Meet Brae Wyckoff of Kingdom Writers Association (KWA)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brae Wyckoff.

Brae, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was a scraggly-little hippie kid growing up in the 70’s and 80’s and like most Junior High kids, I was confused about who I was. I didn’t have many friends. I felt isolated and struggled with school, (probably because we moved constantly and as a result, I attended several different ones). I had to fight off drugs and alcohol which surrounded me throughout my years growing up. It’s easy to say, now at 46 years of age, that I never succumbed to drugs or alcohol but it was definitely a fight all those years.

Sadly, I saw the destruction it caused all around and this helped to keep me on the right track… At age 19, I met my wife. We were married when I was 21. I took on a ready-made family as my wife had three children from a previous marriage. They became my children. We were married on December 11th, 1993. Over the years, my children and my wife became Christians. That didn’t sit well with me. Why? Well, because I was an atheist. I didn’t believe in a God. That changed in the year 2000 in the midst of a supernatural encounter.

God literally grabbed me by my shoulders, looked intensely into my eyes and said, “I’m right here. I am real.” One moment I was an atheist and then the next, I wasn’t. In the years following that encounter, my life drastically changed. Before that, I had no direction or meaning in my life. I found out that this was not the truth and I sought to discover what my meaning was. What was my assignment, my purpose? What had God predestined for me to do? This is where my true journey began.

Mark Twain is quoted saying, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

I wanted to write amazing stories. I felt this might be something God was calling me to do. But I wrestled with the fact that I failed English. In December 2010, I received a Divinely inspired word from Pastor Karlet Muster at Awakening Church in Carlsbad. She talked to me about writing, though she hadn’t known that I wanted to be a writer. She told me that I would write many books, that God would write to me, and that I would never again be hindered by writer’s block. What she hadn’t realized was that I had been struggling for 20 years to write my first book.

One week prior to Pastor Karlet’s word, I had a conversation with God about wanting to finish it. His response was, “Okay, let’s write it in 2011.” In the span of a single week, God used Pastor Karlet to confirm God’s word to me. And so, I wrote. I wrote and wrote, and I found that the chapters were coming easier than in years past. It was truly supernatural.

January 10th, 2011, I suddenly lost my job where I had worked for over ten years as an exemplary employee. I remembered laughing as I walked to my car and said, “God, you said we would finish my book in 2011, but I didn’t know this was how you were going to do it.”

The Orb of Truth, the first novel in my epic fantasy series, was written in six months and was published in November 2012. My second book, The Dragon God was published a year later in 2013. The Vampire King, the third book of the series was completed in August 2015. In the same month, I released my first children’s book called The Unfriendly Dragon. I teamed up with Disney artist, Seth Weinberg, for the fifty-page book about friendship despite differences. I dedicated this book to my grandson Avery who at four years of age asked me, “Grandpa, can you write me a book?”

In August 2015, I began work on a historical fiction novel based upon the two thieves on the cross and the two men possessed by the demon named Legion. After extensive research and time writing and rewriting, Demons & Thieves was published in March 2018. I’m really grateful and blessed to see that it’s been well received (5-star ratings), and even won its first award as Readers Favorite. I firmly believe this is because, true to Pastor Karlet’s word, God wrote this with me.

I have a strong passion for telling stories but I also have an equal passion for helping others get their story told. In December 2015, God instructed me to “Gather my scribes and give me room to speak to them.” January 2016, I posted on Facebook, “Who wants to get together and talk about writing?” Five people showed up, my wife and I included. I wasn’t daunted by the size of the group. I knew God was doing something. We continued to gather each month without fail.

Today, Kingdom Writers Association (KWA) has over 150 members with more writers joining us each month. KWA exists to encourage, equip, and empower Christian writers.

To date, we ’ve had three very successful conferences with keynote speakers William Paul Young, author of The Shack; Darren Wilson, author and director of Finger of God documentary series. and most recently, Lynn Vincent, bestselling author of numerous books, including Heaven Is For Real and Same Kind of Different As Me.

I want to convey that each of us has a story, an assignment, a calling on our lives. I hope to encourage others to step into their own destinies and go for it!”

Has it been a smooth road?
Our callings in life are not smooth nor without a struggle. Our callings happen within the storms of life. I have a great passion to encourage others not to run away from their fears but instead run after them. Chase them down and kill them in the pit they live in. I have talked myself out of numerous opportunities because of fear. It wasn’t until I finally met God and started asking Him about things that I felt were impossible. He said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

I grew up surrounded by drugs and alcohol and yet they never grabbed hold of me. I was an atheist and now I believe. I was homeless and now own a home. I had nothing and now I help others who struggle. I failed English and now I’m an award-winning author. All these, I once believed to be impossible—Now possible.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kingdom Writers Association (KWA) – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am involved in a few different things. I am first, an author with now five published books (currently working on my sixth). I am also the Director of Kingdom Writers Association based in San Diego where we are helping Christian writers of all levels write what God has called them to write as a scribe for the Kingdom.

We work with authors, bloggers, screenplay writers, musicians, spoken word artists, playwrights, magazine writers, poets, and so on. We will be taking a team of writers to Oxford, the United Kingdom in 2020. This will be a writers pilgrimage to a place rich with history for writers where JRR Tolkien penned The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
San Diego has a rich history for writers along with many other things. It seems I discover something new every month about San Diego. I was born and raised here and I love my city.

We have a notable history of writers coming out of San Diego. The 9th best-selling author of all time was Dr. Seuss and he lived here. Others successful authors include L. Frank Baum who came to Coronado specifically to write several pieces of Oz, and Anthony Feist, a graduate of UCSD, who writes fantasy adventure novels. Lynn Vincent is also a resident of San Diego.

Two of her books have gone to the big screen; Heaven Is For Real and Same Kind of Different As Me. Her latest book, USS Indianapolis, reached #5 on the New York Times bestseller list in its opening week of sales. This harrowing story has roots to San Diego history as well.

I believe that we are heading towards our city becoming the “Hollywood for Writers” where there will be such a creative atmosphere that other scribes will move here just to be in the atmosphere. San Diego is the birthplace of works that carry generational impact—an open portal of creativity. I’m excited for our city and what’s to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.KingdomWritersAssociation.com
• Email: braewyckoff@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kingdomwritersassociation/
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/braewyckoff/

Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.