A.R. Marshall

Who doesn't love a good story?

My parents wove incredible tales at bedtime and around campfires. I caught my mom's passion for writing pretty early. The result? A wild imagination.

I write to ignite imagination in my own kids and other readers.
The Story Keeping Series captures the excitement of bedtime stories I remember as a kid. As Riles, Sissie, and Finn jump under the sheets in their bunks, I can picture the quilt on my childhood bed. As they hang on grandpa’s every word grandpa, I can see mom or dad at the foot my bed reading to my brother and me.

Grandpa guides and mentors these young heroes, teaching them to save the happy ending - it's the art of story keeping. The twists and turns will “tickle the hair in your ears.” Just like they tickled ours so many years ago.

How did I end up spinning these tales?

A few standout teachers - Mrs. Orona (4th), Mrs. Avery (11th), and Dr. Joliff (undergrad) - tricked me into thinking I could do anything - especially writing. It’s taken years for these stories to move from mind to page. As they do, they grow more - characters choosing their own way.

I loved this partnering - between my own ideas, and the lives characters take on. They live in a world similar to mine - where good and evil battle for the hearts and minds of us all. As the children work to save each book, I learn about their place in this broader battle - to become heroes who make a difference in a broken world.

Like Riles, I want to be a little more heroic when the sun sets.

How about you? Want to be heroic? What's stopping you?

-Aaron (1976- )

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A R Marshall earned graduate degrees in Philosophy (MA) and Education (PhD). He's worked as a teacher, school administrator, leadership consultant, small business owner, NPO founder, and zoo executive. Aaron lives with his wife and three kids in sunny Santa Barbara, CA, in a turn of the century craftsman, between mountains and sea. Yes, he knows he is spoiled.