Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Ciera Burch!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Ciera Burch
Ciera Burch is a lifelong writer and ice cream aficionado. She has a BA from American University and an MFA from Emerson College. She is the author of middle-grade novels Finch House and Camp Twisted Pine and the young adult novels Something Kindred and Out of Step, Into You. Her fiction has appeared in The American Literary Magazine, Underground, Five Points, Stork, and Blackbird. Her work was also chosen as the 2019 One City One Story read for the Boston Book Festival. While she is originally from New Jersey, she currently resides in Washington, DC, with her stuffed animals, plants, and far too many books. Visit Ciera at CieraBurch.com.
About the Book: Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away
A middle schooler navigates the challenges of feeling invisible—literally and figuratively—as she comes to terms with her asexual identity in this poignant speculative novel perfect for fans of Ellie Engel Saves Herself and Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone.
Seventh grade has just started, but Olivia Gray already knows this year is different. Her brother ignores her for his crush, and all her friends talk about is who likes who, something Olivia has never cared about—even when Robbie, the most popular boy in school, asks her to the fall formal. After unknowingly rejecting him, Olivia goes viral on the social app KruShh. As the chatter about Robbie and dating grows, Olivia starts to feel left out to the point of feeling invisible—literally.
Seen only by her new librarian and a friendly kid named Jules, Olivia flickers in and out of sight whenever the topic of romance comes up. As she begins to realize she might be asexual, Olivia struggles to actually use the label because of the negative perception behind it. All she wants is to be normal, but can she really fit in without disappearing completely?
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away?
In a lot of ways, my entire life was that initial spark of inspiration, I suppose. For so long, every time someone asked me about dating, I simply had other priorities. For most of my life, it was school. Then college. Then grad school. When I finally finished decades of schooling, I realized that school wasn’t just my priority—it was an excuse, and a good one. Without it, I had to sit with myself and ask why hadn’t I bothered dating anyone? Why was I really so indifferent to it? I’d already done a lot of soul searching once when it came to figuring out my identity, and sometime in 2023, when I got jokingly labeled ‘ace-coded’ by my Dungeons and Dragons group for some things I offhandedly said, I realized it might be time to do a little more introspection.
YABC: What scene in Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away are you most proud of, and why?
I’m proud of so many scenes! But if I had to pick just one, it would probably be Olivia’s book club scene. It was a scene that both came naturally and one that took a lot of revision to get it how I wanted it. It’s an emotional moment for Olivia, unexpectedly, and I think that it really gets to the core of how she’s feeling, something that can be very relatable—uncertainty about who she is and what her life might look like in the future because of it. She so desperately wants to fit in, like we all do at any age, and that can only make things harder.
YABC: What research did you do to write Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away?
So much research! A lot of it was for myself and figuring out an identity that I found fit me, but that research helped for a foundation for OLIVIA GRAY as a book, and Olivia as a character. There was a lot of research into ace-spec identities, asexual and aromantic definitions and all the terms umbrella’d under them. I also had to look up the specifics of Aasimar, in Dungeons and Dragons.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
Dungeon Club: Final Face Off by Molly Knox Ostertag. I love Molly’s work but this series, especially, is such a comfort series for me. I wish all the time that I had discovered D&D as a kid, since it’s now my favorite thing next to books, and this series makes me feel like I did.
YABC: If you could only write one genre for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Oh, man. Probably a good speculative fiction. It’s rooted in reality and our ‘real’ world, most of the time, but you get to add the best spooky or strange moments that make you question reality. The best of both worlds to me, so to speak.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away?
The main message I’d like for readers to take away is that none of us are static. Just as much as the seasons or the world changes, so do we! And we shouldn’t be afraid to explore or embrace that change, even when it feels scary, like it’s shaking something fundamental in who we are. As long as we are honest with ourselves, and the people we love and trust, and aren’t hurting anyone, there is no ‘wrongness’ in who or how you are.
YABC: If you were able to meet them, would you be friends with your main character?
Absolutely. I think we share a lot of the same little anxieties, but plenty of the same joys, too. And I’d try my best to be there for her in ways I knows she needs.
YABC: What fandom would you write for if you had time?
Who says I don’t find time to write for fandoms? Ha! Hm, I’d love to write for one of my absolute favorite podcasts, Worlds Beyond Number. In the same vein, I’d love to write anything D&D! I’m a new fan and don’t know all the various lore, especially with campaigns being so personal to people, but I’d love to just write something. So, maybe I’ll say Baldur’s Gate 3, to be more specific.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
Yes! There are so many, especially now. Besides the ACLU, I’d say Authors Against Book Bans (AABB) and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF).
Title: Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away
Author: Ciera Burch
ISBN-13: 9781665972628
ISBN-10: 1665972629
On-sale date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Ages: 8-12
Grades: 3-7
~ Giveaway Details ~
Use the Rafflepress Form below to enter
*be sure to include complete mailing address for the second entry question to qualify to win*
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of Olivia Gray Will Not Fade Away (Ciera Burch) ~US Only (No P.O. Boxes)!
I’m excited to read this book. The cover is amazing.
The cover is pretty and I like what I read about the book. The author’s organizations at the end of the interview are interesting.
This one sounds so good!