Writer’s Desk with Clint Hall
Writer’s Desk with Clint HallClint Hall is an accomplished author, speaker, and podcaster known for weaving stories that inspire hope, wonder, and adventure. An enthusiastic storyteller since middle school, Clint spent his time in English class creating comic books. Fortunately for him, his teacher not only allowed it; she also bought every issue.
Clint’s books include the adult science fiction release, Steal Fire From The Gods (Enclave Publishing, 2023), and the young adult science fiction novel Echo Nova (Enclave Publishing, 2025). His stories have also appeared in various anthologies and magazines.
Beyond his writing, Clint is passionate about connecting with audiences. He hosts panels at conventions and engages with creatives through his podcast, “The Experience: Conversations with Creatives,” which is available on all major platforms. His podcast guests have included New York Times bestselling authors, directors, editors, composers, and more from Marvel, HBO, Harper Collins, Tor Books, Netflix, Broadway, Max, and Disney.
You can find Clint at ClintHall.com or connecting with fellow creatives on social media. He looks forward to inspiring others with his passion for storytelling and creativity.
Connect with Clint on his website, Instagram, Facebook, and X, listen to his podcast, and subscribe to his newsletter.
More about Steal Fire from the GodsThe Human Alliance knew the war was over when the machines started using magic to cast fire, shake the ground, conjure storms, and part the seas.
We fought back anyway.
22-year-old soldier Gunnar Graves lost his faith and his family when a platoon of AI-driven war machines—led by an android fire mage—destroyed his unit. Forced to live in a machine-controlled village and hiding a dark secret, he spends his days trying to learn elemental power so he can take his revenge. After years of failure, his ability ignites when he least expects it.
On the run and hunted by the war machines, Gunnar discovers that an ancient, life-based strength has awakened to help humanity fight back. Joined by the other life mages, Gunnar is thrust into a mad world of android overlords, cyborg clans, and evil forces bent on his destruction.
To protect his newfound family, Gunnar must discover the truth behind a power he doesn’t understand and wage a war he doesn’t believe they can win.
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Q&A with Clint HallARCF: Congratulations on winning the Realm Award for cover! That’s so exciting. What did you think when you heard that Steal Fire from the Gods had won the award for best cover?
CH: First, thanks for featuring my book on Avid Readers of Christian Fiction!
I love talking about the cover. I can brag about it because it had almost nothing to do with me! That cover was a product of Kirk DouPonce and the stellar team at Enclave Publishing / Oasis Family Media.
I was thrilled when Steal Fire From The Gods won best cover. Publishing is a team sport; everyone who worked on the book, from editing and proofreading to cover and interior design, made it better. I was glad to see that work recognized.
ARCF: Can you tell us a little about Steal Fire from the Gods and the inspiration behind it?
CH: The concept came to me one day one day when I was driving home from lunch. I also work as a copywriter for a major tech company, and I had recently done a story about AI being used by farmers to improve the quantity and quality of crops. The technology constantly measured various natural factors such as temperature, rainfall, soil quality, and topography to help farmers make smarter decisions about irrigation, fertilizer, etc.
It occurred to me that if there were ever any validity to magic—the process of combining various factors like elements (“eye of newt”), heat energy (“a bubbling cauldron), and sound vibrations (“magic words”) to create astounding reactions—AI would probably discover it.
While driving, I came up with this line – “The Human Alliance knew it was over when the robots started doing magic.” That line made me laugh. I called my wife when I got home, and it made her laugh, too. She immediately said, “This has to be the next thing you write.”
That line has changed a little since that day, but fittingly, it’s the very first sentence in the book.
ARCF: Did you have any say in the cover designer or the final cover?
CH: Before actual production on a book begins, Enclave has you fill out a form that, among other things, asks for your ideas about the cover. I told them about some specific scenes, characters, and symbols that I thought might be effective on the cover, but I didn’t have a lot of firm ideas. Instead, I just trusted them.
And I’m glad I did. When they emailed me the cover, I knew it was perfect the moment I saw it.
ARCF: Steal Fire from the Gods is science fiction, but you also bring in elements of fantasy with magic — which is a combo you rarely see. What made you decide to mix these two genres?
CH: It wasn’t really on purpose. Not much about what I write is overly intentional. I didn’t set out to combine genres; I just had an idea about robots doing magic, which necessitated blending genres.
But in hindsight, I do think a lot of my favorite stories – Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, The Matrix – blend elements of both genres to varying degrees. I was probably (unknowingly) influenced by those works I love so much.
ARCF: Steal Fire from the Gods is a wild adventure of a book, but it also packs a punch. What do you hope readers take away from reading it?
CH: Steal Fire From The Gods is the most faith-based story I’ve ever written. The story isn’t really about magic robots; that’s just the concept. The story is about a person undergoing a crisis of faith. And you could hardly blame him.
Gunnar Graves and his family did everything right. They were faithful, devoted, and kind. They prayed, studied God’s Word, and followed His laws. Then, they were decimated. As a result, Gunnar is angry at God and even at his late parents for their blind faith, which, from his perspective, ultimately failed them all.
Gunnar spends much of the story trying to harness magic for what he believes is a righteous cause. But despite his altruistic intentions, it eludes him, causing him even more anger and frustration. How could an all-powerful, all-loving God place such an awesome power into the hands of oppressive machines instead of mankind?
It often feels that way for believers. In our weakness, we can simultaneously be angry at God for what we perceive as injustice—getting what we don’t think we deserve or not getting what we think we do—while also being convinced that something about us will prevent us from ever connecting with His love, joy, and peace.
But there is always hope. God often reminds us of His presence by not only saving us from our circumstances but also using our weaknesses as tools to create wonderful outcomes. Paradoxically, good comes about not despite evil, but seemingly because of it.
As believers, we understand this is not a function of necessity. To bring about this good, God did not need evil to occur. But He will use it to demonstrate His ability to turn the enemy’s own weapons against him.
These occurrences wouldn’t make sense outside the knowledge that there is an all-powerful, all-loving Father. That reminder of His presence – that He must be with us because otherwise, such good springing from such evil would be impossible – is, in many cases, a greater blessing than the good itself.
But He will not force these blessings upon us. We are free to choose whether we will trust and accept them. We do so through faith, selflessness, and surrender.
That’s where we find the power. That’s where we find goodness. That’s where we find hope.
That’s what I want readers to take away from this book.
ARCF: While Steal Fire from the Gods is an adult title, you just recently released your YA debut — Echo Nova (congrats!) can you tell us a little about Echo Nova?
CH: Absolutely. Echo Nova is a fun, fast-paced young adult sci-fi novel. The story follows Dash Keane, a high school dropout/rooftop racer who becomes the star of a reality series that sends him on adventures through time.
In this world, time travel has also become a pastime for the wealthy. If you have enough money, you can travel back in time to go on a dinosaur safari, watch gladiators battle in the Colosseum, or attend a feast hosted by Cleopatra.
For everyone else, the past is mainly experienced through broadcasts operated by these corporations. These broadcasts feature people called “timestars” who go on adventures in the past to entertain people in the present.
When Dash becomes a timestar, it’s everything he’s ever wanted. Fame. Fortune. Adventure. But before long, his empathy for the people of the past begins to clash with the desires of his employer. He’s forced to start making tough decisions, choices that might cost him his future.
ARCF: What has been the biggest difference in writing for adult audiences vs young adult audiences?
CH: Great question. The truth is, I don’t think much about my audience when I’m writing a book. When I was writing Steal Fire From The Gods, I wasn’t necessarily thinking of it as adult or young adult, and although the themes are a bit heavier, I feel like that manuscript could have almost gone either way. The same is true for Echo Nova.
I’m sure plenty of very successful authors would strongly disagree with my approach, but I don’t consider a book’s audience until at least the first draft of the manuscript is complete.
I wonder if the bigger difference will be how people react to the book. Telling readers that a book is for adults or young adults impacts their expectations. A few months from now, after I’ve gotten more feedback from people who’ve read the story, I may have a better answer.
ARCF: From Steal Fire from the Gods and Echo Nova, which character would you say is most like you?
CH: I had to think about this question for a while. Dash Keane—the main character in Echo Nova—has a lot of myself in him, but the answer is probably Gunnar Graves, the main character in Steal Fire From The Gods.
While the book is about robots doing magic, it is also a personal story in many ways. It’s about a character who struggles with a crisis of faith. I’ve experienced periods when I could not understand why certain things were happening, and Gunnar’s thoughts, actions, and emotions reflected my own. And as in Gunnar’s story, God brought people alongside me to help me through those dark times.
ARCF: Not only are you an author, but you also have a podcast as well — and juggle everything with a wife, kids, and a day job. What is your best advice for balancing it all?
CH: I’m not organized or process-oriented by nature, but I’ve learned that I have to be that way to do everything I want to do. I’m big on calendars, schedules, and to-do lists. I’ve found that when I block out time for specific tasks, it feels like I have more time to get things done. Of course, that’s not true; what’s happened is that I’m not wasting as much time trying to decide what to do next. Things that get scheduled get done.
Boundaries are also essential and should be created based on your priorities. My wife and I fiercely guard our family time, especially because our boys are still young. We understand that this time is precious right now.
But this might have been the most crucial part for me—I wrote quite a lot before we had kids, before I had a podcast, etc. Echo Nova was written 6 or 7 years ago, before our first son was born. Steal Fire was written before our second son was born. And I have more publishable manuscripts that were also written during those years. I tried to get those books published for a long time, and it was frustrating to keep hitting dead ends. But God’s timing is perfect. He allowed me to build up an extensive catalog of manuscripts so that now, when I have much less available time, I can pull from the work I did before. I’m still writing, but I don’t have to write nearly as fast because it will be a long time before I run out of books.
I only mention that because I imagine some writers are reading this, and I hope that can be encouraging. If you’re in a frustrating period with your writing in which you can’t find the right agent or publisher, keep writing. This may be a long sowing period of your life so that you can reap the benefits later on.
ARCF: What are your writing routines?
CH: For years, I was an early morning writer. I would get up, have coffee, do morning devotional time, pray, journal, and write for a few hours. I’d also grab odd times throughout the day whenever I could. Because Scrivener syncs with my phone, I’d sometimes get a couple hundred words while waiting for a takeout order.
Right now, I’m in a stage of life when that doesn’t work as well for several reasons. I usually write at night after the kids are in bed and the dishes are done.
I’m almost always listening to music, mostly instrumental. I like to have a cup of coffee and a glass of water—pretty standard stuff.
But here’s one interesting piece of my process that might be helpful to other writers. When I’m done writing, I try to keep my mind quiet for a while. Lately, this is usually at night. I’ll get up from my desk and go get ready for bed. I’m always tempted to put in my AirPods and listen to a podcast while I’m brushing my teeth and washing my face, but I try to resist. I don’t want to think about anything.
Here’s why – it seems like my mind keeps working on the story, even when I’m unaware. Quite often, when I’m flossing or climbing into bed, a fantastic idea for the story will suddenly hit me out of nowhere, something that I have to write down immediately. These moments of inspiration are truly amazing, but they seem to only come from a quiet mind. If I distract myself after writing by watching TV or listening to a podcast, they don’t come.
ARCF: What’s coming up next for you?
CH: Nothing to announce yet. Both of my books—Steal Fire From The Gods and Echo Nova—are standalone stories. But without going into spoilers, I can say there is potential for more stories in those worlds.
Many readers have requested another Steal Fire book (maybe the same will happen for Echo Nova; it’s too soon for me to know). While I’m not against the idea, I love how that book ended, and I will only go back to that world if I discover another story that absolutely must be told. The same goes for Echo Nova.
I am having conversations with industry people, and as I mentioned before, I have other manuscripts (as well as pieces for different types of projects). Hopefully, I’ll have something to announce sooner rather than later, but I’m also not in a hurry. God’s timing is perfect.
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