For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved
books, and I started that love affair early. My mother always had a book in
hand, and she introduced me to Trixie-Belden and the wonderful stories about a
young girl who solved crime when I was still in elementary school. But books were
a luxury, and the store-bought books that came through our door were few and
far between. I soon discovered though, that the library had what seemed to me,
an endless supply.
As a teenager, I spent hours in the
library, browsing the shelves, searching for interesting stories and when I found
an author I liked, I read everything they published. One summer, it was Jane
Austen’s books, another year Agatha Christie filled my days. My tastes were
eclectic – and still are – I just wanted a good story and authors like Isaac
Asimov, James Clavell, Robert Ludlum, J.R.R. Tolkien, Emily Bronte, Arthur
Conan Doyle, Stephen King and Mary Higgins Clark delivered.
But the books I read about far-away places,
Russian spies and early Britain, also sparked an interest in world politics,
history, geography, art and culture. They opened up the world to me, and they
stirred my imagination.
I knew from an early age that I wanted to
be a scientist, and that’s where my education and career took me, but there’s
always been a part of me that wanted to write. In science, we explore, discover
and experiment – we investigate
mysteries. So I suppose it’s only
natural that when I did take that first step, I wrote Thirst, a suspense thriller.
But as a writer I’ve taken on the challenge
of creating a mystery rather than solving one, and it is a challenge! Too many clues or too few, a simple plot or
one that’s too complex, slow vs fast pacing – all of these elements have to be
carefully considered as I construct my story. Above all, I want to give people a story they
can immerse themselves in, a story I would like to read too.
There’s no doubt that the authors of my
childhood greatly influenced me, and so have the many authors I discovered as
an adult. I still prowl the library, searching for a good read, and I still take
great delight in finding a new author. And if you had told me when I was a
young girl that I would one day see my own novel on those library shelves, I
wouldn’t have believed you, but a few weeks ago that’s exactly what
happened.
As much as I’m been overjoyed to see Thirst in stores, it’s the libraries
that I’m most proud of. Libraries make books that entertain, teach and inspire
available to everyone regardless of age, income or education, and they power
dreams. Without that library in my small hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, I
wouldn’t be where I am now.
I’m at the beginning of my writing career,
but perhaps one day a reader will find my Alex Graham series on the library
shelves and it will inspire them to search out more authors, or to write their
own book.
Author Bio
Katherine, a geologist and IT specialist, stepped away from
the international petroleum industry to follow her passion for writing. An avid
traveller with an insatiable curiosity, you never know where you’ll find her
next! But most days, she’s in Vancouver, Canada quietly plotting murder and
mayhem under the watchful eye of a cat. She is an award-winning presenter and
the author of the thriller THIRST.
Buy links for Thirst:
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thirst-katherine-prairie/1123763867?ean=9780994937704
www.katherineprairie.com
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