Buffalo, NY – Canisius University is proud to announce that Kira Rodriguez ’28, a first-year creative writing major and member of the All-College Honors program, will publish her debut novel, “A Spellbound Promise,” on October 5, 2024.
“I’ve always wanted to publish a book but I never thought I would this young,” says Rodriguez. “Thanks to all the support from my friends, family and high school teachers, I was able to make my dream a reality.”
“A Spellbound Promise” is a supernatural science fiction story set in the year 2036. The book follows Trinity Davis, an 18-year-old girl with a loving family and a bright future who gives both up for a mysterious cause. Driven by an alien book, she joins a group of missing people like herself, the Guardians of the Miraculous. Gifted with extraordinary abilities, the Guardians of the Miraculous swear to protect the secrets within the book as Trinity forms a dangerous bond with it. When the Guardians of the Miraculous' worst fear becomes reality, Trinity and her new-found family face an unimaginable threat.
“The idea came from a dream I had,” Rodriguez recalls. “I woke up one morning and thought it would make a good story so I wrote down everything I could remember. Now my silly dream is a novel.”
A Tonawanda native, Rodriguez discovered her passion for writing at a young age. “It’s always been my passion, but it took a little while to realize it,” she says. “As a kid, I wrote short stories for my little brother and before I knew it, my hobby became my passion.”
Rodriguez’s talent earned her the inaugural Hassett Family Creative Writing Scholarship at Canisius, a full-tuition award renewable for up to four years. The scholarship was established to support an incoming Canisius student who demonstrates exceptional promise as a creative writer. Rodriguez was selected based on her impressive writing sample, her outstanding high school record and compelling letters of recommendation.
“I honestly could not believe I received the scholarships,” she continues. “After I read the Email, I sat in my College Success Skills class sharing with tears in my eyes because I was so excited.”
“A Spellbound Promise” will be available on amazon.com. Fans of Rodriguez can follow her writing journey on Instagram (@kiras.writing.haven) and on her Facebook writing page.
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
