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Introduction
Tyler has loved writing and storytelling since he was old enough to scribble ideas down on a notepad in class. Whether it is crafting ideas on the world, sharing thoughts, or imagining other worlds entirely, Tyler is passionate about the power of words and how stories can impact lives. He also loves consuming stories in all various mediums of their creation.
Tyler’s Books
Interview with Tyler Edwards
Q: Let’s get started with an introduction. Can you tell me a little about how you first got into writing and what it felt like publishing your very first book?
A: I’ve been writing since I was eight years old. Scribbling ideas into notebooks instead of paying attention in class. It’s always been something for me. I love stories and these ideas have formed in my head and needed to get out for as long as I can remember.
I remember the surreal feeling of publishing my first book. It was strange seeing this thing I’d spent so much time writing, editing, and refining on a computer existing in the real world as something I could hold and touch.
Q: What are some of your favorite hobbies (other than writing)?
A: I like to exercise. I like playing games or going to the pool with my son. Anything that has a story to it: movies, shows, games, I love stories in all forms. I like doing all sorts of things to keep the day interesting, from laser tag to snorkeling.
Q: What is your favorite strange food combination?
A: I put spice on everything and try to make it as hot as possible. That’s probably my weirdest food combo is just making everything from pasta to rice to vegetables extra spicy.
Q: What book (other than your own) do you recommend to everyone that they have to read?
A: For fantasy lovers, Lord of the Rings. Classic for a reason, it’s the template or at least foundation of an entire genre. For thriller lovers: Velocity by Dean Koontz. I try to tailor my recommendations to the preferred genres of the reader but if it were just a universal recommend it would be Lord of the Rings because of what that story has meant to me over the years.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about your writing process? Note taking; favorite place to write uninterrupted; etc?
A: I have a writing nook (a large closet with a desk and color-changing lights) that I work in. I am a bit of a gardener. I put the seeds in the ground and deal with what grows out of it. I make separate documents for different elements of the story so I can find it all again. I have one for characters – what everyone looks like, their personality / backstory / motivations, one for places, magical / tech items, creatures and monsters, cultures, and made up words I use. With my files in place, I write and then just copy information over to the specific information documents to keep track of it as I go.
Q: Tell us a little about what inspired your latest release.
A: My latest release, Shadows of the Dark Realm was actually written as a pallet cleanse while I was struggling with what to do in book 3 of my Outland trilogy. I switched genres and just wanted to write a goofy thing to get past my writers block. What drove me in this one was my son. He just turned five and I wanted to be able to tell him stories at the end of the night before bed. I wanted to practice improvising a story and just letting it flow the way I would if he asked me to tell him on. The characters really came to life as I did and the story just wouldnt stop forming so I kept writing.
By five may your journey thrive. By five may you return alive.
The idyllic kingdom of Parisia sat nestled securely in the Great Emerald Mountains. For generations, Parisia had known nothing but peace and prosperity. When the elder dragon Draka Mors, steals the Darkstone, the entire realm is threatened. Without the Darkstone, the magic sealing away the Shadow King would fail. His return would bring death and destruction to the world of men.
Desperate, the king of Parisia calls on an unlikely hero, the Disgraced Knight Vale Lox to lead a group of Seekers on the most important quest in a thousand years. To save the realm and everyone they have ever known from the rising shadows of darkness, these misfits must survive hostile lands, enemy armies, unspeakable monsters, and each other in order to retrieve the stone from the dragon’s lair before it’s too late.
Q: Which one of your books was your most favorite to write?
A: Reapers of the Dark Realm (book 2 after Shadows). Fantasy is my favorite genre and with Reapers, I knew the world enough and the characters, to where writing it was really fun.
Q: If you were to ask your friends or family, what would they say your greatest “Superpower” is?
A: Words. I am a word nerd so whether it’s stories, ideas, metaphors, that’s probably my greatest power. Or…eating a lot 😂
Q: If you could be any fictional character (cartoon, movie, show, book, etc), who would you be?
A: The Green Lantern – powered by imagination and will, I think I would make a very powerful and could have a lot of fun being a Green Lantern.
Q: What advice would you give to a new writer just starting out?
A: Find a system that works for you. Dont try to imitate someone else’s style or process. Figure out what gets you writing and do that.
Tell the story you want to to tell the way you want to tell it.
Define success as something you can control; not getting published or selling a certain number of books. Otherwise your happiness with writing will be dependent on what other people say or do, that’s miserable.
You need to love your work for your own sake not what others say. If you want people to read your book, dont be sensitive, dont have an ego. You are not the worlds greatest writer. Not everyone is going to like your work. Some people may actually hate it. If you cant handle that, don’t try to share it with the world. Just because someone hates it, doesn’t mean it’s not good.
Give yourself time to write but dont force it all the time. Sometimes you need to let your brain rest. Others, you need to push yourself.
Always try to be getting better. If you want to be good, you have to know you’re not perfect. Learn lessons. Listen to feedback. Refine. Challenge yourself. Get better. If you have a story that needs told, the readers deserve to get the best version of it that you can give them.
Q: You have 50 words or less to convince an audience why they should read your books. Go!
A: Stories saved my life; they were a place to escape from the struggles of life when it was too much to bear. My desire as a writer is to create worlds like that for people who need that same escape or just love exploring new worlds.
Follow Tyler
Tyler has loved writing and storytelling since he was old enough to scribble ideas down on a notepad in class. Whether it is crafting ideas on the world, sharing thoughts, or imagining other worlds entirely, Tyler is passionate about the power of words and how stories can impact lives. He also loves consuming stories in all various mediums of their creation.
Looking for book recs…
Adventures in Literature 
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