Alone With a Legacy by Tasmin Engelhard is shortlisted for 2022 Author of Tomorrow 16-21 years.

Alone With a Legacy: King Eaton is obsessed with legacy. Yet he hasn't forged new alliances, expanded his borders, or enriched his subjects. In fact, he hasn't really achieved anything at all. With the help of his devoted manservant, the only person who truly cares about him, King Eaton embarks on a journey to prove himself worthy of remembrance.

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An Interview with Tasmin: 

WNSF: What is your favourite book?

Tasmin: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. I fell in love with Susanna Clarke’s witty prose, unique characters, and the way she wasn’t afraid to endlessly imagine, to the point of hilarity and bizarrity. 

WNSF: Who is your favourite author? Or one who has inspired you and why? 

Tasmin: Probably Kazuo Ishiguro. He is a master storyteller, blending past and present so seamlessly. His books are thought provoking and incredibly well crafted. Every sentence means something. I recently read his new book Klara and the Sun and was freshly mesmerised by his meticulous, unhurried style. 

WNSF: What is your favourite subject at school? 

Tasmin: I did physics last year and became unexpectedly enthralled by it. At its core it's another way of understanding the world, and I love when the world makes sense. 

WNSF: What does ‘adventure writing’ mean to you? Why did you choose to try your hand at an  adventure story? 

Tasmin: The best kind of adventures are transformative, where the status quo ends up flipped on its head and the world is somehow changed. I wanted to write an adventure story primarily focussed on character, particularly an unlikeable one, and experiment with what happens when familiar story arcs are disturbed.  

WNSF: If you could ask an author anything, what would you want to know? 

Tasmin: How do you edit? I always hear about drafting and redrafting, but I have no idea what that means. Most of my “editing” happens in my head before I put the words on the page. Is that how it should be?

WNSF: Who would you consider one of your heroes and why?

Tasmin: My grandmother, I call her Nana. 

Nana is quite possibly the most selfless person on the planet. Her life revolves around others and I often wonder if she’s ever done anything for herself, before remembering just how happy giving makes her.  

WNSF: What is the most adventurous thing you would like to do, or place you would like to visit and  why? 

Tasmin: I’m finishing up my final year of high school and have always thought that I would go straight to university. However I recently watched Hunt for the Wilderpeople–an adventure story about tromping through the New Zealand wilderness–and now all I want to do is take a gap year and go tromping through the New Zealand wilderness. There is a four month backpacking trail that looks fantastic! The only problem is, I can’t find anyone to go with me. 

WNSF: Where do you find inspiration for your stories? 

Tasmin: The people around me. I often deliberately base characters on family, friends or neighbours, but even when I don’t, I find pieces of the people I love all through my stories. 

WNSF: If you could time travel, where would you go and why?  

Tasmin: I’d love to see an original Shakespeare play! One of the comedies, or maybe Hamlet. 

WNSF: What three words would you use to describe your story? 

Tasmin: Mediaeval. Whimsical. Touching.