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Meet Catholic Speculative Fiction Writer Brian Niemeier

Meet Catholic Speculative Fiction Writer Brian Niemeier

Last updated on: September 10, 2026 at 7:00 am by Mark Wilson

Meet Catholic Speculative Fiction Writer Brian Niemeier 2026-08-24T19:39:30-05:00 Mark Wilson

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I’ve tinkered on and off with writing over the years. This blog is the closest I’ve ever got to professionally publishing something. It is the longest consistent form of writing I’ve ever engaged in. When I go over to the Internet Speculative Fiction Database, I browse through different author profiles and am amazed at the number of books they have written. When I browsed through the covers of the books Catholic author Brian Niemeier has over on his personal website for purchase, I was blown away by all he has labored to write. He has won some literary awards and has started his own publishing company. He is yet another writer who has put his heart and soul in the art of writing. I hope will be encouraged in your craft of writing as you…

Meet the Catholic Writer Brian Niemeier

1. Tell something interesting about yourself.

Writing has been my profession for more than a decade. My second novel, Souldancer, won the first Dragon Award for Best Horror Novel in 2016, and I’ve since built Kairos Publications, an independent publishing business encompassing fiction, nonfiction, editing, and author services. I’m also a formally trained Catholic theologian.

2. What makes a good Catholic writer?

First, being a good writer. Catholic writers should know their faith, but they also need to understand storytelling, character, conflict, and the demands of their genre. Catholicism gives us an extraordinarily rich understanding of human nature, good and evil, sacrifice, redemption, and the purpose of life. The writer’s job is to tell compelling stories founded on those truths. If you’re just sermonizing, you’ve missed the mark.

3. What do you like about being a Catholic Writer?

The Catholic tradition gives writers a rich patrimony of theology, philosophy, history, and art. More importantly, it gives us a coherent picture of what man is and what he is for. It seems contradictory to some, but that tradition is all the more valuable when writing fantastic fiction. Because even the strangest imaginary world must embody a sense of integrity, both in regard to itself and the characters within it.

4. What is the Main focus of your particular Writing or what do you like to write about?

Most of my fiction combines science fiction, fantasy, and horror. I have an abiding interest in characters confronting realities much larger than themselves, whether cosmic powers, spiritual dangers, or civilizational crises, and that confrontation requiring a personal sacrifice. My Soul Cycle series is the fullest expression of that approach.

5. How does your Catholic Faith influence your writing?

The faith is foundational to my identity and worldview. It informs my understanding of human nature, morality, free will, suffering, death, and salvation. So naturally, those understandings find their way into my stories. Catholic fiction does not demand that every story feature explicitly Catholic characters or settings. It does require envisioning the story’s secondary world in light of the Truth.

6. What’s your favorite article/Post/book/story you have written?

Souldancer, without a moment’s hesitation.

7. What is your favorite topic/subject to write about?

The intersection of the supernatural and ordinary human decisions keeps cropping up in my work. My characters continually get mixed up in conflicts with cosmic stakes but personal decisive questions. What do you owe other people? How much are you willing to pay for your goals? What happens when starting with the best of intentions sets you on a path to temptation? Genre fiction lets you tackle those hypotheticals with a scope no other category can match.

8. Favorite scripture verse.

Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” – Mark 9:23

9. What Are you currently working on?

“The Other Side of Fear,” A brand-new novella set in my acclaimed Soul Cycle universe. This thrilling original story will be available as a standalone hardcover only through the Souldancer 10th Anniversary campaign, launching September 1 on Kickstarter. Reserve your copy here.

10. Name a favorite saint or Catholic or some other figure who inspires you in your life.

Moses, exemplar of the sanctity possible under the Old Covenant, as well as history’s best-selling author.

11, Who is your favorite Living Writer?

John C. Wright

Meet Catholic Hugo Nominated Writer John C Wright
An Interview With Catholic Writer John C Wright

12. If you could have lunch with any deceased writer who would it be, what would you eat and what would you talk about?

Gene Wolfe, with whom I did have the honor of sharing the Lord’s Supper, but never lunch. I would ask about two things: How he decided on the saddle shape for Pringles, and to more fully explain the symbolism of Talos’ counterfeit coin.

13. Name a favorite movie/tv show or music you find worth sharing with others.

The original Trigun TV series, which doesn’t get nearly enough recognition as an anime retelling of the Gospel.

14. Can you see one of your books being made into a movie or tv series? Who would you want to star or direct?

Absolutely. The Soul Cycle was conceived on a large visual scale and draws inspiration from 1980s and 90s movies and anime, so I could easily imagine it as an animated series or a film franchise.

In regard to a live-action adaptation, the material calls for a visionary film maker who retains a sense of the mythical. So we might have to look to traditionally Catholic countries for directors in the vein of Guillermo del Toro or Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Then again, there’s much to recommend Paul W.S. Anderson.

15. Favorite Historical event.

The Resurrection

This interview was published on September 10, 2026

The day these other Historical Trivia events happened.

1570 – Spanish Jesuit missionaries land in present-day Virginia to establish the short-lived Ajacán Mission.

1846 – Elias Howe is granted a patent for the sewing machine.

1960 – At the Summer Olympics in Rome, Abebe Bikila becomes the first sub-Saharan African to win a gold medal, winning the marathon in bare feet.

2024 – Polaris Dawn, the first private crewed spaceflight to involve a spacewalk, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

2025 – American right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk is assassinated while onstage at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

16. What else do you want people to know about anything.

I’d encourage Catholic readers to support the writers, artists, filmmakers, and publishers producing the culture they want to see. We’re living in a time when independent creators can reach audiences directly without waiting for permission from gatekeepers. But taking full advantage of that opportunity requires readers who actively support worthwhile independent works. I’ve spent the past decade helping to build alternatives through my own books, Kairos Publications, and by helping other authors bring their projects to readers. You can support my work here.

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