William D. Burt is an author who understands what interest’s young readers. With the latest market of vampire books exploding, Christian readers are left with little on the shelves that provides competition. Burt knows the young mind needs inspiration and has figured out a way to provide it while remaining true to Godly standards. “What makes my storytelling style unique is that I scrupulously avoid the use of magic in my series. Instead, I introduce a God-figure who specializes in working miracles, especially those of the heart and soul. My characters actually pray for wisdom, guidance and divine assistance. By contrast, most modern fantasy authors create imaginary worlds and settings that are cosmologically humanistic. That is, there is no room for God unless it is a pagan god. Characters in these humanistic fantasies must rely upon their own wits and resources, sorcery, and/or their unique super-powers in order to resolve conflicts. My characters are at their best and strongest when they trust the God-figure to help them.”
Burt is the author of seven young adult/adult Christian fantasy novels that are part of the King of Trees series. Not only is he in touch with his audience but he is honest about what motivated him to begin writing, the writing journey itself, and the one thing that is most important to him regarding his readers.
MN-Tell me something about yourself.
WB- I spent most of my teenage years living in the Middle Earth-I’m an avid Tolkien and C.S. Lewis fan. While still in high school, I began my writing career editing my father’s popular identification guides, Edible and Poisonous Plants of the Western/Eastern States. As an Assistant Professor in the Special Education Department at Western Oregon University, I served as a successful grant writer and program coordinator. I have also served as a short-term missionary with YWAM and Campus Crusade for Christ overseas, as a lay preacher and as a sign-language interpreter.
MN- The genre you mostly write in would be….
WB- Fantasy, because it offers limitless possibilities plot-wise. It gives me greater freedom to create alternate worlds, creatures and characters. However, I do adhere to consistent natural laws in my stories, enhancing the realism factor. I also am enjoying dabbling in Creation Science Fiction, which may seem like an oxymoron.
MN- You are referring to your current project?
WB- I’m working on the first book in a new series featuring Creation Science and crypto zoology.
MN- What was the inspiration for this series?
WB- J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis are the authors that have most deeply influenced me. However, the Author of the Bible has given me the greatest inspiration for writing.
MN- And God represents your passion for writing.
WB- Speaking the truth about God is my passion. That passion infuses whatever project I’m working on. I find that writing has become an integral part of my life, and I would feel lost without this activity.
MN- Your faith is important to you, isn’t it?
WB- I would not be writing if it were not for God’s intervention in my life. He literally saved me from dying of anorexia nervosa when I was in college and tasked me with writing for him. The King of the Trees is actually an extended, Biblically based allegory.
MN- What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
WB- Write from the heart and write what you know.
MN- What you know is fantasy fiction, and your heart?
WB- I feel it is extremely important to provide young people in particular with Christian alternatives to dark, soulless fantasy works currently in circulation. Through my books, I enjoy the privilege of connecting with readers whom I might not otherwise have met. The books provide us with some common ground for sharing and friendship.
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SERIES TITLES: The King of the Trees, Torsils in Time, The Golden Wood, The Greenstones, The Downs, Kyleah's Mirrors, The Birthing Tree.
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About Mary Nichelson: http://www.marysworld411.com/
More interviews in The Wordsmith Journal with David Vince, Rodney Hennigan and Bryan Liftin.
This interview is courtesy of The Wordsmith Journal.
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