Welcome to fanatical surfer and climate change fiction author, Nikki Lewen!
Nikki Lewen was a secretive writer. Something
she did when alone. Something kept private. It wasn’t until the publication of
her first book in the Three Sisters Trilogy that she
exposed a hidden aptitude for the written word. With that exposure, came
accolades. She received the Readers’ Favorite 5 Stars Award and (Pre-Covid) was
featured at the National John Steinbeck Center—to a sold-out crowd!
Besides a fondness for writing, Nikki
maintains an active lifestyle and is usually found outdoors—if you know when
and where to look. She splits her
time living between two remote and distinctively different locations. Neither
of which make staying connected easy. In one, she resides in a small cabin
nestled among the redwoods of Coastal California. This is where her trilogy
was born and brought to life.
When not among the trees and giant
ferns, Nikki can be found south of the U.S. border happily residing in a small
fishing village. The oceanside pueblo she also calls home doesn't even have
power in the traditional sense. The town runs a generator for certain
hours each day to supply the needed electricity.
Eco-minded in all matters, Nikki
strives for a zero-waste lifestyle, finding pure joy knowing her fictional
trilogy inspires those who before didn’t consider a greener path. Nikki is
also a fanatic surfer who spends countless hours out in the waves.
Her husband often jokes that “if I want to see me wife, I have to paddle out.”
Although this often gets a laugh from others, he’s deadly serious.
Website and links to Amazon Author
page.
https://www.nikkilewen.com
https://www.amazon.com/author/nikkilewen
What is your latest release?
My latest release was Three
Sisters Destined, the highly-anticipated final installment of the Three
Sisters Trilogy. It was released in August of 2020 and very well
received! Here’s an excerpt from an exemplary editorial review:
“Nikki Lewen closes the Three
Sisters Cli-Fi (Climate-Change Fiction) trilogy in bold style with Destined—Sadie
Larkin's last stand for sustainable survival in the post-Ender world. While
the apocalyptic approach may not seem new, Lewen succeeds in her message where
others get lazy—in her line-by-line, a clean yet textured syntax with strong
dialogue—creating vivid characters battling for earth-and-self in a hostile
world that feels very real.”
“…For, with Sadie Larkin—her
intelligence, her cunning, her bow—Lewen has created what some term the 'code
hero' for this third-wave of feminism, Sadie's strengths and struggles
metaphoric for the sustainability mindset of this new- and ever-needed surge in
female geopolitical influence.”
*Use this link to access the full
editorial review.
https://6d027df5-81a2-4003-98d3-7639b10f8371.filesusr.com/ugd/693b06_bc262f49b48e45289a1541095ba86931.pdf
What are you working on now?
Currently, I am on hiatus from
writing—at least books. But I have been
journaling, doing guest blogs, and writing lots of reviews for other authors. This
past year, my focus has been on the marketing aspect of authorship, which many
of us don’t really enjoy. I’ve also created and launched my own website. Not to
brag, but I also set a new personal daily sales record. Over 400 books went out
on the 4th of July!
I’m also reading. Lots. Actually,
I’ve become quite a greedy reader, devouring any and all books I can get my
hands on, especially fiction. While writing the Three Sisters Trilogy,
I took a sabbatical from reading to prevent any influence over my work. Now
that my trilogy is complete, all I want to do is read!
But… Don’t fret. Fans keep reaching
out. More writing is definitely in my future.
Was there a person who encouraged you
to write?
There was never any one person who
specifically encouraged me to write, besides subject-specific instructors during
my schooling. I was however, encouraged to read by an aunt who kept me supplied
with fantasy fiction and sci-fi series all through my grade school and middle
school years. It’s definitely the origin of my love affair with fiction.
It might be strange to say, but I
felt I had no choice in writing the Three Sisters Trilogy. The
story, characters, and settings came to me in vivid detail. I always knew that the
story of Sadie Larkin—the brave heroine of Three Sisters—was a trilogy. I knew
where each book would start and end. I’d wake up with dialogues running through
my brain. Complete scenes would materialize. I couldn’t turn it off. That
is…until, I’d written and shared it.
What would you say are your strengths
as an author?
Creativity! I love being able to
write what I want, when I want, and how I want. I see blank pages and screens
as total freedom!
How often do you write, and do you
write using a strict routine?
I write whenever I can, nothing too
strict. While writing the Three Sisters Trilogy, I was a
full-time teacher and multi-sport coach. I’d get up early to
write for about an hour before work, squeeze in a few segments during my
breaks, and then, often late into the night. Now that I’m retired, I write
whenever and wherever the mood hits me!
With all this said, though, I do
typically have a “writing season.” It begins in the winter months as the days
shorten and I’m forced to surf less. (I’m an avid surfer—to say the least!)
Then my writing season peeks and cumulates during the NCAA March Madness College
Basketball Tournament. At this time, my husband has no qualms when I’m dialed
into the laptop, mindless to my surroundings. He gets nonstop college hoop
action and I get uninterrupted segments of writing, game after game. It’s a win-win.
Five years from now, where do you see
yourself as a writer?
Five years from now, I’ll have
traveled further, surfed more, learned, loved, and prepared for the next decade
of adventure. Might even have another book or two out ;)
Three Sisters Trilogy
Could you survive a global
catastrophe and the uprising of ruthless militants? Sadie Larkin does. After a
decade of isolation and solitude, everything changes when Sadie discovers she’s
no longer alone. With an inner strength and the means and training to help, she
sets out on a mission to save those she can and protect the ones she now calls
family. But can this uncommonly courageous woman be the catalyst for sustainable
survival in a devastated and cruel new world?
Books of Three Sisters
Trilogy include:
THREE SISTERS: A TALE OF SURVIVAL
Three Sisters Trilogy Book 1
If you run into a survivor, they’ll tell you about the day the Enders crashed upon the world’s shores.
Sadie Larkin survived. She escaped the global catastrophe and violent chaos by venturing back to her childhood home in the old growth forest in the mountains by the sea. She dug in deep among the fallen redwoods and those that still stood.
Solitude. Survival. Ten years hunting. Ten years of unanswered questions.
With fate on her side, Sadie runs into someone from her past. He’s been badly beaten, lies unconscious and is nearly dead. Through this man, she learns the horrible truth—the Splitter Nation has arrived. And they’re on her front doorstep!
Sadie grabs her bow—and ends up saving much more than just one man.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QWFG4MK/
RETURN TO THREE SISTERS
Three Sisters Trilogy Book 2
The Splitter Nation has built a new base on the Isle of Big Sur to mold abducted children into soldiers for their army.
But as long as Sadie Larkin still has her crossbow, they've got an enemy.
Sadie commandeers a ship and recruits a team of commandos and civilians to breach the island and fight for good in a world of evil. She battles with wit and bow to free the children of the Isle of Big Sur.
But the fiercest warrior in the Splitter army, the female who commands men, stands in Sadie's way.
Will Sadie find the strength to defeat the Commander and stop the Splitter Nation from destroying all light in the new world?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SBGN5RB/
THREE SISTERS DESTINED
Three Sisters Trilogy Book 3
Sadie Larkin has relocated survivors from the Yosemite Colony to a new life on Three Sisters. She’s rescued the firsties from becoming child soldiers at the Isle of Big Sur. She’s saved women and men alike from the abuses of the Post-Ender world, offering hope for justice and a pathway to peace. But she’s not done yet!
The evil Splitter Nation must be stopped, once and for all!
Armed with wits and her bow, Sadie and her team of soldiers and civilians are trained and ready for their final act of courage. Even the Nation’s fiercest warrior—the bold and enigmatic Commander—now fights by her side.
Sadie has a plan and the means to see it through. But it’s not going to be easy to defeat President X and the last stronghold of the Splitter Nation.
Will Sadie Larkin finally be able to end injustice—and fulfill her destiny to free the New World?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FF8SFDS/
