How important are friends in your life?
Friends are incredibly important. Most of mine are at a distance, several thousand miles away, but we make time to Skype and email. As introverted as I can be, I couldn’t be happy without the people I love!
What social issues interest you the most?
Very broadly, equality of opportunity. So many people in the world are born to truly crippling poverty, or violence. A lot of people in my life are part of demographics that have faced prejudice and persecution. I hope we can build a world where people have much more opportunity to excel!
Do you find the time to read?
I do—I have to, but I also like to! It is very important for authors to read a lot, because there is just so much to learn from other authors. More than that, however, I really do love reading. I reread my favorites and work in new books all the time!
Last book you purchased? Tell us about it.
It’s called Outliers, and it’s by Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote The Tipping Point. It’s about why certain people are high achievers, and how much of it can be attributed to luck. I love books that strip away the white noise and look at the patterns in the world!
What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why?
“Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.” –Steven Winterburn It makes people laugh, but it can be eye-opening to look at who you are around and who you are trying to impress. I spent a truly miserable two years of my life trying to impress people who thought I was just a waste of air, and I was so unhappy. I was hospitalized twice! Since I have begun to spend my time with family and friends and new coworkers, my writing has taken off and I am so much happier!
What’s your favorite place in the entire world?
When I was little, my family swapped houses with a Scottish family, and we spent a couple of weeks traveling around Scotland and seeing all the sights. Near where the house was, there was this little valley carved into the hills by a stream. The ground was carpeted with green, and the area had that wild look you find all over in Ireland and Britain, like the earth is alive and carrying you up on a wave of itself. I was only there a couple of times, but I still dream about it!
How has your upbringing influenced your writing?
In several major ways. Having parents who were such big geeks helped me discover fantasy and science fiction at an early age. The theology I absorbed as a child has informed a lot of my thinking and character dilemmas; many of my characters are highly dissatisfied with the structure of religion, but very driven to be honorable and develop their own moral code.
When and why did you begin writing?
I’ve been coming up with stories since before I could read and write, and writing them down since I was old enough to do so! I’ve always loved telling stories, even if I was the only one who read them.
What genre are you most comfortable writing?
Broadly speaking, speculative fiction. I like Science Fiction and Fantasy for a few reasons, not least of which being that characters very often face moral dilemmas on a large scale. I also like that I can change one or two things about the world and watch that change ripple through, touching everything. (If anyone wants an example of how that can be done fantastically, I would recommend Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series!)
Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it?
It taught me that I could do it. This series was more complex by far than the book I had written before, and I had doubts as to whether I really could write a book with so many storylines and clues scattered through it!
Do you intend to make writing a career?
I do! Really whatever form it takes, I just want to keep writing!
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Of course! I’ve included a brief excerpt: Huddled in the shadow of the rocks, they watched as dawn broke over the ruined plain. Sunlight glinted off twisted metal, a scar and a crater where each vessel had fallen to earth. Where there had been a city, smoke billowed, wind carrying it away from the shattered spires, the Tower of the Gods broken in two, its stone and metal twisted, the jewel-like minaret no longer catching the sun’s first rays. Menuha could see flames licking at the rubble of the city, and she closed her eyes before she looked to find the building where she had been sleeping only hours earlier.
“It is time to go,” said the princess.
“We are not going back?” Menuha asked, and the princess looked over, eyes bright with tears.
“No,” she said, her voice hoarse. “Whoever you left behind you, they are dead now. First, we survive. Life comes before death.”
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Genre - Fantasy
Rating – PG-13
More details about the author and the book
Connect with Moira Katson on Facebook & Twitter
Website http://www. moirakatson.com
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