Genre: mythology/folktale
(Quote from the publisher, "Sci-fi /fantasy/mythology/history. Think ancient aliens.")
Synopsis: Yet all is not as it seems---far to the West in the land of Undal, mightiest of the nations, the Royal Queen and her children are struck with a mysterious illness and perish. Whispers are that the Dragon Court is responsible, while those in the Temples claimed she had sequestered herself in her chambers, experimenting with dark magic.
A grieving son, trained as a Mulla Xul by Eris herself, swears vengeance. In his quest for truth he will become the greatest threat Tiamut has ever known.
Three Princesses of Magan, sisters by blood, hold the fate of the Dragon Court in their hands
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Katrina Sisowath ,(1979--) British-American, born in Frankfurt, Germany. Grew up in South-east Asia and Europe, now lives in England. Mother of 2.5 children (dog thinks he's human), experienced in making brownies.
On a personal level, Katrina is an avid book reader and loves mythology, history, ancient civilizations and anything to do with occult ideologies and practices. Mages, Serpent Priestesses and the 'real' Gods, aka the ANNUNAKI(the prototypes for those we know today in the form of Greek, Roman, Indian and even the Biblical characters) are all addressed on her website, with descriptions of Dragons, consciousness altering drinks and powders and what the scarlet clad priestesses really got up to in their sacred chamber. She also is a guest writer on Ancient Origins, writing about the Serpent Cult, Mystery Schools and their politico-military branches.
Find more about Katrina here
https://twitter.com/KSDragonCourt
http://www.amazon.com/Katrina-Sisowath/e/B00DI6TCQG
https://www.facebook.com/ksDragonCourt
http://www.katrinasisowath.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8323631.Katrina_Sisowath
AUTHOR INTERVIEW TIME!!! These are questions I came up with my self, so you could see a different side to this super awesome author. I love her answers, and I hope you enjoy them too!
You have some very unusual names for people and places in your book. Where did you come up with them?
I have based my characters on the Gods and Goddesses of ancient Sumeria, Assyria, Babylon and Egypt. Some I have shortened as it’s easier on readers. So Ningizzida—Ningi, Erishkigal—Eris, Ninkharsag-Ninkha.
The places are also based on ancient cities: Ka Harsag: Gateway to the Stars (though I changed the location to Cambodia), Madayi Kavu is the temple of Kali in India and Kali is a Goddess similar to Erishkigal, Shiimti means ‘House of the Wind’ which I placed in Barrat-Anna (Britain), Tartaria is in Romania, Magan was the Sumerian name for Egypt and Undal was the name for Atlantis in the Emerald Tablets of Thoth.
So I did not really come up with the names, but rather researched ancient history and mythology and included them in the book. I think there is so much about that time that is fascinating and those Gods and Goddesses (who I present as real, mortal beings) have been largely ignored in fiction in favour of the Greek and Roman deities.
What inspired this story? Where do you usually get writing inspiration from?
The story of Cronous and Rhea. There is a text in an Egyptian temple that said the ten Gods of Egypt were the ten Kings of Atlantis, and Cronous is on that list.Dr. Paul Schliemann (an archaeologist and explorer--though some state he was a fraudster) claimed to have discovered at the Egyptian temple of Sais a piece of pottery with an unknown metal plaque that read “A gift from King Chronus”. So when I read those two things and then looked into the theories that the tenth toe in the Book of Daniel was Cronous—that he was the first or prototype for the Antichrist—well, a story started to form, even if it based on pure fiction and fraudulent claims rather than certifiable history. After all, a story is a story and this seemed to me to be a really good story.
Cronous is an interesting figure—one accused of the most horrible things and yet I found myself hypothesising if he was a real being, then who was he and why did he commit those acts?
I also wanted to explore the relationship between him and his wife, Rhea. In Greek mythology, women do tend to have some power, particularly in regards to what happens to their children. Medea getting revenge on Jason by killing their sons comes to mind, or Clytemnestra killing Agamemnon for the sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia is another example. Yet, in the story told of Rhea and the art depicting her and her husband, she is handing the child over to him. It did not happen once or twice, but with all their children until she had Zeus and hid him. The question is why? She must have known after the first one. So why did she not kill Cronous instead? The Doom of Undal is about them and the war they start, offering a theory that it began when Cronous slew his father.
Are you a pantser or a plotter?
I’m a pantser. I know the overall story arc when I first start writing, but I don’t have each chapter and character planned. I do, however, have notes of item and events that must be included, but I never know until the moment comes, when is the best time to bring them into the story.
Do you have a playlist that you listen to when you write?
Yes, I listen to a lot of rock and epic music. I have a playlist of my favourites and listening to them usually puts me in the right frame of mind to write. One of my favourite (as in I listen to it every day) is The Guardian, by White Wall
Is the Doom of Undal a stand alone, or should we be keeping our eyes peeled for more?
The Doom of Undal is the second book in the Dragon Court series. It is intended to be read without needing to read Serpent Priestess of the Annunaki, but to understand the basis of their religious rites, reading the first book will probably help.
The Doom of Undal is actually the first half of a duology—the second part is coming out in a few months, tentatively titled The Fall of Undal. The reason being that it is a book that is large in scope, with many different characters who are all drawn into a global conflict and I didn’t want to cut out key events which I would have had to do to fit it into one book.
Is there a lesson or message you would like your readers to take from this book?
If it sparks an interest in those men, women, and places that have been somewhat ignored in fiction, I’d be happy. Planned books are about other historical and mythological figures that deserved to have stories told about them: figures like Innana (who will get her own book), Atargatis (the first ‘mermaid’) and her daughter Semiramis (who married a warrior king), Naya Lara Kidul (daughter of a fish-king in Java, a recurring theme in Dragon Court lore), Himiko, the Japanese female Shaman, and a few others. Maybe a book on Melusine and perhaps one on Elizabeth Bathory, a descendant of Dracula who was accused of human sacrifice and bathing in the blood of her victims. Two men of interest are Rene d’Anjou who had his fingers in so many pies it’s unbelievable and the Merovingian Emperor Clovis who converted to Christianity.
What is your go to remedy for writer's block?
I read up on mythology, occult philosophy and ancient history. My favourite go-to authors for inspiration are Graham Hancock, Erich von Daniken, Laurence Gardner, Zecharia Sitchin, Micheal Baigent and the works of ancient philosophers: De Occulta Philosophia, by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, The Hermetic Principles, books by and about John Dee, even The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz. I also watch Ancient Aliens (love it). So quite an eclectic mix. I also read a lot of epic or high fantasy in my spare time.
What I don’t do is worry about having writer’s block. Usually, it’s there because I don’t know what to write next or there is something unresolved in a previous chapter. Eventually, the answer comes if I don’t force it.
And now for my second favorite part!
(This will also totally explain why I asked the "Where did you get all those unique names" question)
CHARACTER CASTING! Drum roll please.....
When asked who would she choose to play her main characters should The Doom of Undal be turned into a movie, this is what Author Katrina Sisowath replied:
Eris played by: Melina Kanakaredes
Ningi played by:
Ben Kingsley
Saran played by: Kajol Devgn
Innana played by: Monica Bellucci
Cronous played by: Mehmet Akif
Alakurt
Alakurt
Suron played by: Şükrü Özyıldız
Chifu played by: Rami Malek
Sobekh played by: Shannon Sossamon
Rhea played by: Mila Kunis
Hathor played by: Omella Mutti
Ishkur played by: Tom Sturridge
Atueni played by: Emma Stone
Asawena played by: Ryan Potter
General Shala from the kingdom of Kush played by: Alek Wek
General Shala from the kingdom of Kush played by: Alek Wek
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