C.S. Lewis said that Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another What, you too? I thought I was the only one!

When you first met one another, was this true for you??

WTB: I can''t tell you how correct that is. When I met Christopher on the floor at the CBA convention, there was an unspoken connection, like a combination had clicked into place. It was definitely a God thing. We are kindred spirits and it was no accident that we met.

CH:For sure. I felt a certain synergy right away with Wayne, mostly because we both had a heart for the Lord, for kids, and for writing in a particular genre. But nuances of deeper "What, you too?" friendship really became apparent during our first trip to Scranton together. From quoting movies to wailing on our air-guitars to laughing at the stupidest of jokes, we realized we were cut from the same cloth early on. I''d describe us as "Eighties-rock-metal-nerdy-other-worldly-Jesus-freak-creatives." I really can''t imagine my life without the guy now.

Question 2:

When you start writing, do you know from the beginning which characters are going to be really good friends?

WTB: I don''t. At lease not always. With The Door Within, it was a given that Aidan and Robby were friends, and later Antoinette. However with Curse of the Spider King, three of the main characters were my characters. Four were Christopher''s. It was kind of fun when one of my characters met one of Christopher''s in the story. They did indeed become fast friends. Ahem, notice I''m not mentioning character names here. ;-)

CH: I''d say no. While we try and map out the basic plot from start to finish, the characters themselves seem to take on a life of their own over the course of the story. It''s almost as if they are telling us their story as we go along, which I think tends to make the characters more real. While I''m definitely more on the spontaneous side of writing (never once outlining The White Lion Chronicles), I''ve learned a lot from Wayne in the form of outlining (which has only helped my craft). But Tolkien once described his writing of LOTR as a journalistic discovery, where he simply went to Middle Earth and wrote down what he saw, rather than some elaborate, pre-meditated plan. Likewise, I tend to approach writing that way, so I want the characters to tell me who they are, and who they want to befriend, rather than the other way around.

Question 3:

Proverbs 27:17 reads As Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

In what ways do you sharpen one anothers talents and passions when you are working together?

WTB: CH has definitely sharpened me so that I don''t obsess over little things that SLOW me down. "Just write, you goon!" is a familiar sentiment from CH. Otherwise, I''d end up spending 3 days coming up with a character''s name. I''m also very encouraged by Christopher''s theme-weaving. He just seems to "know" where the Spirit goes.

CH: From a professional standpoint, he''s a master plotter. As I said earlier, he''s greatly sharpened my pre-writing skills. He''s challenged me to develop characters more, and the fine art of layering. And I think his years as a teacher accentuate that, as he''s a natural at sharing skills with you. I can honestly say that I''m a better writer because of Wayne, and I''m honored for the opportunity to have him as a friend, and as a coach in the craft.

Question 4:

Have you ever created a friendship in your books that is like the one you share with each other?

WTB: Well, not yet. Not exactly. But we''re halfway through the sequel to Spider King, so that may happen.

CH: Wow, now that is a good question. I can''t put my finger on one. I do know that we''ve modeled all of our other characters after kids that we know in real life in some way, simply because we wanted kids who read these books to connect with issues that matter. But as for him and I in particular? I don''t think so. Ask Wayne!

Question 5:

Wayne, what strength do you admire most in Christopher?

WTB: There are two really. One is the Christ-like love that CH radiates. He''s just one of those glow-in-the-dark Christians from whom love just gushes. The other is Christopher''s connection with God. I know the Lord interacts with people in different ways. But CH seems to enjoy a real relationship with Jesus--a tangible one

CH:(Despite thoughts to the contrary, he wishes he had a bald head like mine).

Christopher, what strength do you admire most in Wayne?

CH: Great question. While our age difference has never been a negative (which I think is so cool, as I''m a bit younger), I have seen it as a tremendous blessing because he''s simply lived more life than me. I really look up to him and covet his life-stories, wisdom, and tempering. As I was saved at a very young age, and never really lived "in the world," he keeps my perspective fresh, especially with regard to unbelievers in Jesus. He''s been married longer, has had kids longer, and has a very "fatherly" way about him...almost instantly comforting with any situation. The kind of person you want to run to when things go south. He has truly become one of my best friends, and I can''t imagine life without him. He inspires me to be a better husband, father, man of God, and writer.