Katie Keridan is the author of the new novel Realm United, the third in her Felserpent Chronicles series. She lives in Northern California.
Q: Realm United is the third book in your Felserpent Chronicles--do you think your characters Kyra and Sebastian have changed over the course of the series?
A: They’ve both grown and changed so much! They started out as enemies with different colored blood and now they’ve remembered their pasts as the former Felserpent King and Queen and fallen in love all over again.
They’ve also been on incredible personal journeys, especially Sebastian. He started out isolated, broken, afraid of being vulnerable or trusting anyone, and certain the best way to take care of himself was to keep everyone at a distance.
Now he’s head over heels in love with Kyra, trusts her to be there for him, understands his past trauma wasn’t his fault, and realizes that he can choose the kind of person he wants to be moving forward…he doesn’t have to be defined by his past anymore.
I’m probably the most proud of Sebastian’s growth because it very closely mimics the lessons I’ve learned myself as an abuse survivor.
Kyra’s journey has been equally important and just as much fun to write…she started out very optimistic and hopeful but also very naïve.
Over the course of the series, she’s learned that you can’t always appeal to a person’s better nature or reason with them and convince them to change their mind. She’s learned that sometimes you have to make the best decision you can at the time and then live with the results.
She’s also learned when to compromise and how to use her impressive social skills to further policy negotiations and relationships across the realms. She’s grown even closer and more loyal to her family and friends, and she’s ready to accept responsibilities and lead the realms into a united future.
Q: What inspired the plot of Realm United?
A: Since this is the third and final book in the Felserpent Chronicles trilogy, there were some things I had to address…I had to tie up any loose ends, resolve any plot holes, and answer the most pressing questions readers were going to ask.
There were also some specific plot points I wanted to address that we’ve built up to across the series. I wanted Kyra to confront her dark side. I wanted Sebastian to come full circle after having faced his past so he could view things from a different perspective than he would have earlier in the series.
From the beginning, I wanted a series that was a true romantasy, where the main characters’ romantic relationship was just as important as the fantasy world and magic system.
I think we really get that in this book, and I still get teary eyed when I read the last few chapters because I just look at the characters and think, “Wow, what an amazing journey we’ve all been on together!”
Reaching the end is very bittersweet…I’m so happy with the way the story has been told and I know it’s over, but I also hate to leave and say goodbye to everyone.
Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: I’ve always known how I wanted things to end for each of my characters. I’ve pictured the final scene between Kyra and Sebastian in my head since I started writing this series.
But a lot of things happened in this book that I didn’t initially plan for or expect…which is part of the joy of writing, because the process frequently surprises even the writer.
Without sharing any spoilers, I can say I knew most of the “big” events that would occur, because we’ve been heading towards them for two books now, but two scenes involving the villain, Tallus, were big changes from my original plan…and the book is better for those changes.
I’ve learned to be much more flexible with my writing over the course of writing a trilogy. No matter how much I love a scene and no matter how brilliantly it’s written, if it doesn’t serve the story then it has to go (although it will continue to live in a folder on my laptop called “Felserpent Extras,” so it doesn’t feel like it’s really gone).
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the novel?
A: Have your own experiences and form your own opinions. Think for yourself. There’s so much hatred and prejudice and discrimination running rampant in the world today.
This was a big inspiration for my warring realms, Aeles and Nocens, where citizens are divided by whether they have gold or silver blood. It’s not until people start interacting with one another in the divided realms that they learn they’re more similar than different, but it took first-hand experience to start changing their minds.
I also hope readers see that it’s okay to learn and grow and change. You’re not a failure if you make a mistake, and you’re going to have experience that make you reconsider what you thought you knew and believed. Do the best you can, and once you know better, do better (this is definitely embroidered on a pillow in Kyra’s Celenia apartment).
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m working on a middle grade book and writing a stand-alone book has been a very nice change after wrangling a trilogy. The book follows a young girl with autism who copes with the loss of her beloved paleontologist grandfather with the help of an unexpected (and very large) new friend.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I love hearing from readers! I’m mostly active on Instagram (@KatieKeridan) and I’m so grateful when readers take the time to share something they liked about a character or to tell me how much they love Batty and want a Cypher of their own.
I’m so thankful for every review, every reel, every photo of my books on bookshelves, and connecting with readers is truly one of the best parts of being an author.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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