Brittney Roberts lives in the ceaselessly rainy half of Washington State with her husband and guild of happy little knights (four of the most passionately rambunctious, frighteningly brave, endlessly chatty boys you’ve ever met). And when she’s not preventing one of them from impaling themselves with something sharp, preparing them to be functioning people in the world, or attending their weekly taekwondo classes, she’s trying to squeeze in time to transfer all the words and pictures stuck in her head onto paper. It was the combination of a waltz through a dimly lit forest and her toddler’s demand for yet another new story that birthed the characters of Shiloh and Jonah, the beautiful (sunny) land of Mairia, all the scary and wonderful creatures that inhabit said land, and the story that knits them all together. Does it matter that she has completed triathlons, recorded an awful CD out of high school, or can do “live long and prosper” with her toes? No. What matters is where you find glimpses of yourself somewhere in her story, be it in a fierce competitor, a person content with the slow life, a mistake maker, or a forgiver.
Q: What inspired the idea behind your book?
A: I was on a walk with three of my little boys in the woods when they asked for a story. After a moment, I pictured a dragon standing between the trees in the distance, and the idea hit me. I proceeded to tell them a story about themselves as valiant knights, saving, protecting, and problem-solving in a beautiful land. This was the beginning of The Knights of Mairia.
Q: As an author, what tips would you give anyone who wants to get into writing?
A: I don’t think I could write an awesome story if I just decided to sit down and write. I’m inspired to write by things I notice. I keep my eyes, ears, and mind open to inspiration when I am on a road trip, washing dishes, or going on a walk through the woods. I would say do things and go places that inspire you, and keep your mind and heart open to those inspirations.
Q: What is your favorite book?
A: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling.
Q: Was your main character modeled after anyone in your life?
A: Yes! My oldest son, Shiloh.
Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
A: Finally getting the story out of my head and onto my laptop and then reading it aloud to my family.
Q: Do you believe that being a “good writer” is a developed skill or a natural talent?
A: I think being a good writer is a developed skill. Good writers read. I’ve definitely emerged a better writer after reading an amazing book.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from a book, poem, TV, or movie?
A: “I’m standing!” —Freddy Benson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Q: Would you write another book (or are you already writing another book)?
A; I am putting the finishing touches on the second book in the Knights of Mairia series, and the third is completed.
Q: Is there an author you look up to, and why?
A: J. K. Rowling. She was a single mom when she wrote the first book in the Harry Potter series. I find it quite impressive that a mother of any sort can make time to write amidst the demands of motherhood.
Q: If there were an apocalypse and you could only take five books into your doomsday bunker, what would they be?
A: The Shack by William Paul Young, the Passion Translation of the Bible, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the last two books in The Wingfeather Saga to read to my kids over and over again.
Learn more about Brittney Roberts' new book, The Knights of Mairia, here. Coming soon on Spetember 5, 2025!