Michael Witwer is the New York Times best-selling author behind books like Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons and Dragons, Dungeons and Dragons: The Legend of Drizzt Visual Dictionary, as well as the DND source books – Art and Arcana, and Lore and Legends, which he co-wrote with Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson and his brother Sam Witwer. That crew also wrote the immensely popular DND Cookbooks – Heroes Feast and its sequel, Flavors of the Multiverse. The Heroes Feast cookbook has been turned into a cooking show of the same name, and Michael gives us some more details about that.
Michael also recently released a wonderful mid-grade book called Vivian Van Tassel and the Secrets of Midnight Lake. Think Percy Jackson meets Harry Potter meets DND. Wonderful for kids and adults alike, well written with strong character and world-building.
You can find out more about Michael and his books here – https://amzn.to/3NL1fBP.
We gave Michael 10 questions about life, writing, and gaming. Let’s check out his answers.
Yeah, it’s been a challenging few years from an hours perspective. I had been working on Vivian Van Tassel and Lore & Legends since 2020, and the second Heroes’ Feast since 2021, but they weren’t originally all supposed to come out at the same time. When I’m in writing mode, I usually write from 5 – 7 AM before work (I have a full-time marketing job), but when the deadlines overlap this much, I often have to create another hour or two at the end of the day around 9 PM after the kids go to bed and whatever time I can find on the weekends.
It’s a Nancy Drew meets Stranger Things middle-grade novel great for 1) elementary/middle school kids who love fantasy fiction like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, etc.; 2) D&D fans; and/or 3) those who want to introduce their kids to the ideas and fun around role-playing games. On a high level, it’s a story of heartache, mystery, adventure, bravery, and forgiveness, but I also really wanted to focus on the reality of the situation: What would it be like to really see a monster right out of a novel or game book you’ve been reading? I came up with this idea around 2014 when I was working on my first book, Empire of Imagination, which is a biography about D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. Gygax grew up in a small Wisconsin resort town called Lake Geneva. When he was a kid, he would frequently explore the ruins of an abandoned sanitarium, and I discovered during my research that during the 19th century, there were several sanitariums founded around this little Wisconsin town. I thought that was an interesting backdrop for the town that would become the birthplace of D&D, and that’s what led me to some of the main ideas around Vivian Van Tassel and the Secret of Midnight Lake.
Yeah, this is definitely not something I saw coming! Our first project with Penguin Random House / Ten Speed Press was a book called Art & Arcana, which was a comprehensive D&D visual history that came out in 2018. The book went great, and Ten Speed’s publisher, Aaron Wehner (publisher of the Barefoot Contessa series), approached us with the idea of doing a D&D cookbook. We all agreed that we didn’t want to do something gimmicky, rather a book that brought D&D to life and really dug into the lore of D&D food in a way that could add something valuable to the gaming experience. We dove into that project focused on 1) finding and curating all the notable foods one might run across in a D&D campaign world and exploring the lore around each and 2) researching the lore around each D&D culture (elves, halflings, dwarves, etc.) focused specifically around the ingredients they use or have access to, cooking styles, dining etiquette, etc. We then worked with a dream team of cookbook experts, including professional photographers, production designers, food stylists, prop experts, and an amazing chef (Adam Ried from America’s Test Kitchen) to bring all these dishes to life. All the D&D authenticity and attention to detail were really appreciated by the fandom, and the book became a huge success when it came out in 2020. By 2021, we were already working on a sequel book, and things have snowballed into a bit of a franchise since then. Not too long after that, we began having discussions with eOne/Hasbro about a cooking show based on the book as a cornerstone series for the new D&D Adventures channel. The show stars chef Mike Haracz and Sujata Day (with different celebrity guests each week and a lore segment in each episode featuring me and my co-authors) and debuted in November on Freevee (Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 PM CT) and Plex (on-demand). There is also a new Heroes’ Feast-themed D&D adventure written by Deborah Ann Woll that came out in late November, and more products in the pipeline.
Everything! I started playing D&D when I was a young kid (led by my brother Sam, who was our Dungeon Master), and I really credit the game for laying an amazing foundation for us of collaborative creativity and imagination. I think the things I learned at the tabletop pervade just about everything I do professionally today.
Like with most people, it has changed quite a bit over time, but almost always something in the arts. I wanted to be the lead guitarist of a rock band, an actor, a professional tennis player, an opera singer, a musical theater performer, etc. Life eventually led me to a career in marketing and writing, and I wouldn’t change a thing!
I think I have many, depending on the genre. Off the top of my head, let’s go with The Devil in the White City for non-fiction and maybe the original Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for fiction. The first is a beautifully researched, amazing, true story that reads like fiction. The second brings us to Hogwarts, and who doesn’t want to go to Hogwarts! If you asked me tomorrow, I may say two different books, but these are good ones!
I’m nuts about eighties music, and I usually listen (and sing along) to a station that plays 70s, 80s, and 90s. I recharge quickly when Here I Go Again by Whitesnake comes on or just about anything by Journey.
I love spending time with my wife and kids, watching movies, gaming, traveling, etc. and playing RPGs with my brother and our long-time gaming group.
My wife! We have four young kids, so we never get to sit down, have coffee and talk! 🙂
I’ve got a few, but all at pretty early stages. I’m actively working on the second book of the Vivian Van Tassel series, and I have two more unrelated novels I’m currently outlining. I also have another couple of visual histories that are in the planning stages.
Thanks to Michael for sitting down with me for this edition of 10 Questions.
Sitting down with Michael and his brother Sam a couple of times each, I have come to see them both as the nerds next door. Michael and Sam are just your average guys with a passion for nerdy things. Talking about DND and Star Wars with both of these gentlemen is always a pleasure and I can’t wait for the next time I get to do so.
I am looking forward to Michael’s future projects with excitement. Because, if those future projects are anything like what he brought us in 2023, then we are all in for a treat. Until then, be sure to check out those DND source books, the cookbooks, and his Vivian Van Tassel novel here – https://amzn.to/3NL1fBP
