Author Interview: Michael Young |

Biography

Michael is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Western Governors University with degrees in German Teaching, Music, Educational Leadership and Instructional Design. Though he grew up traveling the world with his military father, he now lives in Utah with his wife, Jen, and their three children, where he creates online curriculum for BYU. He 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 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, As Saints We Sing, and The Song of the Saints. He has also had work featured in various online and print magazines such as Bards and Sages Quarterly, Mindflights, Meridian, Nugent Magazine, The New Era, Keeping Tab, Allegory, Liahona, and Ensign. He has also won honorable mention three times in the Writers of the Future contest.

Amazon says you have 32 titles currently listed including both fiction and nonfiction. Are you currently promoting a specific book/series or your writings in general?

One thing I’m focusing on right now are the new audiobook versions of my books that are coming out. The first four are already out with most of the other ones on the way sometime this year. I’m especially excited about the audiobook version of “A Wonderful Day for a Quest”, which is a novelization of a musical I’m writing. The narrator does an incredible job with all the quirky characters, and it’s just a delight to listen to.

Is there a certain theme, themes, or idea that connects your work? Do you have favorite topic to write about?

I’ve always liked redemption stories and those based on unlikely friends who come together to overcome something together. I also enjoy adding historical elements to my books. I did this a lot with my Canticle Kingdom series, which is set during World War II.

Your bio states that you have degrees in German Teaching, Music, Educational Leadership, and Instructional Design. When and why did you start writing? And how did you find time to write?

I started writing seriously when I was in high school, and though I’m very busy, I make time to write a little each day as a way to relieve stress. I use my time on the weekends to do a little more, and I find that it is the small, consistent efforts that add up to finished projects over time. I have worked as a teacher, but now I’m doing instructional design, which uses a lot of my writing and teaching skills together, and so I find it fulfilling.

Do you prefer to write fiction or nonfiction? Why?

They both feel different, but I like writing them both. I think at my core, my first love is fiction because it allows me the most room to be creative. But I also enjoy the things that I learn when researching non-fiction. I get to find out things I would never has stumbled across otherwise.

Do you have a favorite book or series that you’ve written?

I’m especially happy with the Penultimate Dawn series that starts with “The Hunger” and goes on with “The Thirst” and “The Longing.” The main character was a ton of fun to write and poured a lot of myself into him. I really like how the world turned out, and I had a lot of fun writing the magic system. I hope more people will check it out!

What is the best advice you ever received as a writer?

Don’t just wait around once you’ve submitted something. Send something off and then get started right away on something else. Always be working on something, because nothing in publishing goes quickly.