Meet Daniel Dickinson | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel Dickinson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been surrounded by creatives. Whether it’s my grandfather(s (yes, two of them) who wrote short stories about his life, or the other, who would teach me to play the piano, that type of life seemed to follow me throughout the rest of my family, from my aunt and uncle who were always doing something artistic, or my own parents who would build things at home from tables to glasswork. Despite the conservative homestead, I was free with my imagination and was able to cultivate that into writing later on. By the age of 10 or 11, I began to create a world that would one day take on a life of its own, and consume practically everything I wrote going forward. But it wasn’t until later in life that I began to understand how much writing was a balance of imagination and experiences. So having all that imagination and creativity already built up, I had to really learn to switch focus to life experiences. Creating a world is easy, creating living breathing creatures in that world takes real-life experience.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Professionally is such a powerful word, it depicts someone on top of the world in their field. In my opinion, we’re all just trying to learn and get where we’d like to be. Busy bees, trying to make honey out of something beautiful like a flower. And that’s where the difficulty comes in. It hasn’t been easy to get my work published. There have been a lot of mental and personal roadblocks. Brain weasels as we call them, come and go, challenging me every step of the way, and pushing me to give up. Never give up. Don’t listen to the liars in your mind, those pesky doubts. Those voices at 3 AM, telling you you’re no Tracy Hickman, might as well give up. Writing is a passion, there is a desire to tell a story that you want to share, then write it. Get it down on paper, ignore the buzzing sound in your ears, pretend you’re that bee, and you’re making something to share with the rest of the world. Be hungry for more knowledge, learn every day, and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Experience things, everything. There is a world out there that you can use to spark creativity in you. Make friends in the industry, listen to them, and pay attention to how the writing or publishing industry works. I’ve had to learn things about my craft, that I never thought of before. That’s what I learned along the way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My home, state forty-eight. Arizona. I was born here. It has grown significantly over the decades. I’ve been to all four corners of this state, literally. I’m still I’m amazed at how much I don’t know about it. Phoenix Skyharbor International, for example, used to be a teenage hangout spot, and there are several great airplane destinations in the state. Boneyard down in Tuscon, to the Pima Air & Space Museum. While we’re down there, we might as well go all the way to Tombstone. Most of these places should be visited at least once, if not more depending on your level of interest in a particular subject. And that’s the beauty of it, Arizona has something for everyone. Want to Ski? Mount Lemon or the Snow Bowl (when applicable anyway). Off Road? Would you prefer sand or gravel? Arizona has both. Yuma for sand rail fun, or anywhere else within Arizona’s vast array of State parks and trails. Then there’s the food. I was once told that Arizona didn’t have any culture, I took personal offense to this, as if my own mother had been slandered. I realized however, they just hadn’t spent enough time in the food scene. The richly Hispanic and Native Indian culture feeds the bellies of the true Arizona born. Want something spicy? Ask a local, depending on where you are in the state, every native has their personal spot. Myself, I choose La Fonda, now located in Chandler. They have been serving up family-centric Mexican food since I was a baby. Best Salsa in Arizona, by the way. Maybe you want something hotter? Head over to Los Dos Molinos, the original location of course. Also family run, they have been serving up the hottest Mexican food in the valley since… Well, again, I was a baby. Bonus trivia, the original location used to be a mortuary. How about hang out spots? That’s easy, you have to head over to the historic Organ Stop Pizza, located in Mesa, and see their massive Wurlitzer organ. Looking to get away from the city? Head north up to Payson or Sedona, or even further north and stay a night in a cabin up in Flagstaff. I suppose I could be a tour guide when it comes to where to go and things to see in this state, that’s how much I love it. I’ve lived in a few of the western states in the US, and by far, Arizona is the only place I call home.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The list of those who have helped me along the way has varied over the decades. Of course, there are the pillars of family, I have a wonderful wife of 20-plus years that supports me, a beautiful daughter, and amazing grandkids. Parents that are there supporting me when they can of course. However, what I’ve found in my adventures through life is it’s the friends you keep that really push you to become the best version of yourself. Family tends to accept you as you are, friends, however, want to see you become something better. One of those is O. Sander, a friend I have had since I was barely a teen. As well as a friend whom I’ve only known for ten years or so, who, I have to say, taught me the value of living your best life.

Website: tigerforce.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danieldtiger/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielldickinson/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/youngantheretro

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ddickinson/

Other: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B084MGPF7G