Books’ Die By the Sword volume 1 on the first of May. This came immediately after I submitted the very final version of my thesis to my advisor and on the heels of Robert E. Howard Days 2023. This publication reminded me that my work—in terms of writing—was far from over.

The Lore of Swords is Forged

Senchas Claideb’s first post went public on August 16th, 2023. Before then, I took the notes I compiled while writing my thesis and prepared everything for launch. One of the preparations was done in no small part thanks to Wappenschmied who designed the emblem of Senchas Claideb. Working with him was fantastic and I hope we might share ideas again in the future!

Since launch, I’ve published a total of 21 articles (including this one) and four original short stories (plus one poem and another short story coming this Friday!). All of the stories I’ve written on Senchas Claideb can be found in this new tab, ordered by month published. This list will be updated in the months and years to come.

This platform is the first I have used in years to share not only my original fiction, but also my ideas and advice for other writers. It has been liberating to share my thoughts in a space where I can get feedback and opinions from a larger audience. Building said audience has been slow, but it has only been a few months and Senchas Claideb may yet be a project that lasts for years.

Usually, I think of myself as a slow writer, but when a deadline is bearing down on me, I find myself writing like the dickens to produce something to show for it. Looking back on my work output these past few months have made me realize what I really can do when it comes to writing. After finishing my thesis, I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to write, but once I started Senchas Claideb and stuck to my weekly quota, the words just flowed. I’m more than ever excited to see what else I can do in this coming year and am thankful for everyone who has helped get Senchas Claideb started.

The Divining of 2024

It is difficult to know exactly how life will go in the span of twelve months, but there are thankfully some things I can be certain about. For one, Senchas Claideb will be continuing to publish articles weekly and short stories monthly. For January 2024, I will be theming posts for the entire month around the Sword & Sorcery subgenre of fantasy in honor of Robert E. Howard’s 117th birthday, creator of Conan, Solomon Kane, and many other swashbuckling and barbaric heroes. Posts will include my own experiences with the genre, advice for writing S&S stories, and glances at the current revival of the genre.

That being said, I would also like to open it up to my subscribers and ask if there’s anything you would like to see Senchas Claideb, hit the button below to leave a comment and your suggestions. These can be anything relatively within the wheelhouse of Senchas Claideb, including all things in Celtic Studies or Celtic-themed media, fantasy stories, tabletop releases or gaming, or just writing advice. I cannot guarantee I’ll get to everything immediately, but the exchange of knowledge goes both ways and being able to talk with my subscribers is what will make this publication last all the longer.

Outside of Senchas Claideb, I’m happy to announce that I will be having another publication under DMR Books in their forthcoming Die By the Sword volume 2. I won’t say too much on it other than it is another Eachann MacLeod and Connor Ua Sreng story, and it is both my third story to be published by DMR Books and the third story of mine they will be publishing that features my Celtic hero duo. Be on the lookout for Die By the Sword volume 2, set to release in spring 2024! In the meantime, check out the first volume of Die By the Sword and other stories Eachann and Connor have appeared in!

2024 feels like a very mysterious year, especially given the near constant uncertainty the world has been bombarded with for the past 3 years. Winter after Christmas especially feels like a bleak trudge towards a warmer, brighter season, but all I can say for certain is that I have a lot of work to do and have no intentions of slowing down.

Here’s to the old year for what joy came out of it and to the new year for whatever’s in store!

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Thank you all for helping get Senchas Claideb started! 2023 is just about over but this publication is just getting started! If you want to help Senchas Claideb grow and secure some rewards for yourself, hit the button below to refer a friend! There’s a lot of things coming in 2024 and fans of fantasy, mythology, and writing will not want to miss out!

Also, stay tuned this week for the release of my second short story of December, “The Christmas Knight”, coming Friday December 29th! Read a sneak prevue of it in this article:

Also, if you missed last week’s short story in the holiday daze, “Christmas 2013”, you can read it here:

1. My full thesis can be read here.

2. The table had been converted into a coffee table (thus the short legs) but a master restorer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area will be working to restore it to its true state.