The Secret of the Keepers Blog Tour

I'm so pleased to be part of this blog tour as I loved The Light of Asteria and it's recently published sequel The Secret of the Keepers by Elizabeth Isaacs. If you haven't heard of The Light of Asteria before, please read my review here. I also recently read and reviewed The Secret of the Keepers here. I have to say that I loved the books and I can't wait for the third book in the series! The Secret of the Keepers was published on 1st November.

As part of the blog tour, I got the opportunity to interview Elizabeth and ask the questions I've been dying to know the answers to. Thankfully, she was more than happy to oblige. Welcome to the blog Elizabeth!



I've been dying to ask you how you come up with character names?

I love symbolism, and so names, for me, are extremely important. I do quite a bit of research on most of the names, but there are a few characters that appeared already named. For example, Jayril and Jakkar named themselves.

I love names that have meaning! Who is your favourite character in the series then?

That's a tough question. Aside from Nora and Gavin, I adore Edna. But this past year I have grown to love Rune. And, of course, Elias and Weylin are two of the hottest men that have ever traipsed through my head. :-).

I love Rune too and YOU KNOW how much I love Weylin *swoon*. Kailmeyra is a bit different to Earth, how did you go about world building?

World building is extremely difficult to do. I see Kailmeyra so clear in my mind it's often difficult to find the right words. Too, there's a fine balance in creating something never seen and overwhelming the reader. Readers have to have some semblance of reality to anchor fantasy to, so they can visualize the land easily. That takes finesse.

How important is music to you when you’re writing? Do you have a play list or a favourite piece of music to write to?

I know this might sound weird, but I have to have complete silence when I write. I'm a musician, and when music is playing my mind solely focuses on the layers of sound, how they interact and play off each other. I hear every instrument individually and so I can't think or create when music is on. The only exception is when I wrote the prologue in The Light of Asteria. I listened to Orff's Carmina Burana, which absolutely scared the bejeebers out of me!

Why should people read The Kailmeyra Series? (I already know the answer to this question, but sell it to us...)

I believe the strongest books are the ones that carry a message. The ones that make the reader stop and think, take stock in their lives and how they treat others. The Light of Asteria was originally written for my daughter as a message of what love is supposed to be and the power of forgiveness. The Secret of the Keepers explores that love is more than just the love of a mate. If you are looking for a series that has action, adventure, romance, and possibly a little insight then I think you'd enjoy the land of Kailmeyra.

How many books will there be in this series?

The third book, which I hope to have out this time next year, will be the final in this series.

What’s the biggest message that you want people to take away from your books?

The entire series goes on the premise that emotions hold power, and that we need to explore within ourselves the origin of thoughts, for its those very thoughts that guide our intent. I think it's a shame that so many people live their lives surviving day to day, never believing that they hold a power greater than anything they ever imagined. Never realizing that a simple act of kindness or love can change someone forever. In that regard, the land of Kailmeyra very much is real.

Can you give us any hints or spoilers for book three?

Our beloved clan heads back to earth, and this time Weylin accompanies them, which brings a little added flavor to the mix! :-D

Oh, I can't wait to read more about Weylin ;) What are you working on now (or after the series ends)

I'm currently working on the third book but but I also have a steampunk novel in the works. Lately though, what's been calling my heart is to write a serious piece for parents and teachers about the lessons I've learned from the children I've taught over the years.

As a final question, what YA books have you read and loved?

I have such eclectic tastes in books, and I'm probably showing my age, but some of my favorite books ... the one's that really stuck with me when I was entering college was the Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R. Donaldson. And then, of course, Harry Potter (even though it's considered children's literature by some). JK Rowling has an amazing depth to her characters. I also like the oldies but goodies ... the Hobbit, the Chronicles of Narnia, etc. And a little more recently I enjoyed Christopher Paolini's Eragon series, although I'm tired of waiting for the fourth book. While these are fantasy/adventure books, the romantic in me comes from historical romances and the old Harlequinn's my grandmother used to have, which I secretly read when we visited her farm. (She never knew I found her stash :-).

Thank you for answering my questions Elizabeth :) If you want to WIN an e book of The Secret of the Keepers, just leave a comment to be entered. The next stop on the blog tour is Lilliputian Journey and to find out more about the blog tour itself, please click here. To find out more about Elizabeth and her books, click here to visit her website. She is also active on Facebook and Twitter.