Novel Journey interviews Mike and I

Mike Lynch and I were delighted to be interviewed by the blog, Novel Journey, which is one of Writer's Digest 101 most valuable websites for writers, 2008. Check out the cool interview by clicking HERE!

Of boys, other realms, and fantastic imaginations

The Hunter Brown series, written by the Miller Brothers, is geared for kids ages 9-12. And as one can tell by the title and the front cover, this is a book focused on a young boys adventures.

Okay, writing for this age group has got to be fun! These are kids who still pretend sticks are swords, trees and bushes are mighty beasts, and their own backyard is an untamed island of adventure. What a fun age to be. I think most adults would love to go back and just play like that again! (Isn't that part of the reason we read adult fantasy...)

I can remember huge numbers of neighborhood friends getting together and pretending dinosaurs were chasing us, or that we were really Luke Skywalker or Indiana Jones. Our imaginations knew no limits. Sometimes they got the better of us, and we'd hide under our covers with the sheets pulled tight absolutely petrified that we'd seen some motion from within our darkened, half open closet--perhaps some slithering monster, or giant amphibian.

And what is it with books in this age group--such as the Miller Brothers Hunter Brown book--whisking children away to strange realms to fight battles against the stuff of imagination? Is it over done?? Haven't we seen enough of this storyline??

I don't think so!

Why?

Because that's what kids want! Maybe we adults are used to it by now, but hey, these kids were just born a few years back, THEY WANT MONSTERS, THEY WANT BATTLES, THEY WANT TO BE TAKEN TO OTHER REALMS! Thus, these types of stories will never stop because children (of all ages, including this twenty-eight year old kid) love to be transported to other realms.

Why do we long to leave our earth? Because deep down kids and adults alike sense that this world we see is not all there is. Somewhere stirring inside, we know there is another realm; that there are monsters waging war against our souls, fighting against the good, and that some average Joe, Joey, Jane, or Janey has to stand up and put a stop to it!

If you are interested in the Miller Brothers Hunter Brown book CLICK HERE!

And please, check out these fellow bloggers talking about the series...

Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Melissa Carswell
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Shane Deal
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Marcus Goodyear
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Magma
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Nissa
Wade Ogletree
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson

Interview with Lars Walker, Viking fantasy author and Christian

It's always a joy for me to find a new published Christian author in the field of fantasy and science fiction. One of the extraordinary things about this particular find is that he has been published by major secular publisher, Baen Books.

So without further delay, let me introduce Lars Walker. He is the author of four books published by Baen. You can find out all the details about them under the heading "BOOKS" at the authors website. www.larswalker.com

I encourage you to visit Walkers website and read the section titled "About my Books". It gives some awesome observations on writing for God's glory.

Mr. Walker was kind enough to grant me an interview with him, so here goes:

BB: What are some of the new things going on in your life, writing or otherwise?

LW: I'm happy to report that I have a new publisher, Nordskog Publishing of Ventura, California. They're a young publishing house, and mine will be the first novel they'll be bringing out in their brand-new fiction line called Noble Books. The title is West Oversea, and it continues the Saga of Erling Skjalgsson which began in my novel The Year of the Warrior.

BB: What inspired you to start writing?

LW: When I was a kid I used to draw. I planned to be a commerical artist or a cartoonist. But my drawing always frustrated me. I was never able to achieve the effects I wanted. I started getting some attention for my writing in school, and began to experiment with writing stories. When I did that, the desire to draw disappeared almost overnight. Writing gave me a sense of mastery over my medium that I never attained with drawing.

BB: If you could name a few books of fiction and non-fiction that have had big impact on you, what would they be?

LW: Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, it goes without saying. But I never really aspired to emulate Tolkien. The author who inspired me to write fantasy was Robert E. Howard. When I read his Conan stories, I thought, "I could write that kind of thing."

My all-around favorite author, though, is C. S. Lewis. My novel, Wolf Time was inspired by his That Hideous Strength, and other people have noticed the influence, so I must have done something right.

Nowadays I read mostly mysteries and thrillers, though. I think I do that because a) they're generally better written than most contemporary fantasy, and b) the fact that I can't seem to write in that genre frees me up to enjoy without analyzing too much.

BB: Tell us about your journey from unpublished author to your finding a home with major publisher Baen Books.

LW: About the time I finished college, I sat down to write the story which eventually became Wolf Time. I produced a horrible mess and gave it up about 2/3 of the way through. But I didn't throw it away.

A few years later I thought to myself, "If I just finish this monstrosity--just write an end to it--I'll be able to say I've written a novel. It'll be a lousy novel, but I'll know I can do the physical work. Someday I know I'll be able to write a good novel, and when that happens I'll already know I can finish a book, which ought to make it easier to do." So I did that. Then I put it in a stationery box and stuck it in a closet. I concentrated on short stories, and got some sold.

A few years after that I realized what the book was about and how I could make it work. I set to work re-writing it without once glancing at the original manuscript. I finished it.

And a mere ten years after that, my agent sold it to Baen (after he'd already sold the first Erling book to them).

So the whole process only took me about 25 years.

BB: You have had four books released by Baen Books, tell us about your experience with them.

LW: I was pleased and honored to be published by a secular house. Jim Baen (gone now, alas) was an agnostic, but he actually practiced the principle of the free exchange of ideas. He published me, and he also published Eric Flint, who's a Communist (though his stable of writers tended to the right/libertarian side). I admired him intensely. Unfortunately I ended up getting on his wrong side (largely my own fault) and he cut me loose.

BB: How has your Christian faith influenced your writing?

LW: I have all kinds of high-flown ideas about art as an expression of God's creation in the world. The basic pattern of a story plot (Protagonist tries to solve problem, fails, tries again, fails again, and keeps trying until he finds something that works or fails in a significant way) echoes the very pattern of how life is lived. A story that's faithful to the truth glorifies God as much as a symphony or a sunset. Jesus Himself did most of His teaching with stories.

BB: There's been a large criticism of Christian fiction (of all genres) that it trends toward heavy handed preaching and telliness rather than letting the characters develop naturally through action and story. What are your thoughts on this?

LW: The critics are right, and I've been guilty more often than I like to admit. A really good story doesn't need a stated moral any more than we need to see fiery words in the sky saying, "AND THE LESSON IS..." in order to learn from our experiences.

BB: What advice do you give to fledgling writers?

LW: The same as everyone else's. Write. Apply seat to office chair and fill screen with words. Don't expect to be a master from the beginning. Your first drafts will always suck. That's what first drafts are meant to do. Once the story is down on paper (or magnetic media), you can re-write and revise until you've said what you meant to say. Get friends who write, or are discerning readers, to critique for you. Once you think the story is perfect, put it away in a drawer for about 3 months, and then look at it again. You'll be appalled at what you find, but that's usually the point where you can do a final draft and actually have something that's not an insult to an editor.

BB: Thank you Mr. Walker for sharing about your life and writing experience. I wish you all the best in your writing and in this adventure we call life.

LW: My pleasure.

Coming Attractions!

Firstly, for anyone who missed the internet radio interview, but wanted to listen in, www.returnofthekingradio.com will be re-airing the interview March 9th, at 6pm pacific time (so if your not on the west coast, just scale the time ahead to your own time zone). The interview was a ton of fun!

Secondly, I'm going to be interviewing a surprise guest author this week and posting our interaction here! So check back, you'll be glad you did :)

Sunday radio interview

Internet radio station, Return of the King, will be interviewing Mike Lynch and me (Brandon Barr) at 2pm pacific time, 5pm Eastern time. If you're interested, come check it out. We'll be talking about our sci-fi novel When the Sky Fell.

The radio station site is: www.returnofthekingradio.com

The radio station has a shout box, so you can make comments. At the end of the show, there will be a question and answer session, and you can ask us whatever you like through the shout box.

Amazing fish species

What a cool head! Not a compliment one gives out often, but this fish deserves it. Wow! This creature, called the "barreleye fish" has a transparent head. God made some amazing creations!

Sometimes science fiction just doesn't surprise us as much as cold hard reality. On a more serious note. Mike and I are doing an internet radio interview this Sunday at 2pm. I'll post the details on Friday! We'd love to have you join along and interact--yes, it's interactive!!