If they do carry your books, walk in, gather up your books, ask to see a manager, meet, greet, and offer to sign them. They almost always say yes. Signed books sell better. Meet and be kind to as many store employees as possible. People who like you will hand sell you for years.

If they do not carry your books, go anyway, but bring books to give away (ARC’s, discounted author copies). Find out who in the store likes your genre. Give them a signed copy.

Don’t try to give store employees a long summary of your books. Just give them a one-two sentence teaser that contains the most HOOKING detail related to your work. I ask, “What if you discovered the cure to Cancer, but no one would believe you?” or “Have you ever felt like you’re being watched?”

Remember a tagline to tell store employees who your books are most like. They may not remember your plot, but they will recommend your title to readers of similar genre. I say, “The Door Within has the dragon-riding action of Eragon with the heart and soul of the Chronicles of Narnia.” Easy to remember.

Those are some of the techniques I’ve used.

RLM: Which do you enjoy most, creating the stories or the art to go with them?

WTB: I love the initial stages of creating the stories—the generation stage where I get the kernel idea and begin to outline. I love creating the HOOK, you know, the intriguing angle of the story that grabs you and makes you want to read. From that point on, the fleshing out of the manuscript can be exceedingly hard work. My life is crazy busy right now—and would be without a novel due in a few months. I’ve found it daunting to have to hit the keyboard every night, night after night. It’s work, but it’s worth it.

The art is more of a hobby, but it is totally therapeutic. I can get lost in an image for days. Very satisfying to see the final rendering.

RLM: When you first imagined these stories, what triggered them? A dream, the idea of your protagonist, another book? What started the ball rolling?

WTB: Actually it was a combination of my students bugging me to write a short story and an experience I had when I’d just become a Christian. The 6th graders at Arundel Middle challenged me to write, but I still needed…a plot. God delivered that for me. I had only been a Christian for a few months when I felt compelled to share my faith with some people who are very dear to me. I recounted my understanding of Christianity and God’s promises—spending the better part of an hour sharing with them. Their reaction crushed me. They laughed—a let’s-humor-him kind of laugh. I couldn’t believe it. So later, when I needed a plot, I decided on a protagonist who discovers something of unimaginable importance, and yet no one seems willing to believe it’s real.

RLM: In my opinion, you do one of the best jobs of showing deeper spiritual truths. This is not "just" a conversion story. Did you set out with something specific about the spiritual in mind?

WTB: Thank you for saying that. From the beginning, I had certain themes in mind: the nature of faith, the reality of a spiritual world, the real King of Heaven always with us, and sacrifice. And, maybe because The Door Within was my first book, I felt a need to pour my own Christian experience into it. I’m a lot like Aidan—his battles with doubts and skepticism have been my battles. And one element that I’ve always believed about a Christian’s journey: it IS an adventure!

And so, yes, I really did have spiritual truths that I wanted to communicate, but so many others just materialized as the books unfolded. And also, I was very mindful of the fact that I wanted The Door Within books to be something that could be enjoyed by anyone—not just Christians. There are spiritual truths there, but I tried not to beat anyone over the head with them. I hope nonChristians who read The Door Within books enjoy the ride. But while the wind whistles by and the goosebumps clamber up their arms, I hope they will stop and ask the big questions of life: Why am I here? Do I have a purpose? What happens when we die? And is there anyone out there who really knows me, and yet…still loves me anyway?

RLM: I love the "never alone" reminders throughout the book. Was that something you specifically wanted to include—a sort of password between members of a group?

WTB: “Never alone!” developed very organically as the story grew. It became he battle cry of the faithful of Alleble, as well as, one of the overriding themes. It means a lot to me because living life is hard…grievously hard if I feel like I’m just on my own. I need God to be my anchor, or I know I’ll drift far away.

RLM: Why did you write a fantasy instead of a contemporary story about middle school kids? I mean, you obviously know them well.

WTB: Fantasy is absolutely my passion. I’ve always loved tales of knights and dragons, exotic settings, and great feats of valor! And in traditional fantasy, I find the sort of world I’d like to live in. Honor and kindness are revered. Simple lives of tending gardens, working with your hands, and gathering around a table with friends at a pub—I long for such things. I mean, sure, running into a pesky dragon while taking out the trash would be a little inconvenient, but still…

RLM: Who’s your favorite character in the trilogy?

WTB: Ouch, that’s kind of like being asked which of my four children do I like the most. Impossible to answer with certainty. I love Aidan, Antoinette, and Robby for many reasons, but I could not honestly say one of them is the favorite. The character who was the most fun to write was Captain Valithor. It was ridiculously fun to come up with all the “beef-witted canker blossom” type insults for CV to hurl at his trainees. I always envisioned him to be a sort of wise-old-wizard crossed with a tough-as-nails drill sergeant…and, a teddybear. LOL

RLM: How does becoming a published author compare to your expectations of the job? Is it more fun, more work, more fulfilling, more demanding? And are you contracted to write more fantasy?

WTB: Being a published author is one hundred times more demanding than I ever believed it could be. Just meeting the deadlines nearly killed me. I always thought authors would have about a year to produce each manuscript. Ha! You have to remember that The Door Within took me 13 years to write. But Wyrm Lord and Final Storm needed to be written in about 5 months each! YIPE! Being a husband, being a father of four young children, teaching 6th grade reading full time, and writing novels is a ton of work. It’s good work. Actually, it’s fantastic, wonderful, meaningful work…and I am thankful for ALL of it.

My next book is a distant cousin of fantasy. Isle of Swords (Summer 2007) is a high seas pirate adventure. Readers will enjoy some very fantastic elements, but it is not fantasy in the traditional sense. After Isle of Swords and a potential sequel, I will return to fantasy. I have had an epic plot boiling away on my mind for a couple of years. I’ve already begun the outline, and several interesting fantasy races have introduced themselves to me. I can’t wait to dive into that wholeheartedly.

RLM:Wayne, thank you so much for your time. Great interview. I hope you’ll be available later in the day to answer comments and questions as well.

Take time to visit other participants in the tour and see what they are saying about The Door Within: Jim Black Jackie Castle Valerie Comer Karri Compton Frank Creed CSFF Blog Tour Gene Curtis Chris Deanne Janey DeMeo Tessa Edwards April Erwin Linda Gilmore Beth Goddard Marcus Goodyear Todd Michael Greene Leathel Grody Karen Hancock Katie Hart Sherrie Hibbs Sharon Hinck Joleen Howell Kait Karen K. D. Kragen Tina Kulesa Lost Genre Guild Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium Rachel Marks Shannon McNear Rebecca LuElla Miller Caleb Newell Eve Nielsen John Otte Robin Parrish Cheryl Russel Hannah Sandvig Mirtika Schultz James Somers Stuart Stockton Steve Trower Speculative Faith Daniel I. Weaver