Which book do you think every teenager should read? I think that the best thing a teen can do is read widely, and search out what interests them specifically. I hesitate to say there is “one” novel that every teen should read—as I feel books are a lot like shoes….
Whatever ends up in my hands. Sometimes nonfiction, sometimes fiction. I love fantasy. I’ve been reading a lot of children’s lately. Favorite author, right now, who’s still publishing, probably Terry Pratchett. But favorite historical writers have been Robert Jordan, I really like Les Miserables, it’s one of my favorite books…
If you had a pet animal that you could communicate with (just like daemons in the trilogy “His Dark Materials” by Phillip Pullman) which animal would you choose? Can I cheat and make an animal that doesn’t exist? Because if so, I’d pick a dragon. Because then I’d have a cool animal…
The biggest complaint I’ve had from readers is not about the sacrifice scene in Mistborn. It’s not the noble society in Mistborn, nor is it the dark edge Kelsier has. It’s the fact that my characters occasionally curse. This has really bothered some readers, which I’ll admit, kind of dumbfounds…
Q: You were a missionary in Seoul. Has this cross-cultural experience influenced your writing? Yeah, it has, quite a bit. One of the things you notice is that once you go live in a different culture, it opens your eyes to the different ways people can think, and how varied…
I don’t set out to put anything specifically Mormon into my books, but who I am definitely influences what I write and how I write it. I’m always curious at the things people dig out of my writing—often they’re not things that I was conscious of, though they certainly do…
I am a person of faith. It’s been interesting for me, in my life, to be a person of faith and also a person of reason. I have a science background; I like to ask questions; I like to think about questions. I think everyone has to find their own…
Religious themes are interesting to me. I rarely go into a book saying, “I am going to expose this foible of religion” or “I am going to highlight this wonderful part of religion.” I go into a book telling stories about characters, and the ways that they believe and the…
This is a surprisingly common question for people to ask me, and I’m always happy to answer it because my religion makes up a big part of who I am. Because I am religious myself, I am fascinated by religion. And so I think that the misuse of religion is…
I’m always happy to give my reasons. Realize, however, that I’m not a big fan of religious argument. I don’t think you can prove religion. Arguing Bible scriptures doesn’t really do anything productive, in my experience. I believe in Mormonism for three general reasons. 1) Experience. 2) Logic. 3) Feelings….