Haley Healey is a registered clinical counsellor and the bestselling author of books about extraordinary historical women. Her books include the Trailblazing Canadians series, Her Courage Rises, On Their Own Terms, and Huxley’s Island Adventure. She has an avid interest in wild places and lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Huxley’s Island Adventure is an enchanting story of a curious cat who gets lost on a camping trip and discovers local wildlife on his long journey home.
Interviewed by Zoe, Age 12
Zoe (Z): This is a book about a cat named Huxley who gets lost in the forest while chasing a mouse. Why did you choose to write about a cat to tell this story?
Haley Healey (HH): I love animals and wanted to write an adventure story about an animal. I also wanted the story to tell about the special relationship between a pet and their human. A cat seemed like a good animal to go on an adventure across Vancouver Island to find his owner.
Z: Do you care for a cat of your own?
HH: My family and I had cats as pets when I was a kid, but I don’t have a cat now. We do have a neighbour cat (black in colour just like Huxley) who likes to visit our back deck.
Z: You are both a counsellor and an author. How do you manage both of those jobs?
HH: I really love both my jobs. They’re very different. Being a school counsellor means I’m around people all the time. Being an author means being alone and in my own head with my stories. Because I work in a school, I don’t work in summer. I spend as much time in summer working on my writing. I also write on weekends and at night after my two kids have gone to bed and the dishes are washed. I feel very grateful to get to be both a school counsellor and an author. They’re both rewarding, exciting, and sometimes challenging in their own ways.
Z: I noticed that you and the illustrator have worked on multiple books together. How did the two of you meet?
HH: Kimiko is such a talented illustrator! We met through my publisher, Heritage House. Heritage House is a Canadian Publisher out of Victoria, BC.
Z: What made you decide to start writing books? Is this a passion you’ve had since you were a kid?
HH: Yes, I have enjoyed writing since I was a kid. I still have a few books I wrote and bound as a kid. One is about three siblings having an adventure in the rainforest and another is about a missing salamander.
When I got back to writing a few years ago, it was a visit to a garden deep in the rainforest near Tofino that inspired me to start writing. This backcountry garden was so gorgeous and inspiring and I wanted to write all about it!
I have always loved books and reading. I read all sorts of books. I even like cookbooks! I think my love of books and reading would be my biggest inspiration to write books of my own.
Z: What was the process of getting this book published like for you? Were there multiple drafts, or trial and error?
HH: The process for getting this book published was smooth, and I’m very grateful for the experience. I had already written several books for my publisher and was very pleased when they liked the idea for this one and wanted to publish it. Yes, I did several drafts for it. I rewrote parts of it many times when I was getting the first draft written.
The nature guide involved doing a lot of research about the plants and animals. I wanted it to be informative, but not too long and intimidating. This meant I had to decide the most exciting and interesting information to include and leave out the rest.
Z: All of the plants featured in this book are indigenous to the Pacific North West. How did you choose the particular plants Huxley comes across in the story?
HH: I chose my very favourite plants to include in the book. There are so many wonderful wildflowers, but shooting starts and calypso orchids are my very favourites. Likewise, there are so many ferns to choose from, but maidenhair are my favourite. I also wanted to choose plants that were fairly common and widespread so that readers would encounter them on their own travels around Vancouver Island.
Z: In the book you mention being inspired by settings around the Pacific North West. Did you research and plan the places to visit ahead of time, or did you gather inspiration as you came across them?
HH: Yes! Though not mentioned outright or labelled, most of the pages are based on real places. Long Beach, Rathtrevor Beach, Stamp River, Kennedy Lake, and the Island Highway are some of the places mentioned. I had been to all these places beforehand, so I didn’t visit them. I did go into my own photographs of these places for inspiration and spent a lot of time thinking of them in my mind while writing.
Interviewer Bio: Zoe is a student living in Victoria B.C. She likes drawing and coming up with stories for her colourful illustrations. Zoe is a fan of fantasy books, and always appreciates a star-crossed romance. Also, she likes cats.