Words with Kristy Brown, author of "Kiera's Quest"

Tell me about your novel Kiera's Quest.

Kiera's Quest is hopefully the first of three in the series, aimed at an 8+ market. It's about a young girl who finds herself torn between two realities. She has been chosen to save the Prince of Zantar, who is being terrorized by the Witch Queen. It's about self-belief, empowerment, loss and friendship. There are many little twists and I try to leave many of the chapters with a cliffhanger. The chapters are short and fast-paced, like the scenes in a soap opera/serial drama.

From the chapters available on your Facebook page, I get the impression that your novel has a fantasy element and a real world element. How do these differing worlds interact in your book?

The two worlds are separated at first and in chapter three they come together. When Zakk and Kiera's paths cross, we find out what has happened to him. Throughout the 24 chapters, I flick from one world to the other as Zakk comes to Earth and Kiera eventually ventures into his world.

What has the reception been like for Kiera's Quest?

I am quite overwhelmed really, I only thought I'd get a few fans to join the fanpage, but it's just kept on growing and people round the world are adding it. I asked for honest feedback and responses have been encouraging.

Who is the publisher? Did they provide editing/cover work?

I haven't got a publisher yet. I thought I'd get a response on facebook first and I'm in the process of contacting publishers now, so fingers crossed.

What is your background with writing? What other places has your writing appeared?

My background is actually acting. I trained for many years and did stage plays etc. But my passion was always for my secret writing. Like many authors, I started writing poetry and had one or two published. The character of Zakk just popped into my head and everything else came from that moment.

Besides Facebook, what have you done to promote your work?

As it is all quite new to me, I am just concentrating on getting a publisher.

I see you have a .uk on your hotmail address. What is the fantasy reading community like in the UK?

It's big here, the bookshops' top 10 are mostly fantasy based, thanks to Harry Potter and everyone's fascination with vampires. The writing market seems to have opened up for a fantasy take-over.

Anything else about you we should know?

I'm concentrating on completing my second book, and I often have too many ideas to get them down quickly enough. Time around my family is precious, but there are many hours in the day to collect my thoughts and keep writing.