I am currently a full time traveler and picture book writer. I LOVE MY LIFE!

This comes after ten years as an actor, ten years as an educator, and most recently, as a youth specialist with the Henderson (Nevada) Public Libraries.

My debut picture book, FREE TO BE FABULOUS, comes out on April 30, 2024 with Clarion!

My writing is represented by Kaitlyn Sanchez at Context Literary.

I belong to two picture book marketing groups. Check them out and support my fellow atuthors. Picture Book Junction and Kidlit Clubhouse.

I am published twice in BABYBUG Magazine – my poems HICCUPS and SOFT can be found on its pages. I am include in two editions of the poetry anthology THE BEST OF TODAY’S LITTLE DITTY  (alongside such wonderful writers as Jane Yolen). And was most recenntly published in Pomelo Books’ Hop To It! I was a Writing with the Stars mentorship winner, honorable mention winner of the Ann Whitford Paul Award, and the 2021 Madness Poetry Champion. I am an active member of SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators).

Picture books have had a great influence on my life. I was not that kid who was always reading. I was not that kid who was always writing.  I was not that kid who was always drawing. In fact, none of these things were of much interest to me until I reached adulthood. But the picture books I did encounter when young had an impact. Their images and stories stuck, flashing vividly in my head. Eventually, new stories began to reveal themselves to me. New images floated through my head. These new stories and images were all my own.

To hear more from me, here are some links:

Tuesday From The Trenches interview with Kailei Pew about finding my agent.

Librarian interview at Macaroni Kid.

The Official SCBWI blog – Me talking about writing 52 picture book first drafts in one year.

Henderson Libraries  Summer Reading Program Promo.

Recently, my poem A Worms Tale, was included in the prestigious poetry journal Better Than Starbucks.

Here are the eleven greatest influences on my writing and how I see the world.

Animals
My heartbeats become quick and warm when I see them. Dogs, fruit bats, foxes, giraffes, monkeys and stegosauruses top my list. And bugs, bugs, bugs!
Birds
I can truly spend hours searching for and observing these wonders. Bird nerd – that’s me.
Theater
This was the world of one of my former lives. It thrills me to watch it. It empowers me to perform it. I was lucky enough to enjoy some time on Broadway in Baz Luhrmann’s production of La Boheme.
Kindness
This is my person magnet. Kind people always rise to the top of my friend pile.
Ocean
I lived near it as a child. I studied it in college. I lived on it for three years as a singer on a cruise ship. It thrills me. It scares me. It hides so many treasures.
Ancient Ruins
As a child, I was intrigued and mystified by (obsessed with?) the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today Machu Picchu, The Colosseum, The Pyramids, Teotihuacan, Angkor Wat, The Parthenon and The Great Wall call to me, “David, we’re here. Come find us.” I’m coming!
Food
I was the pickiest kid ever. Now I try to try everything and have learned to cook it all, too. My weakness is frosting. Cover something in frosting, and I’ll eat it.
Travel
70 countries visited and counting. I’m a visual learner. I need to see the world to understand it.
Humor
What in life isn’t made better with a good laugh (or frosting)? Funny people have a wonderful gift. I covet what they have. I long to be clever.
Art
I know I love a piece of art when I’m jealous. There’s tons of stuff I love, so I’m perpetually jealous— in the best possible way.
Humor
What in life isn’t made better with a good laugh (or frosting)? Funny people have a wonderful gift. I covet what they have. I long to be clever..
Humor
What in life isn’t made better with a good laugh (or frosting)? Funny people have a wonderful gift. I covet what they have. I long to be clever.

The LGBTQ+ Community

My husband and I would not enjoy the life we do if not for the support of this community and its allies.