Please Welcome...Bill Myers
What a joy to have Christian author Bill
Myers as
our interview guest at WhereTheMapEnds.com.
Bill writes all
kinds of cool and creepy Christian speculative fiction, but I first heard
his name in connection with a TV program.
Back in the days
before Veggie Tales there was precious little Christian film or video
entertainment worth watching. It was truly atrocious. But then I stumbled
across this series called McGee & Me about this normal kid
and his animated friend (who got him in and out of all kinds of trouble).
The animation was great and,
more importantly, the writing was intelligent and entertaining.
McGee & Me
was truly best in class for a long time. As a film school grad and
recent seminary graduate, I thought my calling was to go into Christian
film. Consequently, I spent a lot of effort trying to get hired by the
people who produced McGee & Me. It never worked out, but my respect for
that product and its producers has never waned.
Over the years I became aware of Bill's
name again, this time as a novelist. His Blood of Heaven books
and Eli and The Presence (plus several others) are great
Christian speculative fiction. His novel The Wager was made into
a movie starring Randy Travis in the lead role.
But I think the thing that really wowed
me was Bill's Forbidden Doors series. This is a series of novels
for teenagers. Each one covers a different topic relating to the occult:
Wicca, Tarot cards, ghosts, seances, vampires, and curses. And the covers
are brilliantly freaky.
When I saw those books I thought there
might be hope for CBA after all. I hoped they would begin a radical new
conversation that would throw open the (forbidden) doors for all kinds of
Christian speculative fiction. The books did well (indeed, Bill's books
and videos have sold over five million units), but CBA didn't budge as
much as I'd hoped.
So without further introduction, here is
our interview with a man who continues to be a valiant trailblazer.
WhereTheMapEnds: Catch us up with what's
going on in your life.
Bill Myers:
Still
banging my head against the Hollyweird walls. We have 20 books optioned as
motion pictures (a couple with some heavyweights and some in
pre-production). I try to write a novel a year, a few kid’s books, and one
or two screenplays for folks if they ask. My latest novel, The
Voice, is coming out late April and I’m pretty jazzed about it.
[Editor's
note: Check out the Special Features page this month. Bill has
given us a sneak peek at the prologue to this not-yet-published
novel!]
WhereTheMapEnds:
W
hat is your favorite speculative novel of all time (Christian
or secular) and why is that your favorite?
Bill Myers: I’m
sure this sounds terribly weird, but I don’t enjoy reading speculative
fiction. I read and study novels, poetry, and non-fiction intensively to
learn the craft. But the stuff that I read for pleasure and to stimulate
my imagination are the Bible and nearly all areas of science and
theoretical sciences.
WhereTheMapEnds: Well, it may be weird, but it's hardly unusual! I
don't read fiction either. Not Christian fiction, not speculative fiction.
Nada. I read science books or psychology books or other nonfiction books
on topics I'm interested in. And the Bible, too, yes. You're not alone in
your weirdness! So Bill, what
made you want to write Christian speculative
fiction?
Bill Myers: It
seemed the best way to incorporate the truths of God in a way that was
fresh and provocative.
WhereTheMapEnds:
H ow was your first idea for a Christian speculative
novel received (by anyone: spouse, friends, parents, agent, publisher,
readers, reviewers, etc.)?
Bill
Myers: I’m
trying to think. That would probably have been the kids' series, McGee
and Me.
I
remember sitting in the board room at Focus on the Family being asked if
McGee was an angel or a demon. I thought, Huh? Then I figured I was
in a psychologist’s ministry so I better give them a psychologist’s
answer. So, on the spot, I said, “Neither, he’s the boy’s alter ego.” And
they bought it.
Everybody
wants to box imagination into something they can handle. If something’s a
little new or inventive it makes us
nervous.
WhereTheMapEnds: You could probably
write a book on that. You've done more than your share of
innovating and had more than your share of resistance, no doubt. Thank you
for what you've done over the years, Bill. Now, I know you don't like to
read fiction, but if you
had to...w hat is your favorite speculative genre to read? To
write? If they’re different, talk about that.
Bill Myers:
I just like to find ways to convey
the truths of God in new and
thought-provoking ways. If it’s
spiritual warfare, fine, I’ve got plenty of first-hand experience in that.
If it’s mixing science and religion as I have with Eli or my new
novel, The Voice, fine, I’ve got notebooks on that stuff. I just
go for anything that explores some thrilling, mind-staggering aspect of an
infinite God.
WhereTheMapEnds: Awesome. What
have you seen that encourages you about Christian speculative fiction
writing and/or publishing?
Bill Myers:
If I can do it, anybody
can.
WhereTheMapEnds: What
have you seen that discourages or frustrates you about Christian
speculative fiction writing and/or
publishing?
Bill Myers:
It’s
difficult to explain new concepts to folks who are either threatened by or
not used to thinking outside the
box.
WhereTheMapEnds:
What advice would you give to someone who aspires to
write and publish Christian speculative fiction?
Bill Myers:
The
same as I would give any writer. Read. Write every day. Keep developing
your craft. And keep throwing it against publisher’s walls until something
sticks. Oh, and keep the day job until it
does.
WhereTheMapEnds:
Great
advice, Bill. Day jobs are
good things. What’s the best book or seminar on fiction writing
you know?
Bill Myers:
I’m
not a big fan of those things, though I love speaking and teaching at
seminars. But what I’ve always done to learn is to get my hands on good
writing and study it why it’s
good.
WhereTheMapEnds:
What’s the best part about writing and publishing
Christian speculative fiction?
Bill Myers:
Getting paid
to think, speculate, and explore the wonders of God and His universe. It
doesn’t come any better.
WhereTheMapEnds: Excactly. What writing project(s) are you working on
now?
Bill Myers:
We’re
getting a couple projects ready for production (film), doing the kid’s
books, and that yearly novel.
WhereTheMapEnds:
What’s a cool speculative story idea you’ve had
lately?
Bill Myers:
I’ll
tell you after it’s written.
WhereTheMapEnds:
Stinker. ;-)
What’s the best speculative story (Christian or
secular, book or otherwise) you’ve encountered
lately?
Bill Myers:
Although
I believe it’s more than just speculative, I’m really enjoying the
mystical elements, symbolism, and character archetypes in Genesis.
WhereTheMapEnds: What else would you like to say to the readers of
WhereTheMapEnds.com?
Bill Myers:
I
think WhereTheMapEnds.com is an invaluable resource and would encourage
folks to track with it. I also think your publishing company is a
fantastic idea. Keep up the great work!
WhereTheMapEnds:
[blushes]
That's
all for this time
What a wonderful interview, huh? Thanks again to Bill
Myers. Be sure to visit Bill online. And don't forget to check out the Special
Features to get a sneak peek at the prologue from Bill's new novel,
The Voice.
If
you missed the previous months' interviews with other speculative authors,
including Frank Peretti, Jerry Jenkins, Karen
Hancock, Tosca Lee, and Ted
Dekker, you can read them here. And be sure to come back next month for an interview
with another mover and shaker in the world of Christian speculative
fiction.