The Adventurous Author | Finish Book, Writing Discipline, Creative Writing, Character Development, Christian Podcast

Hey, Christian Author! Get ready to enjoy the third episode of the three-day, five-episode Why Believe the Bible event hosted by my dad, Harry Schaefer. In episode 66, we learned that one way to confirm the truth of any book, including the Bible, is to compare it to outside sources. We take what’s written, compare it to known facts, and see if it matches. If it lines up, it’s true. The Bible lines up with known facts, so it can be trusted as a source of truth. And two, we can use predictive prophecy. Men inspired by God wrote amazingly accurate prophecies, and we looked at one such prophecy concerning Tyre. In episode 67, we explored how the prophecies made concerning Babylon by Isaiah and Jeremiah prove the Bible is true. Today, we'll look at three additional reasons we can believe the Bible is true. I'm turning the microphone back over to my dad to explain. Your friend, DK Next Steps: Listen to the entire series: Ep 66: How Can You as a Christian Author Know the Bible is True? Ep 67: These 2 Prophecies Prove the Bible is True Ep 68: 3 Evidence-Based Reasons to Believe the Bible is True Ep 69: 1 Unlikely Source Outside the Bible that Helps Prove the Bible is True Ep 70: 2 Recent Discoveries that Verify the Bible is True Connect: [email protected] Questions about today's episode? Email me! Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

As a Christian author, have you ever wondered why you should believe the Bible? Or how you can know the Bible is true because you have proof as opposed to blind faith? Welcome to the second episode of the three-day, five-episode Why Believe the Bible event hosted by my dad, Harry Schaefer. In episode 66, we learned that one way to confirm the truth of any book, including the Bible, is to compare it to outside sources. We take what’s written, compare it to known facts, and see if it matches. If it lines up, it’s true. The Bible lines up with known facts, so it can be trusted as a source of truth. And two, we can use predictive prophecy. Men inspired by God wrote amazingly accurate prophecies, and we looked at one such prophecy concerning Tyre. In this episode, we’ll dig into prophecies made by both Isaiah and Jeremiah regarding Babylon and explore how these prophecies really came to pass and thus help prove the Bible is true. I’m turning the microphone back over to my dad. Here’s Harry! Your friend, DK Next Steps: Listen to the entire series: Ep 66: How Can You as a Christian Author Know the Bible is True? Ep 67: These 2 Prophecies Prove the Bible is True Ep 68: 3 Evidence-Based Reasons to Believe the Bible is True Ep 69: 1 Unlikely Source Outside the Bible that Helps Prove the Bible is True Ep 70: 2 Recent Discoveries that Verify the Bible is True Connect: [email protected] Questions about today's episode? Email me! Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

As Christian authors, you and I have the awesome privilege of writing fantastic stories told from a godly perspective. And what’s the basis of that perspective? The Bible. The Bible should establish the foundation and framework for our lives and our stories. The Bible should be our ultimate source for absolute truth in the midst of a world that doesn’t want to believe such a thing as absolute truth exists. But why should we believe the Bible? How do we know the Bible is true? To answer those questions, I’ve brought on a special guest (my dad, Harry Schaefer!) to teach you and me why we can and should believe the Bible. This episode thus marks the start of a three-day, five episode Why believe the Bible? event. This podcast series is by no means a comprehensive study of the topic as there are countless ways to defend our faith and the veracity of the Bible. This series is designed to teach you some practical, logical ways and reasons to believe the Bible is true. Your friend, DK Next Steps: Listen to the entire series: Ep 66: How Can You as a Christian Author Know the Bible is True? Ep 67: These 2 Prophecies Prove the Bible is True Ep 68: 3 Evidence-Based Reasons to Believe the Bible is True Ep 69: 1 Unlikely Source Outside the Bible that Helps Prove the Bible is True Ep 70: 2 Recent Discoveries that Verify the Bible is True Connect: [email protected] Questions about today's episode? Email me! Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

It's Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today I'll be reading chapter 31 of The Dragon Collector. Enjoy your trip to the Land of Zandador. Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebies: D.K. Drake Starter Library Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Buy the Books Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

You've done the hard work. You've gotten your novella's foundation written, and now it's time to write that first draft. If you want to write that draft fast and get it done in six weeks or less, listen in to learn three things you should do and four things you shouldn't do. Signature Links Your friend, DK Connect: [email protected] Next Steps: Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

It's Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today I'll be reading chapter 30 of The Dragon Collector. Enjoy your trip to the Land of Zandador. Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebies: D.K. Drake Starter Library Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Buy the Books Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

Have you ever been slapped by a tree? I have. But it’s usually because someone in front of me on a hike in the woods moved a branch out of the way only to have it snap back and slap me. So annoying when that happens. That was the start of the inspiration for the action that happens in the chapter from The Dragon Collector that I’ll read for you today. I took that inspiration a few steps further when I developed the idea of crooked trees and tree tremors that Javan learns about in this part of the story. This was a fun chapter to write. I hope it’s a fun one for you to listen to. Let’s get to the Land of Zandador! Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebies: D.K. Drake Starter Library Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

When I decided I wanted to be a writer, I realized I needed some training. Since I learn best by reading, I did what made sense and what was within my budget to get that training. I bought a book. But it wasn’t a book about novel writing. Frankly, I didn’t think I had the patience to write a novel. I wanted to be able to write a manuscript fast that focused on the action without getting bogged down with describing details. In other words, I initially wanted to be a screenwriter. I figured that since I imagined my stories as movies anyway, I should learn how to write scripts for movies. I thus began studying screenwriting. I picked up a habit in studying screenwriting that has served me well with novel writing. I’ll explain what I mean and why I pivoted to novel writing in today’s episode. Let’s get to it! Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebie: The Essential Publication Checklist for Teen Authors Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday! After about a four month pause, it’s time to resume the reading of The Dragon Collector. Today I’ll be sharing chapter 28, Mertzer. In this chapter, you’ll get to witness a Dragon Stalker at work hunting his prey. You’ll also be introduced to new animals like raxens and gorzelles. I totally made these creatures up, and I can’t wait to share them with you. It’s time to enter the Land of Zandador! Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebies: D.K. Drake Starter Library Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

Today we’re continuing the Write a Novella in 18 Weeks series. Here in week 5, the challenge is to write a full outline in 15 steps. In the past, I would write this step outline by jotting down the action steps in scene one, then the action steps in scene two, then the action steps in scene three. I thus ended up with a lot of steps after this outline. But I’ve recently finished reading Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. In it, she shares the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet, which she also refers to as your structure cheat sheet. I like structure. I like experimenting with ways to improve my storytelling skills. And I like that it’s divided into the standard three acts, and subdivided into 15 sub-steps from there. So I gave it a go and outlined my story according to her beat sheet. I enjoyed the process, and it took me less than three hours to complete. I also found that thinking through my outline in this way enriched my story, so thank you Jessica Brody for writing this book. If you haven’t read this book, I recommend it. I don’t know Jessica and am not getting any kind of kickback for promoting her book. I just think you’d benefit from reading it. In the meantime, I want to share her outlining process so you can make sure your story has the structure it needs to keep your readers turning pages. Let’s get to it! Your friend, DK Connect: [email protected] Check out the related blog post. Next Steps: Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

The summer writing season is officially upon us! If your writing plans include busting out a novella this summer, then this episode is for you. I’m picking up where we left on in the write a novella series, and we are on week four. If you missed the action steps for weeks 1-3, check out episodes 43, 45 and 47. Those episodes focused on getting the foundation of your story in place regarding your market research, premise statements, setting, and character development. Today we’ll start building your story framework with phase one of the outlining process. Let’s get to it! Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

These two things I’m about to share with you don’t cost a dime but have the power to change the way you feel and how fast you write. Ready for today’s fun episode to learn two weird things you can do to speed up your writing success? Let’s get to it! Your friend, DK Next Steps: Snag your freebie: Super Simple Overview of the Publication Process Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to rate with five stars and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode. And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!

I've got a super short episode today to highlight the super simple overview of the publishing process. If you've ever wondered what it takes to get your book published, you can secure your super simple overview of the publishing process here. Connect with me: [email protected].

To succeed as an author, you do need to build the character muscles of diligence and discipline so that you sit and write at specific, consistent times each week. How do you do that? What do you work on during these weekly writing practices? Who will keep you accountable? You start by following a five step process that we’ll explore in today’s episode. You break each step of that process into actionable tasks. And you ask a friend or family member to keep you accountable. If you want me to keep you accountable and on track toward your writing goals, you can join the League of Adventurous Authors. It’s open at an exclusive price to founding members right now. We’ll meet weekly to set actions for the week, track our progress and celebrate wins. You’ll also get training to build your writing skills and have access to Q&A sessions with me. This round of membership is only open until next Friday. When it reopens in August, the price will be higher. So get in now while the price is the lowest it will ever be. The link is in the show notes for you. So what is this five step process you need to go through to get from idea to published? Let’s explore that right now. Interested in joining the League of Adventurous Authors? Shoot me an email, and I'll respond with details! Email me at [email protected].

From one author to another, I have a theory. That theory is this: setting aside 30 minutes on Monday to debrief the week before and dream about the week ahead will help us reach our writing goals faster. But what do we review during the debrief? How do we set achievable targets with actionable tasks for the week ahead? How do we make sure what we work on each day and week takes us closer to our writing goals? Finding the answers to these questions is at the heart of the super secret project I’ve been working on, and that is what I want to share with you today. Email me: [email protected]

Today I have three quick tips to help you write stellar stories. I didn’t learn these tips from a book or a course or a podcast or some random social media post. I learned them while backpacking in South America. What does backpacking have to do with writing? Tune in to find out! Join the League of Adventurous Authors email list here!

Today I am bringing you some entertainment in the form of an interview. This is the third and final piece of the chat between me and my friend Becky on night seven of our eight day hike. We interviewed each other about the trek while in our tent on that cold night, and now I’m sharing it with you. You can also watch it here. Listen in to find out how this trip will influence my next novel and discover the cool thing your creative brain will thank you for. And if you want the inside scoop regarding the super secret project I'm working on for you before I announce it here on the podcast, you can get yourself on the email list. Now lets go back in time one more time to hear the end of the interview between me and Becky while we were shivering in our tent on March 29, 2023. Let’s go to Chile!

I’ve got another just for fun episode for you today. I’m sharing part 2 of the interview my friend Becky and I recorded while sitting in our tent in Torres del Paine in Chile. It was night seven of our eight day hike. We chat about food, friends and life lessons learned while on the trail. If you ever want to go on a backpacking adventure of your own, hopefully this session will inspire you and give you some insights about what such an adventure would look like. Crafting adventures of your own allow you to get out and experience the world. Then you can translate those experiences into…wait for it…stories. In other words, adventures enrich your writing! We’ll finish up this recap series tomorrow, and on May 17, I’ll share the super secret project I’ve been working on to help you start, finish, and publish your book. For now, I’m transporting you back in time to the interview between me and Becky recorded on March 29. Let’s go to Chile!

If you are an adventurous author who likes to hike, I've got a fun treat for you today. While on my own hiking adventure with my college buddy Becky, we interviewed each other about our trip. This is part one of the interview where we discuss tips, tricks and highlights that can help you on your own hiking trips. You can also watch the video here if you want to see us bundled up in our tent while we chatted on that freezing cold evening.

Today I don’t want to talk to you about writing or publishing. Don’t get me wrong. Those topics are still close to my heart and will continue to be core topics of the show. Just not today. Or next week. You see, while on my two-month sabbatical, a lot happened in this magnificent little life of mine. I went on an epic backpacking adventure, finished reading a book on writing that is changing my approach to novel writing and started revolutionizing the way I think, the way I pray and the way I get work done. And I learned that sometimes the most progress you make as a writer is when you are experiencing life. Listen to this quick episode to learn what I've been up to and how that translates into great things for YOU. Shoot me an email to say hi here: [email protected] Check out the videos and pics from my backpacking trip on the blog. Get on the email list to be notified first of the cool announcement coming on May 17.

Why do I want to take a break from producing this podcast in March? Listen in to find out. I'll be back on April 5. Until then, keep writing! Connect: [email protected]

We’re in week three of our write a novella in 18 weeks series. In week one and episode 43, we did some initial market research and sketched out our covers. In week two and episode 45, we came up with our plot premise and purpose premise. We also did some work on imagining our place or setting. This week, we’re going to start working on developing our main characters. My guest host Bonnie Jean Schaefer will share some normal and important things you need to know about your people. Then she’ll challenge you to answer five random and somewhat ridiculous questions about your characters that will make each of them interesting. Visit the Blog

It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today I’m bringing you chapter 27 of The Dragon Collector entitled The Zandadorian Portal. Do you ever wish you could transport yourself from one place to another with merely a thought? Think of the time you would save and the traffic you would avoid. Plus money would no longer be a barrier to travel, so you could experience endless adventures. Well, teleportation is a real thing in the Land of Zandador…for the Dawn Stalkers, that is. Humans can’t teleport, but they have learned to utilize that teleportation power and create portals to different regions in the land. But what you don’t learn in this chapter is that King Omri has banned the use of the portals because he doesn’t want people traveling. He doesn’t want them to explore. To have adventures. To see the world. He wants them to remain contained and compliant. That makes him feel in control and powerful. However, he doesn’t have as much control as he thinks he does. In today’s chapter, Astor and Javan activate the portal and instantly travel to…you’ll have to listen to find out. Let’s get to the Land of Zandador! Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here.

Here we are in week 2 of the novella writing process. If you are one of those people who would prefer to speed up write your entire novella in a week or a month instead of the four-ish months it’s going to take me, go for it. I applaud you. In other words, I’m not leading a fast and furious writing challenge. This is more of a slow-and-steady write-well-with-depth challenge. Why? Because it plays to my strengths and availability. Today we’re discussing the exact steps to take in week 2, and these steps will take 3-5 hours to complete. Let’s dive in to find out what you need to do this week to make progress on your novella. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here.

Hey friends! Chapter 26 of The Dragon Collector is coming your way today. In this chapter, I utilized the storytelling necessity of foreshadowing to plant some seeds for future books. Pay special attention to the weather event that Astor describes to Javan as that will come into play in The Dragon Hunter, and the second seed makes Javan’s mission to win the throne even more vital. Listen now to The Old Man’s Warning to, well, be warned! Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books on Amazon.

Want to get a book written but feel you don’t have enough time between school and sports and family obligations? Or maybe you’ve already done the school thing and now have a job that doesn’t leave you with much time for passion projects like book writing. Or maybe you listened to episode 40 and have scheduled yourself some writing practices, but you aren’t sure where to start and how to go about finishing a book. Then, my friend, this novella writing series is for you. I’m bringing on guest host Bonnie Jean Schaefer to walk through her novella writing process as she writes through it herself one week at a time for 18 weeks. Tune in for the 7 step plan and your specific action steps for week one. Prefer to read the 7 steps? Visit the blog here.

Hey, friend! It’s fantasy fiction Friday, so I have another chapter of The Dragon Collector coming your way. Now one of the great things about writing fantasy is that you get to make up what the places look and feel like as well as strange characters or creatures that live in your world. And no one can tell you that it’s not “realistic” because according to the rules of your world, that’s how things are. Listen in to find out what I had to research for this chapter, then let yourself escape to the Land of Zandador as I read chapter 25 of The Dragon Collector. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here.

Want to know what sets writers apart from ordinary people? Sneezes. Ordinary people sneeze, accept a kind “bless you,” and move on. A writer sneezes, has a crazy “what if?” thought, then turns the answer to that question into a book. That’s exactly what happened to today’s guest. I don’t want to spoil the fun of her book’s origin story, but I do encourage you to listen in to hear it directly from Sheryl Bass, author of Baby Dragon’s Big Sneeze. In this interview, we talk about her amazing children’s picture book, the struggles of the traditional publishing route and the artistic freedom that comes from self-publishing. Sheryl also shares some fantastic tips, encouragement and advice for young authors. Click here to buy Baby Dragon’s Big Sneeze on Amazon.

Hey, friend! Do you struggle to find time to write because you're busy doing all the things that come with being a responsible, well-balanced teen or young adult? I struggle to find time to write as an adult. In order to maintain my sanity and stay healthy, I also need to make time to study my Bible, workout, hang with the fam, and have fun. Oh, and record these episodes for you so you can learn how to be an awesome author. In other words, I need a time management or author productivity strategy so I can do all the things and still sleep. I’m thus am working on a theory that if I treated writing like a competitive sport, I’d be a more productive author. I introduced this concept in episode 38, and today I want to focus on the idea of what it means to break the year into writing seasons. What is a writing season, you ask? Great question! Listen in to find out. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/ Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ

Hey, Friend! It’s Friday. And that means it’s time for another Fantasy Fiction Friday episode. I know. I know. I’ve missed the past few weeks. First we went to Disney World. Woohoo! That was fun. Then with the dawn of the new year and some new ideas for which direction to take this show, I got caught up in a project to revamp my website to get clarity on that new direction. The website is still a work in progress, and I hope to have it up and running in all of its glory by the end of January. Stay tuned for the big reveal. But I’ve missed reading my story, especially since we left off with Javan knocked out. It’s time to revive him here in chapter 24 of the Dragon Collector. This is one of my favorite chapters. In it, Javan makes a decision to stick to his strengths rather than do what others think he should do. And that’s the crux of this whole story. The premise, if you will. It’s kinda a life motto I abide by and a truth I am building my business on. That truth is this: you always find a way to do what you dream when you stick to your strengths. Do you wanna be an author? Explore genres. Experiment writing different types of stories. Pay attention to what comes easily and what causes you to want to pull your hair out. Then do more to build those natural skills and less around those things that you struggle with. Even if you don’t want to be an author, the same principle applies. Discover your God-given strengths, determine what you want that aligns with your strengths, then find a way to do what you dream by sticking to those strengths. Okay, enough motivational chit chat for today. Let’s get to the story! Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ

Are you an athlete who also enjoys writing? I am. I played volleyball, basketball and softball in high school, softball in college, and now run races of varying distances to feed my competitive spirit. During a recent writing workshop I was leading, it occurred to me that many of the writers I’ve worked with also play sports. That’s when the “what if?” question got my creative brain churning. What if writing was a competitive sport? Would it make you a more productive author? Let your creative brain play with the answer to those questions for a moment, then tune in to hear how the way I answered the question has challenged me to restructure the way I think about time and writing productivity and life in general. My 2023 plans are still taking shape because I am approaching the year in a way I never done before and in a way I’ve never seen done before. In other words, this year is going to be one giant experiment. It could be an explosive success or a “that was a bad idea, let’s trying something else” kind of failure. Either way, I intend to use my bold goals to know and trust God more, improve my writing skills and productivity, and to connect with and teach you all I know about writing. Let’s dive in. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/ Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ Join the Competitive Writers League here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authordkdrakeinsiders

Merry Christmas, friend! In this special episode, I challenge you to consider the character of the characters in the Christmas story. What was it about Elizabeth and Zacharias, Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men that allowed God to show Himself strong through these people? Tune in to find out.

It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday! And this isn’t just any Friday. It’s the eve of Christmas Eve and the Friday before Christmas. If you’re looking for a last minute gift of entertaining adventure for the avid reader in your life, I recommend the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga. You can easily gift the ebooks to any Kindle via Amazon, and you can be sure the books will be delivered in time for Christmas. While you’re shopping, you can enjoy listening to chapter 23 of The Dragon Collector. In this chapter, Javan gets to test out some different weapons in an effort to find out which one will work best for him on his quest to collect dragons. When I was trying to figure out what weapon would be best suited for Javan, I thought about letting him be great with a bow and arrow or a backsword. I even thought about letting the jolt blast be his weapon of choice since that is a weapon I totally made up for this story. But none of those weapons felt like the right choice for Javan. He needed something unusual. Something no one else would think of using. Something that would play to his strengths and allow him to find a way to win the dragon collecting game because he was playing to his strengths. You’ll have to wait until next week’s episode to find out what that weapon is. For now, enjoy his journey through the weapons that don’t play to his strengths. You are now entering the Land of Zandador... Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/ Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ

Engage with an Expert Thursday was so fun with Kara Walker last week that I split it up the interview into two shows and couldn’t wait until Thursday to share part II with you. So here we are on the Tuesday before Christmas with another dose of Kara Walker, host of the Money and Mental Peace podcast. Today she shares her story about how she graduated from college debt free with $10k in the bank…and how you can do the same. I find this topic of debt-free college intriguing, especially since I went to a private college utilizing student loans. That was the only way I knew how to go to the college I wanted to go to, and I didn’t even realize there was a way to NOT use student loans in order to get a good college education. Had I known then what Kara teaches now, I sure would have saved myself a lot of financial headaches. I thus hope you’ll tune in and listen to Kara’s fascinating story so you can graduate college debt-free and have money in the bank. Debt-free college starts with learning about managing money effectively, so if you want to learn the basics of budgeting while still in high school, check out episode 33. Want more tips on debt-free college and guidance on finding God's direction for college? Listen to Kara's Podcast. MONEY AND MENTAL PEACE Connect with Kara at www.MoneyandMentalPeace.com Listen to Episode 33: How Budgeting in High School Leads to Financial Freedom with Kara Walker Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/ Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ

It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday! In today’s chapter of The Dragon Collector, Javan officially starts training to collect dragons. At the outset of the chapter, Javan’s grandfather Ravier is Javan’s sole mentor. And Ravier plans on being the only one to train Javan. But unbeknownst to both Ravier and Javan, Ravier’s wife and Javan’s grandmother Hannah has been on a mentor recruiting mission. She’s talked her father Hamilton into joining the fun and hunted down Astor, the oldest and wisest person in Zandador to help as well. Tune in to find out what happens when Javan and Ravier are unexpectedly joined by Hamilton and Astor. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/ Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authordkdrakeinsiders

It’s Engage with an Expert Thursday! This the part of the show where I will bring on a guest expert to discuss a topic that is directly or indirectly related to your success as an author. Today we will be kicking off this fun new aspect of the show with Kara Walker, host of the Money and Mental Peace podcast. She is here today to talk about the importance of budgeting your money and how to get started with budgeting even if you’re still in high school. She’ll be with us again next week to share her story about how she graduated from college debt free with $10k in the bank…and how you can do the same. Debt-free college starts with learning about managing money effectively, so let’s dive in to the all important topic of budgeting with Kara Walker. Want more tips on budgeting and guidance on finding God's direction for college? Listen to Kara's Podcast. MONEY AND MENTAL PEACE Connect with Kara at www.MoneyandMentalPeace.com Listen to Episode 35: Graduate College Debt-Free AND Have Money in the Bank with Kara Walker Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/ Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ

Happy Friday, fantasy fiction fan! Today I’ll be sharing chapter 21 of The Dragon Collector with you. Now most of this chapter was not included in the original version of the book. But after listening to feedback from my readers, I learned they were confused about who was who in Javan’s family. I have to admit it does get a bit confusing since the people in Zandador have such long lifespans and many of his great grandparents are still alive. I thus added Javan’s Family Tree as a chapter to detail out his relatives going back seven generations. If you want to see the family tree for yourself, you can snag the ebook over on Amazon or get your own autographed paperback version of the book directly from me. Actually, you can get all three paperback books autographed and shipped to you in time for Christmas if you purchase them through my Dream Doers Publishing link. Check out the links below. Right now, let’s get to the story. We pick up with Ravier still sharing the history of the kings and queens of Zandador. Enjoy! Purchase The Dragon Collector on Amazon Purchase an autographed copy of the The Dragon Collector Purchase autographed copies of the entire Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga at a discounted rate.

So you want to write a book. But you’re young. Maybe you haven’t graduated high school yet. Or middle school. Your heart tells you to go for it, but your mind has some doubts. Am I good enough to be an author? Is my idea good enough to write about? Am I capable of writing a good enough story? Will my story ever be good enough to let anyone read? How will I know if my novel is good enough to publish? Those are just some doubts I’ve struggled with throughout my author journey, and I bet that every writer everywhere has dealt with some version of at least one of these doubts. Tune in to today’s episode to hear one trick I use to defeat those “not good enough” doubts. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/ Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authordkdrakeinsiders

In today’s Fantasy Fiction Friday episode, I’m coming at you with chapter 20 of The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga. Before I wrote this chapter, I created a historical timeline of all the kings of Zandador. The timeline has their names, what bloodline they are from, and how long they reigned as king. You can check it out on the blog here if you want to see it for yourself. Another thing I had to know before writing this chapter was the history behind the bloodlines themselves. How did the factions develop? What is the underlying mission of each faction? The questions Javan asks in this chapter are questions I asked myself while building my world. Once again, I apologize for the lack of action. As I was reading back through this, I chastised myself for the way I wrote this story. I’m telling myself to get to the action already. But this was my first fantasy novel, and I got better about showing rather than telling as this story moves along and in the two books that follow. Speaking of those two books—The Dragon Hunter and The Dragon Protector—they are going on Cyber Monday sale starting tomorrow, November 26 through next Friday, December 2. The sale is a kindle countdown deal on Amazon, so that means you’ll be able to get the best price for the first few days, and then the price increases by a buck every few days until the sale ends on Dec 2. The Dragon Collector isn’t on sale, but since the starting price is already at .99, I didn’t reduce that price. Now with this Cyber Monday sale, you can get all three ebooks for less than three bucks, and that deal will last through the end of the day on Monday. Then the price increases for books one and two on Tuesday. Enough chit chat. Let’s get to chapter 20! The Cyber Monday sale for THE DRAON STALKER BLOODLINES SAGA starts on November 26 and goes through December 2. Take advantage of the Cyber Monday sale and snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here.

When I decided to be an author in 1999, I thought people who self-published did so because they were B-level authors who couldn’t get a contract with a “real” publisher. To me, it seemed like cheating your way into publication. I also thought that getting a book deal from an established or traditional publisher was a privilege meant for an elite few who wrote well enough to be recognized by “them,” the powerful publishers in New York. I wanted to be one of those elite few. I wanted to top the New York Times bestseller list, see my books turned in to movies and earn fame and fortune from my stories. Then God did some work in my heart, mind and soul. And when I finally got the attention of an agent, I couldn’t in good conscience proceed with the traditional publication route. Tune in to find out the three reasons I ditched the traditional route and chose to self-publish instead. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/insiders Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authordkdrakeinsiders

Ready for a fun Fantasy Fiction Friday episode? Moving forward on Fridays, I’ll be reading you snippets of The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga, and sharing behind the scenes insider secrets along the way. In The Dragon Collector, fifteen-year-old Javan believes he is simply an ordinary orphan abandoned by his mother at birth--until he is whisked away to another dimension and his destiny as the chosen one from the Collector Bloodline is revealed. Armed only with an ancient weapon, a trio of old advisors, and his determination to win, Javan is soon caught up in a dangerous Battle for the Throne. Now his choices could save--or destroy--the people and dragons of Zandador, including the mother he just met. Today we’re picking up in chapter 19 where we left off after the 21 days of storytelling episode blitz. Remember that Javan is learning the history of Zandador from his grandfather cause this dragon dimension thing is new to him considering the fact he grew up on earth. When I wrote this chapter years ago, I broke the classic rule of “show, don’t tell.” I thus do a lot of telling in this chapter, and it’s not very adventurous. I find it interesting, though, and it lays the foundation for the Origin Trilogy I have planned once the Saga is complete. Hopefully you find the world of Dragon Stalkers interesting as well. Let’s get to it! Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here. Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here.

So you’ve decided you want to write a book. Fantastic! Welcome to the author community! But now you’re realizing that you’ve read short books and long books and in-between books. How long does a book have to be to be considered a book? Is an author who writes a skinny little story just as impressive as one who writes an epic tale? Who determines how long your book should be? And how do you figure out the right length for your story? Do you measure by pages or words or some secret measurement you don’t know about? Never fear, my friend. Take a breath, close your eyes, and listen in. I’ve got three easy ways to choose the word count for your first book. Listen in to learn and come away with your target number. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here. Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Facebook Community here.

And here we are on Day 21 of the 21 Days of Storytelling featuring The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga. The story snippet of the day is chapter 18, The First Dragon Collector. Now I’m gonna warn you: this is not a chapter filled with action and adventure. I almost didn’t include this and the next few chapters because I just wanted to get on with the action, but the practical me realized that Javan needed to know the geography of the land and background info of his heritage. Could I have helped him learn it in a more exciting way? Probably. But this was the best I could do with the experience I had at the time of writing it, and although I did edit this section to break the chapters into smaller chunks, I chose to leave the way I told this part of the story when revising it later on. Why? Because no story is perfect. There are always ways to improve. I wanted to remind myself that it’s okay not to be perfect. I wanted to be content with doing my best with who I am and the writing skills I have at the time of writing any given story. My mission is to get better with every book, to deliver a better story with each story I write. And when I wrote this section of the story, I had a map that an artist friend of mine drew for me. I referred to the map as I wrote, and that helped me picture it. I wish I could share a picture of that posterboard-sized map on the blog, but my friend took it with her to create a digital version of the map. Then she moved, and we lost touch. I’ll work on recreating it with my less than stellar artistic skills and having that for you on the blog. To be notified when it gets posted, be sure to join the Insiders email list at authordkdrake.com/insiders. You’ll also get access to the DK Drake Starter Library when you become an insider, and a digital version of The Dragon Collector is included in that starter library through today. Today is also the last day for the rest of the year to apply for one of the three available slots of the Personalized Writing Workshops with me. If you want a writing mentor to help you write your story, be sure to apply today at authordkdrake.com/writingworkshops. Enough preamble. Let’s get to the story, a story that includes a fantastical explanation for the Bermuda Triangle. Apply here for a Personalized Writing Workshop with Author DK Drake. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library that includes a digital manuscript of The Dragon Collector through November 10 here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here. Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here.

Welcome to Day 20 of the 21 Days of Storytelling featuring The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga. The story snippet of the day is chapter seventeen entitled Omri’s Orders. In today’s Insider Tip, author DK Drake discusses the POV shift to Micah in the first scene of chapter 17. Why shift the point of view character when the story has been told from only the main character’s point of view for the first sixteen chapters? Listen in to find out. Apply here for a Personalized Writing Workshop with Author DK Drake. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library that includes a digital manuscript of The Dragon Collector through November 10 here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here. Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here.

Have you ever had to make a this or that lifechanging decision? I’ve had to make quite a few such decisions throughout my life. One came while writing The Dragon Collector. In today's Insider Tip of the Day, I'll share about that decision and how it prompted me to finish and publish The Dragon Collector. And here on Day 18 of the 21 Days of Storytelling, I'll be reading chapter 16 of The Dragon Collector. In this chapter, Javan has to make a decision as well. Will he choose to take the easy out and return to his normal life on earth? Or will he choose the unknown and remain in Zandador to save his mother? Listen in to find out. Apply here for a Personalized Writing Workshop with Author DK Drake. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library that includes a digital manuscript of The Dragon Collector through November 10 here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here. Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here.

It’s Day 18 of the 21 Days of Storytelling featuring The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga. In today’s Insider Tip, Author DK Drake shares how her real life experience with breaking her nose helped her write the end of the chapter chapter fifteen entitled Captured. Apply here for a Personalized Writing Workshop with Author DK Drake. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library that includes a digital manuscript of The Dragon Collector through November 10 here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here. Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here.

Welcome to Day 17 of the 21 Days of Storytelling featuring The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga. The story snippet of the day is chapter fourteen entitled A Hint of Attachment. In this chapter, Javan is headed back to the portal with his mother, and she shares a bit of her backstory with her long-lost son along the way. She also mentions the official names of some of the regions located within Zandador. What you don’t learn here is that the territory of Zandador is basically the country in the middle of the vast continent known as the Great Rift. Seven regions make up the territory of Zandador, and I could have made up the names of those regions with a dose of creativity. But I chose to use a specific source for help naming those regions: the Bible. Genesis chapter 10 verse 2 to be exact. This verse is also where I got the name of my main character Javan and ties in with the entire origin story of the Great Rift. Although I hope you are now curious enough to open your Bible to Genesis 10:2, the purpose of this episode is not to share the backstory or read the genealogy found in Genesis 10. The purpose of this episode is to entertain you with chapter 14 of The Dragon Collector. So let’s get to it. Apply here for a Personalized Writing Workshop with Author DK Drake. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library that includes a digital manuscript of The Dragon Collector through November 10 here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here. Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here.

It’s Day 16 of the 21 Days of Storytelling featuring The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga. The story snippet of the day is chapter thirteen entitled Return to Obscurity. Today’s Insider Tip from Author DK Drake explains how she dreamed up ways to describe the landscape and insects of Zandador. And if you haven’t yet secured your free digital copy of The Dragon Collector, be sure to visit authordkdrake.com/insiders to snag it as part of the DK Drake starter library. It’s getting removed from the library on Thursday, so get it while you can. Apply here for a Personalized Writing Workshop with Author DK Drake. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library that includes a digital manuscript of The Dragon Collector through November 10 here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here. Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here.

It’s Day 15 of the 21 Days of Storytelling featuring The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga. The story snippet of the day is chapter twelve entitled A Smashing Return. Today’s Insider Tip from Author DK Drake why there is no magic in Zandador. Wait? No magic? In a fantasy novel? That’s right. Listen in to find out why the author made the decision to NOT have magic in her fantasy series. Apply here for a Personalized Writing Workshop with Author DK Drake. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library that includes a digital manuscript of The Dragon Collector through November 10 here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here. Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here.

Welcome to Day 14 of the 21 Days of Storytelling featuring The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga. The story snippet of the day is chapter eleven entitled Bargaining for Boundaroos. What is a boundaroo? Glad you asked! It’s an animal unique to the Land of Zandador, and you’ll have to listen in to learn more about this interesting animal that is completely fictitious. Apply here for a Personalized Writing Workshop with Author DK Drake. Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library that includes a digital manuscript of The Dragon Collector through November 10 here. Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here. Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here.