Revved up with Waldorf – Wanda Kay Knight, author of the Peacock Door Tales

Have you ever just wanted to escape into another world? Perhaps your early childhood was spent wondering whether there was a parallel universe through the looking glass? Maybe you hoped that the goblin king would steal you away from your problems? If those longings ever took over your psyche, then the many worlds that Wanda Kay Knight has created would be your cup of tea.

Since the first season, we have had the opportunity to work with Waldorf Publishing to get to know some of their authors, many of whom have a passion not only for the written word, but for speed!

My co-host of Speedway Digest Thursday Night Thunder, Mykkal Mulalley-Kapalo, and myself have been grateful to the teams and racers that we have spoken with on the program, and during this unparalleled pandemic, we hope to provide you, our readers, listeners, and fans, a little snippet into some of the people who help make this the greatest sport in the world.

“I am one of those people who has spent a lifetime in a very different car than the one of my dreams,” stated Knight. “I patiently wait for the time when I can just go and buy that car—the pretty one with the heated leather seats and the shimmering exterior. But until that day comes, I remain fairly content with the car I have—after all, it gets me where I need to go—even if it’s most decidedly not getting me there in style.” 

 

What was your first car? Okay, I almost hate to admit this, but it was a smallish, late 50’s/early 60‘s Plymouth Valiant. It was a type of turquoise blue with push buttons for the transmission. The push buttons kept getting stuck and my father made it clear that if I was ever careless again and pushed two in at the same time, he was not going to come and fix it—I would be stuck right along with the buttons. Well, horror of horrors, one day (even though I had been very careful), I pushed the Drive button in, the reverse button went in with it. I almost (within an inch or so) crashed into the car behind me. My poor father relented, came and got me, fixed the stuck buttons, and found me a different old car to drive. It wasn’t any prettier, but it did have a stick shift.

 

 What do you drive now? A blue Dodge Caliper. I don’t seem to upgrade much, do I? But, it is a reliable  car and has proved to keep going for the long haul to this point. Of course, the other day, I think I felt the transmission slip—maybe there’s a pattern here that I should pay attention to…

 

 What is the dream car that you wish to own? I think I would like a candy apple red Mazda CX-30—or maybe a yellow Volkswagen Bug. Of course, I saw a beautiful shiny green Audi the other day that made me stop and stare—so, there’s that. Well, I suppose any of the above would work quite nicely to get me where I want to go in just enough style to make me very content indeed!

 

Do you ever see yourself buying a battery operated car? It depends on the battery. Once when I was getting a sandwich at a local deli, a person had a battery operated car. They were getting the battery charged at one of those little charging stations so they could continue their trip. And, it sounded like they were going to be stuck at the deli waiting.  Now, I could have received bad information about that situation, but, ever since then, I have felt suspicious of battery operated cars. I definitely want to make the change to a greener way of traveling, but a part of me is watching to see how economical and reliable they can make the battery/electical before I would be ready to make the plunge.

 

If you went on a road trip, what book would you bring. I would find a very long historical fiction novel about a Czar. Of course, rereading the Lord of the Rings would also be good for a long trip. And, I would make sure that I had a small Bible tucked in my suitcase.

 

What do you think about Elon Musk and his advances in technology? I am both fascinated and wary by Elon Musk. One moment, I think his ideas are those of an amazing genius, and then he starts talking about the future of computer/humans transmutation and I quietly back away (metaphorically) and find myself reading a Charles Dickens story just to feel human again. So, my thoughts about Elon Musk are those of a love/confused relationship and will probably always remain that way.

 

 What is the favorite scene from your book? Actually, I have completed a trilogy at this point, so it is probably difficult to say. However, if I am forced to give only one, I would say it is a scene in the House of Mirrors and Clocks in the first book. Two of the characters have to find their way through the long corridor of events and experiences. This sets up an interesting scene when the cousins arrive at the final door. Of course, now that I wrote how scene is my favorite, I remember a whole bunch of other favorites. Oh well, I suppose I will just stick with that one. For today, it will be my favorite.

 

Stay tuned for more insights into the amazing authors of Waldorf Publishing in the coming weeks.
 
To learn more about Wanda Kay Knight, follow her on social media:

The website is: peacockdoorandmore.com

Facebook page: peacockdoorandmore

Instagram: wandakayknight@instagram.

Email: [email protected]

 

 

Adam Sinclair