One of the fun and new things about Aleks’ most recent adventure is that both Eoghan Kerrigan and I drew illustrations for it. Join me at Brenda’s blog, The Log Cabin Library, to learn more about my process and see examples. Drop a comment if there’s anything else you’d like to know about the books. |
You’re Invited to Aleks’ Book Birthday!
It is with great pleasure and joy that I tell you Aleks Mickelsen and the Eighth Fox Throne War releases on May 24, 2019. I hope you’re as excited as I am! Do you see this gorgeous cover? Isn’t it lovely?
What wonderful things can we we expect from Aleks and the rest of the gang? Plenty of action that’s for sure! But also history about the remaining undisclosed fox throne wars. You’ll meet a certain winterling’s general father and have an new/old friend pop by unexpectedly. Dragon machinations and powers heretofore hinted are seen in full force and our changeling hero must face destiny square in the face and decide which path he will choose.
You can pre-order the ebook on Amazon:https://amzn.to/2WhGQee
The print book will also be available to purchase on Friday.
The audio book is in production and will be coming out within the next month or two and you’re going to love it.
Join me this Thursday evening at 10:30 PM EST on the Zaria Fierce Facebook page for a late night launch party event to celebrate the release of Aleks Mickelsen and the Eighth Fox Throne War. There will be trivia, bingo, prizes, readings from the book, and a question and answer session. It’s going to be so much fun!
Date: May 23, 2019
Time: 10:30 PM – 12 AM
Where: Online, Zaria Fierce Facebook page
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/607141663120810/
Save this link for playing trivia:
Save this link for playing bingo:
Spread the word and I look forward to seeing you there!
Ask Me Anything, Part 1
Hi Fiercelings,
Thanks for joining me today, I’m delighted to share with you the start of a new series of blog posts here on my author website.
In these Ask Me Anything posts I will answer questions you have submitted about Zaria, about myself, about writing, etc. The following questions were submitted by Tommy, Nate, Lizzy, and Michele.
Let’s dive in!
Q: Have you ever dreamed about your characters or their world?
A: I day dream about them all the time. I try to be good and write down these snippets as they come to me. I don’t always use them, but I like keeping a record of them. A lot of great ideas come when I am sitting down quietly somewhere and mull over the characters, world, and plots.
Q: If you could meet one of your characters, any one at all, which would you most like to meet and why?
A: I’m such an author when I say this – I’d love to meet any and all of them! If you’re going to force me to choose, I would say Zaria, Aleks, and Christoffer because they’re the leads in the different trilogies which make up the Zaria Fierce Series. I’d like the chance to hug them and tell them I’m not always a mean author. For pure fun: I’d pick Hector. For a pet: I would choose Norwick.
Q: If an evil Fey cast a spell on you that caused you to be able to say only one phrase for the rest of your life, what phrase would you choose? Would you be able to outsmart the evil fey with your phrase?
A: Since I can pick the phrase – I would pick, “I love you.” I think that phrase alone would eventually be able to break such a curse, if the person under its spell truly felt the words for everyone, even towards the curser.
Q: What was your favorite book when you were a kid?
A: So many! I read a bunch of the Sunshine State Award books, which is how I found Ella Enchanted (one of my all time favorite Cinderella stories) and a bunch of series. I read Nancy Drew, Animorphs, Harry Potter, and Encyclopedia Brown when I was younger and Twilight, Mrs. Murphy, Cat Who, Bernie Rhodenbarr, and Stephanie Plum when I was older. I love reading and I am very grateful that I can add my own worlds to those that I grew up on.
Q: Which of your book characters do you think you’re most like and why?
A: It’s a funny thing, being an author. I could pick any character and probably say – this or this about them is me. Zaria is my bookworm happy self. I always carry a book on me. She’s also many things I strive to be – kind, caring, warm, tenderhearted. Aleks is my more practical side that tries to see the big picture and look for the best route to proceed. Christoffer shares a lot of my humor and that of my husband’s as well. Hector is more how I see myself as an adult. Nori is how I think my younger sisters felt about me at times growing up (siblings always seem to pick on each other, don’t they?).
Q: What’s your typical day like?
A: Filled with work during the day, and lots of things in the evenings depending on the day of the week. Tuesdays and Saturdays I do ballet. Wednesdays I eat dinner with the folks and go to church. Thursdays and Fridays tend to be date nights with the hubby. Weekends I spend doing chores and errands. Sundays is church again, lunch with the folks, and evenings spent with friends playing board games. In between all that I slice out time each day to write. I have several word goals that are always active, which keep me motivated and help me track how far along I am in a book.
Q: What’s your biggest challenge while writing a book?
A: The beginning of a trilogy always seems to be the hardest for me, and while a trilogy ending isn’t necessarily a challenge to write down the first time, I always have to go back and think it through slowly as I strive to ensure it covers all the points necessary to wrap up and also leave readers satisfied.
Q: If you were president and could institute a system to help kids be better educated, what would you institute?
A: I think reading and literacy is key for a child – it’s creative, it’s informative, and it’s good to have the comprehension skills which are built from reading as an adult. I would probably build on existing intuitions which support these activities for kids. It’s not always about something new, but adapting what’s in place for the current needs.
Q: Who’s your biggest role model?
A: There’s a lot of people I admire in life. I tend to connect well with older women who fill roles of friend, mentor, aunt, mom, and/or grandma. I find these women to be some of the kindest, most generous people I know and they motivate and inspire me.
Q: What’s your favorite color?
A: Purple! Almost any shade. It’s hard to find a purple I don’t like.
Q: If Zaria were going to make a YouTube channel, what would it be about?
A: Zaria would have a booktube channel and a magic channel, although on her magic channel people wouldn’t realize it was actual magic.
Q: Have you ever seen a real deer or elk up close?
A: I have pet a doe in a zoo. I have seen elk and moose at national parks. I have yet to see them as close as the deer from the petting zoo though.
Q: From your experiences travelling the world, what’s your favorite food from any part of the world?
A: I remember these amazing raspberry popsicles from a trip to Finland when I was eleven. I wanted one every day. I remember dining on red chicken curry in France at the same age (and today it’s one of my all time favorite foods). I remember eating something like egg foo young/quiche in China at fifteen, but I couldn’t tell you what it was, only that I loved it. As I have gotten older, I’ve learned to try more things and over time my palette has expanded and I like a lot of things you couldn’t have paid me to eat as a kid – asparagus, macaroni, sushi, bacon, cheese (that isn’t cheddar), beans, fries, just to name a few.
Q: If you could do anything at all, job wise, what would it be?
A: Write books full time!
Q: What did you like about school, growing up?
A: I enjoyed learning a lot and making friends. Lunch time was always spent reconnecting with everyone from various periods. Favorite classes probably were English, French, and art, but I liked all the science and history and math ones too. I made the honor roll often.
Q: Can you name all the names of all the characters in your book without looking?
A: I’d come pretty close. The side characters that haven’t had a second appearance yet in the series, might be a touch problematic. If you asked me to name everyone who I’ve thought up but haven’t put in the books yet, that would almost be impossible. Luckily, I have an immense spreadsheet with all this detail, and another one with all their physical and personality descriptors. In between books, I generally read or listen to the whole series again so I don’t miss anything or anyone, and I look at all my notes to remind myself where I want to go next.
If you have a question that you would like to ask me, submit it to hello@keiragillett.com or leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.
Watch: Aleks Mickelsen and the Call of the White Raven Midnight Party
Hi Fiercelings,
Did you miss the midnight party for Aleks Mickelsen and the Call of the White Raven? Now you can watch the replay. Thank you so much to everybody who came and participated and to my lovely and talented cohosts – Tommy and Michele Carpenter. You are all amazing and made my night. Happy book birthday to Aleks (again ?)
Games are also posted here for your enjoyment. How many can you complete? They’re tough but doable! Good luck!!
Word Scramble:
Word Search:
Crossword:
Congratulations to Davita, Nate, Tommy, Gus for winning at book bingo. Thanks everyone for playing.
I can’t wait to meet up with everyone again at the next release. It is tentatively scheduled for late December 2018. What would you like to do or talk about? Let me know in the comments.
Don’t forget to leave reviews on the books! They help so much and mean the world.
Blog Tour Stop: 10 Reasons Why Being an Author is Better than Being a Fairy Overlord
Greetings Fiercelings!
Come find me at Brenda’s website, Log Cabin Library, to get the score on why it is better to be an author than a fairy overlord in the Zaria Fierce Series. It’s a fun post and I can tell you that Grimkell, Ytorm, and Cornelia don’t agree with me.
What say you? Would you rather be an author or a fairy overlord?
Your Votes Are In: Find Out Which Cover Design Won for Book 5 in the Zaria Fierce Series
Thank you everyone for voting on the cover design for Aleks Mickelsen and the Call of the White Raven. The overwhelming victor with 81% of the votes, was this beauty:
Some of your responses to the survey:
Very tough to choose. I finally went for the more purple background, but both covers work.
Keira: Tell me about it! I loved both and that’s why I needed everyone’s help to pick the best cover.
I like the more vibrant colors.
Keira: Me too 🙂 The beautiful colors in the cover illustration just begged for something to match it.
It seems to match the color scheme of the other books better.
Keira: Thank you so much. I thought it did too.
I like the background color and it seems more in line with the scheme with the rest of the books
Keira: I really liked how different elements in the background popped with these colors.
Option A, being green and light, washes out several of the background details and the white Raven is also less noticeable. Additionally, if the background is meant to be mountainous, the darker color fits better thematically.
Keira: It’s actually ice! The icy background represents a new character in the books, while also tying in thematically with Aleks’ previous book cover which featured crystals.
On the not chosen cover:
I like the color scheme better it’s brighter and easier to read the title.
Keira: That was one of the reasons I really liked that option. I also thought the greens would tie in well with book two in the series which has a lot of blues and teals.
Looks nice in line with the others. It’s earthy and beautiful.
Keira: Thank you. I thought it fit with the earthy colors that were pulled in through the other covers as well.
Many thanks again for your participation Fiercelings! Your input has been a huge help.
Pre-Order Notice:
In other news, the pre-order for Aleks Mickelsen and the Call of the White Raven is live. Be sure to go and grab your copy. The next adventure arrives April 6, 2018.
Midnight Party Invite:
Fiercelings, come and join me for the online midnight release party on April 5.
We’re going to have a blast together!
Until next time – happy readings!
Podcast Alert: Bookin’ Around Town hosted by Jocqueline Protho, featuring Keira Gillett
Hello Fiercelings!
I’m excited to share with you my first ever podcast interview. I had a blast hanging out with Jocqueline Protho of The Audio Flow for her podcast Bookin’ Around Town. Join us as we discuss the Zaria Fierce Series -> naming Zaria Fierce, diversity in the series, Aleks Mickelsen’s changeling status, illustrations, audio book creation, and more. Listen, like, and share!
Listen to “Bookin’ Around Town with Keira Gillett”
Until next time – happy readings/listenings!
New Coloring Page: Christoffer and the Fish Lady
Hello my Fiercelings!
If you’ve been wondering about the lady in the water under the dwarf palace, you’re going to love filling in Michele Carpenter’s latest coloring page.
Can you remember which dwarf kingdom Zaria and her friends rescued Hart from?
To print, click on the image to view at full size.
Send you’re finished drawings to hello@keiragillett.com because I’d love to see them!
If you want to create coloring pages for others to do send me those too, and your original fan art. Hearing from you absolutely makes my day. 😀
Much Love and Happy Readings,
Keira
Video Response: Answering Nathan’s Questions about the Zaria Fierce Series
Hi my fiercelings!
I got a fun video the other day from Nathan, in which he asked me questions about the Zaria Fierce Series. It’s been a blast to answer them! I hope you enjoy. 😀
P.S. – The dragon names are on page 291 of book 3: Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes.
If you have questions of your own that you’d like to submit, feel free to e-mail them to me at hello@keiragillett.com I would love to hear from you!
Live Action Book Trailer: Aleks Mickelsen and the Twice-Lost Fairy Well
Hello my fiercelings!
Boy, are you ever in for a treat. You’re going to love it.
From the amazingly talented Michele Carpenter, I give you the live action book trailer for Aleks Mickelsen and the Twice-Lost Fairy Well.
Isn’t it phenomenal? I’m so excited I could pop!
Thank you to the wonderfully talented individuals who helped to create this new aspect of my world. I’m thrilled to pieces and can’t express in words how much this means to me.
Recap: Suntree Viera Library Book Reading and Signing on Aleks Mickelsen and the Twice-Lost Fairy Well
Thank you everyone who came out last Saturday for my book reading at the Suntree Viera Library! It was so nice to run into new and longtime fans. Some fun things I got to try out this time was my new table display for my book business cards, my new banner, and my Seriously Fierce scale necklaces. What do you think? Aren’t they fabulous?






If you missed the event, here’s a recap and rewind. You can watch my reading of chapter two from the book here:
Highlights from the Q&A + Transcript:
Audience: Do you work with Eoghan Kerrigan, as if he was like a police artist, so that this is actually what you’re imagining when you’re writing?
Me: I wouldn’t say he works like he’s a police artist. He doesn’t pick my brain to quite that extent. He gets documents (and the book itself) that have all the characters pulled out so that he has their descriptions. For the especially important characters, we do a series of mock-ups, and I pick the ones that feel more like my character. In that way we do what you’re talking about.
So if it’s a hooked nose, or a sharp pointed nose… he knows the details of how they’re described. He’ll take the information and interpret it. It’s as fun for me to see how what I’m saying from my mind and how I’m picturing it to how he interprets it. Some of them are really close, and some are so much better than how I pictured. They’re fabulous and I love working with him.
Audience: Good, good, because when you’re reading you’re always picturing in your mind, and if you got the illustrations as a visual clue for what they look like, instead of us going off on a tangent. It’s nice to know what they look like.
Me: What’s also fun that gives you another dimension of how the characters look is if you hear the audio book and how Michele’s does it, because she interprets how the voices are going to sound. In this book, there’s a bunch of trolls, and she has to go back and remember how the returning trolls sound. They were described as having voices, deep, and guttural, and grumbling, and so she has a variety of voices.
Now we have teenage trolls this time, who are all about the same age as the kids. There’s older trolls, conniving trolls, silly trolls, so they all have a variety of sounds and when she whips them out one right after the other, “I’m like how do you do that?” because it’s hard enough for me to do even Nori’s voice, and she’s not a troll, but a high pitched female.
Audience: So you have to remember which voice you’re doing?
Me: Yes, but she does a fabulous job with them and I feel it gives you a different dimension to how you picture the characters too. If a troll talks like this (deep) you’re going to picture him very (muscular) versus talking like this “Hello” (higher pitched). She also does the brownie voices and they get very squeaky, so you kind of get an idea of height and breadth simply based on how she does the voices. It’s really cool actually.
Audience: Who is Svein?
Me: He’s… well, I don’t want to say a throwaway character, because you never know when someone comes back, but he’s a character who’s just hanging around by the airport, when the kids go up and fly, and he knew Geirr. So he’s kind of like a copilot and tour guide. He’s like the older representative to convey to the inspectors and everybody at the scene after the crash that Geirr is an excellent pilot and knows what he’s doing. He’s there to be a witness to say that the plane didn’t crash because Geirr is a bad pilot, but to say the plane crashed because of something else, which is important because otherwise poor Geirr might never fly again.
I’ll wrap up by saying thank you again to everyone for making it out to see me. I had a blast!
Mark Your Calendars for a Fierce Book Event: 8-19-17 at the Suntree Viera Library
Join me for a reading from the fourth book in the Zaria Fierce Series at the Suntree Viera Public Library. Following the reading there will be time for a Q&A and a chance to get your books signed. There will be a limited number of books available for purchase at the event. I have a lot of fun planned and I hope to see you there!
When: Saturday, August 19, 2017
Book: Aleks Mickelsen and the Twice-Lost Fairy Well
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Where: Suntree Viera Public Library
Address: 902 Jordan Blass Dr.
Melbourne, FL 32940
Phone: (321) 255-4404
Hours: Sat. 9AM–5PM
Book Cost: $15 ea.
Zaria Fierce and Aleks Mickelsen are the perfect gifts for a reader in your life.
RSVP on Facebook: Direct Link
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