Geek of the Week: Children’s Book Author Katie Reed

By Candy Keane | Geek Mamas on June 20, 2020 • ( 1 Comment )

Our Geek of the Week this round is Katie Reed, a children’s book author with a love of fantasy that led her to create her own book series starring a wizard and a lizard who get into magical mischief and learn valuable lessons in the end.

1) Please introduce yourself:

Hello! My name is Katie Reed, I am the author of the Wizard and the Lizard, and Wizard and the Lizard: Wacky Weather. My books are available on Amazon and I have free printable coloring sheets that go with my books on my website: https://www.katiereedauthor.com/

2) What do you geek out on?

I love all things fantasy! My all time favorite movies are the Lord of the Rings trilogy. My favorite show is Game of Thrones, and I also really love The Witcher on Netflix (as well as the video game).

My husband and I play Dungeons and Dragons on a weekly basis! We love playing Dungeons and Dragons with our friends and have been playing for years! We have to play online right now due to the pandemic, but we usually play in person with our group.

I also love to read! My favorite book series (that hasn’t been turned into a TV show or movie) has to be The Throne of Glass series by Sara J. Maas. I am obsessed with that series!

3) Marvel or DC? and Why?

I’d probably have to say Marvel, or my husband would be so sad! My favorite superhero would probably have to be Venom… which I know isn’t technically a marvel movie, but the character is from Marvel Comics.

4) Star Wars or Star Trek? and Why?

Star Wars. I have never seen Star Trek…and I’m a little behind on the current Star Wars movies. I’m kind of a disappointing sci-fi fan right now…

5) Favorite video game now, or as a kid, or both if you are a long-time gamer.

My favorite video game growing up, was the Sims. But as an adult I really enjoyed Dragon Age, Mass Effect and The Witcher!

6) Were you a geeky kid or did you come into it later in life?

I have always been a geek! When I was a kid I read all the Harry Potter books as they came out and went to all the Harry Potter midnight premieres. I also fell in love with the Lord the of Rings series in late elementary school/ middle school when the movies came out. I saw the Two Towers nine times at the movie theatre and Return of the King five times in theaters.

7) Do you have kids and if so, are they into geeky stuff too?

I have one son, who is 14 months… But most of the books he likes to read involve dragons. So I hope he becomes a nerd one day! 🙂

8) Have you ever cosplayed as a favorite character?

My favorite cosplay probably has to be Patty Mayonnaise because it was so simple and comfortable! But another fun cosplay I did, was just a Dungeons and Dragons type elf. A fun fact, is that I’m actually cosplaying as an elf in my author photo… and Sean Astin is actually in that picture too! (see pic above!)

9) To me, The Wizard and Lizard books make me think of one of my favorite Saturday Morning Cartoons, Dungeons and Dragons. What inspired you to create these two characters as a Wizard and Lizard duo?

Oh my gosh, I love that you think of Dungeons and Dragons when you think of my book! But my inspiration for the main character, the wizard, came mostly from Gandalf but also from Dumbledore. I always loved how Gandalf and Dumbledore made me feel safe as a kid. When my mom passed away as a young teenager, I always found comfort with Gandalf’s wise words about control (or lack of). I wanted my main character to teach lessons and bring children comfort, like I found comfort in Gandalf. I knew I wanted the wizard to have a sidekick, and since my book rhymes, a lizard came to mind right away! And the more I thought about a wizard and a lizard duo, the more inspiration I got for the books!

10) Are you working on anything right now you’d like to share?

I have two more Wizard and the Lizard books in rough draft form. I am currently doing revisions and editing them. Hopefully I can have my artist start on one of them soon, and a third one will be released early next year.