#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About W. D. Kilpack

/ Marcia Meara

Today, I’d like you to help me welcome another new visitor to The Write Stuff, author W. D. Kilpack. I think you’ll enjoy his Ten Things list as much as I did, so let’s get to it. Take it away, Bill!

 

Ten Things You May Not Know About
W. D. Kilpack

  1. When I was a kid, I was convinced I was growing horns. My mom would feel my head and say, “Yep, and they’re getting bigger!”
  2. I served as editor of the newspaper at Westminster College of Salt Lake City and editor-in-chief of the newspaper at West Jordan High School.
  3. I served as State Master Councilor of the Utah State DeMolay Association, vice-chaired a committee at International Congress, and was inducted into the Court of Chevaliers.
  4. Despite a childhood fear of making direct eye contact, I learned how to cope to the point where I have been the official representative of CEOs and a U.S. Senator. I have been teaching public speaking to college students since 1996.
  5. I come from a family of avid hunters (black-powder hunting is about as avid as it gets), but I am the black sheep. As far as I know, I’m the only one of my generation who doesn’t hunt.
  6. I have traveled all over the United States to compete in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, then to coach athletes doing the same.
  7. I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons since I was 10 years old. I have since played with my five kids and three stepchildren, and my youngest son and I have revised some of the rules for when we play.
  8. I have always been a storyteller; before I could write, I drew my stories. I wanted to start my own comic-book company until I was 12, when I wrote my first fantasy novel.
  9. My first publication credit came when I was 9, when a teacher entered a poem I wrote into a contest without my knowledge. It won and was published.
  10. My grandma handed off the family genealogy work to me when I was 14. Something I corrected is that Kilpack is not a shortened form of Kilpatrick; it’s a misspelling (likely through emigrating) of Kilpeck, which is a village in Wales.

BLURB:

Despite the Guardian of Maarihk being condemned as anathema, and his very existence relegated to legend, Natharr resumes his ancient responsibilities as Mankind’s protector. He joins with a mysterious Firstborn companion, Ellis the Elder, to journey into the snowy reaches of Biraald, where his Sight promises he will find those who secretly adhere to the ways of the Olde Gods.

Although Biraaldi bloodlines show their Firstborn heritage more clearly than even in Maarihk itself, the two nations have never enjoyed peace. It has been far worse since the rise of Brandt the Usurper to Maarihk’s throne. Natharr and Ellis must navigate threats not only against the Firstborn, but the Maarihkish, as they seek out the sympathizers he Saw who are brave enough to resist Maarihk’s tyranny. Only then can the damage be repaired from when Natharr chose personal happiness with Darshelle and the young crown prince over his weighty responsibilities as Guardian of Maarihk.

REVIEWS:

Order of Light is “a poignant, sensational, and captivating novel that will take [you] on a turbulent-but-fantastic journey full of ups and downs and shocks!” — RedHeadedBookLover.com

Order of Light is “just as fantastic as Crown Prince [which was] one of the most fantastic fantasy books that I have read so far! New characters are introduced and I’m impressed by his storytelling … from characterization to event building… everything is lucid. I’m eagerly waiting for book three.” — Just Pratibha (India)


Buy Order of Light HERE

Buy Crown Prince HERE

Author Bill Kilpack

W.D. Kilpack III is an award-winning and critically acclaimed internationally published writer, with works appearing in print, online, radio and television, starting with his first publication credit at the age of nine, when he wrote an award-winning poem. As an adult, he received special recognition from L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest, was named Author of the Month by the Sinister Soup podcast, and Crown Prince received the Firebird Book Award. He has been editor and/or publisher of nineteen news and literary publications, both online and in print, with circulations as high as 770,000. He is an accomplished cook and has two claims he thinks few can match: cooking nearly every type of food on a grill; and nearly being knocked flat when his grill exploded.

He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Westminster College of Salt Lake City. As an undergrad, he double-majored in communication and philosophy, while completing the Honors Program. As a graduate student, he earned a master of professional communication with a writing emphasis. He was also a high-performing athlete, qualifying for international competition in Greco-Roman wrestling.

He is a communication professor and a nationally recognized wrestling coach. He is happily married to his high-school sweetheart and is father to five children, as well as helping to raise five step-children. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he continues to live, coach and teach.

Buy Links
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Social Media Links

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84 thoughts on “#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About W. D. Kilpack”

    • I’m sure Bill can give you all sorts of details, Janet, but if you’ve ever seen a movie or old tv show featuring Davy Crocket or Daniel Boone, just picture them using a powder horn to pour gunpowder into “Old Betsy” in order to fire it. I’m pretty sure he’s talking about something like that, but will let him confirm (or deny) and give you more good info.

      Glad you enjoyed the post, and thanks so much for stopping by to let us know! 😀 ❤

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  2. My grandmother was into genealogy, and she did a lot of research to prove she was eligible to join Daughters of the American Revolution. She tried to pass it on to me, but at the time, I wasn’t very interested.
    I heard Salt Lake City has lots of resources for genealogy research.

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    • I’ve always thought I’d like to spend some time on Ancestry.com, Sharon, but just haven’t had a chance yet. Maybe when I retire in another 20 years or so. 😄 Glad you enjoyed Bill’s post, and thanks so much for stopping by to let us know! 😀 ❤

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    • That is correct! There are a LOT more tools online. When I learned about Kilpeck, it literally came after six years, because I had a college professor who had a degree in Gaelic (“kil”= church, “peck”=faery). He translated my name for me. Then I spent the next two years trying to find out if he was right, because it was different from what I was always told. Turns out, he was right!

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  4. Thank you, Marcia, for introducing Bill. Fascinating facts! I’m going to check out his books for sure.
    Happy Thanksgiving, dear Marcia. May blessings abound! 💗

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    • Family has always been important to me. My dad’s side of the family used to have family reunions every year. Even when I was younger than school age, I would ask to go, whether my parents were going or not. I’m not sure where that interest originated. Maybe it’s because I have a family name (William, there are actually eight generations of us, but one in the middle had a different middle name) and that continuity was stressed by my dad and grandparents.

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    • My son played D&D when he was in high school, Jeanne. That’s the extent of what I know about it. But I certainly enjoy reading fantasy, anyway. 😊

      Glad you enjoyed Bill’s post, and thanks for stopping by to let us know! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 2 people

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    • Me, too! I still have some of my character sheets from when I was 10, others from when I started playing with a different friend a couple years later, then pretty much everything when I really got into it when I was 15. I have a cabinet full of my D&D books, Marvel Super Heroes, and others.

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  8. I want to say how cute it is that your mom humored you, but first, I’d have to ask: were you fascinated with growing horns or petrified? Lol! I also love that you had a teacher who fostered your love for writing. As a teacher myself, I know how powerful those moments can be. It’s nice to meet you, Bill! Thanks for introducing him to us, Marcia! 🙂

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    • My pleasure to have Bill here today, Yvette, and I’m glad you enjoyed his post. I’m looking forward to seeing his reply to your question on the horns. 😃

      Thanks so much for stopping by today, and taking a moment to comment on Bills Ten Things List. It’s greatly appreciated! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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    • I have been very lucky to have some very supportive teachers. The teacher who entered my poem was also in charge of a school newsletter. It was voluntary to participate, but she “required” that I take part as the cartoonist, if nothing else. In 6th grade, my teacher for my Gifted & Talented and Language Arts classes let me write a chapter of a fantasy novel for every writing assignment in each class, regardless of the assignment. So, by the time the year ended, I wrote my first novel. In 8th grade, my computer-science teacher read a sci-fi trilogy I wrote (hand written), then pulled strings so I could be an aid in her class and type my books. She also “required” that I take part in the school newsletter, as photographer (my dad had taught me how to use a bulk loader … remember film?) and staff writer. In 9th grade, my Honors English teacher would read my short stories to the class. In 10th grade, my Journalism teacher also “required” that I take part in newspaper staff (cartoonist, then photographer, then columnist, then staff writer, then editor-in-chief). I have been very lucky.

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    • Having horns was very cool, very exciting. I wasn’t sure if I wanted a rack like an elk or big, thick ones like a bull. But they were I was excited! Then my grandma ruined it, explained that it wasn’t possible, etc. It actually started a fight between her and my mom. I remember my mom saying, “Let him think what he wants! He’s being creative!”

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          • It’s just your basic blog, Bill, pretty much like most of the blogs I follow in that people enjoy commenting. And for a writer, it’s great to be able to put a real person behind the name on the book cover. The online writing community is wonderfully supportive of each other, so I hope you’ll make some new friends here, and learn about each other’s work, then share it where you can. It’s fun, and helps others find out about our work.

            Enjoy your visit today, and do check back for a few more days, too, because comments will keep coming in, and folks will have fun chatting with you. And hopefully, along the way, you’ll have some new readers discover your books. 😀

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    • Not willingly. I was actually angry that she entered my poem without my permission. Then she told me it won and I grudgingly eased up. Then I forgave her when I got to see it in print. I was hired to write for the first time when I was 15. I was actually hired to be an editor for a magazine about long-distance running. It included going to races all over the state and I had to tell him that I didn’t have a driver license. (I was so embarrassed.) He let me continue to write about the events I could attend.

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        • I loved watching the old serials (black and white TV shows with Flash Gordon) that were on late night. I’d sneak out of my room after my parents went to be to watch them. I could openly watch Star Trek (no risk of life and limb necessary), then Battlestar Galactica, and of course Star Wars blew my mind. With all that going on in my head, I had no choice.

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    • My grandpa was a mechanical engineer before CAD. So he had a drafting desk with pieces of paper that were as big as I was. He would give me one and a pencil and I would have wars with the ships from Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Space 1999, etc. When they shot each other, I would erase parts of the ship and draw in the explosions, etc. That led to wanting to be a cartoonist, which lasted till I was 12, when I wrote my first book.

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    • Oh, I never questioned her response. I could feel the horns. (I still can.) The truth was that I wasn’t so much growing horns as that my head is kind of square. There are four definite corners, but I never noticed the ones in the back. Another effect of my unusual head shape was that I had to wear large football helmets, hats, etc. So it was fun when I was in fourth grade and, if my dad put on my helmet, it would cover his eyes.

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  19. Good for you for NOT hunting! That’s the best thing you could have shared, as far as I’m concerned. But of course, I still wish you well with your writing!! 🙂

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