My love of storytelling traces
back to my step-mother, who spun wonderful fantasy stories when I was child. I
finished my first novel at sixteen. That first attempt was terrible, but taught
me quite a bit about story construction. Though I would start numerous other
projects in the following years, I wouldn't actually complete another book for
another 21 years.
I wasn't idle in that time,
though. I earned a degree in engineering, married the love of my life, worked
as a semi- truck driver crisscrossing the country, moved from Texas to
North Dakota and then came back home.
It's been a fun and interesting
journey. I really enjoy engineering, but writing was my first passion, and I'm
excited to share it with you.
I currently live in West Texas
with my wife and our two adorable (but weird) cats.
Connect with the Author here:
"No one knows how
human genetics evolved to create Mirrors. No one knows how the evidence of a
criminal’s last horrendous act can be confirmed in a single gaze of a child’s
silvered eyes. But just because science can’t explain something doesn’t mean it
can’t be used, and this gift is simply too valuable to ignore.Twins Thomas and Ashley Ross have grown up knowing they would be used as Mirrors for the “good” of humanity. When their powers mature at age twelve, they are taken weekly to fulfill their role. By reliving the most heinous crimes from a perpetrators’ perspective, they alone can assure that no innocent people will be executed, and that the worst offenders are not set free due to lack of evidence.
Justice is not without cost, however. Taking on the memories of others is a destructive process, one that quickly consumes the children involved until most take their own lives. As despair threatens to drown Thomas and Ashley, a distant hope keeps them from succumbing: If they can make it to their eighteenth birthday, their contract with the government will be fulfilled. Changing views on the morality of their role threatens to tear them apart, but the twins struggle to cling to each other and try to construct a fragile life above the weekly flood of horrors.
As their work takes it toll, however, a new question emerges: does survival even matter when you’re already broken beyond repair?"
And now, a PeaceWrites Interview with Wiley A Haydon III!
When
did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced
you to become an author?
My step-mother loved to tell
stories, and her ability to create fanciful tales at a moment’s notice is what
ultimately led me to start writing. I finished my first novel at sixteen, but knew almost immediately that it wasn’t worth trying to
publish. The experience pulled me in, though, and I knew I’d keep working at it
until I created something worth sharing.
How
many books do you have out, and do you have a favorite?
Soul
Mirrors is my first book, so it would win favorite by
default, but this one will be hard to top. I have been working on this book for
years, and I’ve abandoned it several times. Never because I hated it, but
because I felt I couldn’t do the story justice. I had to grow as a writer so
that it could finally meet my expectations.
My wife also loves this novel. Her
desire to help me finish it was a major reason we ended up together. That makes
it particularly hard to top.
Do
you have a favorite author?
I’ve loved the fantasy genre ever
since I first picked up The Lord of the
Rings in sixth grade, so it’s not really surprising that I devour everything
Brandon Sanderson writes. I’m constantly awed by the worlds, characters, and
magic systems he creates. I’m also awed that most of his novels are meshing
into this grand overall plot that is playing out behind the scenes in each
book.
What
is one piece of advice you could give to a new author that you wish someone had
passed to you?
That writing is not a solo
endeavor. When I started out as a teenager, I naively had this image of writers
pounding away at the keyboard, creating a masterpiece, and then handing off a
polished manuscript with the barest assistance from others.
I won’t say that this doesn’t happen
at all, but I can definitely say that this doesn’t happen to ME.
I’ve spent years working on Soul Mirrors, and I have received help
from anyone I could convince. This assistance has come in the form of alpha
readers providing feedback, experts offering specialized knowledge, editors
cleaning up story and text, and everything else imaginable.
My experience shows that though writing
can be solo art, writing well cannot.
Do
you have any pets?
My wife and I have two cats: a
calico named Hobbes, and a black cat named Moria. When Hobbes was little, she
would switch between lethargic and hyperactive without notice, so she is named
after the titular tiger from Bill Waterson’s comic strip. As she’s aged, she’s
mellowed considerably and is now larger, fluffier, and lazier. Moria is named
after Tolkien’s mines because of her coloration. She likes to sleep with us at
night, but her favorite activity is licking the inside of plastic bags. All in
all, our cats are adorable and weird.
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