Kingdom Pen Interviews Wayne Thomas Batson

Kingdom Pen’s own Sarah Spradlin had the amazing opportunity of interviewing Wayne Thomas Batson, and we are so excited to bring it to you today! We hope you find his words as encouraging as we did!

 

Kingdom Pen: Deciding to follow Christ is one of the biggest moments as Christians. When did you first accept Christ as your Savior and how has that decision influenced you throughout your life?

Wayne Thomas Batson: Which time? LOL Sorry, couldn’t resist. I think the first time I recognized Jesus as Savior was in 7^th grade at an all nighter tennis tournament. The teaching pro was a Christian, gave his testimony, and led us in a prayer. BUT, that said, I’m not certain when the old-to-new transformation happened. The nature of saving faith has always been a little elusive for me. I mean, these altar calls, sinner’s prayers, and 100 other practices have only been around for the last 200 years, so how did people get saved prior to that? Probably just what the Bible says: they believed. And even that faith was a gift from God. So, I don’t worry about the day. All I know is that, within me, there is a great desire to know and experience God. I want to please Him. I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

KP: Many authors have at least one embarrassing story to share about their first novels, short stories, or attempts at either. What was your first “big” writing adventure? Do you look back on it as something to be proud of, or is it something you tuck away into dusty corners and try not to talk about very often?

WTB: Well, The Door Within was originally entitled “The Door Without Hinges.” ROFL Whew, glad God gave me a better idea.

KP: Every author has heard the whispered tales of the horrendous behemoth called “Writer’s Block.” How do you deal with this monster when it comes knocking, and what measures can authors take to avoid a confrontation with the beast to begin with?

WTB: Don’t hate me, but I don’t get writer’s block. Ever. Seriously. God floods my mind with so many ideas that I can’t even keep up with them. There are times when I make my own blocks, spending hours laboring over just the right character or place name, that kind of thing. The worst obstacle for me is mindless surfing on the Web. If not for that, I’d likely have three more novels written. For those who have what we traditionally refer to as Writer’s Block, I’d suggest becoming more of an Outliner. Sketch out the whole plot, chapter by chapter. You’ll always know where you’re headed.

KP: Christian allegory is a growing genre in the book store, particularly in the medieval fantasy area. For those aspiring to be authors in this genre themselves and since you have considerable experience with it, what are some tips and tricks to writing convincing, original, and meaningful Christian allegory?

WTB: Number 1: Don’t FORCE IT. If you dress up a Bible Tract in fantasy trappings and try to pass it off as a story, you are going to infuriate readers and dishonor God. Write the story that is on your heart. Work hard at it. Craft it. Make it sing. If Christ is in your heart, He will shine through. If God gives you a story, tell it well.

KP: Each of your series have a repeated phrase, generally a command or motto, that highlight a significant message that is in the book. For example, in The Door Within trilogy, the knights of Alleble encouraged one another by saying, “Never alone!” Would you encourage other authors to do the same thing, and for authors who do want to put something like this in their books, how would you advise they pick out a phrase that is meaningful but not clichéd or awkward?

 

WTB: Two answers here: 1) It allows readers to rally around the story world. After all, you can text someone “Never Alone,” and that will bring to another reader’s mind the whole story experience. Endurance and Victory! Hold Fast!—these are things that allow readers to more easily remember the heart of the series. 2) Reason number two: having a “catch phrase” makes it easy to write something during book signings! LOL

KP: Even if we’re always told not to judge a book by its cover, a lot of times that’s the only reason that a potential reader picks up a book. Since you’ve written quite a few novels and even self-published, what are some things that an author should consider when either creating their own cover or picking out of a publisher’s provided selection?

WTB: The Cover is HUGELY important, especially now. My biggest advice here is: be professional. Use a pro artist (Like Caleb Havertape!) and don’t skimp. Also, make sure that the composition of your cover looks good at small scale too. Think: thumbnail pic. In today’s ebook market, that little pic may be the only thing the reader sees. If it looks cool small, readers will click to see it big. If it looks cool big, reader may just buy it.

KP: Tell us a little bit about your new book series, Dreamtreaders. Can we expect to see some more of your familiar medieval fantasy flair, or will this series take a new direction like your new GHOST series?

WTB: Dreamtreaders is a modern dream fantasy, so it’s not medieval per se. The central thought is: what if dreams were more than they seem, that we could travel into them and have control over certain elements? And what if there was something sinister in our dreams, the dark force behind nightmares? What if that force wanted into the waking world, what then? Who would defend us? Seriously, the Dreamtreaders series will blow your mind with imagination. Book 3 in the series, War for the Waking World, will release this October. Get all three at the same time so that you won’t have to wait!

KP: Late last year you wrote The Black Wood for your readers for Christmas that included an epilogue to the final book of The Door Within and also a short story about Nock and Mallik. What was it like getting back into that universe after writing so many other stories since The Door Within trilogy had been completed?

WTB: Very nostalgic. I love those old characters. It’s fun to roll with them once more and, honestly, they have so many more adventures. There are always more adventures…

KP: How has your career as a teacher influenced your writing? Is there any insight that you have gained especially from being around kids and working with them daily that has helped you with writing?

WTB: 25 years of teaching middle school has given me immeasurable insight about the way kids think, their motives, hopes, fears, dreams, etc. One thing I’ve learned is that kids are MUCH MORE perceptive than most adults give them credit for being. I won’t ever dumb down a novel. Kids are smart. Kids are deep. So I need to write that way.

KP: Authors have been known to do some crazy things, not limited to staying up all night to meet deadlines and dressing up as characters and reading to kids. What is one of the craziest things you’ve ever done in the name of writing, and what is one of your most fond memories related to writing?

WTB: I would need to write a novel to answer this question. But I will share this anecdote. When Christopher Hopper and I were writing the Berinfell Prophecies series, we often met for what we termed “Writer’s Bootcamp Weekend.” We book a hotel and just write all weekend long. That can get a little silly at times. At one point, we were both BURNT TOAST mentally. I was flummoxed over a character name, and I think Christopher had revised the same paragraph about 90 times. I began searching “fantasy name generators” online. These are sites that take 1000s of random name or traits and shuffle them randomly. Occasionally, you’ll get something cool, but most of the time, you get hilarious nonsense. I kept clicking the “shuffle” buttons to get new combinations, and it seemed like the more I clicked, the more ridiculously funny the combinations became. Christopher and I were quite literally rolling around clutching our stomachs with the pain-of-laughter. But the crescendo came when once I clicked and the generator gave me: Flatulent barrister gnome! That just killed us. We kept imagining these garden gnomes cutting the cheese and flying around in circles. I know, I know: real mature, right? But you have to understand: 1) we are guys 2) we were completely exhausted and 3) that stuff is funny!

Check out Wayne Thomas Batson’s books on audible.com!

Wayne Thomas Batson has spent the last fifteen years teaching Reading and English to middle schools students. He pioneered the active instruction of Strategic Reading in Anne Arundel County and has written Reading and English Curricula for Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, and Howard County Public Schools. Most recently, he helped develop the Challenge Reading Curriculum for advanced readers in Howard County, Maryland.
Wayne Thomas Batson lives in Eldersburg with his beautiful wife of eleven years and his four wonderful young children. Besides dividing his time between family, teaching, and writing, he likes to read, golf, play PS2, travel to the beach, play electric guitar, and create 3D artwork.

Wayne Thomas Batson is the Bestselling author of five adventure novels including the fantasy epic Door Within Trilogy and the pirate duo Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire.