Big batch of Quesiton Contest Answers (Week 8)

Last week, I took a shot at answering a whole load of my Question Contest questions in one fell swoop. It went over very well, so I've decided to do it again! This week, I'll be answering all of the "easy" questions that I received as entries into my Week 8 Question Contest . :)

What is any "easy" question, you ask? Well, basically, those are the questions that I can answer in just a few sentences or less. Being a natural story-teller, most of my answers are all tied up in a story, but some of them....simply don't need that sorta time or treatment.

Here we go:

Amber asks:
What book are you most looking forward to reading in 2012?

Well, I'm almost afraid to answer this, Amber, as I may likely be kicked off this site, but...nothing! In terms of reading books, I don't really operate like that. I don't look forward to reading specific books or wait for a specific book to come out. The books that I read kinda "find me". Or maybe it's better to say that I cross paths randomly with certain books and begin reading them. :P I usually read 3-4 books at a time and jump back and forth between them, however, and I am trying to read "a classic" once a quarter, so does that count?? (hopeful grin...)

Ashley asks:
Ashley Chamberlain What is your favorite color jellybean?

Actually, I can't stand jellybeans, regardless of color. I won't eat 'em...

Emily asks:
What is your favorite genre of book?

Fantasy, hands down. :D

Leah asks:
What is your favorite thing about writing a book?

I'm an idea guy. I come up with new ideas ALL THE TIME. I've come up with ideas and implemented ideas for iphone/android apps, games, furniture, books, plays, videos, podcasts, songs, paintings, product improvements, etc, etc... As such, to me, my favorite thing about writing a book are the initial idea phases. I get this crazy look in my eye and talk about a thousand miles an hour. I love that sense of "anything is possible" in the early days of writing a book. Don't get me wrong, I love the rest of the process as well, but nothing competes with that initial "high" of "WOW! What a cool idea!"

Melanie asks:
What would you say is the best and/or worst part of being a writer? :)

Hurm...tough question. For me, I think that the best part would be getting to interact with folks who've read something that you've worked on. Getting to meet new folks that you might have never had a chance to do otherwise and hopefully, influence them for the Kingdom. The worst part, for me, is never seeming to have enough time to actually write. I have sssooooo many things I want to develop and so many ideas screaming to be born into written form, but there simply aren't enough hours in the day. :(

I'm Not Okay I Promise asks:
What is your favorite genre of book to read and write?

Ironically, the answer is fantasy, for both!

Kasey asks:
When you feel down and 'uninspired', do you have a favorite Bible verse that you always go back to for encouragement? :)

Yea, I really like James 1:2-3 -- "2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." It applies to FAR MORE than just writing. ;)

Emalee asks:
whats your favorite color ?

Yea, much to my wife's chagrin, I love the color grey. (She thinks it's a depressing, "non-color", but I love it!)

Casey asks:
In all of the worlds created by books and/or movies, which world would you want to live in and why?

I know you all are going to think I sound like a broken record, but I am continually drawn back to Middle Earth as a result of my formative years reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I would love, love, LOVE to have a little spot in Hobbiton to call my own. :)

Sherry asks:
Do you speak any language other than English? If not, what is one that you would like to learn (if any)? Why?

Despite my best attempts, no. After 1 year of high school Spanish, 3 years of high school french and 2 years of college German, and trying to teach myself Latin since I was in middle school, you'd THINK I'd at least be able to speak SOMETHING, but I cannot. Tolkien infected me with a love of languages early on but I'm not very good at it... I hope to learn them someday, when I have MORE TIME (is there a running theme to these questions - LOL). If I had to chose, it would be Latin. It is just such a cool language!

Theresa asks:
What kind of hobbies do you like?

In no particular order: teaching the Word, teaching and hanging with my kids, being married to my wife, laughing, making others laugh, reading, writing, running, hiking, kayaking, painting, singing, game design, playing games, exploring, caving, camping, learning new things, seeing things I've never seen before.

Astrid asks:
What's your major source of inspiration?

Christ. He's THE SOURCE of everything, so all good ideas come from Him. On a less abstract level, I get inspiration from everything around me: the people with whom I interact, problems I face, uttered words, snatches of songs, scenes of everyday life, paintings or images, movies, things my kids say, looks from my wife - anything and everything, in short, is fodder for a world-changing idea or concept when viewed from the right perspective. The trick is teaching yourself to look through that perspective all the time. ;)

Belinda asks:
You state on your profile that your family and friends are an inspiration to you. Do you ever let them read your work before you have completed / published it?

Oh, absolutely! My wife is one of my greatest editors/critics. ;) I wrote Skein of Shadows with my five best pals on the planet. I'm currently designing a board game with my 12-year old son, so yes, my friends and family are a HUGE part of my creative process. :)

Dennis asks:
What is the book that most inspired you to becoming an author?

The Hobbit. It opened my eyes to fantasy and what it really means, in my opinion, to be a writer.

Shelly asks:
What do you find the most difficult part of writing a book?

Easy question: finding the time! I have so much stuff going on, that its usually pretty tough to find time to actually sit down and write for a length of time. That's my biggest roadblock to writing.

Gianna asks:
What's your favorite quote from H2O? :)

Hurm...if I had to choose one it would be from Chapter 2: The faster you move, approaching the speed of light, the slower you age. Beat that, Oil of Olay.

Katherine asks:
If you had to choose between your favourite food and writing, which would you give up? :)

Easy! Good bye beef stew! No question about it!!!