L.B. Graham — author of the series "The Binding Of The Blade"

I'm pretty excited today to blog about my friend, Wayne Thomas Batson. Not only is Wayne from Maryland - I'm a Baltimore kid, myself - he's a fine Fantasy Fiction writer too.

What's more, Wayne and have something else in common, we're both teachers. Here's a quote from his bio on that:

Wayne Thomas Batson has spent the last sixteen years teaching Reading and English to middle schools students. He pioneered the active instruction of Strategic Reading in Anne Arundel County and has written Reading and English Curricula for three public school systems in Maryland. Most recently, he helped develop the Challenge Reading Curriculum for advanced readers in Howard County, Maryland. Wayne tailors his stories to meet the needs of the young people he cares so deeply about.

Wayne's first Fantasy Fiction series was The Door Within trilogy, published by Thomas Nelson. Here's some cover art from that series.

That's the cover to the first book, The Door Within. While on the Fantasy Fiction Tour '08 together, I got to hear Wayne read from the book a few times, and not only is Wayne a fabulous dramatic reader, the story was very effective. Here's the cover for the last book in the series, called The Final Storm.

Now, after Wayne had written these books, Thomas Nelson approached Wayne about writing books on a Pirate theme. That led him to write two more books for them, Isle of Swords and the recently released Isle of Fire.

I haven't read Isle of Fire, but I have read Isle of Swords and I enjoyed it very much. With action and humor, Wayne spins a good yarn that will keep the pages turning. So, not only is he a talented writer, teacher and dramatic reader, but Wayne appears to have a little pirate in his blood too...

Now, if you're already a fan, most of this stuff you could know about Wayne without reading my blog. So for a special inside scoop, I asked Wayne a few questions by email in the wake of our recent tour. This insight into Wayne and our Tour is an lbgraham.com exclusive. Here goes!

LBG: It became clear on the Tour that you’re a big “Waffle House” fan – why is that?
Wayne: Waffle House (cue angelic choir) is something more that an awesome place for breakfast 24/7. It is actually symbolic of family happiness for me. Every summer, my parents would load the four kids in the station wagon (remember those?) and drive from Maryland to Panama City, Florida. Well, along the way, we'd stop at Waffle House. I came to love it there just because it was the place we went with...my family. I also liked that they always said hello when we came in. Of course, now, in addition to the memories, there's the great food. No one, I mean NO ONE makes hashbrowns as good as theirs. And you can have them prepared 12 different ways. Of course you need to master the Waffle House Language. Go there and order: Sausage Melt Texas Triple Plate Scattered Smothered and Covered! You'll be glad you did. ;-)

LBG: You were introduced on the Tour to L.B.’s favorite fast food joint, “Jack-in-the-Box,” what did you think?
Wayne: I was very impressed. The burger I had there was phenomenal. And I loved that I could get Jalapeno Poppers as a side instead of fries. Way to go, Jack!

LBG: Spending a week in the van with a hodge-podge of writers with widely divergent personalities must have been interesting. Any particular moments or conversations stand out to you?
Wayne: I loved all the goofy banter. He went too far. {he went too far} You know, just being silly and childish, and no one cared. That was WAY fun. I also loved everyone's willingness to pray for one another on the spot. Not enough of that going around these days. And there were a few theological conversations that at some points encouraged me while at others, made me cringe. Thank God for grace.

LBG: What are some things you’ll take away from the FFT ’08?
Wayne: One thing I'll take away is to trust more in God's timing. Just because I'm discouraged about the number of people who do or do not show up at an event, doesn't mean God is not at work. He taught me that at two different events. I'll also take away Bryan's message about Fantasy in the lives of Christians. WOW, that was a message. And having met so many sweet and wonderful people, I'll take away a host of smiles and a lot of love. I am so grateful that God would use me in the lives of others.

Well, that about does it for our brief intro to Wayne Thomas Batson. He's a fine writer and a brother in Christ, and I'm glad to have had the chance to tour with him. Keep your eyes peeled at Wayne's site, which you can link to from my sidebar, as I know he has some projects in the works. In the meantime, pick up one or five of his other books, and see where his stories take you...