D.K. Zier

DK Zier

March 2, 2027:
The Urban Legend
of the Gold Key

“A magical coming-of-age story that everyone will love.”

—Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews

About the Book

About the Author

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DK ZierOn her tenth birthday, Deanna made a secret wish to understand the mysteries of love, angels, and ghosts. At the end of each decade, she attempts to answer her childhood desire in creative writing.Graduating with high marks from Emerson College with an MFA in Popular Fiction and Publishing, Deanna received a merit-based scholarship for her short story Evergreen.She is an advocate for animals and nature. Part of her life was spent in the business world, but she continued her love of dance and literature.Kōlīliko is her Hula Hawaiian name meaning "to sparkle."Contact DK ZierPublicity: Books Forward

Get to Know DK Zier

Dancer of Hula and ballet.
Yes, she was a teen in the 80s!
Admire the passion of artists, musicians, and writers.

Collector of shells, journals, and gems.
Left an executive MBA program to pursue creative writing.
A supporter of animal welfare.

Introvert by nature and an extrovert out of necessity.
Fan of Hawaiian culture and world cultures.
Writes under a pen name.

Contact

For Publicity Requests, Please Contact

Literary/Publicity Contact
Ellen Whitfield
Books Forward
Email: ellen@booksforward.com
https://booksforward.com

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The Urban Legend of the Gold Key

Young Adult Paranormal Mystery; March 2, 2027; SWP
Distribution by Simon & Schuster

No social media, no internet, just your instincts and chance encounters—life played out in real time. Welcome to the '80s.

Cate Smith Cruz, an aspiring pop musician, is drawn to the mysterious things in life, such as the existence of ghosts, the complexity of love, and the power of creativity. Junior year at Merrick High is about promising prospects of forever friends, a breakout band, and finding one’s place. Instead, friendships are tested, secrets fall into the wrong hands, and forces threaten her family after she inadvertently wins a music award, a gold key with alleged magic. Unknowingly, Cate breaks the queen bee’s unspoken rules, casting her as a living dead. She plays a forbidden piano to escape trials and learns how music can resurrect the past and foretell the future. Somehow, music will guide Cate through the chaos, becoming Merrick High’s urban legend—an underdog story of overcoming obstacles in a power hungry world.

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“Zier explores classic coming-of-age themes like bullying, parental loss, and sexuality with empathy and a heartening faith in the power of music and connection.”

—BookLife Reviews, Editor’s Pick

“Music helps a newcomer rise above her circumstances in the engaging paranormal novel The Urban Legend of the Gold Key, which is full of teenage mishaps and magic.”

—Foreword Clarion Reviews

“Zier has crafted relatable characters… Overall, young adults will enjoy this engaging story with a paranormal twist.”

—Blueink Reviews

“Zier created a believable world and made sure readers were hooked right from the beginning. The Urban Legend of the Gold Key is a magical coming-of-age story that everyone will love.”

—Readers’ Favorite 5-Star, Rabia Tanveer

“A coming of age whose story heart is opened by a musical key, this book will leave you with bittersweet nostalgia for the era its set in.”

—Toby Neal, USA Today best-selling author of the Paradise Crime Mysteries

“An otherworldly tale set in the bold, cultural shifting 1980s, where music and fashion intertwine to shape identity and social change that will leave readers entranced and believing in music’s raw power and magical possibility.”

—Heather Cumiskey, author of The Sooner I Go

“D.K. Zier’s debut novel The Urban Legend of the Gold Key is an authentic and heartfelt story of self-discovery and the power of creativity.”

—Jean Gordon Kocienda, President of the California Writers Club and author of Girl in a Box: A Novel

“D.K. Zier seamlessly weaves together mystery, music, and the supernatural in this heartfelt coming-of-age novel …The Urban Legend of the Gold Key reminds us that music inspires hope and connects us to one another—revealing the unseen world quietly unfolding amid the ordinary.”

—Jill Fordyce, author of Belonging

“Music plays from every page! Cate Cruz 24/7 never stops experiencing music, either through her band or an 80’s hit song or an otherworldly piano that will heal the earth. The Urban Legend of the Gold Key is a lyrical, haunting novel of surprises, friendship, ghosts and dreams— all fantastic elements that alchemize into pure gold.”

—Gina Lewis, bookseller, Pegasus Books