What pair of characters you have created has the most unusual friendship?

WTB: Uhm...well, I can''t give away CotSK stuff. But in The Door Within, the most unusual friendship was that between Antoinette and Kearn (Robby''s Glimpse Twin). Kearn was an enemy, and yet, Ant earned his grudging respect, and even friendship. She had faith big enough for both of them, and Kearn knew it...could not escape it, really.

CH: So, trying not to give anything away about CotSK (nice try, Michelle, I think it would be one particular boy and girl who discover that blood--though powerful--is not the only thing that binds us together. You''ll just have to read the book...

Question 7:

In a one-on-one sword fight between you two, who would win?

WTB: Clearly I would win because I have the proper warrior hairstyle. Long haired warriors win every time.

CH: Well, Wayne has way more strength than me. So in an open contest, I''d say him. But with my bald head, I have WAY less wind resistance, and therefore move more quickly. It''s a totally unfair advantage. But to answer your question candidly: Me.

Question 8:

What is the hardest part of writing a friendship between characters?

WTB: Making it real. It''s so easy to show the writer''s hand when bringing people together. Writers just need to know each character well enough ahead of time that the characters themselves do the forging of the friendship.

CH: In The Berinfell Prophecies, we have a great many friendships happening. So honestly, keeping track of everyone''s personally traits can be a bit trying. You have to put yourself in each person''s head, working hard to learn how they''d react to any given circumstance. When you''re lost in "the zone," it''s easily done. But more often then not you really have to think through what makes these two people gel.

Question 9:

In John 15:12-17 Jesus says something rather amazing; He calls all of us who follow him, His friends. What does it mean to you, to be a friend of Christ?

WTB: Honestly, that just blows me away. It seems hard to believe, but there it is in HIS word. He cannot lie. The trouble is, I don''t experience that friendship like any other earthly friendship. Jesus doesn''t speak to me audibly. Nor have I seen Him in the flesh. I don''t talk to Him as naturally or as often as I do my earthly friends either. Maybe it''s sort of like some friends I have who have been gut-level friends for a long time, but I don''t see them very often, sometimes for years. But the moment we talk to each other, it''s like no time has passed between us.

CH: It''s the most important thing in all the world. My wife once had an encounter with the Lord during a huge Christian conference in Florida. During one of the meetings, filled with all sorts of "important Christians," she felt the Lord prompt her to get up and leave and go outside. She sat all sat all alone beneath the moon and listened. She felt the Spirit of the Lord say to her, "You know, I have a lot of Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, Prophets, and Apostles. But I have very few friends." Before I do anything for God, I want to be certain that I am someone for God...a friend

Question 10:

If you could give your fans one piece of advice on being a friend to others, what would it be?

WTB: Give each other grace. A funny thing happens when two humans rub elbows for a while: there can be tension. Someone can become insulted, hardened, worried, or frustrated. Talk through your issues. Get it out there. Forgive. Move on. Don''t let things fester.

CH: If you are being Christ-like, your friendship with others is a covenant, not a contract. We very often confuse "contract" with "covenant." In a contract, both parties agree to a set of rules and procedures; if one party breaks those in anyway, the relationship is liable for termination. That''s how we normally treat friendships, even marriages. But that is not the Kingdom. God didn''t make a contract with us; He made a covenant. And the beautiful thing about covenants is that they have our future failure built into them already. A covenant says, "I already know in advance that you are going to fail me sometime in the future, and I already forgive you for it. No matter what you do, you can not rid me of my love for you."