Chad Dennis

My journey toward writing began with a deep and abiding love affair with reading. When I was a wee lad, one particular book changed everything in my life. The Hobbit. At ten years old I began the journey to the lonely mountain and lived every moment along the way as if I were Bilbo Baggins himself. Suddenly, everything was possible! Dragons lived, heroes triumphed, and magic was afoot. Science fiction took my heart in another direction and I was sure of one thing; I was born in the wrong world, or at least the wrong era. I began writing my own tales when I exhausted the school and local library’s collection of fantasy and science fiction.

By high school my English teachers were constantly praising my writing and the creativity of my short stories, but I already knew I wanted to write even if I didn’t care to learn the rules of writing. I had notebook upon notebook filled with ideas and stories, but I was a wild, restless, young man that wanted adventure. The United States Marine Corps helped scratch that itch for adventure and filled my mind with purpose, action, landscapes, people, and cultures, but it left zero time for writing.

Marriage followed not long after my tour of duty and babies began to come along at an alarming rate. Damn me and my rugged good looks that inflamed a woman’s desire to bear the fruit of my loins! Five children later and I’m a full time working man struggling to provide and survive. Writing slipped further away until my kids began to grow up and fend for themselves. My thoughts turned back to writing.

In 2011, I began my first novel, “Cast the First Stone.” It took me one year, one month, and thirteen days to complete, but complete it I did! As the other demands in my life lessen, I find myself with more and more time to write and the books are starting to come. Slowly, but things seem to be picking up speed as a desire grows stronger inside me. Although I know I will never get all the ideas in my mind and notebooks into print in this lifetime, I desire to one day leave a lasting impression on some young person as The Hobbit left on me. So, come! My characters await your arrival; they have magic, chaos, and adventure to share with you!