Keira Gillett Author

Q: Have you always known how the Zaria Fierce Trilogy would end or has it changed since you first started the trilogy?

May 25, 2016 By Keira Gillett

A: I’ve always known.

Before Zaria’s story could be written I had to find out what her adventures would be, but I always knew her character arc would be the journey from timidity to bravery.

When the story came I knew how book one of the trilogy would end, and how the last book would end. Everything in between was a vague blank white space. I let the story and characters tell me what would happen as I wrote.

Events in book two clued me in on new scenes that would happen in the final book, but the final showdown and its outcome and fallout have always been known.

Zaria Fierce Themes: The Secret of Moral Courage, and How to Find it Within Yourself

May 18, 2016 By Keira Gillett

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.

There’s a time or two in the books when Zaria is tempted to give up, to give in, and to go home, defeated. The lesson she learns is to not to give into those false desires. They’re ones we all seem to get from time to time about the various projects and relationships in our lives. There might come a time where it makes perfect sense to do just that, but not if it leaves you feeling defeated. Victory is the goal, but a victory over what?

False suggestions about what you’re worth and what you’re capable of doing. This boils down to two ideas:

The idea that you’re not good enough.
The idea that you can’t do enough good.

In the first suggestion, you might be tempted to pass the buck, thinking someone is better for the job. If Zaria had capitulated to those suggestions, which Koll gave her over and over, terrible things could have happened with consequences far more dire than making mistakes. It’s important to try, but it’s also important to be wise about how you try. Zaria will learn that when she puts her heart into the tasks at hand she can’t lose.

In the second suggestion, you might be tempted to not do all that you can do, thinking your efforts are wasted. Should the raindrop say, “I can’t water the whole earth therefore I will not fall,” the whole earth would be parched, for none would do their part. Zaria is not alone in her endeavors and because of that, she finds time and again with their help, the desire to do all she can and to be the best she can be.

Zaria’s desire to do good and to be good are her saving grace again and again. This is a message for all, because it speaks to us all, reminding us where our true strength lies – in ourselves, in our desires. The time to turn back in our pursuits is never when a dragon yells at us that we should. That’s the time when we should vigorously press forward; that’s how we’ll meet our dreams and be a light to others.

References:

What if the little rain should say,
‘So small a drop as I
Can ne’er refresh a drooping earth,
I’ll tarry in the sky.’

Pul. 4:3-6

Zaria Fierce Themes: The Balance of True Friendships

May 11, 2016 By Keira Gillett

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.

Friendships are important to the story of Zaria Fierce. For a girl whose best friends were usually books, the cast of her story grows from one to six by the end of the trilogy. Everyone brings something to the table. Each friend is important to the telling, because they do not face off against dragons alone. They must fight together. All along the journey they support one another and are true friends. They cheer each other up, tease one another, learn from each other, and stick together through thick and thin.

If I were to say the main characteristic or attribute they shared with the group, it would be this:

Zaria – Kindness
Christoffer – Goodwill
Aleks – Direction
Geirr – Rationality
Filip – Loyalty
Henrik – Patience

Not to mention the other characters the children interact with along the way who were equally important to the journey, good or bad. I’ve included some of these characters below and their main characteristic:

Hector – Wisdom
Madam Brown – Service
Helena – Altruistic
Oskar – Prudence
Olaf – Trickery
Kafirr – Opportunistic
Floki – Disloyalty
Koll – Evil

This isn’t to limit any of these characters from any other attributes, but it’s a starting place to understand what drives them throughout the books. How would you define these characters? Share in the comments!

Blog Tour Stop: Interview with Michele Carpenter for Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword, Part 3

May 4, 2016 By Keira Gillett

Keira Gillett (Author): Greetings everyone! The second book in the trilogy, Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword, features an amazing voice talent, Michele Carpenter. Be sure to check out the other parts of this interview series to read more about what it takes to be a young adult/middle grade narrator. We’ve been having a lot of fun talking about the book and the series, so let’s dive right in. Michele, can you share a sample from your work process?

Michele Carpenter (Narrator): This is 7 minutes of unedited narration. I felt like it was real and sometimes comical, as it shows what narrating is often like for me.

Keira: Were you surprised, scared, disappointed, etc. with any part of the second book?

Michele: Disappointed that Zaria still hasn’t met a mermaid, possibly, lol! Or a unicorn… But what she has encountered isn’t your normal, everyday, frilly fluff like that. She’s meeting ‘real’ creatures from the fairy tale world, like mountain giants and ellefolken ladies. So that’s pretty awesome.

I was scared at the end when Zaria decided to be brave and conquer her fears, and surprised at the outcome of the confrontation through the mirror with…

Keira: Sh! No spoilers! Haha. I’m glad you liked those scenes. Zaria and her friends will meet a water creature in the next book. It won’t be a mermaid though. Who would you cast as Zaria Fierce in a movie? Any ideas for other characters?

Michele: That’s a tough one. Teens grow up too quickly to really pick someone the right age.

Skai Jackson could be pretty great as Zaria. She’s adorable, lovable and talented. It’d be neat to see her with violet eyes.

Maybe Mitchell Hope for Hart…?

Ryan Potter, who played Hiro in Big Hero 6 might make a good Christoffer.

Keira: Ooooo… I like your picks! If Zaria ever becomes a movie franchise, I’ll have to bring you along to help me cast… that is if I get a say. How do you keep track of the voices from book to book?

Michele: Well, reviewing is a big part of it, but sometimes that’s not enough. I started out trying to imitate my previous voices without remembering the heart of why I gave them those voices and it didn’t go so well.

I also have to remember what/who my inspiration for that character was. I often have another character or actor in my head that I was imitating to create someone’s voice. Remembering those really helps.

I have to admit, I really wanted to try to use the voice of the Goblin King, Jerreth, for the voice of Koll, but dog-gone-it, I totally forgot and gave him a different voice. Will he slowly morph into Jerreth in the next book? I can’t say he won’t, lol.

Keira: Well I think you nailed getting the voices to sound the same the second time around and I love your new characters, too, like Granny. She’s fantastic. Do you read the book in full before you record?

Michele: I always prefer to, yes. Do I always read the book in full first? No, I don’t. And it can cause you to run into unpleasant surprises further down the book.

Keira: I bet! That’s why I tried to give you hints as to where I saw some character arcs going from one book to the next. Thank you so much, Michele for talking with us!

8 Facts about Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword

April 27, 2016 By Keira Gillett

Last time around I did a fun little post that discussed some cool facts about the first book in the Zaria Fierce Trilogy. Today I thought I’d share some facts about the second book. Let’s dive in! Here’s 8 things you might not have known about Zaria Fierce’s second adventures through Norway:

The first draft of Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword was completed in six months on 6/9/2015 for a total of 3 days 2 hours 48 minutes writing time and 41,333 words. It took more four months to complete book two compared with the first book, because multiple rounds of edits were being done on book one to get it ready for publication.
The second draft was completed a month later on 7/11/2015 for a total of 3 days 21 hours 52 minutes writing time and 42,936 words. Polishing, revising, and clarifying.
The final book clocks in at 44,260 words and 4 days 18 hours 26 minutes total writing time. This makes book two 8,060 more words than book one.
It took 1 day 16 hours and 22 minutes to complete the additional drafts and edits.
Narrated, the second book is 5 hours 14 minutes long which is 1 hr and 12 minutes longer than book one.
16 illustrations – the under drawings are orange, which you’d never guess looking at the final work (the previous book the under drawings were blue). There was a 17^th drawing that wasn’t used, featuring a giant.
There were three other possible titles for book two, involving the words Enchantment, Acquisition, and Drakelord.
2 versions of the prologue exist. The original, which was less focused and only just touched on Zaria’s emotional state, and the current version.

Blog Tour Stop: Interview with Eoghan Kerrigan, Part 4

April 20, 2016 By Keira Gillett

Keira Gillett (Author): Greetings everyone! The second book in the trilogy, Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword features some amazing artwork from Eoghan Kerrigan. Be sure to check out the other parts of this interview series to see more of his artwork. We’ve been having a lot of fun talking about the book and the artwork. So Eoghan, what is the hardest part of illustrating a story?

Eoghan Kerrigan (Illustrator): The hardest part is challenging yourself to draw things out of your comfort zone if the story demands it of you. These drawings take a bit longer because you need to gather reference material to make the drawing more convincing.

Keira: I laughed when I saw your Twitter status on drawing ships. I knew you were referencing Zaria’s adventures in book two. So what is the easiest? The most fun?

Eoghan: The easiest and most fun are the same thing – drawing fun and visually interesting characters and creatures.

@EoghanKerrigan This is your doing @keiragillett

— Eoghan Kerrigan (@EoghanKerrigan) August 31, 2015

Keira: I really love your characters and creatures. They have such life to them. It’s been a lot of fun to see what you’ll come up with for each chapter. Do you ever experience a creative block similar to what authors call writer’s block?

Eoghan: All the time! I don’t think there is a single creative person who doesn’t experience this at some point.

Keira: How do you get past it and what do you do to stay motivated and fresh?

Eoghan: Various things can knock me out of it. Some fresh air, listening to music, seeing a piece of art I really admire. But the most effective way I think is just to take a break. Forcing yourself to do something doesn’t always help, but the desire will always return eventually.

Olaf the troll from @keiragillett ‘s Zaria Fierce trilogy which I’m almost done illustrating! pic.twitter.com/f3URontTDr

— Eoghan Kerrigan (@EoghanKerrigan) April 6, 2016

Keira: I did something similar when I was stuck on a scene in the first book. I’d stop writing for the day and focus on other things so I could start fresh the next day. For book two when I was stuck, I sat down and plotted pieces of the story that I wanted to see. Not all of it stuck, but it did help to unstick me. What type of drawing tools do you use to create your illustrations?

Eoghan: Pencils! That’s really it. A blue or orange pencil for the rough under drawing and a 2B graphite pencil for the finished lines. I’m very comfortable with traditional media.

Keira: I can tell! You could knock me over with a feather if readers aren’t as thrilled as I am about the work you’ve done. Thanks for joining us today! Eoghan and I look forward to seeing readers’ reactions to the new illustrations.

New Coloring Page from Michele Carpenter for Zaria Fierce

April 16, 2016 By Keira Gillett

Hi folks! I have a brand new coloring page from Michele Carpenter for the Zaria Fierce Trilogy. It’s gorgeous and I hope you have a lot of fun filling it in. This below drawing is a scene from book one. Do you remember the order of the kids using the tunnel as they escaped?

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!

Recap of Queens, Corona, NYC Library Visit!

April 16, 2016 By Keira Gillett

I loved meeting Rosemary in person. She’s a phenomenal children’s librarian and book blogger. Her kids absolutely adore her and she’s wonderful with them. I’m so glad I could swing by and do a reading for the Corona Library.

Rosemary did a fabulous wrap-up post about my author visit, so I’ll keep mine brief.

I loved being able to talk with the kids prior to the event. Many came in to do homework, but veered over to see what I was up to and to get a closer look at the books. Several great questions were asked during this nearly one-on-one time about the books. One of my favorites that stuck out to me was the question about Olaf and if he was from Frozen. So cute. Alas, no. Olaf in Zaria Fierce is not a snowman and he certainly doesn’t like warm hugs. There were several that were really insightful and showed off the children’s curiosity and interest. I’ll have to get better at remembering these just in case Q&A time is short because of shyness.
I forgot my water bottles at the hotel. Yikes! Next time that will be the first thing I remember!
I’m happy I packed a dress just in case the weather was nice. Prior to Monday, it was kind of wet and cold, but on the day of the reading the temperatures climbed and it was very nice.
The reading went great! I loved how my voices came across. I was more interactive, looking up at the kids and making hand movements. I was very relaxed, which I think comes through. Also, from all the practice, I’m beginning to have some of the dialogue memorized so I can really get into the characters and their voices.

If you’re interested, you can watch Rosemary’s video of the reading:

Book Signing and Author Reading Event: New York City, April 11, 2016

April 5, 2016 By Keira Gillett

Great news! I’m scheduled to appear on April 11, 2016 at the Queens Library/Corona Community Library, where I’ll be doing an author reading and book signing event. Please join me at 3:30 PM for an hour of fantasy-filled fun. I’m told parking can be tough so plan ahead.

You can click on the flyer image to print out a copy for your fridge and to color. If you do, bring it to the event. I’d love to see your finished masterpieces. There should also be some additional coloring pages available at the library. You can find these same coloring pages on my website if you would like to print at home.

I will be reading from Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest, the first book in the Zaria Fierce Trilogy. After the reading there will be time for a Q&A session where you can ask me questions about the book, writing, publishing, and more. Copies of both books will be on hand for purchase. I hope to see you there!

Details for Book Signing and Author Reading Event:

When: Monday, April 11, 2016

Time: 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Where: Queens Library/Corona Community Library

Library website: http://www.queenslibrary.org/corona

Address:

38-23 104th Street
Corona, NY 11368

Phone: (718) 426-2844

Hours of Operation:

Monday | 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Cost of Books: $15 ea. Limited supply available. If you can, consider purchasing a copy beforehand to bring with you. Details for purchasing can be found here.

Autographing: Free