Kaz is a Canadian creative with an eclectic collage of work and life history mysteriously aligned towards a singular purpose as she explores the three dimensions of human life that make us all whole. Her thoughts hop and skip between the left and the right extremes of her brain, sending her imagination on a treasure hunt in the realms of the probable, the possible, and the “what if”. We got an opportunity to have an exclusive conversation with her about her recent science fiction ‘Nemecene’. You will definitely love the conversation.
Pro Media Mag : Please introduce yourself to the readers and how and when did you first get into writing?
Kaz Lefave : My name is Kaz Lefave and Toronto is my home base for science fiction world building.
I have been writing throughout my entire life as part of the work I have done in other fields and in my personal hobbies, but discovered in 2010 that writing itself is where I can pull everything together to create a world and move my passion for our oceans forward. It was the hidden talent that I had taken for granted and eventually knocked me on the side of the head with a message that needs to be shared.
I have an eclectic background and a love for design of all kinds. I especially enjoy connecting the dots between science, art, music, dance, fashion, words, spirit, nature, reason, humanity, darkness, humor, and the inexplicable to formulate theories and create stories. My education and work experience includes both the sciences and the arts, so I tend to blend them together. I have an undergraduate degree in Engineering, a diploma in Fashion Design, certifications in personal training and hypnosis, a user interface US Patent, an IMBD director credit, and experience working in other fields, such as personal development, online blogging on environmental issues, publishing, entrepreneurship, competitive sports, music, and more. I am also the founder of Aguacene Fund at Tides Canada Foundation, with a mission to fund water and ocean stewardship projects.
Pro Media Mag : Who or what inspired you to get into writing?
Kaz Lefave : I had a story that was developing in my head and was jotting down in point form over a year or so, but was unsure of whether I could undertake an entire novel, let alone a series. Then a friend passed me a DVD set covering the works of Joseph Campbell, which I completely devoured along with his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces. But what clinched it for me, was the interview in that series of DVDs with George Lucas and how Star Wars was inspired by Joseph Campbell’s blueprint for storytelling. Since I had loved Star Wars from the start, George Lucas essentially gave me the confidence to just go for it by breaking it all down for the engineer side of my brain. With that fear barrier removed, the ideas just started to flow so fast I was swept into the world of the writer.
Pro Media Mag : Tell us about your recent book ‘NEMECENE’ ?
Kaz Lefave : Nemecene is a 10 episode science fiction series of novels set on Earth in the future, flooded by dead oceans and poisonous gases. where the characters evolve towards a deeper understanding of who they really are. It follows the lives of twins, Keeto and Elize, from the ages of 18 to 27, in their quest to save Elize from their mother’s mysterious hospital death.
In Episode 1, Nemecene: The Epoch of Redress, the unknowns surrounding the death has plagued daring, quick-witted Elize’s nightmares for 9 years as she shares the psychosis her mother was confinement for. Keeto, an armchair archeologist and risk-averse bookworm, fears that their father will find out, and have Elize committed, as well. Underground merchants help them escape to Eadonberg, the infamously stunning biowall-protected coastal city, where Elize befriends Zafarian, a dweeby classmate with expertise in gadgetry and law-breaking, and with the most unusual hair. Keeto does not approve. A shadow of distrust follows the boys as the trio become increasingly entangled in a murder conspiracy and an otherworldly stranger, who is taunting them with clues.
With so many people, looking for the twins, some knowing their importance, others guessing at it, and the twins having no awareness of their importance, loyalties get tested as they discover that they are key to something much bigger than they are.
In Episode 2, Nemecene: The Gadlin Conspiracy, a degenerative virus fuels distrust between cultures as twins Keeto and Elize discover they aren’t the only ones being hunted. The murders spread to an unsettling new set of young victims, and, once again, the twins and their poke-happy dweeb-of-a-genius half-Gadlin co-conspirator, Zafarian, are snooping around for Kaz Lefaves. This time, however, Keeto must face the adventurer he aspires to be.
Government allegations of Gadlin biological terrorism intensify. Humanity trades freedom for fear, while control passes to the entity who had caged the twins’ mother — the Global Health Unit.
Pro Media Mag : What kind of response you have received from the release?
Kaz Lefave : I have had great feedback from readers. They say that it truly isn’t like anything else out there. It has the suspense of Hunger Games, the building awareness of Divergent, the out-there “I didn’t see it coming” of Ender’s Game. They also find the world incredibly imaginative, well thought out, and like the quirky humour between the characters and hybrids. In addition, the story, vision, and my talent as an author and world builder was strong enough to impress a major book distributor, National Book Network, Inc., so that they signed my eco-publishing company, Aguacene Publishing, Inc. based on the Nemecene titles alone.
Pro Media Mag : Any particular reason for going for science fiction?
Kaz Lefave : I enjoy making up theories and thinking about the future. I enjoy fantasy, but for me it’s about living on the cutting edge of what is possible. I am fascinated with the meaning of life and existence, as well as what we perceive as reality, what is this thing we call space, and specifically how water weaves into everything that exists. With Nemecene, I am exploring our relationship between all these elements and more. Also, since my personal mission is to inspire readers to connect with water on a very profound level, in order to protect our oceans from our own destructive behavior, and in the end, protect life on earth, I feel that a science based approach in fiction, for the fun of it, could work.
Pro Media Mag : If anyone wants to buy your book, where will it be available?
Kaz Lefave : In a month or so, you should see the eco-printed trade paperbacks, individually numbered, appear in bookstores, but if you want it earlier, you can ask your local store to order it right now through the official distributor catalog from National Book Network, Inc. And, of course, you can order Nemecene episodes 1 and 2 online through the usual online retailers. The e-books should be available in a month or so as well.
Pro Media Mag : Have you set some goals to achieve as writer?
Kaz Lefave : My goal as a writer is to inspire people to get involved in what is happening in the world to our oceans and our water, just by playing and having fun. This involves, on the writing of side of things, 10 books in the Nemecene™ series, a spin-off fantasy series, and growing the #leadthecreed community that lives inside and outside of the story world.
Pro Media Mag : Are you working on any new project?
Kaz Lefave : I have completed the manuscript for episode 3, Nemecene: Through Fire and Ice, available in stores March 2018. I am also in the testing phases of a board game, have written the screenplay for Nemecene: The Epoch of Redress, working on a TV series pitch, developing various merchandise, building an empowerment movement called #leadthecreed, and in various stages of development for other pieces of the greater Nemecene™ World vision, including the water philanthropy mission and an inspirational water site.
Pro Media Mag : Readers of our magazine would like to follow you. Are you on social media?
Kaz Lefave : You can find “Nemecene” on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. You can also connect with me at www.Nemecene.com and go to www.LeadTheCreed.com to join the world, get the latest scoop, and win prizes, and more to come as the series progresses. I am also in the process of setting up www.KazLefave.com as a blog. On Facebook you can also follow my author page “Kaz Lefave”.
