Dan Peavler

Growing up in the small town of Bennett, Colorado, and spending much of my adult life in the greater Denver metropolitan area has given me a wide angle view of the world. I was recently honored by my hometown with induction into the Bennett Schools Hall of Fame as a Century Era Athlete. It may not seem like a large thing, but for me, it fits perfectly into the theme of many of my books: little things, piled together, can make a wonderful life—or a wonderful story.

I attended Metropolitan State University in Denver, where I played basketball before transferring to the University of Colorado and earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

For nearly fifty years, I’ve shared my life with my wife, Helen. Together we raised our two sons, Jonathon and Travis, in Littleton, Colorado. I’m also the proud grandfather of one granddaughter, Reagan. Over the years I’ve worn many hats—writer, coach, real estate broker, bricklayer, and owner of a masonry business—but the constant thread that has always made me happy is my family. My large extended family is the core of my life.

My books—The Toastmaster, 2051 (the trilogy), and The Hidden Angels—share a common belief: every life has purpose. My upcoming memoir, Life According to a Bricklayer, continues that theme through the lens of work, family, and the stories that shape us.

Anyone who has picked up a pen and tried to become a writer understands how difficult the task can be. The longer I’ve stayed at it, the more I’ve realized there is no real risk in doing something you love. Putting my beliefs on the page—trying, in my own small way, to make the world a better place—has always felt within reach.

Lately, I’ve begun shortening my work by turning to novellas. They feel like the right form: focused, distilled, and truer to the stories I want to tell. It seems the best way to share more of them.