It's Not Harry Potter

Wise, cosmos-reading Centaurs, baby Dragons that grow quickly, an older magical man who guides the young character through trials – it’s very Harry Potter-esque, isn’t it? Aside from the fact that comparing it to Harry Potter is SUPER good for publicity, (don’t stop! “Harry Potter as a girl” does sell!) I can assuredly say, The Keeper of Fire series is not a copy. I wrote The Keeper of Fire in 2001, at which point the first four Harry Potter books were already in circulation and the first movie was in theatres. It should be noted that my hyper-Christian parents labeled Harry Potter as “Satanic” early on and I was absolutely forbidden to read it, for fear of demonic possession and spiritual compromise. I had never seen a Harry Potter book, much less read one. In 2002, after my first draft was finished, I snuck away to the public library, knowing I was disobeying my parents outright. I found the forbidden Harry Potter book (The Sorcerer’s Stone) and sat down in a quiet corner and opened the first chapter, bracing somewhat at the spiritual attack I had been taught would follow. After a chapter I set it down. It was just a story. It was another two years before I read the book and the ones that followed. Yes, Harry and Deiji are teens who (spoiler alert:) don’t know their magical lineage and heritage. They both are ushered through trials where they largely have to figure things out on their own, under the vague guidance of an aged Wizard (Necromancer) who seems to be the only one privy to the big picture. Both of them pull a sword out of thin air in a time of great danger and need. Both of them are shown scenes of the past and present by looking down into a misty void. But that’s where the similarities end, genre clichés aside. (I swear I wrote those scenes before I had ever read the Harry Potter books)! The Keeper of Fire isn’t Harry Potter. To be frank, it’s just not as good. It’s not as in-depth or gripping as the Harry Potter series. It’s a somewhat simpler series, and it doesn’t have as much contemporary significance. It’s a different thing, and that’s okay. I’m sure you all saw our new video ad for The Keeper of Fire! It was a lot of fun to make, and acting out scenes from the book was more amazing than I ever could have imagined. And who knows? Maybe a movie for the book is in the cards for us, in the distant future.