Author Interview with Joan Campbell

Give a warm welcome to Joan Campbell, South African author of The Poison Tree Path Chronicles.
Book 3, Guardian of Ajalon is set to release in September (Click here to preorder). In the meantime, you can check out Chains of Gwyndorr (review or purchase) or Heirs of Tirragyl (review or purchase).

The Poison Tree Path Chronicles are traditionally published through Enclave, a small Christian publishing house. What made you choose this route of publication? What makes it challenging or rewarding?

It wasn’t so much that I chose this route as that this was the door that opened for me. I had approached some publishers in South Africa, but the Christian book market is quite a small one and there wasn’t an interest in niche fantasy books. The bigger Christian publishing houses in the States also weren’t interested because I didn’t have a ‘platform’ or following. But Steve Laube of Enclave liked the manuscript and he was the one who finally offered me a contract. My biggest challenge is probably that I live so far away from my main audience in the USA. It’s difficult to do book giveaways with cute prizes, like so many other authors do, or meet up with readers and fellow writers at conferences and events.

 How did growing up in South Africa influence the Poison Tree Path Chronicles? Do you have other life experiences that influence your writing significantly?

A theme that emerged in the books (particularly the first book, Chains of Gwyndorr) is that of class division and discrimination, and also the resentment and hatred that this could foster in the victims thus perpetuating the cycle of hatred. These are very much elements that I see playing out in my own society. I guess a lot of my own personal struggles also play out into the lives of my characters. For instance, the way Shara is drawn to using the alluring Cerulean Dusk Dreamer rock to discover more about her past reflects some of my own temptation to fill the empty places inside myself with the things of the world. 

How does your faith play a role in your writing? Do you ever struggle to balance storytelling and faith? 

My Christian faith and the joy I find in my relationship with God is a large influence in my writing. I see now that this is the bedrock of many of my stories—God’s love for us and our incredible worth in His eyes and the great lengths that He goes to in order to draw us into a relationship with Him. At times I have struggled with the balance of storytelling and faith. I don’t want my writing to feel contrived and forced to impart a specific—Christian—message. First and foremost I want my books to be great stories, which readers can enjoy whether they discern a deeper meaning or not. In this I had to learn to trust myself. My beliefs are such a core part of who I am that they will come through in my writing – I don’t have to force it.

What's your writing routine/habit like? (Do you have a certain time or way you like to write, or just write as inspiration strikes?)

I’m a pretty slow writer really. Somehow late afternoon has turned into a good time to write. So on days where I’m free (I aim for at least 3 afternoons a week) I make myself a coffee at about 4pm and sit down (usually outside) with my laptop and read the last section I wrote. This gets me back into the flow of the story. Then I just immerse myself in the story and begin to write, seeing where it takes me. I don’t do all much planning, although I do have a broad idea of where I want to take my characters. But I enjoy being surprised by my own plot and characters – that’s what keeps the writing fresh and interesting for me. I don’t like writing under pressure which is why NaNoWriMo would never work for me. Rather, I love the slow, gentle and creative unfolding of a tale – the artistry and magic of storytelling.

And finally, if you found yourself alone in a dark, scary alley, what fictional book character would you summon to help you and why?

Without a doubt it would be Lohlyn, my character from Heirs of Tirragyl and the secret protector of the queen. She has incredible reflexes and, in one scene, takes on a whole unit of soldiers. Her father was one of the Charab (King’s assassins) who are known to have unrivaled skills with bows, knives and pretty much anything sharp. He trained his daughter to be as good as—if not better—than the male assassins. So Lohlyn would be fantastic to have at your side in a scary situation!

Author Interview with Emma Carrie

Emma Carrie is a speculative fiction author and opportunist. She’s explored an active coal mine, fired a Gatling gun from a Humvee, examined chromosomes with a scanning electron microscope, hitched a ride in a corporate jet, and wiped out on stage while modeling. Fun moments like those fuel her stories.

Emma loves quirky characters who are driven by unconquerable determination—the encouragement she hopes readers take from her stories.

I see you're independently published. What made you choose that route of publication? What makes it difficult?

I chose indie publishing for two reasons: (1) flexibility and (2) adventure. As an indie publisher I have freedom to manage all aspects of my book, from title and storyline to cover design and pricing points. If I choose poorly, I can correct it. For me, indie publishing is an adventure. I’ve spent years growing as a writer, and I expect that will continue. Now I’m discovering how to market. Each piece is a new opportunity to grow.

Indie publishing is difficult because I started with zero connections. I didn’t know anyone in the publishing business. I didn’t have critique partners or beta readers. I didn’t know any editors or reviewers. I had no fans. It takes time, but I’ve been meeting people all along the way, and I’m enjoying it.

The first book in The Tacket Secret.
Check back on Friday for a review!

What's the most difficult part of the writing or publishing process for you? How do you work through it?

I’m not sure it’s the most difficult part of the process, but a significant challenge has been balancing writing and marketing. I spent years focused solely on writing, and the result is that I have two drafted series. The Tacket Secret is almost completely edited and The Rebel Mission has begun.

Now I’ve turned my attention to marketing, and I’ll go days without writing new fiction. Ideas are log jamming in my imagination. But because I’ve got books almost ready for publication, I’ll focus on marketing for now. Meanwhile, I’ll outline new ideas and scenes for new books until I have more time for writing. Then I’ll flesh those out.

How would you say that your faith influences your writing?

My faith is the reason I write. For years, I’ve written outreach Bible studies, newsletter articles, and discussion questions for my church’s women’s ministries. I love communicating gospel truth, offering eternal life, to others. Fiction also has the power to communicate the hope of Jesus Christ, and I wanted to learn how to do that—particularly for my kids and their friends. However, in a young adult fiction context, a subtle message is more effective, and I’m learning how to do that.

You have a background in engineering. How has that influenced your writing?

Engineering has provided experiences like working for military contractors and experimenting in laboratories that influence the science fiction pieces of my stories. However, engineering’s bigger impact is that I write systematically: outline, first draft, check for logical storyline, check for complete character arc, etc.

Finally, if you were to find yourself in a back alley in the middle of the night and felt like you were being watched, what book character would you summon to help you and why?

Harry Potter. He could share his invisibility cloak, and we could get the drop on whoever was spying on me. Maybe then we could use the wand. That would be fun.

Thanks for taking the time for an interview!

Don't forget to check out Emma's author website.

Author Interview with Matthew Dickerson

Give a warm welcome to Mr. Matthew Dickerson, the author of a three-part fantasy series, entitled The Daegmon War. You can check out my review of Book 1, The Gifted, here. Book 2, The Betrayed, was recently released.

What was the most challenging part of writing The Betrayed, your most recent book? What was your favorite part of writing this story?

The most enjoyable part is always the discovery—getting to know the characters better, seeing how they respond to different situations, learning what happens, and (very often) being surprised and delighted (or sometimes surprised and saddened).  The greatest challenge goes hand in hand with that. Writing requires great attentiveness. I need to be carefully listening to the characters, and noticing details in the landscape, the history of my world. It’s like being an explorer or a naturalist.

The delay in this book was more of a frustration than a challenge. The publisher that started the series by publishing Book 1, “The Gifted”, wasn't doing very well and decided to back out of the fiction market except for children’s fiction. They fired my editor and the Vice President. I later learned they were already strongly leaning toward this decision when the first book came out, so they spent $0 on advertising. I’ve been entirely dependent on word-of-mouth to get out news about my books—hoping people will post about it on social media, or tell friends—and I had to take over publishing myself in the middle of the series. I guess the one good thing that came from this is more freedom to let the book follow my own vision.

How would you say that your faith has influenced your writing?

Madeleine L’Engle spoke of writing fiction with the metaphor of “walking on water”, which is to say that writing itself is an act of faith. Trusting the story maybe means trusting the Great Story, and the teller of the Great Story. Just like following God requires letting go of control, following a story also requires letting go of control and letting the story take you where it needs to take you.  

But I guess another aspect is that I can’t imagine a world that was not created, and in which there is not a loving Creator at work.  So that vision is certainly present in my writing, even though I try not to be “religious”.

Tell us a bit about your writing process. Do you have a writing “ritual” such as a favorite beverage or writing spot? Do you plot your novels or fly by the seat of your pants?

As my earlier answer suggests, writing is very much an act of discovery. That is, writing the first draft is. I let the story (and its characters) take me where it needs to go (and where their choices will inevitably take them). I get to know my characters, and as I do I see how they act and respond to situations.  The hard work really is the revision—the focus on prose and the discipline of making every word just right, and also sometimes cutting or completely rewriting large portions.

One exception is that my two medieval historical romances—including the relatively recently published novel The Rood and the Torc--had more of the plot worked out in advance, in part because I was dealing with real historical events and characters. There was still very much a process of discovery, but it had more to do with how things would happen than with what would happen.

You have a strong interest in J.R.R. Tolkien and his works. What sparked that interest? Is there something specific about Tolkien you really enjoy talking about?

Well the interest has been sparked mostly by reading a great deal of Tolkien’s writing. And rereading. First delighting in his work, and then studying it and seeing just how much craft and wisdom is in the writing.  I get invited very regularly to speak on Tolkien, and I think some of the talks that I most enjoy giving—because they are things I most enjoyed learning—are about his environmental ideas, his moral vision, the way his theistic and Christian worldview are so central woven into his works, how he draws on past myths and stories.

Finally, if you found yourself alone in a dark alley at night, which book character would you choose to be with you and why?

Depends if my primary goal is to learn something there, or to get through the alley somewhere I need to be, or if I just wanted to escape the alley. Luthien would be a really good choice, I think. She took pretty good care of Beren in a very dark situation. Gandalf would be a pretty good choice, especially if my goal was to learn something important there. I think he could make it light if he needed to through some sort of spell. And there is nobody I’d rather have if there were Balrogs around.

Although speaking of spells, having Harry Potter wouldn’t be bad if I just wanted to disaparate out of there.   I think, though, Harry might be the sort who would get me into deeper trouble before I got out of it, and there does seem to be a high body count when he is around. So I guess I’ll stick with Luthien or Gandalf. And if they aren’t available, then Aragorn or Faramir.

Although I think having Morgan, the Prince of Hed, would also be a very good choice, particularly if there was some riddle I needed to solve. Morgan is, after all, a riddle-master. And very powerful. At least he becomes powerful.

Thanks for joining us, Matthew!

If you're interested in The Betrayed, you can find it here, or at another online outlet, such as Amazon.

Don't forget to stop back in tomorrow for a review of The Betrayed.  

Author Interview with Kerry Nietz

Kerry Nietz is a refugee of the software industry. He spent more than a decade of his life flipping bits, first as one of the principal developers of the database product FoxPro for the now mythical Fox Software, and then as one of Bill Gates's minions at Microsoft. He is a husband, a father, a technophile and a movie buff. He is the author of several award-winning novels, including A Star Curiously Singing, Freeheads, and Amish Vampires in Space.

Mr. Nietz has recently released a new book, Frayed, which is the first book in The DarkTrench Shadow series. Be sure to check it out!

You've been both independently and traditionally published. What do you like about each approach? What makes each difficult?

There are two benefits of traditional publishing: The publisher pays for the production of the book, and helps with marketing it. He/she may also pay the writer something up front, an advance, but those are becoming scarcer and scarcer today.

For that expense, the publisher has the rights to the book for a period of time (years) and makes a portion of the profit. (At least half, but often more.) They have control over every aspect of the book. Everything from vetoing rights of the book’s content, to picking the cover and title. They also set the schedule—which means the writer has to live by it.

As an independent you get control over everything. Cover art, who to hire as an editor, schedule...everything. Sometimes that can be overwhelming. Plus, the cost is all yours to bear. Parts of the process can get pricy, though much of that cost has gone down over the last ten years. (You could easily publish an eBook for a few hundred dollars, depending on how much of the process you’re willing to do on your own. Unless you’re a stellar artist, don’t do the cover on your own.)

I’ve been fully independent for a few months now, but I’ve independently published books for years. For me, it is hard to imagine going the traditional route again. It would have to be a really good deal. Yes, it can be painful to pay for everything, and make all the decisions. But one of the reasons to have a traditional publisher—help in marketing, has become less and less a benefit. Unless you’re a big name author you can’t expect a publisher to spend much time trying to sell your book. He/she is more concerned about marketing those books that are an easy sell. Those by big name authors. And just as the cost of producing books has come down, marketing on your own is easier too.

Unless your name is Stephen King, there are few reasons to go the traditional route today. And even he publishes independently now too.

How would you say that your career in the software industry has shaped your writing? What other parts of "everyday life" shape your ideas?

My software background influenced the DarkTrench books quite a bit, because the heroes are primarily programmers. Yes, they are called “debuggers” and fix robots in a world 500 years in the future, but they’re coders. They solve problems, they’re really smart, and they’re a little socially awkward. Outcasts, almost.

Along with that, there are fundamental similarities between writing code and writing stories. They both involve the manipulation of ideas. Controlling blocks of text and sometimes moving them around—cutting and pasting and refining. Many, many similarities.

Everyday life sneaks into my stories all the time. Basic human interactions, funny circumstances and anecdotes...it is all story material. Plus, I like to learn how things work. Even though I write science fiction, I like to base it on as much reality as I can. Real astronomy, biology, culture, sociology, etc. That’s what makes the story believable. Like it could happen.

How does your faith influence your writing? Is it ever difficult to incorporate topics of faith?

Faith is an important influence. It certainly colors my outlook on life and writing. The idea that things, no matter how bleak, ultimately work out in the end.

I often have a theme in mind when I start writing a story too—a guiding principle, along with some ideas about the characters and basic plot. That isn’t the same as preparing a sermon, though. I’m not out to preach.

The spiritual aspects of my stories find their way in through the course of the story itself. If the characters seem real, are based on reality, then they encounter real theological questions and ideas. People make decisions based on what they believe every day. Faith is all around us. Why not in stories?
I should mention that writing is a faith walk to me. I never know what is going to show up on the page. Often I’m surprised by it. I start to write each day believing I’m going somewhere, even if I’m not sure where. Somehow I get to the end, and much of what I write daily makes it into the final story. It’s a miracle, really. A God thing that maybe only a writer can understand. But maybe not.

You just released Frayed, the first book in The DarkTrench Shadow series, which serves as a parallel/ companion series to The DarkTrench Saga. What part of The Dark Trench Shadow series are you most excited about? Why did you decide to return to SandFly's world?

The Shadow series is intriguing to me because it allows me to explore situations and ideas that were only hinted at in the other books. I don’t want to spoil too much, but in the original DarkTrench series, the main character is off on a big adventure. While he is away, things are still happening—big things—so this series gives me a chance to look at those. Also, I get to hang out with a new debugger character, ThreadBare. He’s interesting and a little insecure. I like him.

I first started messing with ThreadBare while writing flash fiction for a magazine. (Flash fiction is a story that is very short. Usually less than 1000 words.) I wrote this story with this guy who works in a greasy, smelly shop on the edge of a battlefield. A debugger who is forgotten and often afraid. A guy who wants to be something significant. I realized I wanted to know more about him. What was going to happen to him? Was he a hero or not?

Finally, what's your favorite spaceship, real or fictional, and why?

I think my favorite spaceship today is probably Serenity from the show Firefly. It has a real interesting look on the outside, and a lived in and “homey” feel on the inside.

Another favorite is the ship Destiny from the show Stargate Universe. It is gigantic, and filled with lots of unknowns—at least, to the humans that find themselves onboard. There is a lot to wonder and marvel at there. You never know what the next room or hallway might bring.

Science fiction should be a mixture of those two ships. It should be large enough to fill you with wonder, yet still feel familiar. Like home.

Thanks for joining us, Mr. Nietz! 

Be sure to check out his author website and Frayed, his most recent release!

Samara's Peril Blog Tour: Author Interview and Book Review

Please welcome Jaye L. Knight, creator of the Ilyon Chronicles! She's here as part of her blog tour for her release of Samara's Peril, which is book 3 in the series. 

Jaye L. Knight is an award-winning author, homeschool graduate, and shameless tea addict with a passion for Christian fantasy. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

Which of the Ilyon Chronicles was the hardest to write and why?

Well, I have yet to write the final book, but right now I would say book four. I got really frustrated while writing it, and it took longer than the others. The funny thing is though, now that it’s written, it’s my darling. I adore it and can’t imagine why it was so difficult.

I see you have your own imprint for your books. What made you decide on the indie publishing route and what makes it rewarding?

I didn’t really have a choice in the beginning. I wanted to publish, but I had no idea how to go about it. Originally, I published my first book through a self-publishing company. I wouldn’t make that choice again now, but I learned a lot from the experience. It taught me enough to pursue indie publishing completely on my own. Now that I’ve sort of learned the ins and outs, I’m very happy with where I am. I love having control over the entire process. That way I know I can work on a book until I’m completely happy. Plus, I just could never work under strict deadlines. I have a hard enough time actively writing as it is. Throw in a set deadline by a publishing company, and I would probably just fall apart. :P

You describe yourself as a "shameless tea addict". What's your favorite type of tea?

It used to be English Breakfast tea, but then I tried Irish Breakfast tea and fell in love with it. I have at least a mug of it every day.


What's your favorite part of writing Christian books?

The hope that is in them. Even when things are at their very worst, there is hope in the fact that God works all things together for good. That hope is missing in non-Christian books. Like The Hunger Games, for instance. Part of the reason I found them so depressing was because there was no hope. No strength they could reach out to, no faith they could hold on to.


And finally, if you could master any fantasy skill/weapon what would it be and why? 

A sword, most definitely. :) I’ve always wanted to learn how to wield a sword. My brother was always more the archer type, but for some reason I always loved the hand-to-hand combat in swordplay. There’s something really epic about skilled swordsmen/women.

Thanks for taking the time out for an interview!

Book Review: Samara's Peril

The Short:

Samara’s Peril

Ilyon Chronicles, Book 3

By: Jaye L. Knight

4/5 Stars

What: When the Resistance discovers that Samara is Emperor Daican’s next target, they spring into action. And who is the stranger called Elon?

Recommended to those who like: Fantasy, Christian, a bit of romance, and have read books 1 and 2.

The Long:

It was my pleasure to receive an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Jaye for being awesome and interviewing with us today! Now, let’s hear a little bit about her new release. I’ve tried to keep it spoiler-free in regards to both Resistance and The King’s Scrolls.

Kyrin and her friends embark on a dangerous journey to obtain Daican’s plans for Samara, the neighboring kingdom that still largely follows Elom. More secrets than just his plans come to light, however. Can Jace come to grips with new secrets from his past? And is the healer Elon the one who was promised?

I really wish that I could have given this book five stars. However, the beginning was a bit…scattered. I felt really disconnected from Kyrin and it was hard to keep track of all the minor characters (it’s been a while since I’ve read the other books in the series).

Yet, some aspects of the book were stellar. Jace is still one of my favorite characters--from any book series. He feels real. Also, hats off to Ms. Knight for some fantastic dragon battle scenes at the end. The action sucked me right in.

In spite of some of the hiccups with this book, I’m really excited for the next book in the series. The ending to this one had me worried for a few pages, but I was very pleased with where it left off. There’s a promise of some more great action in the next installment.

As always, Ms. Knight offered a thoughtful Christian message, though some readers might find it a little strong. This book also gets into a little romance.

Bottom Line: Samara’s Peril, while a weaker installment in the series, has a lot to offer to fans of Christian fantasy, including a nice lead into the next book. 

U.S. Residents, be sure to check out the cool giveaway associated with the book!

There will be no Friday Fiction Fix tomorrow due to today's post. See you on Tuesday!

Have you checked out any new releases lately? 

Author Interview with Benjamin J. Denen

Today, please welcome Mr. Denen for a special author interview! Mr. Denen is the author of The Keeper of Edelyndia, the first book in The Keeper Chronicles, a really cool fantasy series. Raulin: Rise of the Forest King is a prequel to The Keeper of Edelyndia and releases TODAY! 

Benjamin J. Denen is a husband, father, son, brother, friend, Christ follower, author, musician, pizza aficionado, promoter of the Oxford comma, and fan of all things Chicago sports (Cubs not White Sox). He holds a Bachelor of Music with an emphasis in Guitar Performance from Belmont University (a fancy way of saying he plays guitar good) and a Master of Arts in Youth Ministry Leadership from Huntington University. When he's not reading, he's writing. Sometimes that means he is composing music for film/media in his project studio (i.e. in his converted garage). It could also mean that he is writing his latest novel.

He writes much in the same way that he reads, which is to say that he bounces around between different genres like Tigger after drinking a 5-Hour Energy. In music that means one day is laying tracks for a metal piece for a client. The next day he is composing a symphonic ballad for another. In his career as a novelist, it means that he writes urban fantasy, murder/mystery, epic fantasy, humorous young adult, Hallmark Channel-esque novellas, and so on. He thinks it makes him creative. His wife thinks it is adult A.D.D.

Being a writer is what he does not who he is. As much as he enjoys crafting music and stories, he places a much higher value on being a present father and husband. He'd rather play toys with his son than write a best seller (of course if he could do both he wouldn't complain).

To start off, tell us a little about your writing.

I write because I love to write.  That may sound cheesy or cliché, but it couldn’t be more true.  I guess I was sort of blessed with a very overactive imagination.  When I was a kid, I would play out intricate (for a child) dramas with my toys.  There would be epic wars fought by G.I. Joes for the survival of the human race and so on.  No that I have to “adult”, writing is the only way I can allow the stories floating around in my head to get out!

Because I first and foremost write for my own enjoyment of the process of telling stories, I tend to bounce around a little in terms of the kinds of books I write.  This is reflective of my reading habits.  Currently, I have self-published two fantasy novels and a Hallmark Channel-esque Christmas novella.  However, I’m sitting on a few completed manuscripts that are radically different from my published works.  As I continue this journey of writing and publishing, I think my readers will surprised at some of my releases.

What made you decide to take the indie publishing route? What makes indie publishing difficult?

Not to put too fine a point on it, I went the indie route because the “big house” publishers and agents haven’t “discovered” me yet.  Just ten-ish years ago that might have meant that my manuscripts would never see the light of day. Thankfully, I’m writing in a period that I think history will look at as the boom of publishing.  Some bemoan the “easy access” that would-be authors have to self-publishing tools because it allows what they consider to be “poor writing” to reach the public and clog up the field for all of us.  I, on the other hand, see this as a wonderful era and not just because it allows me to publish my works.  As a reader, I love the opportunity I have through sites like Amazon to discover new authors and create works that may not have fit the market-research driven top publishers.  Likewise, as an indie author, I can feel free to write the stories as I feel they are meant to be written without worrying that an agent will fail to take interest.

The most difficult side of self-publishing is most definitely marketing.  Though a published author has to be involved in this aspect of the process as well, there are teams of publicists and marketing experts to help connect him/her to readers.  As an indie author, that responsibility falls solely to me.  I love writing.  I do not love selling.  Many aspects of marketing all outside of my interests and skill set so it can be a challenge.

What’s your favorite part about writing?

Easily my favorite part of writing is getting to know the characters.  I used to hear other authors talk about how their characters tell the story, but until I wrote my first novel I didn’t truly understand this.  My wife tends to think I’m crazy!  I will often come out of a long writing session and tell her how surprised I was by the sudden twist in a story. The characters do really tell the story and often that leads me to discover a world I hadn’t expected to find.

I see you’ve written some music to go along with your books. What role does music play in your writing process?

My undergraduate degree is in music, and for much of my life I have played music professionally.  When you get down to it, music is another form of storytelling.  Music is a powerful medium for conveying emotion and drama.  As a composer I find myself creating stories and character arcs as I write, almost as if I am crafting a novel.  This made my transition into writing novels seamless.

When I write, I always have instrumental music playing in the room or through headphones.  Usually, I listen to film scores or other styles of orchestral music.  Film scores naturally lend well as a soundtrack to writing due to the fact that composers were, themselves, underscoring a story.  Honestly, I have a very difficult time writing without music.  The two are a package for me.

What would be your fantasy weapon of choice?

Oooh, great question.  In The Keeper of Edelyndia, I sort of invented a weapon that is a combination of a bowstaff and a spear.  There were a few reasons why I chose to do this, not the least of which was the desire to have my protagonist stand a little more unique among the pantheon of great fantasy characters already in print.  That said, I am a sucker for the sword.  There is something beautiful and awful about the double-edged blade.  It is a personal weapon that requires the wielder to step close to the man he intends to harm which lends an ugliness to it; yet it cannot be wielded by just anyone.  It takes skill and grace. 

 Now for something a bit more serious: how does your faith influence your writing?

The intertwining of my faith and my writing is so interconnected that I’m not entirely sure I could separate the two even if I wanted.  The stories that I write always wrestle with deep questions of the human condition.  Pain, suffering, joy, hope, fear… these are all things that make us human. My Christian faith naturally speaks to all of these and more.  When the stories unfold as I write them, I always strive to make my characters as human and realistic as possible.  Because I too have crisis of faith, have suffered loss, joy, fear, etc. it is only natural that my characters should as well.

That said, I also strive to write books that will appeal to people of different backgrounds.  Obviously, no book will appeal to everyone, but I want someone that does not share a similar faith to mine to feel just as engaged by my book as someone who does.

What authors have been a source of inspiration for you?

That’s a tough question.  The list could be endless.  As a fantasy author I obviously have to pay homage to Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.  Brandon Sanderson, J.K. Rowling, Steven King, Stephen Lawhead, John Green, Patrick Rothfuss, Frank Peretti, and Brent Weeks are a few others.  I’m an avid reader.  In fact, I think that all authors of any quality should consider themselves to be professional readers.  I’m not sure how you can add anything to world of literature without reading what is already out there. 

Recently, discovered Robin Hobb and have fallen in love with her writing.  I’m not sure how it took me so long to find her books!

 If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be?

I am a bit of a self-proclaimed history nerd.  Though I primarily read fictional works, I do enjoy reading non-fiction that pertain to history, particularly anything to do with WWII.  Narrowing it down would be really hard.  I would love to meet FDR and/or Winston Churchill.  Those were two amazing men that were forced to make some of the most difficult decisions a world leader has ever faced. 

What’s your favorite fictional book and why?

Wow, I don’t know that I could possibly narrow it down to one.  Though I am in the middle of writing a fantasy series, I read many different genres.  That said, if I’m forced to pick one I’m going to go with Eragon by Christopher Paolini.  There certainly are other fantasy works that are considered finer literature, but I choose this one because of how it inspired me.  I first read it while I was in college, a time when I had mostly stopped reading for leisure.  There have been a couple of times that in reading it again, a passion for reading has been reawakened in me.  For whatever reason it really connected with me.  The characters are well constructed and relatable. 

Close seconds would be The Oath by Frank Peretti and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 

Last question: You find yourself in an alley in the middle of the night when you hear menacing footsteps behind you. If you could summon any book character to be with you, who would you choose and why?

This one is easy.  Jack Reacher.  He is, quite possibly, the coolest, toughest character ever created.  He might not be the most skilled, the strongest, or the most powerful, but if I’m trapped in a dark alley, I like my odds with him having my back!

Thanks for taking time out for the interview and for all the great answers! 

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