I grew up in Minnesota with four siblings (two sisters and two brothers), doing everything from riding horses and reading to fort building and paintballing. Minnesota summers are perfect for swimming, boating, and biking. Meanwhile, Minnesota winters, almost three times longer than summer, are great for sledding, ice-skating, and driving lessons on the lake (the best place to learn how to literally drive on ice, with only the occasional icehouse obstacle). No matter where we kids went or what we were doing though, we were almost always toting along a good book. My mom first inspired my love for stories reading historical fiction to us over our homeschool lunch break.
My siblings and I each launched our own journeys into the vast and intriguing world of fiction, but over the years, my younger brother (my fort-making buddy and frog-catching partner) began to face a dearth in the boys’ book department. Whereas, I was enjoying romantic suspense, despite the romance part (I prefer straight up suspense), my younger brother became hard-pressed to find enough good Christian fiction written for guys to satiate his reading speed. Even male Christian authors seemed bent on writing women’s fiction.
As I went from reading to also writing books, I was still confused by this phenomenon, until I began talking to Christian publishers at writers’ conferences. “Ninety percent of readers are women,” explained an acquisitions editor, who went on to tell me if I wove romance into my guys’ suspense novel, making it more for women, they might be interested.
Instead, I continued studying writing. After graduating high school in 2010, I went on to become a Craftsman of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild in 2013. I started blogging weekly about Biblical worldview and practical Christianity at whentherocksspeak, I wrote/co-compiled the book The Voices of the Pioneers: Homeschooling in Minnesota, and I attended Bible classes at Ellerslie Mission Society in Windsor, Colorado. I became a co-administrator of the Writer’s Picture Challenge and authored several flash fiction stories. Throughout this time, I continued writing books and attending writers’ conferences.
“Boys don’t read,” stated an acquisitions editor when I attempted to market my second novel, this one written for teen boys.
And, in 2017, a literary agent told me, “Books for teen boys is just too narrow of a market.” She also informed me the majority of Christian publishers were not acquiring Christian young adult books.
Another literary agent, Steve Laube, said to me, “You’re right. Boys do read. So go publish and prove it.” I took this agent’s advice, and here I am.
I write books for boys. Because, I know boys do read. (Note: Girls, if you, like me, are tired of romance novels and are interested in more action adventure. You’ve also come to the right place.)
Now, I know I look young and may appear inexperienced. Let me assure you, I am neither. You can see more about my education here. I was born in the early 90’s and have plenty of people, life, and travel experience, and though I do not yet have a husband or kids of my own, my interactions in the homeschool realm and with young people is extensive. I’ve spent vast amounts of time volunteering, nannying, mentoring, and lay counseling with teens and parents, and I maintain friendships with many wonderful young people who are always teaching me new things. : ) I love watching and being a part of their journey of understanding their incredible worth in God’s eyes and embracing their true potential.
If you’d like to know more about me, author Linda Brooks Davis interviewed me on her blog on Feb 6, 2019. See Interview.
I was also interviewed on Homeschooled Authors on August 3, 2019. See Interview.