Kandi J Wyatt lives with dragons, most in human form–and some even blow fire! She spends her days providing space for teens to be themselves, inspiring them to be more than meets the eye, and spilling hope into their world. When she’s not hanging out with fictional characters, Kandi’s chilling with family watching anime or playing games. Her toddler granddaughter keeps her running–often in circles–and full of joy.
Between the dragons of the Dragon Courage world, Keenah, Usheen, Lurji, and other fictional dragons, there’s the one that lives in my classroom heater and the human ones I live with. The human dragons love to fire dance. This started over twenty years ago, when my husband saw a fire show at a medieval event. He had used the staff in martial arts and loved to spin it around. When he saw fire attached to both ends, it was love at first sight. He learned to breathe fire and once our kids were old enough, they soon joined the shows.
An Average Day
If you think the life of an author is glamorous, think again. I wish I had all day to write, but generally, my day starts at 5:00 am. By 6:30 I’m sitting in my chair writing for a half-hour. At 7:00, it’s time for me to head out the door to school. My next 8 hours are filled with lesson plans, overseeing students, and trying to corral them to want to learn. Finally, at 3:30, I’m able to clock out and head home. Then I may be photographer’s assistant for Eric Wyatt Photography, write more, work on marketing for my books, or draw. It’s one full day when I get to wear all my hats–teacher, mom, wife, photographer’s assistant, and artist.
Writing with Kandi J Wyatt
In high school, I wrote stories for fun. None of them were very long nor were they noteworthy. My first completed story was a mystery at our local mall where I worked my sophomore year in college. But soon after that, I was married and had little kids. There was no time to write. It wasn’t until 2005 (almost 20 years later) that I wrote Journey from Skioria inspired by the woods in my backyard and my daughter, Dawnya, who everyone misnamed as Tania.
Again, I set writing aside to focus on my kids and my master’s program. Then in December, 2009, we journeyed to Eastern Oregon for a Christmas vacation. Between some family conversations and road signs, I had a vision of a dragon breathing fire down a canyon, and from there the Dragon Courage world was birthed.
But that would have been the end of the stories if it hadn’t been for my children. The two middle ones were interested in writing, and my middle boy received a scholarship for a local writing conference. He wanted Mom to tag along. So, I did. There, one of the presenters said her publisher was accepting submissions. I wrestled with the thought, and after two days, I went ahead and submitted what would become Dragon’s Future. With the acceptance of my novel, I discovered the stories that had been stored up inside of me and have been writing ever since.
Why Write?
Stories have been a part of my life from the time I was little. I remember sitting on my Mom’s lap listening to stories, my grandparent’s laps, and have had my own lap full of kids as I read to them. Stories offer a way to escape the troubles we face, but the best ones help us defeat our own foes by giving us hope beyond our circumstances.
I write so that you can see that there’s more to life than trudging wearily through each day. So you can see yourself in my characters and know that there’s hope.
Jesus put it this way:
That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening.
Matthew 13:13 MSG
That is my hope. That when you pick up one of my books, you’ll be nudged toward a welcome awakening, seeing an old truth in a new light.
If you haven’t already, I’d love to have you join my team. Be a part of those who seek hope.
