Today, I have Kandi J. Wyatt with me. Another of the authors in the anthology, Glimpses of Time and Magic, Kandi is the author of “Apprentice of Amadan Dubh”. Thanks for being here, Kandi! Let’s jump right in.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’ve been married to my knight in shining armor for almost twenty-eight years. We have five children between the ages of eighteen and thirty-one. I wear many hats. When I’m not wife and mom, I’m teacher, author, photographer’s assistant, and artist. To say the least, my days are very busy.
What kind of fantasy do you write, and what got you into it?
I write mostly middle grade to transitional young adult fantasy with dragons. In 2009, on a family vacation we drove past a sign for Three Mile Canyon and envisioned a dragon breathing fire down a boxed canyon. I put that together with a conversation with my daughter and the world of Dragon Courage was born.
I really don’t know why dragons are in my stories, but they seem to pop up whether I want them to or not! My husband introduced me to dragon stories. My kids, though, handed me books and said, “Mom, you have to read this!” Those became some of my favorite books, and they have dragons. So maybe it’s a way of recreating that feeling I had when I read Dragon Rider or Cora and the Nurse Dragon.
What genres do you read, and do you write the same ones?
I read more genres than I write. Some of the genres I read are science fiction, fantasy (all kinds), westerns, action/adventure, historical fiction, and pretty much anything that has good characters and decent plot. As far as writing, I mainly write fantasy, but I do have a historical fiction, The One Who Sees Me, and wrote one short science fiction piece.
What are some of the things you like to do to relax?
Relax, what is that? Some people claim I don’t have time for it, but in reality, writing and my art is relaxing. Most evenings are dedicated to family time. We’ll watch anime that’s been vetted by our twenty-three year old or play games. Drawing is also relaxing.
Can you tell us about your current work-in-progress?
Well, like most authors, I have a couple of projects in the works. I just sent the one manuscript off to the editor. It’s in the Dragon Courage world and will be released on November 3. At first it was supposed to be a novella, but it’s turned into a full-fledged book. Those who know the Dragon Courage world will be excited to see Mere and Jareem back and in action. Those new to the series should have no problem jumping in. I’ve had three beta readers take a look, and they were able to understand the action and characters.
Then I have one I’m working on a first draft. The Tilted Planet series will be multiple books based on a planet that has had a catastrophe knock it off its normal axis. Tilted Planet: Monarchs follows the lives of several of the rulers of Muintir, a realm in the habitable daylight areas of the planet. Hest is a stable hand at a local inn in the northern dusk lands. A stranger comes along and purchases Hest’s apprenticeship. Thinking he’s been sold, Hest follows along with the warrior. Along the way, he uncovers the misunderstanding and agrees to stay as the apprentice. He uncovers plots on the king’s life, rescues the princess, and finds his life completely changed when he befriends a silver dragon. The first three books focus on Hest. Books 4-5 focus on the princess he rescued, who becomes queen, and Book 6 is the story of their daughter. Book 7 will be the first king of Muintir. I’m currently working on book 6.
If you’ve published (self-published or traditionally published), can you tell us a little about the experience?
In 2015, I attended a writer’s conference. One of the presenters stated that her publisher was accepting submissions. I went home, took a leap of faith, and submitted Dragon’s Future. Eight weeks later, it was accepted! You can see the video of the whole process on my youtube channel. Then on April 30, 2016, I received notice that the publishing company was going out of business at the end of May. I was given the opportunity to self-publish if I wished.
That month of May was one of my busiest months ever! I had three Dragon Courage books that were already published and a fourth that was scheduled for publication that summer, as well as The One Who Sees Me. I was struggling to get those four books up for self-published and working on editing and proofing book 4 of the Dragon Courage series. Since then, I’ve published a total of twelve books, and have three stories in different anthologies.
What were your inspirations for writing?
I write for my kids. When I first wrote the Dragon Courage series, they were little—early elementary and junior high. Now, I write for my students. My husband has been the inspiration of many stories. He’ll ask the ‘what if…’ questions that get me going.
Who got you into writing when you first started?
I loved writing as a kid. In high school I attended my first writers conference. It was designed for high school students, and my English teacher nominated me to go two years in a row! Then I became a mom and life was too hectic to write, until 2006 when I was down sick and read Timothy Zahn’s Dragon and Soldier. At the back of the book was a questionnaire for kids to help them write. I took a couple of the questions and wrote Journey from Skioria.
Was there anyone who came alongside you at any point when you were struggling in your writing journey and made a real difference? If so, who and why?
A couple of stories come to mind on this. In April, 2016, the week before I received the news of the publishing company going out of business, I had two students come up to me at separate times. The first said, “You should write a story about a girl, some horses…and the ocean.” The pause was because she’d lost her dad to a boating accident that year. What she didn’t know is I had a book planned about girls and horses and a unicorn. The second was a boy who said I should write a story about Sasquatch. These were the perfect encouragement I needed to make it through the next month to move into self-publishing.
Two years later, I was struggling to write An Unexpected Escapade, the story of the girls, unicorn, horses, and the ocean. I couldn’t get the words out. Part of it was my own struggling through that student’s grief. Not only had she lost her dad, she also lost her mom to a heart attack—all in under a year! At the time when I was trying to write, I discovered Realm Makers, a group for Christians who write speculative fiction. They have a group message for sprints. Heather Halverstadt was the key to helping me get words on paper and finish out An Unexpected Escapade.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors and writers just starting on the writing journey?
Write! Yep, keep writing. Perfect your craft, but finish a draft. Then finish another. Each draft finished is one step closer to publication.
What is one thing you wish someone had told you before you started writing?
It’s possible! I never dreamed of being published—let alone having fifteen books published with a sixteenth in process and another eight waiting for their turn.
What’s your favorite book, and who’s your favorite literary character? Why?
Favorite book? I’d say that’s a really tough question. I have so many! Take a look at my blog and check out the Books List. You’ll find my favorites there. Suffice it to say H. L. Burke, Cornelia Funke, Timothy Zahn, Davis Bunn, Marc Secchia, and Kara Jaynes are authors I’ll read anything they write.
Literary character: That’d be Sorrel from Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. I love her irascible temperament. The best way to enjoy Sorrel is through the audio book narrated by Brendan Fraser. Sorrel became the inspiration for one of my characters in An Unexpected Exploit.
Conclusion
That’s it for today’s interview! Thanks again for being with us, Kandi. If anyone wants to know more about Kandi, you can find her at the following locations on the web:
Want your own copy of Glimpses of Time and Magic? Get the paperback now! The ebook will be out on the 28th, but it is available for pre-order as well if you are interested in that.