An Interview with Daisy
Good morning, dear Reader! I have a special guest for you today, the young MC Daisy from Kandi Wyatt's newest book: An Unexpected Escapade, book 2 of the Myth Coast adventures, releasing TODAY!
I am so excited about these books, I have both this one and the first one on my kindle and I am looking forward to reading them both in the very near future. Kandi's characters are always such a pleasure to have over for interviews.Protect friendship, family or a creature that's not supposed to exist?Ana and Daisy have been friends since third grade, but a rift in the space-time continuum in their little town may change that. When a unicorn waltzes into the pasture with Daisy’s appaloosas, a poacher, who will stop at nothing to gain the unicorn horn and its healing tears, shows up. Daisy is focused on saving the unicorn while Ana’s parents face sudden life-threatening health issues. When Ana learns about the healing tears, she’s forced to choose between friendship and her family’s health. Can the girls find the grace to compromise and save Ana’s parents and the unicorn?
I enter the stables, glancing around, breathing in the familiar scent of horses and hay. Before I can truly get my bearings, however, a young girl appears in front of me, wielding a pitchfork, a wary expression on her face. Her dark hair is pulled back into a pony-tail, and she is quite a bit shorter than me, but there is a fiercely protective look in her eyes.
Quickly, I raise my hands. "Don't worry, I'm not after your... friend. My name is Jenelle Schmidt and I'm with the InterFiction Gazette. I'm just here to ask you a few questions for my readers... but I promise, none of what we talk about will get back to the poacher you're worried about. Do you mind chatting with me?"
She gives a strained nod and I seat myself on a bale of hay and pull out my notebook. "First off, can you tell my readers a little bit about yourself?"
Daisy relaxes a little, but still is wary. As she leans against the pitchfork, she says, “I- I g- guess, it wouldn’t h- hurt to talk with you. M- my name’s Daisy, and I- I’m in the eighth grade.” She swallows.
"And would you be willing to tell me a little bit about the unique creature you've recently met? Maybe a little bit about how you met and what it's like, befriending a unicorn?"
Her countenance lights up, and she gazes off toward one of the stalls. “Y- you’re s-sure you won’t tell anyone?”
"I promise."
She turns to me and stares me down. A horse bangs a hoof against the wooden floor before she continues. “I- I was in the p- pasture to check on Root and Ginger, my horses. They didn’t come to me, so I went to them, only to discover there were three horses! Just then, the third horse shifted and moonlight reflected off her horn!”
She checks to see if I believe her or not. I’ve noticed her stutter has disappeared as she spoke of the unicorn. "Do you have any idea where it came from? Or are mythological creatures showing up a normal thing?"
“N-normal? The only normal thing about Myrtle Beach is the ocean, sheep, cattle, and cranberries.” Daisy leans the pitchfork against the wall and sits down beside me. “Th- there were r- rumors about a dragon showing up here this f- fall. I’d say it wasn’t possible…”
"A dragon?" I wonder if she's referring to the first book in the series, but I have other questions for her. "This poacher I've read about, do you know why he wants the unicorn?"
Daisy shifts on the bale of hay as if something’s suddenly poking her. “J- Jack’s a-after K- Kajri b- because,” she swallows to still her stutter, “because he wants her horn and her tears! It’s awful!”
"Her tears?"
Daisy pauses. "They're m-magical. They have healing p-powers."
"I did not know that," I say, as I glance down at my notebook. "I don't want to keep you much longer, but I was wondering: do you have any plans to keep the unicorn safe?"
“I- I’m g- going to k- keep her here. It’s the b- best I can do.”
I check my notes again. "I've heard that you also have a best friend named Ana. Does she know about the unicorn?"
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“Ana w- was the first one to t- touch Kajri.” Daisy smiles up at me, and I notice a small bruise on her chin. “She th- thinks we should try to f- find a safer place than here, but I don’t know where else.”
"I hope you can figure it out. One final question and then I'll get out of your way. If you were suddenly given the power to keep the unicorn safe, but you could only do so by returning with it to its world with no hope of returning home yourself, would you do it?"
Daisy cocks her head and her long dark hair hides her face for a moment. She pushes it behind an ear. “I- if I could take Mom and the horses with me, I would. I’d like to take Ana, too, b- but,” she clasps her hands together, “her p- parents need her.”
Her tone and posture tell me that there is more to her comment than it might seem, but I've used up most of my time already. "Well, thank you so much for chatting with me, Daisy. I wish you all the best in your story and I hope you can find a way to keep your new friend safe."
“Me, too.” Daisy stands and looks at me. “D- do you want to p- pet her?”
I grin. "I would like that very much."
Daisy leads me to the furthest stall where a pearlescent horn reflects the barn lights. The wonderful creature rises to her feet while Daisy murmurs to her without a trace of her stutter.
Hello. A voice echoes in my mind. Thank you for helping take Daisy’s mind away from her problems for a while. I appreciate it.
I reach out tentatively and stroke the unicorn's neck. A thrill courses through me and I think again how being a reporter for the InterFiction Gazette is just about the most wonderful job I could ever have asked for.
"Hi there," I reply softly. "I hope Daisy can find a way to keep you safe."
My badge begins to glow and I wrinkle my nose in frustration. These visits are always far too short. I am going to have to get a copy of the book so I can stay longer. As the barn and stall fade around me, the last thing I see is Daisy, her head leaning against the unicorn's neck, her dark head contrasting with the shining white face of the majestic creature.
Even as a young girl, author Kandi J Wyatt, had a knack for words. She loved to read them, even if it was on a shampoo bottle! By high school Kandi had learned to put words together on paper to create stories for those she loved. Nowadays, she writes for her kids, whether that’s her own five or the hundreds of students she’s been lucky to teach. When Kandi’s not spinning words to create stories, she’s using them to teach students about Spanish, life, and leadership.