Vacen Taylor - "Starchild: The Age of Akra"

Vacen Taylor

 Hi! Today I got the opportunity to interview the author of "Starchild: The Age of Akra", Vacen Taylor!

1)      What inspired you to write "Starchild: The Age of Akra"?

I have always been interested in energy. But what type of energy, right? I am referring to the energy found in the body. If you noticed in the back of the book the powers of the nations are divided into 7 types from a particular source spot on the body. This is based loosely on the Chakra or energy points or nodes in the body. Forming the powers from this source inspired me to write the story. I gave each spot a power, but with that, I realised I would be dividing the nations. It’s something like how the world of today is divided into countries and the country’s people. Which also inspired me to bring children of different nations together and along with that a mysterious child attached to a prophecy. From then on it would be about friendship, courage, change and doing what is necessary to help each other. The Age of Akra is only a glimpse of the whole story. By the end of the third book Long has changed a great deal and so has Akra.

2) How do you come up with the character names? Are they based on your life?

No, they are not based on my life, however, they are meaningful to my life in how I decided on them.

Mai is a very bright girl. Bright has many different meanings, two of which I thought could be used to describe Mai. Intelligent and cheerful. So when searching for her name I found that Mai’s language of origin is Japanese, meaning brightness. And so she was called, Mai.

Akra was easy because he holds all the powers of the nations within him His name was taken from the word Chakra.

Long was more difficult to find because his journey in the story would be the most challenging. He is a thoughtbanker but also a proclaimed morpher. The two powers collide within him and in some cases inhibit the way the powers work. You find that out in the second book. When searching for his name I came across a blog about Chinese dragons and how they are ultimate symbols of cosmic chi(energy) and stand for new beginnings. I knew Long would suffer quite a bit so I wanted him to have a strong name, knowing he would have a new beginning at some point in the story. The Chinese meaning for Long is dragon. And so it was he became Long.

Sahib was tricky. I knew this name wouldn’t be present in the story for very long. Well, at least not until the fifth book where everyone will discover the true origin of the name and why it was used. I’m trying not to include a spoiler for book two. In Muslim the meaning of the name Sahib is “companion”. This name was exactly what I wanted for a boy who needed a companion but also became a companion in the end of book one.

I will include the name of the lizard, Barka too. He will become an important little character. The name Barka means foreign or strange and the origin is Czech & Slovak. It is also feminine. So why give a male lizard a female name? You will have to continue reading the series to find out.

3) What would you like to be in the book? What power?

Great question. I’ve often thought about this. I always find myself struggling between thoughtbanking and waterclasping. I can never decide. I like the wisdom of the thoughtbankers but the healing element of the waterclaspers. So, I still haven’t truly decided yet.

4) When and why did you realize you wanted to become an author?

I told my mother once when I was 15 that I would write a book. I didn’t accomplish that until I was in my forties. I guess I knew I wanted to be an author when I was 15. I didn’t start writing until I was around 40. I love telling stories. I love characters that believe in truth, courage and bravery. However, to become truly great at all of those things we first have to be challenged and that is what Starchild is about. To be truthful it’s also what writing is about. Not everything happens the way the characters expect it. It is the same when you are an author. Creating stories that have a deeper meaning is why I became an author.

5) What are you working on now? What is your next project?

I’m working on Starchild Book Four: Fire and the Falcon. In this book everyone gets to meet the falcon guard called, Tupuck. He’s really cool. I’m also working on a YA Science fiction adventure and an Australian story about a teenage girl. This story is for anyone who believes in the complexity and fragility of a human life.

Don't forget to check out my review for Starchild: The Age of Akra here.