Author S. T. SANCHEZ: Interview with author Kandi Wyatt

Today I'd like to welcome Kandi Wyatt to the blog. Let's begin with you telling us a little about yourself.

The fact that I love cultures and languages and use them in my stories shouldn’t be surprising. In reality, I’m a blend of multiple cultures. I was born in Iowa along the Mississippi River, but at age four my family moved to the center of the state where we lived for another four years. When I was eight, my dad visited a seminary in Washington State and decided that’s where we would live while he went to school. I quickly adjusted, but there is still some residual Mid-western culture in me.

For the last thirty-four years, I’ve taught in some capacity or another. Currently, I teach junior high and high school students. I love my job, but I am so ready for summer break!

Summer break is the best. I work for a school also, and I am enjoying every minute of it.What got you into writing?

As a teenager, my sister and I would take Friday nights and write stories. By the time I was a junior in high school, I’d been chosen for a writer’s conference for teenagers. Like many of my hobbies, writing was put on hold due to college and then a young family. Seventeen years later, after reading a young adult book, I picked up writing again, only this time for my own kids.

That's amazing. It just shows it's never to late to do what you love. Will you share a short excerpt from your novel

An Unexpected Adventure

After a few more minutes of digging, the stone came free. Will wriggled it until we could get a grip underneath and lift it out. I really had my doubts we could pick it up; I was sure it’d weigh close to a hundred pounds or more. However, to my surprise, it came free and up without a hitch, absurdly light for its size.

“Should it be this light?” I squinted at the rock in our hands.

“I don’t know.” Will shrugged his shoulder.

Chace shifted his grip. “I’ve never seen a single rock this big before. But it should weigh more than this. I still say it’s an egg.”

I was beginning to believe him, but there were some good reasons to doubt it, too. “What bird’s this big, and how did it get here? We’re a long way from the game park.”

The game park was the closest thing to a zoo we had. They had wild animals and some pet deer, sheep, donkeys, geese, goats, and peacocks to feed. They even had an emu and an ostrich, but I still couldn’t imagine either one having an egg quite this size.

Chace shook his head. “I don’t know, but listen.” He took a free hand and tapped ever so gently on the surface.

It echoed hollowly. Before anyone could say anything, a second fainter tap came as if in reply.

“What in the world?” I exclaimed, jumping and almost dropping the thing.

“It’s an egg,” Chace said with firm conviction. “I don’t know what kind yet, but it’s an egg.”

“Wh-what do we do with it?” Will looked like he wanted to toss it in the ocean.

“We keep it.”

Both Will and Chace looked at me as if I had just turned down a shot at a five-point deer during hunting season. I don’t know what I was thinking, but suddenly a fierce desire to protect the creature inside came over me.

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

Wow! I have a long list of places I’d love to go. First on my list is Hyderabad, India. Our church supports an orphanage there, and I’d love to go visit and meet the kids face to face. From there, Ireland would be next on my list because I’ve traced my dad’s family to Ireland in the early 1800’s. I have no clue from there who my ancestor’s parents were or where he’s from, but it’d be fun to go explore. The list goes on from there just because they’re amazing places—I’d love to return to Ecuador and Peru, maybe visit Machu Pichu, see New Zealand and Australia, and New England.

I agree, there are so many amazing places in the world, it's hard to pick just one. Currently, what are you working on?

My work load is rather busy. I’m trying to get book three of Myth Coast Adventures out by September. It needs to go through proofreading and get its cover and illustrations.

I’ve sent an Ancient Egypt Biblical retelling through critique edits, and it’ll go to my editor next. I have book 2 of that series needing some good beta readers and adjustments. I’ll need to write book 3 yet.

However, in the process, I started what I thought would be a short story. It ended up being a full novel. It’s not finished, and I’m enjoying delving into a new world where a young stable boy is chosen to be a knight and travels partway around his world, meets kings, and eventually finds a new home.

I’ll be submitting a short story to an anthology. It’s part of Myth Coast Adventure and takes place between books 2 and 3. Karlie discovers a mysterious sword with powers that help her overcome her fears and push her to become a courageous person.

Wow, it looks like you have a lot on your plate. Two projects at a time is my limit. Tell us a little bit about your main characters.

Harley: is an eighth grader whose parents run one of two B&Bs in town. He loves to ride his bike around time, play video games, and run both cross-country and track. He’s loyal and vows to protect Steria, the dragon they find.

Will: This truly is my favorite character of the series. He appears in all three books and grows and blossoms from a quiet kid who’s worried about money for his parents to a confident teen who’s able to take on responsibilities of a small business and help a friend in need of moral support.

Chace: If you envision rural Oregon, Chace is it. He wears logging suspenders, a hat, and Carhart jeans. His dream is to be a logger like his dad. Life up Myrtle River on a farm is quiet and the perfect place for him to keep Steria.

Cherise: The main girl in An Unexpected Adventure is carefree and not easily swayed. Her love is her dog, Finn.

Ana, Daisy, and Karlie are the main characters in An Unexpected Escapade. Daisy is shy unless she’s around horses. Ana’s dad owns the Crab Shack that Will works at. The three of them take on a poacher to protect a unicorn.

Franklin discovers the portal where the mythical creatures are coming from. As he vows to protect the portal from the poacher, he learns sometimes he may have to trust someone beyond himself to protect family.

How did you decide on what to title each book?

The series originally was Mythical Creatures of Myrtle Beach with book 1 being Myrtle Beach Dragon. From there I adjusted it to Myrtle Beach Adventure, Myrtle Beach Escapade, and Myrtle Beach Exploit. My editor actually suggested I change the names. I took her suggestions and it became Myth Coast Adventures with An Unexpected Adventure, An Unexpected Escapade, and An Unexpected Exploit.

Is this a stand-alone novel or part of a series?

It’s a trilogy, with a short story added.

Who designed the artwork for your cover? Or did you design it yourself?

As I considered this series, I knew I wanted to use photography for making the covers. When my original photographer fell through, I decided to use my husband’s skills as photographer and hire my original cover artist, Amalia Chitulescu. I love Amy’s style. She’s continued to improve over the years.

Can you tell us, Kandi, what brought about the idea for your book?

During my first year as teacher at Pacific High School, I watched as several sixth graders and a couple of eighth graders struggled. The eighth graders were put down for representing the roots of our community. I wanted them to be proud of who they were. The sixth graders wouldn’t read a book if it was set in front of them. I wondered if I wrote them into one, if they’d read it. As these thoughts floated around, I drove over the Coquille River bridge at Bandon, Oregon. As I did, I envisioned a dragon flying along the sandbank. That was the start, but then I wondered about three books with different characters focusing on a different mythical creature. Two seventh grade girls caught my attention, and I decided their love for horses would be the perfect backdrop for a unicorn story. I didn’t know what to do for the third book, though.

Fast forward to April of the next year. I had the idea of book 1 and book 2, and no clue for book 3. I’d even started writing book 1. In one week, I had two different students come up to me. One was one of the girls. She said, it’d be really cool if I wrote a book about some girls, horses, and the ocean. She kind of stumbled over the idea of the ocean and my heart hurt for her. She’d lost both parents in less than a year—and her dad to the ocean. Little did she know she was the inspiration for one of my books that dealt with horses and the ocean. Within that same week, a sophomore boy came up to me and suggested I write a story about a boy and Sasquatch. I accepted his suggestion with outward calm but rejoiced inwardly. It was the perfect idea for book 3!

What are your hobbies aside from writing, if any?

Besides teaching, I’m an artist. I love drawing with graphite and colored pencils. I’m also starting to delve into Photoshop to create fantasy photos. My two favorite images so far consist of a pirate looking out to sea and a fairy sitting in a cage. If that wasn’t enough, I am photographer’s assistant for my husband’s portrait studio and have my own essential oils business.

I wished I knew more about photoshop. It's something I want to learn more about, but I haven't found the time. In your novels, which character is your favorite?

Hm, that’s tough. I love most of my characters. In the Dragon Courage series, I’d say it’s Kyn. He’s most like me. In Myth Coast Adventures, it’s definitely Will. He’s so kind and compassionate, and the real-life inspiration for Will has really grown into a young man with a heart for God.

Thanks so much for sharing with us today. Find out more about Kandi Wyatt at the links below. Happy Reading!!