By: Briana Wasil, Creative Corner Editor
Kira Rodriguez, a freshman at Canisius University majoring in creative writing has written a book titled, “A Spellbound Promise” that is set to release this Saturday, Oct. 5. She began writing the book about three years ago, with half of the time spent editing.
Summary from “A Spellbound Promise” by Kira Rodriguez
"Trinity Davis, an eighteen-year-old girl with a loving family and a bright future, gives it all up for a mysterious cause. She continues to question her choice three years later. Driven by a mysterious alien book, she joins a group of missing people like herself, the Guardians of the Miraculous. Gifted with extraordinary abilities, the Guardians of the Miraculous swear to protect the secrets within the book as Trinity forms a dangerous bond. When the Guardians of the Miraculous’ worst fear becomes reality, Trinity and her new-found family face an unimaginable threat. Will they save the book in time, or will Trinity’s new life come to a tragic end?"
She explains that “I began writing when I was little and at first, it was kind of an escape. I wrote short funny stories for my little brother and then once I grew older, I realized it was a passion of mine so I continued writing.” She also mentioned that this particular story originated from a bizarre dream she experienced. After summarizing the dream and piecing together the details, she assigned names to some of the characters and started to organize it in a notebook.
Some of the context revolved around her own life, Kira explains: “(The main character’s) mother and father were based on my dad and my stepmom’s relationship. They’re very loving and although at times they argue, you can always see how much they really love and care for each other. I also put a few aspects of my friend’s personality traits into my characters and a little bit of traits from myself because it helps me find a homebase with each character.”
Excerpt from “A Spellbound Promise” by Kira Rodriguez
“I was only exploring, I was only curious, I was only a kid. I lay here, scared and weak. I know I should have listened, but I was too scared not to try. I was only trying to help. Now I pay the price. I held onto the book the best I could, but I felt my grip slowly loosen. I had no strength left, not even enough to scream for help. I was hopeless. Alone. I knew the only way to save myself wasn’t possible, not in the time I had left. I was scared, no, I was petrified of what was to come. The cold, wet concrete attempted to cradle me while I was submerged in my final thoughts. My surroundings flickered. It was dark, then light, then dark again. I let my eyes fall closed as I could no longer keep them open. I could no longer feel the strength it gave me. It was dead.”
When asked about what the process of publishing looked like from her perspective, Kira responded, “It was difficult. I talked to an editor, another author through a program my school ran and had an internship. Typically when you’re self-publishing or publishing in general, you work with an agent or hire someone. But as a high school student, I had to teach myself how to make the cover, how to write a summary, how to format it, how to get it copyrighted and teach myself the whole process of publishing. It’s a lot of research, but with time, patience and a very strong support system through my friends, family, and teachers I learned how to do it.”
While there is talk about a second book in progress, you can currently preorder the ebook version of “A Spellbound Promise” for $9.99 on Amazon, and it will be available to purchase for $12.99 starting on Oct. 5. You can also follow Kira’s Instagram @kiras.writing.haven, or find her on Facebook: Kira Rodriguez.
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