Please welcome Katherine Briggs!
How I know Katherine: Katherine was one of the first people I met at Realm Makers 2022, and her warm and encouraging way of life drew me into conversation with her several times over the course of the conference. She is a wonderful person and a great author. I love her book, The Eternity Gate, and I hope all who read this will read it.
1. Katherine, can you name five of your favorite stories in books, movies, or shows? (These don’t have to be the top 5.)
Katherine: This is a good and difficult question! There are many excellent stories. Some that have captivated and shaped me include The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis, “Little Daylight” by George MacDonald, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz, and the film Beauty and the Beast.
2. What have you learned from these stories, either as writing lessons or life lessons?
Katherine: I admire growth, and I love redemption. Seeing these written well encourages me to press on in my own stories to try to offer these beautiful experiences to deserving readers.
4. Are you a plotter, a discovery author, or a mixture of both? What do you like best about plotting, discovery, or mixing both?
Katherine: I think I’m a plotter and discovery writer blend. I plot books, even scenes, before beginning to write, but often things do not go according to plan (which is sometimes horrifying but always rewarding!). I tend to discovery write during idea creation before drafting and later when transforming plot holes and deepening characters while editing.
7. Which character was your favorite to write in The Eternity Gate?
Katherine: One of my favorite characters to write in The Eternity Gate is Geras. He’s the oldest surviving character through all the versions this story took in my mind and on the page. He also claims the prize for being one of the two most difficult characters I’ve ever tackled. I’m working on a third challenging character now, and she takes residence in the duology’s Book 2.
8. I love the specific word choices you’ve given your characters to show they are in an alternate world with a different language than ours. How did you come up with those?
Katherine: Thank you so much! That’s a lovely compliment. I lived outside my home country for a few years, and I didn’t have very many friends or access to books written in my language. So I read lots of old books, especially the Bible. I think I drew a lot upon that time period and to shape the characters’ vernacular. Verbs are particularly powerful.
>> Book Blurb
Destroy the key. Save her people and herself.
The Eternity Gate is found, and kings and monsters battle over its legends of treasure. But rumors whisper that someone stole the gate’s ancient key.
Seyo, handmaiden to the princess, keeps three secrets. First, she’s gifted in fire, not light, and may as well be cursed. Second, she translates a prophecy warning that the gate does not offer treasure but judgment. Third, Jorai, the scorned prince and Seyo’s confidant, entrusts her with the key and disappears.
Surrounded by war, Seyo and her companions embark on a journey to seek help from a faraway empire and find Jorai, unaware of the trap awaiting them. But what should Seyo do with the key? Who can survive judgment, especially someone as flawed as her? Will hiding the key—or destroying it—save her people or ensure their defeat?
>> Book Links
Amazon |https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BX2N3W2M
Christianbook |https://www.christianbook.com/the-eternity-gate-katherine-briggs/9798886050660/pd/050660?event=ESRCG
Katherine Briggs crafted her first monster story at age three. Since graduating from crayons to laptop, she continues to devour and weave fantasy tales while enjoying chai tea. She, her coadventurer husband, and rescue dog reside outside Houston, where she classically educates amazing middle school students, teaches ESL to adults, and enjoys studying other languages.
>> My Links
Website/Newsletter |https://katherinebriggs.com
Instagram |https://www.instagram.com/katherinebriggs_author/
Thank you for coming by for an interview, Katherine!