Gates of Erin Q&A 

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Book Description: In a time of great war, two Irish teens become the heirs to an ancient prophecy—and must fend for their lives in a battle between realms.

1924, Ireland

Dragged from Dublin to live with distant family in the countryside, fifteen-year-old Virginia is out of her depth. But when a great beast chases her into a strange world underground, she’ll need to forge new allies and bold schemes to stay alive in a kingdom of cruel fairies, warrior leprechauns, and mercurial gods.

At seventeen, Connell is reeling from the death of his soldier brother and falling for the new girl in town. When Virginia disappears, Connell is the only one who knows where she’s gone, and soon finds himself apprenticed to a legendary hero, tasked with saving a realm—and fulfilling a destiny—he barely understands.

Intricately woven with Irish mythology, this thrilling YA fantasy debut transports readers to Otherworld, where two human teens become unwitting pawns in a dangerous game between gods and men.

Buy the book here.

Author Bio: Elizabeth Gabel holds a degree in English Literature and Journalism from the University of New Mexico. Fascinated by the whimsical and widely documented myths of ancient Ireland, Gabel indulged her passions by scouring old bookstores for the stories lost by time. Those stories overflowed onto the blank pages of her imagination. What was the main inspiration behind Gates of Erin?

While browsing a used bookstore in Santa Fe, NM, I found a dictionary of all the Celtic gods with short summaries of their origins and functions. It fascinated me how these entities reflected the best and worst of us, as if they were mirrors of our fears, needs, faults, and joys. I wanted to translate them into the inner struggle we have in learning to manage these innate experiences. Using young people, who face these fears and hopes as they accept the mantle of adulthood, seemed the best way to demonstrate that struggle.

Were there specific books, authors, or films that influenced the mood or style of Gates of Erin?  The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, The Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis, and The Dictionary of Celtic Myths by Miranda J. Green.

Did any real Irish myths, legends, or folklore inspire the fantasy elements in the story? If so, which had the biggest influence on the world you created? 

The Irish epic, Tain Bo Cuailng, or The Cattle Raid of Cooley, inspired me. It involved heroes and heroines, villains and villainesses, who fought hard for their kin and friends and their own interests.

How did you balance staying faithful to Irish myth while also reimagining it for a fantasy setting? 

I tried not to reinvent the historical characters. The River Boyne, Lady Boann, did flood the Hill of Tara, a sacred place, where the High Kings administered from their hill forts. Other characters come right out of  Irish mythology, and I tried to keep them within the bounds of their biographies. I inserted two innocents in the maelstrom of these conflicting desires and ambitions, forcing them to develop their own strategies to navigate the chaos. That’s where most of my work came from. I knew how the gods, fairies, and giants would act because I already knew their stories. I could develop a new mythology for the innocents, making them heroes against all odds. The setting came out of my visit to Ireland: the mounds, the souterrains (the defensive tunnels that have been reimagined as fairy gates), and the beautifully flowing River Boyne. I wrote not just from the visuals, but the effects they had on me. It has a long history. All this to say, I read a lot of history and mythology, and I lay down and let the jumble fall into a story.

What kind of research did you do into Irish folklore and 1920s Ireland while developing the story? 

Besides college classes, I have read many books like The Tain and assorted other myths about their heroes, putting myself in them. I have multiple resources on all the mythic entities across the world. I study old maps. Some of my most used resources are the books The Discovery of Middle Earth and The Discovery of France by Graham Robb. Both map the travels and migration of the Celts through Germany, France, and the British Isles. They describe all the landmarks and towns they left behind and the altars and deeds done in those places.

About 1920 Ireland, I have again read history books and studied photos from that era.

In Ireland, I was able to connect with the Irish rebels and the stories of the 1916 Irish uprising in Dublin at the General Post Office museum and other historical sites in Dublin. I listened to our Irish host who spoke so bitterly of the forced draft of young Irish men as “cannon fodder” in the trenches of WWI. The anger from British oppression still resonates across all of Ireland. By 1924, the British had started to open their iron hand around the Irish. Optimism filled the air for the first time in centuries. One of my favorite books is Edward Rutherfurd’s book, The Princes of Ireland, a historical fiction novel that pulled me into those moments. 

What inspired you to include the song featured in the first chapter? Is it based on a real Irish tune, and what role does it play in establishing the tone of the story?

“The Foggy Dew” was a lament for the dead Irish young men of WWI sung by returning soldiers and families during and after the war. It is still a ballad sung and performed today.  The song blared over the loudspeakers when the Irish MMA champion, Conor McGregor, entered the ring. It is a tribute to the sacrifice that the Irish made on behalf of the British, and it was sung all through the uprising in Ireland as a ballad for rebellion.   

The lament establishes the historical context of suffering oppression.  The protagonist continues this battle throughout the book, not only against evil gods, but against a growing threat of another bitter human war. But their war reflects the desire to fight for Ireland, not for Britain.

Fantasy is an interesting genre because requires building a fully realized world with its own logic and rules. In Gates of Erin, time, space, and transformation all feel fluid and unpredictable… can you talk about your world-building process and how you created that sense of otherworldly logic? 

I had to draw maps, not just of the River Boyne valley, but of the prison and otherworld. I had to think about the law and how it would apply. I had to develop an underground. The first draft was a mess. I had too much; so many characters were removed. I had to train myself in perspective and not meander into others' perspectives. I think the flow was from rewrites and the excellent eyes of my editor.

The story shifts between character perspectives. Whose storyline did you most enjoy writing, and why? 

Initially, I felt more at home with Connell, the male protagonist. I grew up with brothers who dragged me along in their adventures, and we had some whoppers. As I delved into Virginia through the writing process, I struggled with her perspective. I wanted to project that sense of abandonment and that was painful for me. I wasn’t prepared for that emotion in writing her character. 

Were there moments where a character surprised you or made choices that changed the direction of the story?

The mentor character Abcan surprised me. He is a real Irish character, a dwarf poet and musician. There wasn’t much information, except that he ferried people between Otherworld and Middleworld. I had to completely develop a personality for him. I write short stories about these characters. Abcan collected human orphans and trained them up to be scholars and warriors in Dragon Gate. He “ferried” them into Otherworld. The concept of a poet warrior has always fascinated me because they appear mutually exclusive. He was much stronger than I expected. That strength drove the story in a way I didn’t expect.

Did you run into any unexpected challenges or surprises while writing the book?

Using a prophecy challenged me. The prophecy had to be vague enough that it could end in good or evil: who would control power and how. That context added imperative to every conflict. 

What do you hope readers take away from Virginia and Connell’s experiences specifically?

Two Things: