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.
In this interview, Katherine talks with us about the first book in her new The Threshold Duology Series, The Eternity Gate.
FF: What inspired the story in your book?
The Eternity Gate’s “seed idea” popped into my mind several years ago. I daydreamed a scene about a princess and a monster, and this idea changed many times before becoming this completed novel.
FF: What can you tell us about the main characters in your book?
Seyo is handmaiden to the princess. Born in a nation gifted to hold light, Seyo instead possesses the ability to manipulate fire, and strives to cover this flaw with duty and perfection. She is best friends with the scorned second-born Prince Jorai, and meets Geras, a friendless stranger possessing a dangerous power, with whom she forges an unlikely friendship.
FF: Which character surprised you the most?
Geras enters the story about a quarter into The Eternity Gate. Through every version this story took in my mind and on paper, he is the oldest surviving character. Given his past, Geras was difficult for me to understand and required a deep dive of empathy. This has been a rewarding and growing experience for me as a person and writer.
FF: Why do you think storytelling is such a powerful way to share truth?
Story helps us see our lives through a clearer lens. We remember and ponder story. I think this is part of why Jesus spoke in parables.
FF: What can you tell us about your next book?
The Threshold Duology’s book two has been a joy to write. It explores a new country and new heroine, while familiar characters make reappearances and grow. Expect lots of elemental gifting, an unlikely “chosen one,” a journey into enemy land, and a deeper exploration of what makes someone worthy. It releases sometime in the fall of 2024.
FF: How do you get into the right frame of mind to write for your genre/audience?
I write books for those who enjoy fast-paced fantasy, big worlds, and imperfect characters seeking purpose in their lives, like many of us do as well. As I write, I ask myself, “Is this chapter the most fun it can be? The most adventurous? Truthful? Life-giving?”
FF: What do you want readers to take away after reading your book?
Every single person is unbelievably important. When you turn the last page of The Eternity Gate, I want you to see that your actions change the world around you. You have inherent value and purpose that Jesus has planned in advance for you. You are a light.
FF: What are the biggest challenges for you as an author writing in your specific genre?
Story creation reminds me of how small I am. I cannot imagine being the true Creator of the universe!
FF: What authors or books have inspired you as an author?
I appreciate the storytellers that came before me. Tales 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, the animated film Beauty and the Beast, and the parable of the lost sheep told by Jesus. These stories remind me that Jesus is always with us, that He redeems and gives purpose to the unlikely, and that life is an adventure to enjoy with Him while we await our final and best destination.
FF: How has your faith or world view impacted the way you tell stories?
Humans are made to give their faith to something. I can’t write a story without nodding to this. Jesus redeemed my life from the grave, and my heart sings while weaving tales of faithfulness and redemption.
The Eternity Gate
The Threshold Duology Series #1
Katherine Briggs
Enclave Escape
Genres: YA/Teen Fantasy
Release Date: September 12, 2023
ASIN: B0BX2N3W2M
ISBN-13: 979-8886050660
Book Summary:
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?
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