Dan Cohen

The author, Dan Cohen was raised by wolves until he was 18. When his pack told him to get packing and fend for himself, he began a new life, but he never expected to be an author of children's books. Instead, he's been a state park dog patrol ranger, environmental administrator, managing attorney and pro-tem judge. His canine roots ran deep, and dogs have always been a big part of his life. When he and Flapjack found each other, there was an immediate connection which has evolved into a series of stories about the intrepid Aussie.

Much like the first story in the series, Flapjack was lost in a forest before being rescued and placed for adoption. Flapjack has such personality. He's positive, good natured and always ready to play.

One can only imagine what that experience must have been like for him. And that's exactly what Dan has done. He's used Flapjack as his muse and inspiration to write a series of children's stories that hopefully will help kids deal with many of life's ups and downs by engaging them in Flapjack's discussion with himself in the form of "...but I don't know why."

Just recently Dan and Flapjack were notified that their second book in The Adventures of Flapjack series, The Collar of Courage, which deals with bullying and self-esteem issues, earned Honorable Mention in the 2014 Readers' Favorite International Book Contest in the Children - Picture/Pop-up category. Both expressed their thanks to their illustrator, Lisa Norman, whose talents and collaborative spirit helped their words come to life and greatly influenced the outcome.

When asked how this would impact book sales, Dan smiled and said, "The award may not help increase book sales, but Flapjack and I couldn't help but be reminded of dialog from the Coen brothers' movie, Fargo, regarding a certain three-cent stamp. We think it's terrific!"

Dan's love of writing is second only to his devotion to his family which include his wife, Kim, two children and two grandchildren. Dan, Kim, and Flapjack reside in northern California.