The Lore of Swords is Forged

My Substack goes live

Fáilte

Welcome to Senchas Claideb, the Substack and online magazine written and run by me, independent author Ethan Sabatella. I write sword & sorcery fantasy, cosmic horror, and historical fiction all with roots in Celtic themes.

On the heels of receiving a master’s degree in Celtic Studies, I decided to begin this Substack as a means of professionalizing my work, making my stories more available to a larger audience, and growing my reader base. It’s my hope to use this space to share original, entertaining stories, my journey as a writer, and things I’ve taken interest in from books to films to games or random, “out-of-bounds” theories.

Senchas Claideb (pronounced shen-uh-chus kla-djuhv) is Medieval Gaelic for “Lore of Swords.” Other possible translations include “Tradition of Swords” or “Old Tales of Swords.” I chose this name to reflect my interests in Celticism (the study of Celtic culture, history, and language), sword fighting, and weaponsmithing. Publications in Senchas Claideb will mainly focus on publishing original stories, advice on the craft of fiction, and reviewing Celtic themed publications rather than advice on martial arts or blacksmithing (although I may incorporate anecdotes from those fields down the road).

For the time being, my publishing schedule will be one post every Wednesday on topics related to the themes and interests of this publication (expect tips on writing, reviews of Celtic-themed media, and assorted ramblings). On the last Friday of every month I will publish short stories in the fantasy, horror, and history genres. Most of these will have a distinct Celtic association, but to avoid burnout I may make jaunts into different themes should you all (my readers) find it an entertaining prospect. These stories will be rather short (no more than 3,000-3,500 words) so they’d be perfect to unwind to on a weekend.

If tuning into stories about reckless yet gallant heroes fighting horrific monsters out of myth and even weirder lore, digestible summaries of Celtic and other European history and literature, or the ideas of a writer trying to find his footing in the world is of interest to you, please consider subscribing to Senchas Claideb.

Subscribers will receive updates on posts that include original short stories and serials, advice on writing, and my thoughts as a writer and someone with varied interests in fiction, history, mythology, and philosophy.

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I look forward to sharing my stories and journey with you all! Beannachd leibh! (Blessings with you all!)

Emblem artwork for Senchas Claideb was commissioned to and done by Wappenschmied. Find his business website here; also find links to Wappenschmied’s Facebook and Instagram.