Fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson has had quite a year

2010 has been a busy year for author Brandon Sanderson. With the completion of two fantasy novels and the birth of his second son, the BYU graduate, who now teaches creative writing at his alma mater, says it's been just about the hardest year of work he's ever had.

"Things have been crazy," Sanderson said in an interview with the Deseret News. "Getting in 'The Way of Kings' (Book 1 of the Stormlight Archive series) and 'Towers of Midnight' (Book 13 of the Wheel of Time series) has just about killed me. But I'm really pleased with both of the books."

For most of the year, Sanderson has been working 12- to 14-hour days, but because he writes from the basement of his American Fork home, those long hours haven't been too taxing since his schedule still allows for family time.

"Since I have no commute and things like that, it means that I can go up and spend two to three hours with my kids," the author said. "It means essentially I'm either working or playing with my son or hanging out with my wife."

Most writers have to push to get one book out in a year, but two, that takes a special drive. Sanderson says he was well aware of the pressure he'd be under, but when Tor publishing house offered to publish "The Way of Kings" between the release of the final Wheel of Time books, he couldn't say no.

Sanderson originally finished "The Way of Kings" in 2002, before he had become a published author. When he sold his first book, "Elantris," in 2003, Sanderson was asked if he had anything else. Tor thought "The Way of Kings" was too "ambitious" for a debut author and put it off.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and Sanderson is now a No.1 New York Times best-selling author.

"I knew it was going to be a lot of work," Sanderson said," but I thought this is just the perfect time to place this book, now that I have more of a name. The publisher is very pleased with what I'm doing, and that's allowed me to get away with a lot of things that maybe I wouldn't have been able to get away with at another time."

For Sanderson, getting away with things means writing a massive 1,007-page, 400,000-word novel, featuring color end pages, cover art by "the best artist in the business" Michael Whelan and 20 illustrations by Greg Call, Ben McSweeny and fellow BYU alumnus Isaac Stewart.

"The Way of Kings," which hits bookstores on Tuesday, has changed a lot since Sanderson's first go-round.