Wayne Thomas Batson

Wayne Thomas Batson
Batson in 2014 at the American Library Association's Annual Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas
Born1968 (age 57–58)
Seabrook, Maryland
Education
Occupations
  • Writer
  • teacher
SpouseMary Lu
Children4
Writing career
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy
Notable work
  • The Door Within
Websiteenterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com

Wayne Thomas Batson (born 1968) is an American author and middle school teacher. He wrote the Christian fantasy trilogy The Door Within.

Biography

Wayne Thomas Batson was born in 1968 in Seabrook, Maryland. He studied English at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he received a bachelor's degree. Batson then received a master's degree from Bowie State University.

Starting around 1990, Batson taught reading and English at Folly Quarter Middle School in Ellicott City, Maryland. While he write books for The Door Within, a Christian fantasy trilogy published by Thomas Nelson, he shared excerpts with his students to get their opinion about whether they found the writing to be engaging or dull. He wrote the novels Isle of Swords (2007) and Isle of Fire (2008) about the involvement of some Caribbean pirates with a group of monks. By 2022, Batson had written 17 novels that had more than 500,000 sales.

Personal life

Batson is married to Mary Lu. They have four children.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Teacher enters fantasy world to engage his students". Cumberland Times-News. January 31, 2022. NewsBank 187EA038FB56AC80. Archived from the original on July 20, 2026. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Bartel, Jordan (September 24, 2007). "Teacher's books are lesson plans in disguise". The Star Democrat. Associated Press. Retrieved July 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 Burris, Joe (October 6, 2005). "Crowning achievement: Teacher Wayne Batson turns classroom-tested tales of medieval fantasy into a novel, 'The Door Within'". The Baltimore Sun. pp. C1, C3. Retrieved July 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Salmon, Jacqueline L. (July 22, 2007). "Christian fantasy genre grows minus wizards, spells". Republican and Herald. The Washington Post. Retrieved July 20, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.