An Interview With an Author: Kat Heckenbach

Welcome Adventurers! Today I have a special treat for you. I have guest blogger and fellow author Kat Heckenbach. We'll be talking about Kate's series Toch Island Chronicles.

Tell my adventurers the name of your book and about the world you created.

Toch Island Chronicles is a series that takes place on an island where the inhabitants all have magic abilities. Each character has a particular special magic ability, called a Talent. For example, the main character, Angel—once she returns to Toch after learning who she really is—discovers that her Talent is Finding. She is able to locate any object, anywhere, just by focusing on it. Gregor, who is the one who returns her to her home, can make Gateways from one place to another over long distances using trees. Kalek, an Elven musician, plays an electric guitar using magic rather than electricity to bring out the songs found in nature. (His Talent is pretty hard to describe like this. Read this free short story if you want a real feel for what he does.) Other characters can start fires, control weather, enhance the magic of other people, and the list goes on.

Since it's a magic world, it also has magic plants and creatures. Trees have metal running through the grain of their wood, which gives them each different magical properties. There are animals that use magic for camouflage, for catching prey, and for storing food. And of course there are unicorns and dragons.

Magic is an integral part of Toch Island, but so is science—and this is where the conflict lies in the first book, Finding Angel. A non-magical person has discovered the island and the magic that it contains, and wants to find a way to get some for himself. The problem is he goes about it all wrong, not considering the fact that science doesn't overrule magic. And of course his intentions put Angel in serious harm, and she has to figure out who he is and how to stop him.

What inspired you to write about this character?

What inspired me to write is the story world more than the character. My main character in Finding Angel, in all honesty, is much like me at her age and has a strong love of fantasy fiction. Angel had felt all her life she didn't quite fit in, and much of that had to do with wanting to explore the worlds she read about in fantasy novels. Angel got to hear those words I'd wanted to hear my whole life: "You can do magic."

How long has this character been in your thoughts?

I started writing Finding Angel in 2008. I really thought Angel's adventures would end with that book. But there was unfinished business, so Seeking Unseen (2009) chronicled the next adventure in her life, and brought in a new character to share the stage with. Melinda not only stepped on stage, she pretty much took over, actually, and pushed for another story to be told, Legacy Rewound, which came out in 2016. Yes, she took her time with that one, but all told, this series has been playing in my head for years. And it's not done. I have short stories from Toch Island already written, but still have a few more working their way onto the page. I'm hoping to get those finished soon and publish them in a collection.

What is the one trait you wished you shared with your main character?

Magic, of course! That goes for both Angel and Melinda. They each have cool Talents, but I'd be happy with any magic ability at all. Outside of that, I wish I had Angel's red hair. And I wish I had Melinda's moxie—she sees something, she goes for it, and she's not at all afraid to speak her mind.

Adventurers I'm thrilled to announce that Kat has agreed to make herself available for today to reply to comments and answer writing related questions. Please keep it clean.

Author Bio:

Kat Heckenbach spent her childhood with pencil and sketchbook in hand, knowing she wanted to be an artist when she grew up—so naturally she graduated from college with a degree in biology, went on to teach math, and now homeschools her two children while writing. Her fiction ranges from light-hearted fantasy to dark and disturbing, with multiple stories published online and in print. Her YA fantasy series Toch Island Chronicles is available in print and ebook. Enter her world at www.katheckenbach.com.