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<\/p>\nYoung Milpitas authors and siblings Nyssa (10) and Atharv (13) Bagotra have written and published their first book, \u201cMaya Brooks and the Land of Fire and Ice,\u201d which is available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle formats.<\/p>\n
Nyssa is a 5th-grader attending Curtner Elementary School and Atharv is an 8th-grader attending Thomas Russell Middle School.<\/p>\n
A fantasy-adventure novel set in Iceland, the book follows its main character Maya and her brother Theo through a string of challenges set in a land of elves and magic. Along their journey, the pair learns about the country\u2019s folklore and mystical secrets while also saving their ancestors.<\/p>\n
Nyssa said in an interview with The Milpitas Beat, \u201cWe started off with a simple idea to make something big and meaningful. And after talking and sharing ideas a lot, we chose Iceland as a setting for our story because it has really cool landscapes and history and folklore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not only did they do a lot of research on Iceland, they actually got to visit the country on a family vacation. Atharv explained to The Beat how seriously elves are taken in Iceland, telling a story about an old elf rock situated in an area where they wanted to build a new road. The Icelanders hold elves in such high regard that they actually built the road around the rock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nyssa added, \u201cIn Iceland, 90% of the people actually believe in elves.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Though this is their first book project, the siblings have worked as collaborators before. Atharv said, \u201cWe have worked on other projects together. We\u2019ve done a lot of entries in the STEAM Showcase together. We\u2019ve done some fundraisers together, and we\u2019ve done this thing called Odyssey of the Mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
The duo\u2019s book-writing process was a side-by-side endeavor. Whereas some writing teams pass the work back and forth, they worked on every page as a pair. Atharv explained, \u201cEvery part of the way, we were just both doing it together. We started off on a plain document, we displayed it on the TV screen, we both sat down, and we just went through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nodding, Nyssa said, \u201cI remember we were staying up late editing our book.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the end, \u201cMaya Brooks and the Land of Fire and Ice\u201d totaled around 300 pages and between 50,000 and 60,000 words. It first landed on Amazon back in February.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Regarding future endeavors, Nyssa said, \u201cWe\u2019ve had ideas for other places that we\u2019ve visited, but we\u2019re still discussing the ideas and we\u2019re unsure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Atharv shared that they have also visited Japan, Spain, and Australia on other family vacations, so they are discussing where to send their fictional counterparts next.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for the book\u2019s message? Atharv stated it as follows: \u201cYou should continue believing in yourself. Maya, in the book, and her brother Theo, they faced a lot of challenges on their pathway to go reunite with the elves. They didn\u2019t just stop after one challenge. I think the message would be to keep persevering.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sounding a philosophical note, Nyssa said that Maya\u2019s actions in the book show that \u201cThe right choice is a little bit harder than the easier one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair are big fans of the \u201cPercy Jackson\u201d and \u201cHarry Potter\u201d books, and love how those stories\u2019 authors create their own magical worlds. Likewise, they drew inspiration from those sagas\u2019 use of suspense and cliffhangers.<\/p>\n