Apparently I’m “Local News” in Rexburg, Idaho ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

An interview on BYU-I Radio about the power of stories and my writing journey.

This week I had the privilege of appearing on BYU-Idaho Radio, interviewed by radio director Brandon Isle, whom I have known for several years through LDSPMA (Latter-day Saints in Publishing, Media & the Arts).¹

From right to left: Brandon Isle, me, King George III (actually Devan Jensen, executive editor of the Religious Studies Center at BYU), the Unstoppable Steve Piersanti (King of the LDSPMA Conference), and Miss Idaho (Natalia Hepworth, who works for BYU-I Radio with Brandon).

(The humorous title of this post is because they fit me into the “Local News” segment of their programming, typically reserved for stories related to BYU-Idaho campus or the Rexberg community—but also for interviewing Latter-day Saints generally.)

Brandon was a fantastic host! He asked a lot of interesting questions about my writing journey and my stories, which I had fun responding to.

Episode Landmarks

Key lessons from the interview (and the parts I most recommend listening to) are in bold.

Clicking on each timestamp will take you to that point in the YouTube video.

0:33 - My journey becoming a writer and doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in my youth. —> You have to put in the reps to develop your craft, whatever that craft may be.

2:46 - How my major, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, enriched my fantasy writing and worldbuilding. —> If you want to be a writer, don’t major in writing. Major in something else, so you have something interesting to write about.

3:35 - Impact of my job working for LDSPMA on my fantasy career. —> Being an independent creator involves being a small business owner, which requires learning a diverse skillset in marketing and operations.

5:28 - My initial inspiration for The Pyromancer’s Scroll, and an overview of the basic plot.

8:36 - My systematic structure for planning out the magical systems and species for my world.

11:27 - The unexpected result of youth and kids even as young as 8 reading and enjoying my book, even though it’s written at an adult reading level.

12:42 - Why I chose to write clean books.

14:32 - My thought process for including “deleted scenes” in the Deluxe Edition.

15:43 - My reasoning for including a discussion guide in the back of the book, and its origins in having deep literary discussions with my mom while in 8th and 9th grade. —> When we read a book quickly and move on, it doesn’t change us. It’s only in the reflection, the discussion, the processing, and the application that a book (whether the scriptures or a piece of literature) can transform us.

18:31 - The joys and the challenges of marketing (and finding time to market) my writing.

20:49 - What it was like to get the first boxes of my books and to get my books into local bookstores.

22:52 - Working to overcome self-doubt and insecurity —> Don’t trust in the arm of flesh (including your own arm). Figure out what the Lord wants you to do. Then do it, and have confidence in the Lord that this is what He wants you to do, and He knows what He’s doing.

25:27 - My process creating a card game and art to accompany the book.

28:06 - A powerful experience I had where my book changed ME, and how I hope it will touch and change those who read it. —> The power of fiction is to give us stories to fall back on, stories that can serve as examples or paradigms of how to work through our problems and obstacles.

May you find power and inspiration in the stories you read this week!

Me outside the Kicks Mix Bookstore (Newark, OH), May 17, 2025.

1. Taliana reminded me to correctly omit the oxford comma after “Media,” due to the ampersand. Thank you, Taliana.