About Tim Wright:
My name is Tim Wright. I am the co-host, along with Dr. Michael Gurian, of The Wonder of Parenting Podcast: A Brain-Science Approach to Parenting. I grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota but have lived in Glendale (Phoenix), Arizona since 1984. My wife, Jan, and I have been married since 1979. We have two adult children, five grandchildren, and two dachshunds. I enjoy traveling, riding my recumbent bike, Disneyland, reading, especially Fantasy Adventures and British Mysteries, and being a grandpa. I am also a long-suffering fan of the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals, having watched my two teams lose a combined 5 Super Bowls.
What inspires you to write?
I've enjoyed writing since I was a kid. In third grade I wrote a play for our school competition called, John and the Ogre. It took first place and we were able to perform it for the whole school. As I got older and became a pastor, I discovered a love for words and using them creatively to capture the imaginations of my listeners and readers.
I've always wanted to write a fantasy adventure. Once I had grandkids, I decided it was time to get at it. I was inspired in part by my work with Dr. Michael Gurian around rites of passage. I took my love of fantasy adventures and combined it with the story-telling power of rites of passage, added in large doses of humor, and wrote book 1 in what will be a 7 book series: The Adventures of Toby Baxter.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Rick Riordan, J.K. Rowling (and her alter ego–Robert Galbraith), Louise Penny, Ann Cleeves…
Tell us about your writing process.
For this series, I basically start each book with a theme and a jumping off point, and then see where the story takes me. From time to time I'll stop, go back to the beginning, and review what I've written so far to make sure the story makes sense. Then it's off to the end. Usually the big ending of the story doesn't come until I get there.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I don't talk to them, but I do go over their stories and upcoming stories in my mind as I'm out riding my bike.
I try to visualize the setting and characters and put what I see on paper (or on the computer screen).
What advice would you give other writers?
Writers have heard this one: Write what you know. It has served me well. That means, in part, researching what you need to know along with writing out of the substance of your soul and experience. Edit, edit, edit the story until it hums. And read a lot! That helps with writing.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I don't have the time to do all of the publishing stuff on my own so I used a self-publishing company to create the cover, set up the book on Amazon and other sites, market the book, etc. Not cheap. But it was the only way I was going to get it out there.
There are many good courses out that help writers publish and market without investing in a company or publisher. I've found them helpful in tweaking what I'm doing but again, for me it's all about time.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I decided to "release" the third book in my series on Substack in serialized form–two chapters a week. It had a consistent readership over the months I did it. How that will translate into sales remains to be seen. I have a friend trying something similar.
What genres do you write?: Middle School Fantasy Adventure
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Tim Wright Home Page Link
Link To Tim Wright Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
