Nick Ruth didn’t set out to be an author when he sat down to write The Dark Dreamweaver; he was just looking for a way to connect with his son.

As a computer programmer working for the government, Nick was too tired at the end of a long day to play with his son David. But the two shared a love of books, and reading was an enjoyable way to spend time together. Like any parent, Nick grew tired of reading the same books over and over again. To keep himself interested, Nick kept embellishing the stories, and he inserted his son David into the stories.

After reading the Harry Potter books to David, Nick thought that he would write a story as a surprise for the boy. They had been raising Monarch butterflies as a family project, and Nick came up with an idea: what if one of the caterpillars turned out to be a wizard?

Hesitant at first about his ability to write a story, Nick didn’t tell anyone what he was doing, not even his wife Sheila.

As he wrote, he grew in confidence and eventually he showed the first couple of chapters to Sheila. She was amazed. “I never knew he had it in him to write something so creative,” she says. Nick continued to write, and what started out as a short story grew into a 224-page novel. He presented it to his son, who was thrilled at the story. At that point, Nick thought he was finished: he’d accomplished what he set out to do. But his wife Sheila had other ideas. "It was such a great book that I thought it should be published so that other kids could read it." She published it through her publishing company, Imaginator Press.

David had other ideas, as well. He badgered his father to write another book, and finally Nick relented. A year later, The Breezes of Inspire was published.

Nick is fond of quipping: "We all have different expectations from the books. I just want to make back what we put into it. My wife wants to make a profit. And my son wants to know who’s going to play him in the movie."

Still, in spite of his modest expectations, Nick can’t help but be flattered at the attention the books are receiving. The Dark Dreamweaver has won several awards, including an iParenting Media Award and a finalist finish in the Benjamin Franklin awards. The American Booksellers Association has selected both books as Book Sense Children’s Picks. Parents, teachers, and kids have written to say how much they like the book. One fan wrote, "I would just like to say, first what a magnificent book this is. As a sixth grade student it is now one of my favorites."

But the reaction that means the most to Nick is still that of his number one fan, his son David. David has one item highlighted on his Christmas list this year: book three of the series.

"I guess I’d better get busy," Nick acknowledges wryly.

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