Featured Interview With Author W.D. Kilpack III
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
W.D. Kilpack III, MPC, PSMC, is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author recognized for his works across various media, including print, online, radio, and television. His writing journey began at the age of nine when he won an award for a poem. As an adult, his first four books — Crown Prince, Order of Light, Demon Seed and Pale Face — each won the International Firebird Book Award and The BookFest Award, with Crown Prince also receiving the International Impact Book Award and, in the Outstanding Creator Awards, won the Ultimate Championship Trophy, Super Champion Medal, Best Fiction Writing, Best Book in the following categories: Fiction, Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Myths/Legends, and Romance; Best Character for Natharr, Most Beautiful Character for Darshelle, and Best World-Building. His works Demon Seed, Rilari, and Vengeance Borne were featured as Editor’s Choice on BooksShelf, and both Order of Light and Rilari were named Top Picks. He earned an Honorable Mention from L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest for his novella Pale Face. To date, his books have garnered 45 awards.
In addition to his writing career, Kilpack has served as the editor and publisher of 23 print and online news and literary publications, with circulations as high as 770,000. He is also a partner at Safe Harbor Films, LLC, where he writes screenplays and oversees marketing efforts.
He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Westminster University, where he double-majored in communication and philosophy and completed the Honors Program. He went on to earn a Master of Professional Communication with a writing emphasis. As a high-performing athlete, he also qualified for international competition in Greco-Roman wrestling.
For 25 years, he was a communication professor and a nationally recognized wrestling coach. Outside of his professional accomplishments, he is an accomplished cook. He resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he is happily married to his high-school sweetheart and is father to five children, as well as helping to raise five step-children.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been writing and telling stories. Before I learned how to write, I would draw pictures of spaceships, then act out the battles, drawing in the laser blasts and explosions after erasing parts of the ships that were blown away by enemies. I’ve blown up the U.S.S. Enterprise 10,000 times. I originally wanted to be a cartoonist and start my own line of comic books. I loved superheroes (and still do!) and would draw the comics, as well as write the stories. My first comic-book character was Super Mouse, created when I was 5 or 6. He was pretty much Superman, but a mouse, and he beat up cats. It was very serious stuff, not Tom and Jerry. That was my dream until I wrote my first fantasy novel, when I was 12. I was first published when I was 9, when a teacher entered a poem I wrote into a contest without my knowledge. It won and was published. I was first hired as a professional writer when I was 15, as an editor for a sports publication. Funny thing, the sports publication rescinded the offer to be an editor and changed it to a reporter position when I told them I didn’t have a driver license. I was editor-in-chief of both my high school newspaper and literary magazine, and editor of my college newspaper.
Since I wrote my first novel, I always had pencil and paper with me, so I could jot down a few ideas when the need hit me. Since publishing four novels, it’s amazing how many people I grew up with who mention my red, three-ring binder I carried around with me, loaded with lined paper, so I could write down my thoughts as they came to me. That compulsion persists to this day, although I’ve since updated for the computer age.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite writers are Homer, Tolkien, Brooks, Donaldson, Martin, Jordan, Eddings, Foster, Anthony, Holdstock, Adams, Norman, Shakespeare, Aristotle, Frost, Sorkin, Tarantino, and Cameron. My favorite genres to read and write are sci-fi and fantasy.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My most recent release is a dystopian military sci-fi epic called Battle Calm: Omega Message, which is the sequel to Battle Calm, which just came out in paperback! In the two books, the world has been at war so long that no one remembers a time when it wasn't. The main character's name is Badger, who is the greatest soldier alive. His right hand is Trinity (I wrote the first draft in 1984, which is WAY before The Matrix) and you don't want to mess with her, she'll take you out. His other closest friend is a mech-head named Korry. In essence, they are learning that they are all that's left and deciding what to do next, when all they know how to do is fight.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
W.D. Kilpack III Facebook Page
W.D. Kilpack III Twitter Account
To discover a new awesome author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!
If you are an author and you want to find new readers come submit your book to our Awesome Book Promotion service.