From the humble beginnings as a farm boy along the banks of Lura Lake, Dennis Dobie went on to earn his masters, earn a black belt, play rock and roll for 30 years, and become a special education teacher at Maple River for 18 years. When he retired, he turned over a new leaf as an author. Learn more about the man with a work ethic that just won't quit. Full video: Author cut:

John Wells, organizer of QuadCon, can always be spotted in his unique outfits. Every circus needs a ringmaster, and for QuadCon Toy and Comic shows, that ringmaster is John Wells. As a child of the 70s and 80s, Wells immersed himself in the music, toys, and entertainment of the day, and now, decades later, he’s turned that passion into a thriving business that travels the midwest, bringing other vendors and creators with him. On any given weekend, a QuadCon Toy and Comic show

Creating this novel was a collaborative effort that spanned generations. I dedicated this book to THREE classes at Maple River High School that had an impact on the story. As I rolled up my sleeves to knead old ideas into a new series, I was filled with fond memories of all three classes that gave pieces of themselves to what became Hiawatha County. We registered the final script. My Creative Writing Class of 2000 Back in the day where you could just spontaneously design your

TALES OF AN OXYMORON--EPISODE 2 We’d gathered around Ashley’s kitchen table, Bibles open and pens ready. Keith, Danica, Alex, the Shoemaker girl (Lydia?), and perhaps a younger sibling or two joined me for a study on Job. Little did we know at that moment, but God had a dramatic sense of irony and timing. If I were to guess, I’d put this story around 2002 or 2003, which means I’d been doing youth small group study at Hosanna Lutheran Church for several years already. During t

After years of trial and error, I’ve adopted a pretty structured routine in creating a book. No AI here! I’m old school. As Master Jedi Paul once said on the road not taken to Damascus, “AI is the path to the dark side. You must hate what you write. Hate leads to suffering. Suffering leads to endurance, and endurance creates good characters, and good characters—that has made all the difference.” So yes, I’m in favor of a bit of suffering in the writing process. Early in my ca

"The reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated" As a proud member of the Gen-X generation, malls hold a special place in my heart. During the 1970s, the "mall" business model exploded and these monstrous collections of stores transitioned shopping from downtowns to wide open spaces. Want that new Van Halen album? A Hawaian shirt and white blazer like Miami VIce? Turqouise Converse? The malls had it all, including a dating buffet of fellow teens from other schools. By the

I love learning. Running out of grant money in college ended five of my favorite years on this planet. After all, my habit would be to sign up for an overload, drop a couple at the deadline, but still sit in if they were interesting (just no homework). Consequently, because of the Army/government grants, I went WAY over the number of college credits needed for graduation. So as an author, I still have the same passion for learning. Picking a new genre is not good for my brand

Sales are a fragile thing. In hindsight, my 2025 book tour was my most successful year to date (yay!), but it felt anything but successful at times. It was a grind. The most emotionally taxing part of it was the unpredictability. With almost 50 events in 2025, I needed for each of them to “hit” financially in order to justify taking my hobby to a profession, so there was plenty of self-imposed pressure for them to be successful. Since getting “serious” in 2021, I’ve kept reco

The Alchemist’s Tomb Dedication: Dedicated to the cellar monster that lived at my childhood farm in South Dakota. You were persistent,...

An interview with Canvas Rebel where I toot my own horn (I guess) FInd the original article at: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-jason-lee-wi...

The biggest factor in being able to chase my dream of being a full-time writer was my secret weapon, my wife Julie. Now that I’m in year...

I saw it coming in the classroom a generation ago. Five minutes before class would start, students would huddle up around the ONE KID...

David Lynch: One of my storytelling influences. WIth the recent passing of David Lynch, it game me a moment to ponder how this strange...

Okay, when I say “sold out” I’m not talking about Metallica cutting their hair and wearing eyeliner. Compromising your principles and...

By third grade, I knew I was different from my classmates. They all seemed quite content playing in the real world of the Tri-Valley...

Fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo slouhd nto be na etidor. I learned long, long ago that I can powerread through almost any poorly written...

"It's a Good Day to Be an Adult and an Eagle." (Note: Note: In this installment, it’s “me” who left the nest last June. The classes of 2024 and 2025 will be my final groups of students I had the privilege to teach, and with young women like Olivia Anderson and Ellie Braaten, it was hard to step away from the classroom. Turns out these current Eagles are already making the “real” world of adults a bit better place. When asked if anything eventful had happened in her life ove

I'd like to introduce you to the 3rd book in the Alchemist Chronicles: THE ALCHEMIST'S RING. When I began working on the Nicollet book, I...

The unicorn. The odd duck. The weirdo. Showing up to any author event, these are the thoughts that go through my mind. At an Arts & Craft...