How does faith impact how authors write?

Me: I know your faith influences what you write. Tell me a little bit about that.
Jeff: Faith has been a part of my life since I was a little. I was raised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter—day Saints. And I'm one of a few authors that actually puts that on my Amazon page. I spell out what my religion is. I don't believe in hiding it. But faith is more than just religion too. And I think a lot of reasons my books have become popular and successful is I don't shy away from spirituality.

Not religion specifically, but the characters tend to be very moral, have strong moral compasses. I grew up with Lord of the Rings, Lloyd Alexander, and Terry Brooks who had clear delineations between good and evil. And those are the stories that appealed to me. And those are the kind of stories that I like to write.

I like when faith is challenged, but I have readers from lots of different denominations or no religion at all that just like the spiritual aspects of my books. I've had lots of email conversations with readers or people that I've met over the years say, that's what has been attractive to them about my writing. You don't have to be a member of my religion to be able to appreciate that kind of fiction.

Me: How do you think someone's faith impacts, or should or should not impact one's writing.
Jeff: I think sharing faith or trying to uplift people through stories is something that's been done for thousands of years, but I think it's not appropriate to proselytize, unless you're writing a story about a missionary or something. I think it turns off readers if the author had an agenda where, hey, I'm going to try to convert you to my particular brand of Christianity. It's better to let people make up their own minds about those things. There are thousands of books that get published every single day. So, there's room for all sorts of points of view. So, I don't shy away from it. I use magic systems as a way of introducing these kinds of concepts within my books and that has worked very well for me. But I'm not heavy handed in it.

Me: What would you say to those who might be a little timid about sharing their beliefs for fear of offending readers or becoming victim to today's cancel culture?
Jeff: It's a legitimate concern and I've had it myself. I've been at comic cons and have been challenged over issues and it's uncomfortable. But I have found that we're probably too timid about about sharing beliefs or sharing these things. To not share just because we're afraid is the wrong approach. It's important to be respectful that there are people that have a variety of world views and different beliefs of what they consider appropriate.

Rather than trying to draw battle lines with anybody who doesn't have faith or believes in things that are different, it's more important to build bridges of understanding. The more we understand where people come from, the more love, acceptance, and tolerance we should have. Isn't that what Christ taught?

Me: As you write from a position of faith how do you make sure your books are of a nature that they would be embraced by people of other faiths or those who don't practice any particular faith?
Jeff: Authors basically get paid to torture their characters. If all the story was one good thing happening after another, it would be boring and nobody would want to read it. Even people who aren't religious can see how my characters react to the struggles that they go through. And I put them through some pretty hard struggles. I mean, when a chapter makes me cry and wipe away tears, then absolutely, I know that it's going to resonate on a human scale.

Me: How do you hope your books impact others?
Jeff: The hope that I think every author has is that we'll make a difference to somebody. I recently received an email from a reader who told me that by reading my books, she decided not to take her life. That's so meaningful to me. I can only imagine how hard as a young adult or teenager to feel so hopeless, but then to read a story where the characters decided to persevere, even though their challenges were completely overwhelming. And then to have somebody say, that inspired me to keep going. It's just so humbling.

The above has been edited for length. To see and hear the rest of the interview with Jeff Wheeler, watch the full interview at www.kenbakerbooks.com/expert_jeff_wheeler.html

To learn more about Jeff Wheeler and his bestselling fantasy books, visit jeff-wheeler.com/