Today I am delighted to introduce the author of a fun kids' fantasy adventure, Nikki Bennett! Nikki is the author of Four Fiends, which I reviewed here. Nikki has agreed to come by and tell us about the inspiration behind her book. Without further ado. . .
About the Book
Title: Four Fiends (The Countdown), 2nd Edition
Author: Nikki Bennett
Publication Date: February 16, 2014 (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Independent: Firedrake Books LLC
Pages: 215
Recommended Ages: 8+
Summary: The Four Guardians of the world have gone missing. They’ve been kidnapped by some of the most diabolical fiends that ever existed. Now, four misfit kids from different parts of the world must band together to save the Guardians. Along the way, they learn to work together, as they confront and conquer their deepest fears.
Purchase
Amazon | Barnes and Noble
THE MYTHOLOGICAL INSPIRATION BEHIND “FOUR FIENDS”
By Nikki Bennett
FOUR FIENDS came about because I’m a mythology freak. But for most of my life, I only knew one kind of mythology: Greek. But, as the saying goes (or is paraphrased by me) a writer cannot live on Greek mythology alone.When we moved to Japan in 2008, I flung myself into Asian mythology and culture. I lucked out, because our little military magazine here at Iwakuni was desperate for writers willing to explore Japan and write about its traditions. And, it helps to have a Japanese mother-in-law who knows EVERYTHING about Japanese history, and a husband who is also a history nut and who loves exploring. So FOUR FIENDS really came about because I opened my horizons to another culture.
And not just one culture. We explored China and Hong Kong too. I’d been to Italy and Rome before, and although I’d LOVE to get to the South Pacific, I’ve at least hoofed around Oahu and explored Bali down in Indonesia. So most of the places the kids visit in FOUR FIENDS (even some specific spots, like Jinjing’s “cave” in Hong Kong, Saburo’s favorite beach spot in Japan and Pietro’s crumbled old church in Italy) are places I’ve visited and explored. So, they all found their place in this book.
Oddly enough, the one place in this book I HAVEN’T been to (besides the top of Mt. Olympus) is the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. Whenever I get back to the US, that’s one place I’ll have to visit, since a good portion of the book takes place there.
The follow-up to FOUR FIENDS, which is called THREE TREASURES and will be released this fall by Firedrake Books, LLC, explores more exotic countries and mythologies, but it is centered in Japan and follows the kids’ adventures as they rescue the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan. While they’re at it, they get to Bhutan, India, Jamaica, and Petra in Jordan (which I haven’t been to yet, but REALLY want to get to).
Eventually, there’ll be four books in this series. I can’t wait to explore other countries so I can incorporate them into these stories! Now the only question is: where to go next? Egypt? Easter Island? Australia? Machu Picchu? The possibilities are endless! But wherever my travels take me, I’m sure to discover wonderful fables and incredible cultures, and by weaving them into these books, I hope I can give kids a sense of a planet larger than their own hometown—a world full of beauty, mystery, that’s just waiting for their exploration.
####
The Buzz
"This was one of the most entertaining reads for the whole family we have found in a long time. The characters are very believable, and I am always a sucker for heroes that have to find their way. The reading is very fluid and easily understood by the little kids when read aloud (sounds silly but anyone trying to do this will tell you it's not as easy a thing to achieve as it sounds) and the kids all seem to enjoy the story. The history is easily accessible even without a lot of research or background knowledge. The kids are very motivated to research and learn more on their own because this story has captured their interest. I already have many home learning lessons in mind using this book and have begun developing them with my kids. I think this is a book that will be found in classrooms very soon! Great job! I'm looking forward to more soon!!!" ~ 5 Star Review, Mariah W., Amazon
"Excellent read in and of itself, and provides excellent, character-building source material for reading to youngsters. The characters are well written and realistic, and the storyline is cleverly written and intelligent." ~ 5 Star Review, Alia K., Amazon
"Fantastic read. I loved the characters in this book so much that I re-read to my 9 year old after finishing it. I highly recommend this book for anyone that likes stories about adventure and believing in yourself." ~ 5 Star Review, Keith, Amazon
About the Author: Nikki Bennett
Nikki Bennett is an author and world traveler currently living in Japan. She loves traveling, and incorporates all the culture and folklore she can from the countries she visits into her stories.
Nikki has two books out right now. Her first book, FOUR FIENDS is a MG fantasy adventure and her newest book, MUKADE ISLAND is a YA adventure/fantasy (think Lord of the Flies meets LOST, it it was set on a different world!)
Find out all about Nikki's books at www.worldofnikki.com
Website | Author Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Four Fiends Blog Tour Schedule (2014)
May 1May 2
May 3
May 4
May 5
May 6
May 7
May 8
May 9
May 10
May 11
May 12
May 13
May 14
* Blog Tour Giveaway *
Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)
Contest ends: May 31, 11:59 pm, 2014
Open: Internationally
How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Nikki Bennett and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is also Kid Lit Blog Hop time, so hop around to see what else is up!
Thanks Rebecca! I enjoyed writing the guest blog. And I am TOTALLY envious of you going to Machu Picchu--but I'll get there some day! :D Have fun!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to have you come by! Cute new cover, BTW, though I liked the old one a lot!
DeleteI'm super-jealous of both of you!! Rebecca, Machu Picchu? I've been wanting to go there for about 15 years! Nikki, I'm with you on the mythology piece - I also started out with Greek mythology but I also loved Egyptian mythology in particular (close second). Egypt is also one place I'd love to visit. One day!!! Thanks so much for hosting Nikki in the Four Fiends Blog Tour Rebecca.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Renee! I'm excited and a little nervous about Peru--we'll be going places that are at very high altitude!
DeleteAlways fun to read the author's background to a story, thanks! It's definitely a wonderful thing to inspire kids to see a world beyond themselves- incorporating all the places you've been (and would like to go to) is such a wonderful way to do that.
ReplyDeleteI know I was inspired as a kid by stories about far distant places! Plus, the book is a real fun read!
DeleteThat's such a great interview. If we pooled our resources I bet we could cover a lot of these hot spots - but I still haven't been to Petra, either - I have the guidebook and nearly got there once... ditto the Galapagos. I love it when people include places they've been to in their books... little caves, marshes, forests ;)
ReplyDeletePS Machu Picchu isn't that high - Cusco is another matter :D
I would love to see Petra, too!
DeleteThe altitude at Machu Picchu or even Cusco doesn't worry me. By that time we'll be fully acclimatized. I'm worried about the first part of our trip, where we'll be trekking to over 16,000' in the Cordillera Blanca! About 2000' higher than the highest I've gone, and close to 4000' over the boys' highest point.
I love mythology. Sounds like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, Rebecca!
I can't take any credit for the interview--Nikki just sent me a lovely guest post all ready-made, so I could take a little break!
DeleteThanks so much for sharing this with the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
ReplyDelete-Katie {KLBH Hostess}
I am so excited to read a book with Japanese mythology! My kids are 1/4 Japanese. Thanks for sharing at the Kid Lit Blog Hop!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found it! Nikki's book is a really good story, as well as having the mythology from different cultures. Your kids will like it!
Delete