Update Nov. 8: The author visit has been canceled due to health issues.

“I think it’s kind of nice to hear a published author, to hear the process of writing and how you get a book published. It’s interesting to hear that from someone else,” librarian Nichole Ballard-Long said.

On Nov. 9, 2021, Lafayette will be hosting Rosaria Munda, author of Fireborne and Flamefall. This author visit will take place in the Theater. In order to attend, students must get permission from their 2nd Hour teachers to be excused from 9:10 to 9:59 a.m. 

Munda is the author of the Aurelian Cycle trilogy, a story that follows eight classmates forced to battle each other for the title of Firstrider. She has published the first two novels, Fireborne and Flamefall, and plans on releasing the third and final book of the trilogy, Furysong, in 2022. 

“I really liked that she has a lot of political intrigue into the fantasy world and that there are a lot of dragons. I feel like dragons are not done a lot in young author fantasy. At least [not] very well,” sophomore Audrey Zeck said. Zeck will be introducing the author at the visit alongside her peer, sophomore Sonya Sud.

Although Munda is currently a published author, she originally studied political theory at Princeton University. With her historical background, Munda is able to accurately reference historic literature.

“A lot of the stuff in her books has ties to classic pieces of literature. She talks about the references she makes to classic pieces of literature, [like] Homer and that kind of stuff,” Ballard-Long said.

In addition to the author’s presentation, Munda will be participating in a writers workshop, where she will guide students through the creative writing process and eat lunch with students. 

Students are excited about the author’s visit because they will be able to experience a writer’s thought process and see the story through the author’s eyes. 

“It’s really fun to see authors because most of the time when you read books, you only get to read what the author has written, but now we get to see what the author is like in-person,” sophomore Elizabeth Rattenborg said.

Ballard-Long is excited for students to have the opportunity to listen to a published author and understand where they are coming from. She believes the experience will have a positive impact on students who enjoy reading and writing.

“I think it’s a cool opportunity for kids who are readers and writers to hear from somebody different, an expert in the field, especially a first-time writer,” Ballard-Long said.