Elden Walseck

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

I'm a rocket engineer for my day job, helping to build the rockets that take satellites and astronauts up into space! I'm also a life long reader and game player, though game playing has been harder to find time for since I started a family.

When and why did you start writing books?

I've written for myself since high school, mostly short stories. However, reading books to my kids convinced me to try writing longer works that we would all enjoy reading together.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

I've always enjoyed writing, but always thought that authorship was only for the truly special among us - I could never be that awesome! And then I talked to more authors, and realized it was a craft like any other. It is something that anyone can learn, and, since I enjoy it, why not?

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

Blurble the slime is probably my favorite character to write. It is just so naïve and trusting, with a unique perspective on the world, that it is super fun to write. In the words of Blurble- Blurble is AWESOME.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

Wyoming Bones Bok 6, The Southern Sea, my current novel, has been the most difficult to write so far- I got half way through before realizing it was going to be more then twice as long as my next longest work! I had to split it into two books, with all the rewriting that comes with it to make both halves interesting and complete.

Who is your favourite author and book?

So hard to choose! Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles were some of my favorite growing up.

What book are you reading right now?

Brandon Sanderson's The Lost Metal - Sanderson always delivers compelling and fun stories.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

My kids! Playing and talking to them, and reading the chapters to them as they come out, give me a lot of inspiration on where to go next. That and watching the Indiana Jones movies too many times while growing up.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Spare Time? What's that? I have four kids, a full time job, and write on the side. Does sleep count as spare time?

Do you have any new books in the works?

Wyoming Bones and the Founder's Blade comes out soon, and I am most of the way through writing Wyoming Bones and the Southern Sea!