Hezekiah ‘Kaya’ Abaniah is a student at Paria College, a prestigious high school in the two-island Caribbean Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. He was born in the small village of Tortuga and lives with his mother, Josephine, in the seaside town of Coconut Grove. Kaya is a member of the Wildlife Heritage Trust, a non-profit environmental non-government organisation. The WHT aims to conserve all natural habitats and wildlife in Trinidad and Tobago. Kaya is a keen track and field athlete and an asset to Ocelot House, one of Paria College’s 4 houses. His many interests include art, photography, computer games, cycling, basketball, and scooch, the Trinidadian equivalent of dodgeball.
1.
How did you first meet Wayne Gerard Trotman?
Ah plan de whole t’ing from de start. Meh cousin, Soraya,
tell meh ‘bout ‘im. So, ah jus’ wait till he was in ah really deep sleep. Ah
had tuh wait ah long time because dat man doh sleep at-all-at-all-at-all.
2.
Did you ever expect your adventures to be written in a
book?
How yuh mean? Wit’ all dat happen tuh me, in one school
year, it was inevitable.
3.
What are your favourite scenes in Kaya Abaniah and the
Father of the Forest: dialogue, romance, action?
If ah doh say dialogue, Trotty might get vex an’ kill meh
off. If ah doh say romance, ah might end up goin’ tuh de Christmas Ball alone.
And, if ah doh say action, meh breds dem will t’ink ah sorf. So, ah’ll say, ah
like all de scenes wit’ dialogue, romance an’ action. Ah like every t’ing.
4.
Did you have difficulty convincing Wayne Gerard Trotman
to write any particular scenes for you?
Dat man stubborn fuh so, oui. Ah wanted ah full alien
invasion, buh he keep saying dat is another story. Ah had tuh compromise,
breds. In de end, ah get ‘im tuh include ah Carnival scene, instead ah de alien
invasion, and ah convince ‘im it was his idea.
5.
Have you ever infiltrated Wayne Gerard Trotman’s
dreams?
Only ah few times. De man doh sleep, an’ sometimes ah get
confused wit’ de time difference between Trinidad an’ Englan’.
 |
| Josephine & Kaya Abaniah |
6.
What do you enjoy doing when not at College?
Ah like liming wit’ meh friends, and ah like paintin’ an’
takin’ pictures.
7.
Are you currently in a relationship?
Buh wha’ trouble is dis? Like yuh didn’t read de book,
awa?
8.
Are you pleased with the genre you have been placed in?
Yeah, young adult, sci-fi, adventure… Dat cool.
9.
What would you rewrite in Kaya Abaniah and the Father
of the Forest, if you could?
I’d remove de death. Ah doh wan’ nobody tuh die.
10.
Do you like the way your epic adventure ended?
Well, yeah, although ah had ah lot ah explainin’ tuh do.
11.
Would you be interested in a sequel written by Wayne
Gerard Trotman?
Of course, breds, nobody else crazy enough tuh write ah
story like dis. It was ah lot ah fun, an’ ah t’ink ah sequel will be even
better. Plus, ah livin’ in Trinidad; and, ah learn t’ings ‘bout Trinidad ah
never know before.
12.
Are you happy being portrayed in digital editions or
would you rather be in paperback versions only?
How yuh mean? Ah was tellin’ one ah meh ole cousins ‘bout
eBooks an’ she askin’ meh what is dat. Fuh some people is only digital, an’ fuh
some others is either paperback or hardback. As long as dey read it; ah happy.
 |
| Hardcover Dust Jacket |
13.
Were you able to contribute to the cover design for Kaya
Abaniah and the Father of the Forest?
Yuh see meh face or any part ah me, on de cover? Ah done
tell yuh, de man stubborn. We hit chapter 21, an’ when ah look so, he already
design de cover, oui. So, de short an’ sweet answer is, no.
14.
What is the lamest characteristic attributed to you by
Wayne Gerard Trotman?
Ah still cyah believe dat man had meh cryin’ in de book. Anyway, ah was only 14 when he started writin'.
15.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Man, Trotman gi’ meh de best superpower ever….
Author Bio:
Wayne Gerard Trotman is a British writer, filmmaker, artist,
photographer, composer and producer of electronic music. Born in the Republic
of Trinidad and Tobago, Trotman immigrated to England in 1984, where he lives
with his wife and two young sons.
A martial arts enthusiast, he wrote and directed Ashes to
Ashes, Britain's first martial arts feature-film. He has a cosmopolitan and
multi-cultural approach to all his artistic work, which has received
recognition internationally. His epic science-fiction novel, Kaya Abaniah and
the Father of the Forest, is the first of a proposed series, within the Psychic
Wars universe created in Veterans of the Psychic Wars.
Synopsis:
Legends are immortal
dreams made flesh…
Kaya Abaniah believes he’s an ordinary fourteen-year-old
college student. He lives with his mother on the Caribbean island of Trinidad;
he’s passionate about wildlife conservation and has a crush on the prettiest
girl in his class. However, one fateful day, Kaya’s life is changed forever
when he encounters Papa Bois, a folklore character similar to the Greek god,
Pan.
Kaya learns he has the
talent. He’s a telepath, and he’s not alone. So begins a unique story of
love, heartbreak, revenge, murder, bodyguards, bullies, martial arts, monsters,
snakes, ocelots, secrets, lies, dreams, UFOs, shape-shifters, aliens, clones,
kissing, running, and life after death.
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