Several months ago, I got an email from author Kaza Kingsley. Kaza wanted to know if I would be willing to read two of her books for review. At first, I hesitated. Kaza's books, Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye and Erec Rex: The Monsters of Otherness, are fantasy novels written primarily for young adults. I am not a big fan of fantasy; I haven't even read a Harry Potter book (GASP!). However, I am so glad I agreed to read these books!

Erec is a young boy unsure about his past. As he struggles with his identity, he finds himself in a magical world competing for the role of king. Throughout both novels, Erec faces great challenges as he fights against the evil forces surrounding him and the selfish desires within himself. I found myself cheering for Erec, and I look forward to his continuing journey in book three.

Kaza kicked off her blog tour this week, and I was able to ask her some questions about her series and her work.

Lauren: What is your target age for the Erec Rex series?

Kaza: Ages ten and up. I actually wrote the books so that adults could enjoy them as well as kids. There are things that only adults may recognize, but at the same time, they are okay for kids to read. That’s one of the great things about writing fantasy. It can appeal to so many ages at once. I’ve had a lot of adults buy the book for their aunt or mother that likes fantasy! I also hope that the wide age range will make it work well for parents that want to find something to read to their kids.

Lauren: What do you like best about writing for kids?

Kaza: I think there is no better audience to write for than children. Their enthusiasm amazes me constantly. I get so many letters and emails signed, “Your number one fan.” They’ll say they’ve read the books ten times or more! I mean, adults just don’t get that excited about adult fiction, usually! It’s funny though, there are a lot of adults that get really excited about YA fantasy. I like to think it’s because kid lit brings out the kids in all of us! Beyond this, kids are so aware of the little details in books they read. (And so are the adults whose “kid side” has come out.) It’s fun to put little puzzles and clues in my writing – I know they won’t be overlooked!

Lauren: What do you like most about visiting with kids in schools?

Kaza: When I go to schools I usually read from one of my books, talk about what it’s like to be an author, and how the kids can get their creativity “in shape,” show them a lot of pictures / slides. But my favorite part is the end. I love to do an exercise with the kids where we build our own fantasy world together. The ideas they come up with are so creative, and sometimes so funny! If I wasn’t overwhelmed with so many of my own ideas for stories, it would be a great source of inspiration. I’d encourage anyone with writers block to go talk to a bunch of kids!

Lauren: What advice do you like to give children?

Kaza: Kids are so full of potential. I like to remind them of all the kids now that have published books – as kids! Chris Paolini was fifteen when he wrote Eragon. There is a book out now called “Sword Birds,” by Nancy Yi. She wrote it when she was eleven! She’s now thirteen – and I was so excited to see her book on the shelf – it looked great! And there is a talented young author named Kaleb Nation who just got an agent. He’s nineteen now, and wrote his fantasy novel from ages fifteen to seventeen! I like to remind kids (and adults!) that our futures are only as great as our dreams. If we push ourselves we can really do so much. Writing is like any form of exercise. It takes practice, and it’s wonderful to see your ability grow as you work.

Lauren: Did you always want to be an author? (see the very cute picture of little Kaza below. Perhaps it was taken during her veterinarian stage.) :)

Kaza: Pretty much, yes. I went through times where I wanted to do other things – be a veterinarian, an artist, the usual things kids go through. But I’d keep coming back to author. I guess I just love playing with words!

Lauren: What are your favorite books from childhood?

Kaza: I loved the Wizard of Oz series, by L. Frank Baum. There are 14 books in the series. Dorothy goes back to Oz and meets more friends there. Baum was so creative in the ways that new characters “found” or arrived in Oz. I still love to go back and look at my old Oz books at times!

Lauren: I know Erec is loosely based on Hercules and his twelve tasks. Are there other characters based in mythology?

Kaza: There are! The three rulers of the Kingdoms of the Keepers are King Piter, Queen Posey, and King Pluto. King Piter is taken from JuPITER, from ancient Rome, ruler of Olympia (like Piter rules Alypium!) Queen Posey is from POSEiden, Roman ruler of the seas (Posey rules underwater Ashona.) And King Pluto is from … Pluto – Roman god of the Underworld. My Pluto rules over Aorth, an underground empire. There are so many characters with mythological tie-ins! Janus, the man in Book Two who lets people through to Al’s Well, is from ancient Rome, too. He was a guardian of doorways. Balor (a not-so-nice kid in my series) was the name of a nasty guy from Celtic mythology. He had one eye, and a glace from him would turn people to stone! I thought that went perfectly with the “eye” theme going in the series!

I really enjoyed these books; perhaps you would too! From a former teacher's perspective, these books are great just for fun, but they would also be useful as an enjoyable tie-in with a mythology unit as well. If you are interested in the Erec Rex series, please use these links.

Kaza Kingsley's blog

The Erec Rex Website

An excerpt from Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye (Book One)



An excerpt from Erec Rex: The Monster's of Otherness (Book Two)



If you have any questions for Kaza, feel free to ask them in the comments. She will be dropping by, and she would be happy to answer. Happy Reading!

Labels: Books, Children's Books