Keira Gillett Author

Fierce Middle Grade Fantasy Reads

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ICYMI: Unboxing Author Copies and Midnight Book Release Pajama Party

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Hi everyone! In case you missed it here are the videos from when I did a few live videos this past week leading up to the release of Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes, the third book in the Zaria Fierce Trilogy. Oskar pie steals the show I think in both cases. xoxo

Unboxing Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes:

The necklace I’m wearing in the above video can be purchased here.

Midnight Book Release Pajama Party:

The necklace I’m wearing in the above video was a gift, but it looks like this necklace is an exact match.

#teamstaglord #teamhart #teamellefolken LOL

Thanks for watching!

In other news the print and ebook versions are available at Amazon. The audio book version is coming soon. Michele is hard at work putting on the finishing touches.

Lots of great reviews are starting to come in for the third book. Check them out!

Brenda’s at Log Cabin Library:

Zaria is able to fall on her friends for support and their continual encouragement give her just the confidence she needs to keep trying, to persevere. They never hold her mistakes against her and won’t allow Zaria to take the blame for being tricked. For me, it’s one of my favorite parts in reading this series, well that and the unique qualities that each character brings to the story.

Ner’s at Cup of Coffee and Book:

As always, I’m completely mesmerised by how much the Norwegian folklore is present in these books. There were a few new “beasts” such as the banshees and the mares (which scared the living hell out of me to be honest) but the same old creatures made a cameo. We had the trolls, witches, the dwarves, the ellefolken, dragons, the lot. The fantasy in these books is strong and so beautifully explore and described I almost felt like I could wander through Norway and stumble upon these eerie creatures and realms.

Rosemary’s at Mom Read It:

Recommended for middle grade collections where fantasy is popular. I’d book talk this with other hero’s journey tales like CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson/Magnus Chase series; they’ll have a firmer frame of reference when you present the series with these popular fantasy tales. Talk up Zaria as a strong female character who overcomes her fears and self-doubts to outwit monsters, and save herself and her friends!

Q: What/who do you think you will miss most when the Zaria Fierce story is done?

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A: All of them. I’ll miss Zaria for her sweetness, Filip for his protectiveness, Hector for his guidance, Merry for her motherliness, Aleks for his navigational abilities, Geirr for his good-natured pessimism, Christoffer for his wonder, and Olaf for his pirate speech. Mostly, when it’s over I will be proud of them and myself because together we accomplished much and shared a great story. What are you going to miss?

Zaria Fierce Themes: Folklore vs Christianity, A Thread of Forgiveness

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NOTE: This post series may include spoilers from the Zaria Fierce Trilogy. If you hate spoilers, please read about the themes in Zaria Fierce after you have read the books.

The world of Zaria Fierce is full of folklore and myth, but there’s also a thread of Christianity through it as well. I focus heavily on non-human races and creatures and magic, but I also make it clear that while some species have long lives and/or magic they’re not gods. In fact, I would postulate that most of the characters, fantastical and human, are Christian, even those with magic, because none of them claim to be the Creator or ask to be worshipped… except the dragons.

The characters that are older – like Kafirr, Olaf, and Helena – lived back during the time of the Vikings. In the history of the Zaria Fierce world, this was also the time of the Dragomir Wars. It was the first time that multiple magical species got together to put a stop to the reign of dragons. They pooled their talents and got the job done; creating a prison to hold the dragons, a chain to bind and weaken them, a sword to master them, and an army to conquer them.

In the real world, Christianity was brought to Norway first by Haakon the Good, the youngest son of King Harald I Fairhair, in the 10th century, but his missionaries were resisted and Christianity failed to take hold. It was brought again by Olaf I Tryggvason, the great-grandson of Harald I, but his influence and ability to impose Christianity was limited to the areas directly under his control and gained little traction elsewhere. The true credit for converting Norway from paganism goes to Olaf II Haraldsson, who founded the Church of Norway in 1024 and established Christianity as the national religion. He later became the patron saint of Norway and was known as Olaf the Holy.

Due to this rich history, is it any wonder that many tales in Norwegian and Scandinavian folklore focus on paganism (represented by trolls) vs Christianity (the church)? Trolls try to get humans to tear down their churches because they cannot do it themselves and church bells are lethal to them. One such tale, is The Sailors and the Troll from The Troll With No Heart in His Body by Lise Lunge-Larsen. Without getting too philosophical or academic, I theorize that this is because trolls are in some respects considered unreal or powerless against true faith. In many ways, trolls in traditional folklore could be comparable to dragons in Zaria Fierce.

That said, I originally approached Zaria Fierce with the idea of a troll being the main villain, but this ended up changing as the story progressed and I learned more about Zaria and her world. Dragons appeared on the scene, and when they did the theme of forgiveness also came into play, changing not only my thoughts on trolls, but hopefully the reader’s thoughts as well. Trolls in Zaria Fierce can be capricious, belligerent, vicious, and cruel, but they can also be repentant, honorable, self-sacrificing, and kind. I loved that about them and I think readers will appreciate it, too. It’s very humanizing, and takes trolls out of the realm of fantasy and makes them relatable.

Christianity appears in other ways as well throughout the books. Zaria prays at various points. Hector and others acknowledge God in various phrases. The dwarves have a church. Hector, at times, expresses Christly attributes, and has a scene where he renews the spirit of his people. Zaria is tempted by the dragons in her trials against them, which is reminiscent of when Jesus is tempted in the wilderness. This is not to say that Zaria or Hector is Christ, they are not, it is to show that we can imbibe the Christly spirit and gather strength from it. Lastly, there’s the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness.

References:

Encyclopedia Britannica: Haakon the Good, Olaf I Tryggvason, Olaf II Haraldsson

 

Q: Did you have any specific people in mind when creating your characters?

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A: Not particularly, but that said I do base some of the conversations, situations, and reactions characters get into or say on my family. I think that’s why they ring so true to readers. We’ve all had at least one of these experiences.

Oh wait, just as I was about to wrap this question up it occurred to me that yes, it’s been suggested by beta readers who know me in real life that my puppy, Oskar was inspiration for Vingar, a character from the third book. I see a lot of him in parts of Vingar’s character, so you could say Vingar was based on my puppy. The beta reader also said because she saw the connection to Oskar that it was hard for her to see Vingar as a creature you wouldn’t want to be near, to touch, or have brush up against you. Then I showed her Eoghan’s illustration of Vingar. Once she saw that she totally understood. LOL Eoghan’s great at bringing the fantasy creatures in the series alive.

Zaria Fierce Themes: The Power of Good, and Why it Must Continue to Battle Evil

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NOTE: This post series may include spoilers from the Zaria Fierce Trilogy. If you hate spoilers, please read about the themes in Zaria Fierce after you have read the books.

The power of good plays a very important role in the Zaria Fierce Trilogy and is one of the trilogy’s core themes. It’s a beacon in the darkness; a guide to light the path of our bookish heroine, her friends, and readers.

The villain, Koll, is a dragon, and he is no friend. Dragons in the trilogy are a stand in for original evil. Koll, whose name literally means dark, is the first of all dragons. He represents the idea that there is something in the world that opposes God, good.

The power of dragons is animal magnetism, which can be best defined as mesmerism or hypnotism. It is a mere belief of power and not actual power. It is treachery, baseness, falseness, and evil. It would rob you of everything that makes you who you are and blind you to good.

Koll’s power, like all dragons, has no foundation or substance. He can only steal from others what they intentionally or unintentionally attributed to him. He can do this by subtle means as in the second book in the trilogy, where he influences Zaria’s thoughts and feelings, or overtly, as in the third book, where he transforms into his true form and uses it to intimidate Zaria.

To fight dragons you can neither be like them, for they are evil, nor can you use their weapons of deceit and trickery. You must recognize them in all their forms, and know who you are and hold to it. You can’t give into them or their suggestions, or you will be lost, blind, and left in darkness. It’s a miserable place to be as Zaria will tell you, because you will doubt yourself, your worth, your actions, and your heart.

Hector Woodworth explains best how you might recognize the differences in your heart compared to a dragon’s influence when taking to Zaria in the following scene from the third book:

“Princess,” Hector said, “Koll can’t take what you don’t give him. Remember his power is animal magnetism. It’s about convincing you he knows better, changing you into something else, and taking from you what you would not freely give. Know yourself and he will be unable to reach you. This is important. You can’t let him win.”

Zaria wanted to do that, but she wasn’t even fourteen yet. She didn’t know what she wanted to eat for breakfast from one day to the next, let alone know herself. It was too frustrating and impossible.

“How?” she demanded. “How do I do that?”

“Sometimes it’s easier to know what you’re not,” Hector said simply. “You’re not mean, or cruel, or evil, or guilty. You’re not prone to self-loathing.”

Every action has consequences. Zaria knows this because she’s experienced those consequences. To overcome past mistakes, she must be attentive and alert to the dangers around her. She must be her truest self and express it thoroughly to defeat Koll. This is no easy task or lesson to learn. So it is for those who dare to confront dragons that they will find the very best in themselves.

It is my hope that readers will gain a little of Zaria’s strength and take it with them when they leave the books to return to their daily lives. Everyone deserves to be a dragon slayer, to know they possess that bravery inside them, and can conquer all fear, obstacles, and opposition with kindness and love… and perhaps, just a little bit of magic.

Thus it is that good must win over evil, love over hatred, truth over error. Now and always.