Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been published in print, online, radio and television, starting with my first publication credit at the age of nine for an award-winning poem. As an adult, I received special recognition from L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest. I have been editor and/or publisher of nineteen news and literary publications, both online and in print, with circulations as high as 770,000.
I received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Westminster College of Salt Lake City. As an undergrad, I double-majored in communication and philosophy, while completing the Honors Program. As a graduate student, I earned a master of professional communication with a writing emphasis. I was also a high-performing athlete, qualifying for international competition in Greco-Roman wrestling.
I am a communication professor and a nationally recognized wrestling coach. I am happily married to my high-school sweetheart and am father to five children, as well as helping to raise five step-children. I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he continues to live, coach and teach.
I have published two novels, the first two in the New Blood Saga. Book one is called Crown Prince, the second is called Order of Light.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The New Blood Saga was inspired by a dream I kept having for months where I would wake up in tears. I knew that I would have to write something around that story. When I started writing, however, I realized that it would take more than one book to achieve the same level of emotional impact. So I thought it would be a trilogy. When I reached three books, I hadn’t even gotten to the most important part of the dream yet, so it became six books. In the end, it’s an eight-book series.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know how unusual this is, but I read my stuff to my wife at night. She calls them her bedtime stories. So she gets to know the characters about as well as I do. She’ll speak up when she thinks that a character wouldn’t do or say something. She also has some very visceral responses to villains in my books. Just saying a name can get a reflexive hate response from her. I love that. It tells me that I’m doing something right.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Homer, Tolkien, Brooks, Donaldson, Martin, Jordan, Eddings, Anthony, Holdstock, Adams, Norman, Shakespeare, Aristotle, Frost. In my opinion, every fantasy novel is a repackaging of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. Tolkien, of course, brought it to another level. Brooks, Donaldson, Martin, Jordan, Eddings, and Holdstock all had significant impacts in fantasy that changed the direction it’s headed.
What are you working on now?
My goal is for the next book in the New Blood Saga to come out each year in time for Christmas. I failed in that goal for book two, which taught me a lot. So I’m putting in more work on books 3+ to try to make the publication process more streamlined. Pretty much, the work that was being crammed into a short time frame is being spread out. That and promoting the saga is taking up my time right now.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Facebook and, surprisingly, LinkedIn. The former was a no-brainer. I have a lot of connections with friends and family. LinkedIn came as a lark. I had an account for years, but did very little with it. Then I just decided to put more focus there, and have had shocking results. I’ve been interviewed on podcasts and blogs, thanks to connections on LinkedIn. A big book reviewer in India came across me on LinkedIn and wrote a five-star review. I literally now have hundreds of connections in India. The review has got to be the source.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write, write, write. Get it in front of as many people as you can. When I was in college, I would ask total strangers to read a story I wrote, because I thought they would be more honest. I was right. Just keep going, develop a thick skin, and listen to the feedback you receive.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Abraham Lincoln: “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”
Ferdinand Foch at the Battle of the Marne, World War I: “Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I am attacking.”
Albert Einstein: “We can’t solve the significant problems of our time by using the same thinking we had when these problems were created.”
What are you reading now?
Rereading the Lord of the Rings for the seventh (eight?) time.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep working on the New Blood Saga, then branch out into other books I’ve written. I have a bullpen of sci-fi and fantasy just begging to be enjoyed.
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?
Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sunset Warrior by Eric Van Lustbader.
Author Websites and Profiles
W.D. Kilpack III Website
W.D. Kilpack III Amazon Profile
W.D. Kilpack III’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile