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The Book Dragon

Interview with an Author: Michael D. Young

Though Michael grew up traveling the world with his military father, he now lives in Utah with his wife, Jen, and their three children. He played for several years with the handbell choir Bells on Temple Square and is now a member of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. He is the author of the novels in The Canticle Kingdom Series, The Last Archangel Series, the Chess Quest Series and the Penultimate Dawn Cycle (The Hunger), as well as several non-fiction works, including An Advent Carols Countdown, The Song of the Righteous and As Saints We Sing.


What got you into writing your own stories? I started out as simply a storyteller. As a child, I told stories I made up to entertain my younger siblings, especially when my parents sent us outside to play. I didn't seriously try to write down my stories until I was in high school, when I had an amazing writing teacher who told me I had a knack for it. I've been trying to prove him right ever since.

What genre do you write?

I write a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, but I'm also getting more and more into non-fiction, especially on musical topics.

How would you describe your writing style?

My writing skill focuses on providing vivid descriptions.

What comes more easily, plot or characters?

For me, it's plot. I love coming up with plots and writing up intricate outlines. Characters take a bit longer. A well-drawn character has so many details that it often takes a while for me as an author to really uncover those depths.

Do you cross over genres or do you only stick to one?

I like to mix a little history into my speculative fiction when I can, but it's not an essential element in all of my work. I just love history and I think it presents a fun challenge to add it into my stories.

What is your "writer's den" like?

I have a basement room that I've turned into my office with my desk, dual monitors, recording equipment, digitizing equipment, and a ton of nerdy stuff on shelves from Marvel, Dr. Who, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc.

How do you get into the flow for writing? Do you have any rituals?

I just need to get comfortable. I have my favorite chair. I sit there, put a blanket over my legs and fire up my laptop. That's all I need.

What is your personally most significant achievement as a writer, and why? I think the most significant thing I've done so far is to land two contracts for books about music. These books use QR codes in ways that I don't think have been employed in books up to this point and the reception has been very positive. They are also with a publisher that I've been wanting to work with for a long time. The first one is already out, and is called "An Advent Carols Countdown" and focuses on Christmas carols. The second one will be called "Sacred Days, Sacred Songs" and is coming out next Easter.

What would be the greatest achievement for you to aim for as a writer if anything were possible? I'd really love to have one of my books adapted into a big-budget movie. That would be truly thrilling. It's a lofty goal, but not out of the range of possiblity.

What are you most grateful for as a writer? I'm incredibly grateful for other writers who have mentored me and offered to give me a leg up when I was getting started out. I try to return the favor with beginning writers as often as I can.

Do you have a day job? What is it? I work as an instructional designer at Brigham Young University. I create online courses, specifically world language courses. I get to do a lot of writing and project management and it is very satisfying to see these great course come together.

Do you read the same genre you write? Why, or why not? Yes. I became a fantasy writer because I was a fantasy reader. I love seeing what other fantasy writers do so that I can learn from them, both their strengths and weaknesses.

Give us three fun facts about yourself.

  1. I spent my earliest years in Japan on an Air Force Base.

  2. I have super flexible fingers and can do all sorts of silly tricks with my hands.

  3. I have seven silbings, all younger, and over 100 first cousins.


What's one of your funniest experiences? Once, on a trip to New York City, I went to see "Finding Neverland" on Broadway. Afterwards, I was hanging out by the stage door and a group of teenage girls mistook me for one of the actors, whom I resembled, and started asking for pictures and autographs.

Do you have any hobbies? In addition to writing, I love music. I write songs, do livestreams singing online, sing and tour with a large choir, and take to stage in local theatrical productions.

What's your favorite season?

Spring. Utah winters can be long and hard, and when Spring finally hits, it's such a relief. I'm like a solar battery. I rely on the sun for energy.

Featured Book: A Wonderful Day for a Quest

The wizard Jackdaw has deciphered the uppercase Prophecy and has found out that the realm's only hope lines in...someone. With part of prophecy missing, it's not clear whether the realm's only hope lies in a knight with a title as long as his sword, or in a sub-assistant goat herder with a similar name. To find out, they must decipher the Riddle of Ages, a three-part conundrum that is said to contain the villainous ELM's only weakness. If neither of them can do it, magic bean production will cease forever, leaving the world a far less magical, and musical, place.

Who was your favorite character to write and why? My favorite character to write about was Jackdaw the Wizard. He's grumpy, unpredictable, and you're never quite sure whether he's going to help you or turn you into a goat. It's a fun dynamic.

This story has taken many forms. I'm developing it as a musical and now it has a novelization and an audiobook, with a dynamite voice actor. I love poking fun at fantasy tropes and I had a great time writing it.

What was your favorite scene to write and why? My favorite scene is when a knight runs up into a tower because he thinks he hears a damsel in distress and finds out that it's a plumbing problem, not a dragon problem. But perhaps more distressing than any dragon.

What was the spark that started this book? I think it was less a spark and more an idea that's been percolating in my mind for a long time. I love fantasy fiction, I love musicals...it was only a matter of time before the two combined.

What was the most interesting random fact you researched for this book? So, I made up most of the facts for this book, including a bunch of official-sounding footnotes. It was a lot of fun.

“Oh, yes. What I meant to say was that Ogres from Ottland are revolting!”
“Aren’t all ogres revolting?” Rezella stamped her foot.
“Yes, but I mean, the ogres are rising up!” Squires nodded sagely, rubbing his chin. “So, they are flying ogres?”
“No!"


Take a look at this and other books by Michael D. Young here.














Connect with Michael here.

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