A. I wouldn’t use the word “spiritual,” although I could see someone thinking something along those lines. I didn’t have a computer until after I got married, so I used to have a red three-ring binder full of lined paper so I could sit and write whenever I felt the compulsion. In fact, at my most recent high-school reunion, I was shocked at how many people mentioned that binder to me (I guess it was timely since I had published a novel) and how much of an impression that it had on them.

A. You can’t please everyone. It’s impossible. That said, authors put their work out for the public to see. In college, there was an English professor who sent the campus newspaper weekly hate mail. She didn’t like that we used the Associated Press Stylebook, she didn’t like who was quoted, she didn’t like the photos (granted, being weekly, we sometimes didn’t have time to reshoot), etc. This helped me develop a thicker skin. So, when I get a bad review, I vent with my wife, then I let it go. It’s not always easy. Bottom line: how many books has that person written? None? Then that person has no idea how much time, effort, sleepless nights, waking up at 3 a.m. and going down to write or you’ll never get back to sleep, etc., is involved. That’s how I deal with it.

A. There’s really nothing quite as gratifying as a good, well-written review. I love it when I read a review, and can sit back and say, “There’s somebody who gets it!” Or, even better, “Wow, I didn’t think about it like that!” That’s very cool, also.

A. No. I have published professionally under W.D. Kilpack III since I was 15.

A. I write every day, without fail. I can’t not write. There are times when I have been writing for 12-14 hours straight. Other times, a lot less. It depends on the day, what else is going on, etc. For example, with my next novel, I have been working on the cover art. So I have not been putting in as much time writing as usual.

A. Doesn’t every character have at least a little bit of autobiography in it? Otherwise, I don’t think it would be believable at all. But there are different degrees of it in different characters. In the New Blood Saga, Natharr has a bad knee. That’s definitely from my life (my left knee ended my wrestling career). In the miniseries I wrote, the main character was a world champ Greco-Roman wrestler (I qualified to represent the USA in Greco-Roman).

A. I have never offered free books. You get what you pay for and I don’t think that’s right to expect to receive my tens of thousands of hours of work for free. I offer a free chapter. I have newsletters. I have just about every type of social media. I have readers who send me photos of themselves holding my books! (I really love that!)

A. I love science fiction and fantasy. My influences include Homer, J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Stephen R. Donaldson, George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, David Eddings, Piers Anthony, Robert Holdstock, Robert Adams, John Norman, Melanie Rawn, Shakespeare, Aristotle, James Cameron, Aaron Sorkin, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, and Robert Frost. The most inspirational writers would be Homer, Tolkien, Martin, Artistotle, Shakespeare, and Sorkin. Aside from the Iliad and the Odyssey just being great stories, that they were written so incredibly long ago just makes them that much more amazing. Tolkien, of course, took the fantasy genre to a new level, showing us all how the Homeric quest story can be repackaged. Martin has championed my favourite type of fantasy, which I call “realistic fantasy,” where the people have real-life issues they are dealing with, and magic is more subtle. Aristotle’s writings are awe-inspiring because he was writing in 350 B.C.E., yet they’re still relevant and the basis of so much in society. I love William Shakespeare’s poetry and plays (MacBeth is my favourite). For screenwriting, I am continuously in awe of how Sorkin’s characters are so incredibly intelligent, taking complex concepts and expressing them with rapid-fire ease, without turning them into Rainman or Gandalf.

A. Research plays a huge role in my writing, but I can’t quantify how long it takes. In my fantasy writing, I do a lot of research into specific cultures, technology that was available in medieval times, even word usage. It makes the world more real. As a result, I have people ask, “How did you come up with that?” I answer, “I didn’t. It was still in practice in England till the 1880s.” For my science fiction, research plays an even bigger role, with the latest discoveries in space exploration, even quantum physics.

A. If you are writing history, then be accurate. Do not misrepresent. Your job is to give an accurate depiction of what happened, not to dress it up and make it palatable. People need to look at history and learn from it, not pretend that it never happened.�

If you’re writing fiction, it depends on how long ago the person lived. If it’s recent, you need to be very careful. If it’s more than 50 years ago, then you can be more free. More than a century, even more. However, if asked, I would never be afraid to say that a character was inspired by someone. For example, at a very deep level, Natharr, the main character in the New Blood Saga, was inspired by Socrates.

A. Not yet. Knock on wood.

A. I’m already giving up plenty of sleep to meet deadlines. (I had about a six-week streak of two hours a night.) I think that’s enough.

A. I am married to my high-school sweetheart. I have five children and helped raise ten. I have 10 grandchildren with another coming. I have always had pets, usually cats (I once had 14 of them!) but right now, I am without a pet for the first time in my life and am enjoying it. Maybe it goes along with empty-nesting, appreciating having no other responsibilities.

A. I am writing full time, freelancing with short stories and news, my novels, and screenwriting.

A. I coached wrestling for more than 20 years but have retired. That helps my writing, because it gave me the time to focus here, rather than there. I love to cook. I prefer quality, home-cooked meals, particularly since I would likely be the one cooking them. I’m a good cook (better than a lot of restaurants I’ve been) and enjoy the creative process. I love exploring new flavors and styles of cooking, and of course the sense of accomplishment when something I cook turns out just as I had hoped. If it comes out better than I hoped, then that’s certainly worth a cheer. Cooking also helps add some depth to my world-building, because I love mastering different types of ethnic cuisines. Food is a big part of culture.

A. My first dream job was to be a cartoonist. I wanted to start my own line of comic books (or work for Marvel). I loved superheroes (and still do!) and would draw the comics, as well as write the stories. My first comic-book character was Super Mouse, created when I was 5 or 6. He was pretty much Superman, but a mouse, and he beat up cats. It was very serious stuff, not Tom and Jerry. I was first published when I was 9, when a teacher entered a poem I wrote into a contest without my knowledge. It won and was published. But the real pivotal moment was when I was 12. Mrs. Ferrin, who taught my Language Arts and Gifted & Talented classes, told me to write a chapter of a book for every writing assignment, rather than the regular assignments. By the end of the year, I wrote my first fantasy novel, and that changed everything.

A. I taught college for 25 years. In the last 10 years, things changed. What is lacking most is responsibility. Parents of college students started calling me (I couldn’t even discuss anything with them; it’s illegal). Those same parents prevented teachers from doing their jobs before that, so I had half my students who have never written a paper.

A. I read every book on mythology in my elementary-school library. However, a single book that was my favorite would have to be Snow Dog by Jim Kjeelgard. It was something along the lines of White Fang by Jack London, but I liked it more. It was more about the dog, less about the owner. I liked the story being so much from the perspective of the dog. I was also fascinated with the environment, which led to Alaska being one of my bullet-list destinations (which I recently got to cross off my list).

A. I like short titles, although I’m not afraid of subtitles. I nail down the core of the story for the particular volume and name the book for it. I have also named books for less-analytical reasons. For example, one book I wrote (not yet published) is named for something that the main character says several times throughout the book. He doesn’t like his actual name, so he instructs people to call him by a nickname. That became the title of the book.

A. I am a metal head. I love heavy metal. I can sit with loud guitars blaring, focus on my writing and bang my head, all at the same time. (Some of my favorites are KISS, Def Leppard, Twisted Sister, and Shinedown.) I also love Southern rock and can sit and sing along while writing. (Some favorites are Lynyrd Skynyrd, .38 Special, Tangier, and the Steel Woods.) In a totally different direction, I love Celtic music. There’s something about the violin and the ethereal quality of the women’s voices that can transport me to another time and place. On the rare occasions where I’m having trouble getting into the zone, if I’m writing fantasy, Celtic music will take me there.

A. My wife and I have an office that we share. I have a wall of bookshelves with lots of knickknacks, toys from various sci-fi and fantasy books, movies, even games, and then I have knives and swords. I have an LED display of the Starship Enterprise next to my lava lamp and an autographed photo of Captain Kirk. It’s a pretty fun place to be.

A. Time. There are not enough hours in the day.

A. They are very supportive. I played Dungeons & Dragons with my kids, so they actually know some of my book characters, because I rolled them up. I read my books to my wife (her bedtime stories) and she gives me feedback that is essential, especially with female characters. She also reads my stuff and makes editing suggestions here and there.

A. The New Blood Saga is epic, but I don’t know that it would be done justice on the big screen. I think it would have to be a series to contain everything that’s in it. My sci-fi novella, Pale Face, is already being discussed for a movie for which I will write the screenplay. (Stay tuned for updates!)

A. I try to surprise myself. If I sit back and say, “Whoa! I didn’t see THAT coming!” then it will definitely surprise the reader. As far as giving them what they want, that’s impossible to know what they want. People are different. I just write a good story, with good characters, that does not follow the norms.

A. I can’t remember where but, somewhere, some sort of medium told me that my spirit animal was the tiger. The strange thing was, my mom had been saying that for years, and painted one that I have framed and hung on my wall to this day. I can’t explain it. But I think it fits, particularly their solitary nature.

A. I have a background in marketing and PR, so I use both traditional social media, as well as going to Cons. My favorite would have to be the Cons. They’re just fun. Hasn’t happened yet, but I can’t wait for someone to come up dressed as one of my characters. My least favorite … nothing, really. It’s all just part of the job. Can’t have one without the other.

A. I don’t see a difference between the two.

A. My wife. She’s got a great eye for detail, is a great editor, and has a is psychology. So her comments are valuable. If she says, “I don’t think that character would say that,” or “say that in that way,” then I’ve got some rewriting to do. It’s that simple.

A. It depends on what else is going on in life. However, I am the most prolific writer I know. I have never met anyone who could outproduce me. As an experiment, one of the times I was laid off, I decided to treat writing as my full-time job. I didn’t have a computer at home, but I wrote every day for eight to twelve hours a day. I wrote the first draft of a novel in less than three weeks. When I wrote the pilot for a miniseries, I was given 60 days. I wrote the first draft (that only received two notes in return) in nine days.

A. I do not outline my books. I have an idea of where the stories are going, and there are times when I have to sit and write; I really don’t have any choice. So I write at least a paragraph to nail down the idea, although that usually goes from one paragraph to two, then three, then often into twenty pages.

A. I have Googled myself. I do it every so often. Nowadays, I am usually pleasantly surprised by finding reviews that I didn’t know about.

A. I don’t write a book from my perspective. I write from the perspective of the character. If it’s first person, then very much that character’s perspective, with all its limitations. If third person, then from that person point of view until I shift into the next sub-chapter.

A. I have published both ways with my shorter works, but my novels are self-published. I chose self-publishing because I had enough of editors telling me what I could/could not write. This was much more personal to me, so I was not handing off the reins.

A. Writing is not exhausting. It is fulfilling. Creating is joy. I love coming up with characters and worlds, then breathing life into them. I love taking something and turning it on its ear, giving it a different look, a different perspective that people may not have considered. That’s how I feel about writing: it is creation. I have been writing stories since before I could write (I drew them then). It’s never been exhausting.

A. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. I read it in third grade and it crushed me. I was never a dog person (I learned later that I was allergic to them), but the story of the boy and his dogs did me in. That got me going on the Jim Kjeelgard books. They got me going on Jack London.

A. I like to watch Westerns (movies), but I have never read a Western novel. However, Louis L’Amour changed my life. I read an interview with him in an in-flight magazine when I was 14. It was in Q&A format. The first question was half a column, listing all his accomplishments with his books, TV and movies based on his books. The last line of the question was, “How did you do it?” His answer was two words, and it had a profound impact on every aspect of my life. He said, “I started.” So, whenever I was in doubt, I started. And that was all it took.

A. Since I’m self-published, I left it in my wallet.

A. Absolutely. It allows you to have control without being manipulated and robbed of your intellectual property (as long as you spend the $65 and copyright it). There are a LOT of snakes out there. If you self-publish, the only real snakes in the publishing process are inexperience and self-doubt. You can overcome those. It’s a lot harder if someone has taken your brainchild and you have no recourse after but to watch them make millions off a stolen idea.

A. Just that: it’s a woman. When I was teaching college, I spent one entire class period dedicated specifically to the differences between how men and women communicate. Those differences are very real, right down to the male and female brains. The difference between the male brain and female brain is about 8%. May not sound like much, but the difference between the human and the chimpanzee brain is also about 8%. And, yes, men are on the chimp end of that stick. So, when I write women, I always have my wife read it, and ask her specific questions about specific areas. I did this just yesterday. She told me it was fine. I said, “But what about this paragraph?” She said it was fine. I said, “But wouldn’t she think something more?” She said, “No, I think you covered it.” That’s not the typical experience, by the way. One of her most common responses is, “I don’t think a woman would say it like that.”

A. It comes down to a matter of degree. Some characters are inspired by people I know, characters in movies or books or songs or even bands I love. Some are in homage to those people. Some are in direct response to a character: so and so did this in his book, so I’m not going to do anything like that, I’m going to do this.

A. Rilari: Book Four of New Blood was getting so incredibly long, that I took the final four chapters and moved them to the next book. It was still my longest book to date, but it made for a real cliffhanger of an ending.