Hi folks, it’s been a hot minute, but today I have a new author interview here on Paws 4 Thought. Today I’m happy to welcome science fiction and fantasy author Kellie Doherty.

So Kellie, what are some science fiction and fantasy stories that inspired your work?
Oh so, so many stories inspired me! I’ve been watching and reading science fiction and fantasy
stories all my life. From my childhood (Digimon, Pokemon, Titan AE! Have you seen Treasure
Planet? It’s still amazing.) through my young adulthood (Lord of the Rings, Firefly, Hunger
Games, Star Trek, and Stargate) and even now (Critical Role, Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea,
The Phoenix Keeper). If you’re sensing a trend of adventure, motley crews and found family,
queer representation and a sense of wonder, you wouldn’t be far off the mark of stories that
sparked my own ideas.

Why write science fiction and fantasy?
I write science fiction and fantasy to go on an adventure of my own creation. Unlike real life
where chaos reigns (Kidding mostly, but also sometimes it does!), I can control what happens in
my stories. I can go on quests and visit planets and experience magic and create a
world—worlds—where anything I want to be true, can be true. Queer people experiencing hate
and erasure? Not in my worlds! It’s also a lovely creative outlet for me. It’s where I can create
that nanotechnology that slowly changes who you are, or the fearsome mythological beast that
can fit in your pocket. Quite simply, adding a dash of magic or unique tech can be fun! And while
I do write to tell important stories and represent my queer community, I also (mostly) write to
have fun!

What’s it like writing an intertwined standalone series?
It’s a … headache. No really. I mean it. Have you tried to write a five book fantasy series where
each of the first four books are supposed to be standalone but intertwined, and the fifth book
brings them all together? It’s a LOT to keep track of. (Hmm, try writing a 12 book series with a continuing story arc! DMK) A lot of sticky notes, and iPhone notes, and Word documents, and my critique group going: “I don’t really remember this character?”
Juggling so many characters—even in the solo books because you KNOW they all have to meet
one another in each of their books and impact each other in some way—is just plain hard. It’s
the most challenging thing I’ve tried to do in my writing career. But it’s also been so, so fun. (See
above note about having fun!) I’ve gotten to expand my world not once or twice but four times
thus far, taking my readers into the deadly and dangerous Ravenlock Woods and Cinder Forest,
exploring the lush Nemora Groves, visiting the fiery cult home of Slagrock, and delving deep
underground into ancient ruins of Alastra. (And I’m working on the fifth book now, expanding
even more.) With each book, I’ve gotten to really highlight each of the main characters—Misti,
Orenda, Adaris, and Zayla—and swept them each away on their own unique adventure, with
challenges and victories and sapphic romances all their own. I’ve had the chance to explore
their unique races and accompanying magics (which I call crafting)—Vagari with their Animal
crafting, Elu with their Moon crafting, Divus with their Blood crafting, and Nemora with their
Nature crafting. So, while it is hard to keep track of everyone and to keep all of their stories
moving forward in a meaningful way and to remember all the little things in my world, it’s also
been so rewarding. (And my readers have enjoyed it, too!)

Tell us, what does a day in the life of an author (who also has a full-time job) look like?

Juggling a full-time job and a writing career is difficult, but I have a good system that works for
me. During the week, I really focus on my day job (hello, book marketing!). I wake up at 7am,
take care of my two gorgeous black cats, get breakfast ready, then get to work at 8am. I’m off
work around 5pm, then I need to take care of my animals (my cats literally yowl for nuzzles,
lounge on my shoulders, and demand to be fed as soon as I get home… or at the very least
given a treat or two), do some exercise, and make dinner. On Mondays I play D&D (hi, nerds!)
and on Tuesdays I have a critique group, so that takes up my evenings. On the other nights, I
carve out some time after eating dinner to write or brainstorm my next scene. I try to keep those
sessions short because I’m whipped out (both mentally and creatively) by then, so a usual session is around 10-15 minutes long. Just a quick dip into my story to keep it fresh in my mind.
Then, I round out the night with some TV or reading a quick chapter, and head to bed. (My main
writing happens on the weekend where I dedicate a few hours each day!)

Who is your biggest motivator in your life?
My late father is my biggest motivator, even beyond the grave. My dad was a huge nerd. You know how I mentioned Star Trek and Stargate and Lord of the Rings? Yeah, he was the one to introduce me to all of those geeky things when I was a kid. He loved them. And so I grew to love them as well. I think that’s what really sparked my love for SFF. (That and HP, but we don’t talk about Harry anymore.) He always said to do fun things, to not be afraid to have the adventure, to be silly sometimes (he LOVED the Minions, let me tell you), to go after your dreams. He passed away in January 2022, but those words stuck with me.
They motivate me every day—to keep following my dreams even when things are chaotic and
challenging.

Tell us about your new release!

Fatal Spores & Fiery Paths (Desert Palm Press, March 2025) released yesterday and is my fourth sapphic high fantasy book, centered on a Nemora. It features a woman named Zayla. She’s the sole survivor of a fiery attack on her home that leaves her with a savage humming within her that grows more painful each time she uses her crafting. The story follows her as she goes on her rite of passage, called walking the path, and with it, readers are able to explore the Cinder Forest, visit the Ratnaa Grove (a place full of gemstones!), and dive into tunnels and cave systems of some underground ruins. There’s also a sapphic romance subplot—as always in my stories—with an alluring musician named Shadre. Her story was so
fun to write, and I think readers will have an ~opinion~ about her for sure. There’s also Oryn,
Zayla’s sibling, who is just the most badass character ever once you get to really know them. I
had such a good time writing this story, researching fungi and tree types and what poison can
do to someone. Zayla’s story is a powerful one, and I can’t wait for readers to really meet her!

Where did you get the inspiration for Fatal Spores & Fiery Paths?
What happens when nature tries to constantly attack you? That was basically the inspiration for
Fatal Spores. That, and I wanted to explore a hybrid-type character and what that mixed blood
would mean to someone, and to others who meet her. I was also curious about different rites of
passage. Since I’m half Irish, I wanted to pull from the Irish culture, and there is something
called “Pilgrim Paths” where you can walk in the footsteps of the original Saints of Ireland. I
really liked the idea, so I created a rite of passage called “walking the path” for the Nemora
people, where they travel through each of the seven Nemora Groves and learn about the
Groves, show off their crafting abilities, and get a token for doing so. It was a fun nod to some of
my Irish roots!

What it’s like living in Alaska, the “land of the midnight sun”
You’ve gotta love sunlight and darkness in equal parts! In the summertime, where I live close to
Anchorage, it stays light pretty much all night—not sunlight bright, think dusk colors. (Land of the
midnight sun and all.) But in the dead of winter, we have a ton of darkness here, too. I joke that I
go to work in the dark and come back in the dark, since there’s only a three-to-four-hour chunk
in the middle of the day where it’s light outside. It’s something you have to get used to! It’s
beautiful here, though, nature is all around—tall mountains, towering trees, stunning lakes—and
so many animals! Moose, wolves, lynxes, bears, foxes, birds. I enjoy living here because of
those stark differences—because in the summer I can go outside at 2am and think it’s time for
dinner, and in the winter the air sparkles because of the cold. It also inspired the light-dark
reversal in my high fantasy series. We have so much of both, I had to use it in some way! The
cold, dark nights also allowed me to get cozy, and what’s cozier than writing a book—tucked underneath a blanket, with cats snoozing on my lap, and a cup of hot tea nearby, of course. The
only downfall of living here? The mosquitos. They’re truly terrible!

Discover more about Kellie and her books by checking out her LinkTree.

And pick up her brand new book, Fatal Spores & Fiery Paths on Amazon!