Keira Gillett Author

Fierce Middle Grade Fantasy Reads

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Mark Your Calendars for a Fierce Book Event: 8-19-17 at the Suntree Viera Library

August 12, 2017 By Keira Gillett

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

Filed Under: Author, Twice-Lost Fairy Well Tagged With: author event, author reading, book event, book promotion, book reading, book signing

Recap: Grand Opening of Titusville Splash Park

June 16, 2017 By Keira Gillett

I had a great time last Saturday at the grand opening of the Titusville Splash Park. I heard about the event through my friend Amy. She knew I was looking for opportunities to bring my books to the public and this community event was a perfect match. I even got to meet the mayor! The kids had a great time with the goodies provided by the various vendors and the splash park was a huge success.

Lots of wonderful people came by the tent to inquire about my books and I gave out lots of cards, encouraging them to look me up on Amazon and to check the books out from the county library system. Zaria and I made some new fans which is great. I couldn’t ask for better!

One thing I plan to get, and in fact have already ordered, is an official banner to put in front of my table for future events. It’s the only thing I would change. Thanks everyone for stopping by and saying hello. Here are some highlights of the day!

Filed Under: Author, Zaria Fierce Tagged With: author event, book event, book promotion, book signing

Zaria Fierce Book Talk: Melbourne Public Library 7-13-16

July 13, 2016 By Keira Gillett

I had a great time at my book talk today sharing an excerpt from Zaria Fierce and the Dragon Keeper’s Golden Shoes. The kids were great and had a lot of good questions, good interactions, and really paid attention. I’m so glad I got to meet them.

Things we learned today from the Melbourne Public Library reading:

  • How many animals make up a winter-wyvern.
  • How many animals make up a water-wyvern.
  • What an enraged water-wyvern sounds like as it roars.
  • What a water-wyvern sounds like when it’s been shrunk.

Questions for you:
If you could create your own hybrid creature, what would it be? And, can you make those water-wyvern sounds?

Thanks for watching!

Photos from the Event, plus ice cream social:

Thanks for sharing everyone!

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Filed Under: Zaria Fierce Tagged With: author event, author promotion, author reading, book event, book promotion, book reading, book signing, book talk

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:

Filed Under: Enchanted Drakeland Sword, Zaria Fierce Tagged With: author event, author reading, author visit, book event, book reading, book signing

Author Reading and Book Signing at the Suntree Viera Library

December 7, 2015 By Keira Gillett

KGflierJoin me at the Suntree Viera Library for an author reading from Zaria Fierce and the Enchanted Drakeland Sword on December 19, 2015. The event starts on 2:30 PM. Following the reading there will be a Q&A session and book signing. It’s a perfect gift for young readers!

My 10 year old daughter couldn’t put it down, and she really doesn’t like to read books just because.

This was a really good book with a great setting and cool plot line. I really liked how it didn’t hide that Zaria was adopted and she knew it . I also liked how her adoptive parents were nice. You don’t see that often in books (as an adopted kid, I like it when adoption is portrayed well). – Erik age 13

Bought this book for my 12 year old grandson. Since he likes Harry Potter I thought he would enjoy this. I gave it to him on a Tuesday afternoon and when I saw he again on Thursday afternoon he was almost finished with it. I asked him what he thought of it and I got a very enthusiastic “It’s Awesome! I can’t wait to read the 2nd book.”

It took me a while to finish this book because my daughter started reading it at the same time, so I had to find it among her things. She was very engrossed in it for a long time.

Zaria Fierce is amazing! My mom finished in one day I finished in two days. It was so good we couldn’t stop reading it! – Katie, age 9

Filed Under: Author, Enchanted Drakeland Sword, Zaria Fierce Tagged With: author event, author reading, author talk, book event, book promotion, book reading, book signing, book talk

Blog Tour Stop: How to Prepare for an Author/Book Event

November 26, 2015 By Keira Gillett

In case you missed it – I’m over at Anjie’s blog Love Thy Shelf talking about author readings and book signing events. I share what I learned from holding one. What do you like best about going to one?

Filed Under: Author, Enchanted Drakeland Sword, Zaria Fierce Tagged With: author reading, blog tour, book event, book reading, book signing

Recap: Video, Audio, and Pictures from the Book Signing at the Melbourne Public Library

November 15, 2015 By Keira Gillett

KG at MLB Book Reading2

Thank you everyone who came and joined me at the Melbourne Public Library for the author reading and book signing. I had so much fun sharing my book with you.

If you took pictures, I’d love to see them. You can e-mail your pictures to me at hello@keiragillett.com.

Here are the highlights of the event:

Watch Again

Before the event started, I shared a little bit about Eoghan Kerrigan’s artwork in the Zaria Fierce Trilogy (incomplete).

Below is the video of the reading (incomplete, we ran out of space right at the very end):

Listen Again

Below is the audio (complete, includes Q&A) from the reading:

https://keiragillett.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Keira-Reading.m4a

If you loved hearing the book read, you should check out Michele Carpenter’s narration of the Zaria Fierce books on Audible. She does an amazing job. She even gave me some tips for my reading today. I love her voices and you will too!

Transcript of the the Q&A Session

Q: When you wrote the book, did you imagine it in your head?

A: I definitely imagined it in my head. I imagine it when I read too. (Background: That’s what puts you there.) It’s like a movie. I can even picture some particular actresses and actors who could play the kids. That would be fun. Did you see it as a movie? (Background: Yes.)

Q: When you started writing it, did you – because you said it was like a movie – did you have advances like when you finished book one and you kind of knew where it was going? Or did that happen as you were writing it?

A: A bit of both. When I started the trilogy, I knew where I wanted to end the first book, I knew where the second book would end, and I knew how the trilogy would end, but all the steps in between, all the adventure part – how they get from point A to point B – was a total blank. It kind of came to me as I was writing.

Q: Were there some scenes that you had to rewrite several times before you liked them?

A: Yes. The one with Olaf at the bridge was one of those. I wanted to get it right.

Q: What about getting to a point where you may not be certain whether or not you want to go down one road or another? Would you stop and consider each one of them – options – and then decide whether or not that’s going to be best for the next book or the third book?

A: It really only happened once and that was while writing the second book. I got about halfway through book two and it occurred to me that I could end the book one way and have it be like how I originally planned, or I could end it another way and send the trilogy off into a series and have it be completely different. I did a little bit of exploratory writing for both, and I ended up sticking with my first gut instinct of where to end the second book, but it was fun to explore.

Q: What about writer’s block? Is that a reality for you like most writers?

A: Yes and no. A lot of time writer’s block for me is just a point where I’m kind of stuck. Since I don’t know the adventure – like what happens from point A and point B – I’ll get to midway between A and B, and I’ll be like where am I going to go next?

One of those places is in the first book. The kids are trapped in an underground troll city and they’re stuck in a prison and they have no way out. I kind of wrote myself into this big box and I was like, what am I going to do? They’re stuck in a prison cell. They don’t have any tools. They don’t have chains. It’s just rock and dirt and a door.

I put it aside for a day, I did my own thing, by the time I came back to it I knew the answer and without giving it away, it’s a pretty good answer. (Background: That’s awesome.)

Q: What about kids? How did you know kids would be the focal point of the book – of the product?

A: For writing it as a kids story? (Background: Yes, thank you.) I think I just knew that it was going to be that way because it’s just like what I loved to read going up was fantasy with Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and all my favorite book series like Half Magic. There’s just so much mystery and fantasy and stuff involved. And, at the core of all these stories is kids finding their way in these worlds and becoming heroes and heroines. I kind of liked that as an idea.

Your Pictures – Thanks for sharing with me!

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Thanks for watching, listening, and reading! I had so much fun and I can’t wait for the next one. Happy Readings!

Filed Under: Author, Secret of Gloomwood Forest, Zaria Fierce Tagged With: author event, author reading, author talk, book event, book promotion, book reading, book signing, book talk

Book Signing and Author Reading Event: Melbourne Public Library on November 15, 2015

November 3, 2015 By Keira Gillett

flyer for reading

Great news, readers! I have scheduled an author reading and book signing event at the Melbourne Public Library (on Fee Ave) on Sunday, November 15, 2015 at 1:30 PM. I will be reading from the first book in the Zaria Fierce Trilogy, Zaria Fierce and the Secret of Gloomwood Forest. After the reading there will be time for a Q&A session where you can ask me questions. 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: Sunday, November 15, 2015

Time: 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

Where: Melbourne Public Library, Children’s Wing

Address:

540 E. Fee Ave
Melbourne, FL 32901
(321) 952-4514

Hours of Operation:

Sunday | 1:00PM – 5:00PM

Cost of Books: $15 ea.

Autographing: Free

See a video or grab the audio from the event here.

Filed Under: Author, Enchanted Drakeland Sword, Secret of Gloomwood Forest, Zaria Fierce Tagged With: author event, author reading, author talk, book event, book promotion, book reading, book signing, book talk

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Release Day

Christoffer Johansen and the Gyllenhammar FlameDecember 3, 2021
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