Guest Post & Excerpt from Keira Gillett: Top Ten Reasons Why Being a Self-Published Author is Better than Being a Fairy Overlord

Today I have the wonderful pleasure of having Keira Gillett, author of the Zaria Fierce Trilogy visit my blog with her guest post and an excerpt from her latest book.  Thank you so much for dropping by Keira!    I can't wait to read The Call of the White Raven and a huge congratulations on its release!  

Greetings Log Cabin Library fans! Thank you Brenda for having me back. I can’t wait to share with you all about Aleks Mickelsen and the Call of the White Raven, the fifth book in my Zaria Fierce Series. It comes out April 6, 2018, and I thought I’d celebrate by opining (as monologing is for evil fairy overlords, and I’m universally loved, so opining it is) on all the ways being a self-published author is the best. 

Top Ten Reasons Why Being a Self-Published Author is Better than Being a Fairy Overlord

1. I can be an absolute monster and all my readers will love me for it. A fairy overlord can't say the same about their subjects. So that in and of itself is why being me is best.
2. My position as supreme author overlord can't be usurped. Bwuahahahahaha! Unlike rulers in Niffleheim, who have to constantly watch their backs or risk being assassinated, when my characters revolt I get to keep my head, if not my plot. So the real question is who will be the last fox left standing? I know I’ll still be around.
3. I have magical writing powers that can turn the world of my creating into reality. Grimkell, Cornelia, and Ytorm can only dream about turning the world around them to their deliciously wicked reality. My powers can’t be defeated!
4. My days – when not writing or working – are spent back and forth with Eoghan Kerrigan over the ridiculously amazing and utterly gorgeous artwork in the book, or chatting with Michele Carpenter about what the voices should sound like for new characters. A fairy overlord only gets to lord over fairies and brownies and that eventually gets pretty gnarly. So again, I win!
5. I might not get to turn into a fox, but my doggie looks like one. He might not be able to talk, but he’s super cuddly and sweet. He’s the best writing companion. I don’t know of a single overlord fairy with a pet, let alone one that loves them.
6. While I send my characters on dangerous quests all around Niffleheim, I get to cackle like a madman from the safety my couch, wearing thick, comfy socks with my little foxy baby by my side giving me all the cuddles an author can ask for.
7. Along the same lines, I can take breaks, get up and stretch, read a book, take my doggie on a walk, watch a Kdrama (Goblin is pretty great!), but Aleks and the others can't. They have to go straight through the story to the end and hope they don't run into a dragon.
8. I will never have to wonder what my dessert is made out of because it's always going to have chocolate in it (chocolate covered peanut clusters, brownies with homemade chocolate frosting, chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter pie with Oreo crust. Yum!)
9. Aleks might get grumpy with me, but he's happier with me at the helm than his family! Even if he has to face unimaginable and unbeatable trials. Will he overcome and rise above the challenges thrown at him by me and his aunt and uncle? Or will he fail miserably and cause his friends to be trapped in a life of servitude? *evil grin*
10. I get to interact with all my lovely readers and geek out with them. They’ll join my Fierceling Tribe and we will rule the world. That’s much bigger than Niffleheim. So it’s clear I have bigger, bolder, better plans at domination – another point for me!

Score: Self-Published Author 10; Fairy Overlord 0

I’m the clear winner, don’t you agree? Plus I have an Oskar Pie. :D

Aleks Mickelsen and the Call of the White Raven

Book Five in the Zaria Fierce Series “Whose white raven is this?” Aleks Mickelsen is a changeling with diminishing magical powers and a complete nuisance for a new a pet. For the first time in his life, he’s lost. He led his friends to the wrong place. They might joke about there being worse things to face than disorientation, but comparing what Aleks did to the Wild Hunt breathing down their necks (even if the comparison is somewhat favorable) isn’t all that comforting. Hopefully, Aleks can get his head on straight and get them all back on track to fighting Fritjof, otherwise, chaos is going to win.

Excerpt:

Aleks awoke to the sensation of something digging painfully into his side. At least it wasn’t a knock to the head by the bird. He shifted, trying to get comfortable and disturbed whatever was lodged beneath him. It skittered away with a faint tinkling sound. He kept his eyes closed in the effort to not wake up, but now that he was aware, he was cold. He shivered and half-sat, trying to find where he’d kicked his sleeping bag. Groping blindly, he found nothing on top of his legs. With a mental sigh, he shifted his focus to the side and touched something cold, solid, and damp. Jerking his hand back, Aleks reluctantly pried one eyelid open and looked around. Darkness pressed in on him. He couldn’t see anything – not even his hand, which he waved in front of his face. He rubbed his arms and lay back down, determined to ignore the cool dampness seeping into his bones. Curling into a ball, he closed his eyes to sleep, but the digging sensation which had woken him had returned, and he couldn’t get comfortable. With a sigh of disgust, he rolled over and sent a bunch of things skittering. The sound was like a cascade of beans in a rainstick – loud and swift. Unnatural. He bolted upright and searched the dark. “Geirr? Henrik? Did you hear that?” he asked. They had to be awake after that racket. Even Filip’s snores had stopped from within the other tent. He strained in the dark to hear if anything else was moving. The quiet that followed was unbroken, and utterly unsettling. “Something’s wrong,” he said, trying to warn his friends without making any sudden movements. Nobody answered, worrying him. He swung his hands along the ground and knocked into something. It toppled over with a dull metallic thunk. The stargazer? He checked his pocket. Still there. “Guys, wake up,” he said. “Hello?” “Hello?” a new voice echoed. It was vaguely familiar. He felt like he should recognize it, but couldn’t draw upon a face. He squinted in the direction of the voice, trying to make out who it was. A fairy, most likely. They’d been found. He knew it would happen. Filip wasn’t exactly a subtle sleeper. Maybe they had his friends already. That would explain the silence. Perhaps Zaria’s wish from the first trip down here was still in effect. If so, he’d only be caught if he initiated contact. What to do? Should he say something? Something pitter-pattered on the floor, scuttling closer. The sound drew to mind horrible images of a critter somewhere between a snake and a spider. A shudder of revulsion swept through him. The pitter-patter came again, and he tensed. “Who’s there?” he demanded. Knowing was better than this awful waiting.

About the Author: Keira Gillett

When she’s not working or writing, Keira Gillett loves to play tabletop games. Nearly every week Keira gets together with her friends to play. It’s no wonder she invented a game of her own for her Zaria Fierce Series. You can find the rules to this game within the second book and make your own version of it through a tutorial on her website. She’d loved to hear from you! Why not send her a picture of you and a friend playing the game?

 Find Keira at:   

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Available on Amazon