*Andrew Peterson is a singer-songwritter and author based in Nashville, Tenn. You can learn more about his music and books at Andrew-Peterson.com

 

How did you come to weave stories into the music you write differently from other contemporary Christian music artists?

 

There’s an earthiness in the songs that I loved when I first started writing. I listened to James Taylor, Marc Cohn and Paul Simon — guys like that, whose lyrics drew me in with stories, with little details that got my attention and grounded the song in real life. It wasn’t until I heard Rich Mullins that I realized you could write about the Bible in the same way. Sometimes there’s a temptation for a song to stay up in the clouds somewhere, to generalize the content for the sake of mass appeal. But I’d rather try and write a song that’s incarnational, something that brings the heavens down to earth, where people can look it in the eye.

 

What’s your favorite Christmas tradition?

 

Well, for most of the last 14 years, my Christmas tradition has been to collapse. A group of friends and I do a Christmas tour every year (called Behold the Lamb of God), which is usually about 18 shows every December. By the time I get home, I’m walloped. When I get home I do a lot of sitting around, recovering with my family, a lot of crying during It’s a Wonderful Life and a lot of eating. Sick or not, I’m happy as a jolly old elf.

 

What can we expect from you  in 2014?

 

I’m finishing The Warden and the Wolf King, the final book in the Wingfeather Saga, to be released in April of 2014. It’s a project that’s been nearly ten years in the making, and I’m so pumped to finally finish this story. After that, I’ll turn my attention to my next album, which will probably be about the resurrection of Jesus.