Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Michael is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Western Governor’s University with degrees in German Teaching, Music, and Instructional Design. Though he grew up traveling the world with his military father, he now lives in Utah with his wife, Jen, and his two sons. Michael enjoys acting in community theater, playing and writing music and spending time with his family. He played for several years with the handbell choir Bells on Temple Square and is now a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
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). He has also had work featured in various online and print magazines such as Bards and Sages Quarterly, Mindflights, Meridian, The New Era, Allegory, and Ensign. He has also won honorable mention three times in the Writers of the Future contest.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called “Bishop: Betrayal”. It is the fourth book in my Chess Quest series, and it is an adventure series inspired by the characters on a chessboard.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been influenced by Brandon Sanderson, Terry Brooks, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Garth Nix, and others.
What are you working on now?
I am working on a new fantasy series that starts with a book called “The Wizard’s Brand”, which has to do with a boy who wakes up with a mark on his chest that grants him more power every day until the 100th day when he will burn up in a fiery conflagration.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
https://mdybyu.wixsite.com/author-michael-young
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Have patience. You are going to have to work on your craft bit by bit, day by day. Nothing about publishing goes quickly, but if you have the patience for it, the end results can be amazing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you can stand to quit writing, then perhaps you should, But if you try and you simply can’t, then you have what it takes to succeed.
What are you reading now?
“Words of Radiance” by Brandon Sanderson
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am working on finishing up a number of fantasy projects that are most of the way there. I will be revising “The Wizard’s Brand” and brainstorming up a bunch of new potential projects. An author’s work is never done!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
As a religious man, I would bring my scriptures, but in addition to that, I would probably bring the Lord of the Rings, Mistborn, and the Chronicles of Narnia
Author Websites and Profiles
Michael Young Website
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