An interview about the Kelcie Murphy series with Erika Lewis and The Children’s Book Review.
In this engaging interview, author Erika Lewis delves into the fascinating world of her Kelcie Murphy trilogy, a captivating middle-grade fantasy series rooted in Celtic mythology.
Lewis discusses her inspiration for the books, her creative process in blending modern and fantasy elements, and the development of her strong protagonist, Kelcie. She also shares insights into the series’ themes, including the nature vs. nurture debate, the importance of friendship, and the power of instinct. Lewis also touches on her worldbuilding techniques, the creation of magical creatures, and the messages she hopes readers will take away from the trilogy.
For fans of the series and aspiring fantasy writers alike, this interview offers a compelling glimpse into the mind behind the enchanting world of Kelcie Murphy.
Dr. Jen Harrison: Tell us a little bit about the inspiration for the trilogy. Why did you choose Celtic mythology as the foundation for the fantasy elements?
Erika Lewis (EL): I fell in love with Celtic mythology during my college years while studying in the London for a semester.
It’s filled with heroic figures on magical adventures in the human and otherworldly realms. The myths explore universal themes like bravery, friendship, loyalty, the battle between good and evil. When incorporated into children’s books the bring timeless lessons. And the mythical creatures baked in Celtic mythos are fodder for the imagination.
Kelcie develops into a strong and confident heroine, but she starts as a friendless orphan. Do you think her success comes from her early adversity experiences or heritage? In other words, are you telling a story about nature, nurture, or a bit of both?
(EL): Both. Kelcie’s early years in foster care for sure influenced her ability to make and keep friends. Constantly moving around from place to place, she became closed off because it hurt too much to make friends and then leave them. Additionally, she was a target for bullies because she was always the new kid in school, much like she was when she first came to the Academy. However, some of that was Kelcie’s nature too.
She’s tough, not just because of her circumstances, and self-confident. She never wanted to depend on anyone for anything. At the Academy she’s forced to depend on her classmates. In the first book, her fianna, in the second book, her fianna and another from the Lands of Winter, and in the third book, she’ll need to depend on all of them, and the entire student body at the Academy.
We love the way the story blends modern and fantasy elements. Was that hard to achieve when writing the book?
(EL): It was so much fun. I had maps all over my office’s walls, with color-coded categories for the Otherworld’s communication and transportation systems, different kinds of magical weapons—some from Irish mythology, some from my imagination, and who lived where—the various fantasy cultures. I wanted the Otherworld to have all the modern conveniences and more, but to feel fantastical.
Kelcie’s parents are hardly typical – are they based on real parents you have known? What was the inspiration for these two unusual characters?
(EL): LOL. They are hardly typical. A war goddess for a mother and a father in prison for betraying the Lands of Summer. I found this picture online:
It was the inspiration for Kelcie’s mother. She comes by her fury naturally. Her powers include filling soldiers on the battlefield with unbridled fury. But, when it comes to her daughter, she tries very hard to squash those instincts. She is the one who abandoned Kelcie in the human world, and the emotional repercussions of that drove the rocky relationship the two of them have in the story.
With her father, I wanted to develop the contrast between his bad reputation and who he was in “real” life. She had no memories of him initially, and so she believed everything everyone said about him. But then, after her memories return, after she receives a letter from him, she realizes he is one of the most giving, devoted people in the Otherworld. He made a mistake and has paid dearly for it.
If there is one thing you want readers to learn from reading the Kelcie Murphy trilogy, what is it and why?
(EL): When you’re told something that doesn’t sound right, to follow your instincts.
You include many notes about nomenclature at the end of the book, and this is one of the elements that really bring the world of the trilogy to life. How much of this is your invention, and how much is drawn from real Celtic mythology?
(EL): I separate out what is drawn from real Celtic mythology in the glossary in the back. Outside of that first section, it’s all my invention. The Fomorian language was quite a challenge. I’d never invented a language before. Many of the creatures were derivations of creatures in Celtic myths. I wanted to give them my own spin.
Kelcie and her friends are definitely warriors, but they also use a lot of other means to solve the problems they encounter, such as research and dialogue. What message about violence and force do you hope readers will take from the trilogy?
(EL): That violence is always a last resort. That building bridges is so much more productive than tearing them down, and the only way to do that it to talk to each other, rather than at each other.
Which is your favorite magical creature from the trilogy, and why?
(EL): Striker! I love him so much. He’s a cú sith, a fairy dog, with the heart of our golden retriever (Sadie.) This last book, what Striker goes through, nearly crushed me, but of course, I couldn’t leave it without a happy ending.
What other favorite fantasy school stories would you recommend to readers who have enjoyed the Kelcie Murphy books?
(EL): Wings of Fire series, by Tui T. Sutherland
The Seven Wonders series, by Peter Lerangis
The Storm Runner series, by J.C. Cervantes
What comes next – will you be writing any more fantasy novels?
(EL): Yes! I’m working on a new middle grade now, and also on a YA. No release date news yet.
About the Books
Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts
Written by Erika Lewis
Ages 8-12 | 336 Pages
Publisher: Macmillan/Starscape (2023) | ISBN-13: 9781250208262
Publisher’s Book Summary: A 2023 Teacher Favorites Winner (6th-8th Grade) for the Children’s Book Council
Brimming with Celtic mythology, action, and danger, Erika Lewis’s Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts introduces readers to a new kind of magical school and a warrior who must choose with which side of an epic battle her destiny will lie.
The Otherworld is at war. The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts trains warriors. And Kelcie Murphy―a foster child raised in the human world―is dying to attend.
A place at AUA means meeting Scáthach, the legendary trainer of Celtic heroes. It means learning to fight with a sword. It means harnessing her hidden powers and―most importantly―finding out who her parents are, and why they abandoned her in Boston Harbor eight years ago.
When Kelcie tests into the school, she learns that she’s a Saiga, one of the most ancient beings in the Otherworld. Secretive, shunned, and possessed of imposing elemental powers, the Saiga are also kin to the Otherworld’s most infamous traitor.
But Kelcie is a survivor, and she’ll do whatever it takes to find her parents and her place in their world. Even if that means making a few enemies.
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Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu
Written by Erika Lewis
Ages 8-12 | 432 Pages
Publisher: Macmillan/Starscape (2023) | ISBN-13: 9781250208323
Publisher’s Book Summary: Kelcie Murphy is back in another action-packed middle grade adventure, Kelcie Murphy and the Hunt for the Heart of Danu, the second book in Erika Lewis’s magical series infused with Celtic mythology, The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts.
It’s hard having a father who’s an infamous traitor. It’s even harder having a mother who’s an omen of doom.
After a summer away, Kelcie Murphy is excited to be back at the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts. But she and her friends have barely settled in when they receive a visit from her mother―the war goddess, Nemain―with a warning of coming calamity.
The Heart of Danu, the legendary source of all light and warmth in the Lands of Summer, is going to be stolen. And only Kelcie and her mates can stop it. As they travel with the rest of the students to Summer City to take part in the glorious Ascension Ceremony, Kelcie has no time for the military parade, the lavish ball, or even to visit her father: she’s determined to protect the Heart and her new home.
But the Lands of Summer are still not a welcoming place for Kelcie. When disaster strikes, the Queen, the High Guard, and even some of her schoolmates suspect Kelcie is to blame.
As the world is plunged into darkness, Kelcie will have to decide: does she keep fighting for a place that may always see her as a traitor’s daughter, or for a future greater than the war to come.
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Kelcie Murphy and the Race for the Reaper’s Key
Written by Erika Lewis
Ages: 8-12 | 384 Pages
Publisher: Macmillan/Starscape| ISBN-13: 978-1250208378
Publisher’s Book Summary: The epic and action-packed conclusion to the Kelcie Murphy series.
Monsters Rise. Enemies Gather. The Never-ending War rages on.
Kelcie Murphy and her friends are determined to stop the war, once and for all. But with monsters attacking the Lands of Summer and Winter, peace seems more out of reach than ever. And deep in the Abyss, an ancient evil, once thought defeated, is preparing an apocalyptic attack. There is only one person who can stop him: his heir, Kelcie herself.
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About the Author
Erika Lewis is the author of the Kelcie Murphy Series from Starscape, The Color of Dragons from HarperTeen, Game of Shadows from Tor Books, Firebrand from Legendary Comics, and more, many of which have been published around the world.
She grew up in Virginia before going off to Tennessee for school. While at Vanderbilt University, studying Math and Theatre, she spent a semester abroad, visiting haunted ruins and magical forests that would forever spark her imagination and leave behind an insatiable need to travel.
An internship at CNN led to exciting years working in television, developing scripted and reality shows for various studios and networks. Then, one day, Erika knew it was time for her to write on her own, to build fantastical worlds that stayed with her after every return from a trip, and also to play her part in inspiring the next generation of readers and writers.
For more information, visit erikalewis.com
This interview—Celtic Magic Meets Modern Fantasy: Erika Lewis on Her Kelcie Murphy Trilogy—was conducted between Erika Lewis and Dr. Jen Harrison.
