Lorna Carleton, the author of The Dragons of Nibiru, will be at the Nuthatch Book Store on Oct. 26 for a book signing from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“I like to do book signings in small communities. Sometimes it could be more financially beneficial to be doing them in a larger community but for me, it’s important to include smaller communities. Their values, I really appreciate,” said Carleton, who is based in Kamloops.
The Dragons of Nibiru is the first book of seven and tells the story of Celine, the adopted daughter of an esteemed starship commander. The young girl is brilliant and a promising cadet, but is also a secret witch.
However, being a successful starship commander has its drawbacks, such as psychotic criminals who want to get revenge. Unfortunately, this is the case for Celine, who finds herself teleported into the cosmos and stranded on Nibiru, a forbidden planet full of dragons, after an encounter with an enemy of her father.
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Carleton said the book, written as young science fiction, has drawn readers aged eight to 87.
“Believe it or not, if you put the word ‘dragon’ on it they go ‘Oh, I love dragons.’ That’s one of the main reasons, and then after they talk to me they hear some of the reasons I wrote the book and some of the reasons I’m trying to encourage others to read.”
After writing the book, Carleton did two book tours, going as far as Montreal. During her travels, she said she found that many people don’t actually read and has heard parents saying to their kids that they haven’t read a book since high school. So she decided to do contests to encourage people to read and write, especially since a few of the people who came to her book signings would tell her that they always wanted to write.
“I give them my business card and tell them that they have an assignment. They have to send me the first chapter to review by a certain date. That’s one of the hardest things for people - to get started.”
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As for the contests, there are a few of them. One of them is naming the baby of Celine’s sister, Mia. The birth of the unnamed baby is set to happen in the fourth novel of the series. Another contest is for readers to submit their best Dragons of Nibiru-inspired artwork, which will be shared on Carleton’s website.
Carleton’s biggest inspirations, she says, are from her fans.
One of them is a 10-year-old boy named Shea, from 100 Mile House, who met Carleton outside a book signing in Kamloops. Another one is a nine-year-old girl from Prince George, who started doing paintings, drawings and sculptures inspired by Carleton’s series.
“They have a hotel and she had some of them on display and people are purchasing her artwork now,” said Carleton.
As for literary influences, she pinpointed Canadian author and founder of the Writers’ Trust of Canada, Margaret Laurence.
“She’s not a science fiction writer, and she’s passed on now, but her books were very, very real.”
The second book of the series, The Dragons of Earth, will be released on Nov. 15.
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