I started reading as a kid. Life can be hard sometimes and this book provided me what I call the great escape. It gave me peace and it gave me wonder. It made me feel emotions I had never felt before and transported me to a world that I needed. This book was Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Fast forward to being a teen and losing touch with books. My teacher provided a spark in me in my Shakespeare class that brought me back to books for another reason: writing. I wanted to give others the gift given to me: The Great Escape. Emotions and a portal to another world. Writing saved me. Reading saved me. I am a single dad, a teacher in early child education and I am an indie author. I started out writing nonfiction shorts that became something bigger and led me to fiction. It led me to writing the stories I’ve always wanted to write. There’s nothing more exciting than getting a message from readers saying your book helped them or that they loved it. It drives me personally to keep writing everyday.