Happy Friday, folks! Today I’m thrilled to have fantasy author, Katherine Forrister on the blog. Her debut fantasy novel, Lodestone, is available now!
Let’s dive into our interview with Katherine.
What inspired your latest story?
Describe your decision to become a writer.
What is your writing process like?
What are some of your favorite novels (or your favorite novelists) and why?
What’s the best thing about being a writer?
Writers get to wear so many hats. I love writing first drafts because I get to pour my thoughts onto a page unhindered by perfectionism. I look forward to editing because I get to fix and enhance my initial ideas and words. I love collaborating with editors to push the book even further, and even marketing can be fun! Through all that, my favorite part is sharing my silly daydreams with other people, hoping that what brings me joy, entertainment, and inspiration will touch others in the same way.
About Lodestone
“LODESTONE is a dark fantasy tale with immersive world building and a compelling heroine following a plot with hints of Beauty and the Beast. Only this time Beauty goes to the Beast on purpose, and she does it with the intention of making herself stronger.” — Gabrielle Ash, Author of THE FAMILY CROSS
“If you are a fan of dark fantasy, morally grey characters with room to grow, and fascinating, original magic systems, don’t miss it! The magic system in LODESTONE was unlike anything I personally have read before. Overall, I devoured this book. There were twists and turns, fascinating magic and terrifying enemies!” — M. J. Kuhn, Author of AMONG THIEVES
Lodestone-peddler Melaine is desperate to stop hustling her raw magic for a tuppence. Her rare gift of infusing her magic into a lodestone to sell for another’s use and never keeping any for herself is nothing but a degrading path to an early grave.
Yearning for a better life, Melaine turns to her unconventional childhood idol, the powerful but sinister Overlord, sorcerer-ruler of the Centara. When she achieves an audience and arrives at his reclusive retreat of ancient Highstrong Keep, she finds that the compelling, handsome man who conquered a kingdom by the age of twenty is now a weak, shadowed husk, and he needs her lodestones to give him strength. In exchange, he will take her on as his apprentice.
Trapped in Highstrong with a half-crazed prisoner, a strict servant, and the Overlord, Melaine learns that they may all be prey to far more malevolent forces than the Overlord’s black-magic experiments. Faced with menacing apparitions, ancient curses, and an even greater horror that could threaten the entire kingdom if unleashed, Melaine’s penchant for survival is contested by her growing feelings for the Overlord and her path toward finding a deeper meaning to life than the pure power she once craved.
About Katherine Forrister
Katherine Forrister is an author of speculative fiction with a love of fantasy, history, science, and romance. Her dark fantasy romance novel, Lodestone, is forthcoming from GenZ Publishing in 2021, her historical fantasy romance, The Hand-me-down Maiden, is forthcoming from GenZ Publishing in 2022, and her science fiction romance novel, Curio Citizen, is forthcoming from Inkshares, Inc.
She lives near Kansas City with her family, where she enjoys local festivals and conventions, hiking, playing open-world video games, and curling up on the sofa to read on cold winter days.
You can connect with Katherine on her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Goodreads.
Love how you talk about how writing changed from simply fun to fulfilling for you!