Q: First tell us something about yourself.
I am an off-road enthusiast who has owned Jeeps my whole life. I’ve off-roaded in eleven different states. I never really had aspirations to be an author, but I had an experience that was so inspiring, that I figured it out and made it happen. By the way, do you know how to tell if a person drives a Jeep? Wait a few minutes, they’ll tell you. 🙂
Q: How and when did your journey start as a writer?
In 2018, I was invited to take my Jeep to Moab, Utah, the ultimate playground for Jeep enthusiasts. As I drove up the very first obstacle, I found myself on a rocky, tilted trail that was about 9 feet wide with hundred-foot drops on both sides of the trail. I immediately had a panic attack, nearly passing out and refusing to drive forward. I wanted to drive back to the safety of flat Kansas as quickly as my Jeep would take me. But I had driven 18 hours to be there and I didn’t want to give up. Luckily, my friends came to my rescue, showing me patience and kindness, and gently nudging me to face my fears and continue the adventure. I did so and the rest of that week in Moab changed my life. What started out as terror became my passion. So I turned my real life experience into my first children’s book “DJ’s Off-Road Adventures: DJ Faces His Fear.
Q: When did you write your first story? Is it published or not?
Inspired by one of my buddies on that trip, I wrote it almost right away after returning home. Then I found an illustrator who brilliantly turned my vision into beautiful and fun illustrations. I self-published the book, quite unfortunately, at the very beginning of the pandemic. For that reason, I was unable to do live readings and events and I felt like the book was a total failure for a long time. But it slowly gained popularity online and I eventually sold enough books to break even. Enthusiasm for the characters and further off-road adventures inspired books 2 and 3.
Q: Tell us something more about your books?
Book 2 is called “Better Together” and it’s all about working together and paying kindness forward. Book 3 is about how girls sometimes get dismissed as not being able to do the things that boys can. It’s called GIRLS ROCK!
Fans have been asking for a Christmas adventure for a long time and I’m currently working with my illustrator on “A Christmas Rescue” in the hopes that we will be able to release the book in time for the holidays this year.
Q: Do you want to leave any message for your readers?
All the books teach life lessons: Book 3 teaches girls that they can do anything that boys can. Book 2 teaches young readers that there is joy in helping others and that kindness is a gift. And of course, the first book is about facing fears. As a parent, I often pushed my children out of their comfort zones to help them grow and have experiences. I want my readers to be brave and understand that “courage doesn’t mean you’re not afraid. It means you don’t let fear stop you.”
