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There’s a book inside you. A message that won’t leave you alone.
But between fear, responsibility, doubt — and now the rise of AI — you keep starting… and stopping.
Welcome to The Adventurous Author Podcast.
I’m Bonnie Jean Schaefer — fantasy author D.K. Drake — and I’ve published four novels while working a full-time job. I didn’t quit my life to write. I built systems that made finishing possible inside it.
Now I help stuck Christian writers do the same.
This podcast is discipleship through storytelling.
We follow a simple framework:
Start with WHO.
Anchor your identity in Christ so fear loses leverage — especially in an AI age where identity matters more than ever.
Live Your Story.
Build sustainable 15-minute systems that fit your real life.
Win Your Race.
Finish what God called you to start — and become the kind of person who keeps finishing.
Every season rotates through identity, systems, and storytelling mastery in a structured spiral of growth.
If you’ve been hiding, doubting, or wondering where you fit in this new creative world — you’re not alone.
Let’s adventurize your life and rise from stuck...together.
Episodes
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
Hey, friend!
Do you struggle to find time to write because you're busy doing all the things that come with being a responsible, well-balanced teen or young adult?
I struggle to find time to write as an adult. In order to maintain my sanity and stay healthy, I also need to make time to study my Bible, workout, hang with the fam, and have fun. Oh, and record these episodes for you so you can learn how to be an awesome author.
In other words, I need a time management or author productivity strategy so I can do all the things and still sleep.
I’m thus am working on a theory that if I treated writing like a competitive sport, I’d be a more productive author. I introduced this concept in episode 38, and today I want to focus on the idea of what it means to break the year into writing seasons.
What is a writing season, you ask? Great question! Listen in to find out.
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Friday Jan 20, 2023
Friday Jan 20, 2023
Hey, Friend! It’s Friday. And that means it’s time for another Fantasy Fiction Friday episode.
I know. I know. I’ve missed the past few weeks.
First we went to Disney World. Woohoo! That was fun. Then with the dawn of the new year and some new ideas for which direction to take this show, I got caught up in a project to revamp my website to get clarity on that new direction. The website is still a work in progress, and I hope to have it up and running in all of its glory by the end of January. Stay tuned for the big reveal.
But I’ve missed reading my story, especially since we left off with Javan knocked out. It’s time to revive him here in chapter 24 of the Dragon Collector.
This is one of my favorite chapters. In it, Javan makes a decision to stick to his strengths rather than do what others think he should do.
And that’s the crux of this whole story. The premise, if you will. It’s kinda a life motto I abide by and a truth I am building my business on. That truth is this: you always find a way to do what you dream when you stick to your strengths.
Do you wanna be an author? Explore genres. Experiment writing different types of stories. Pay attention to what comes easily and what causes you to want to pull your hair out. Then do more to build those natural skills and less around those things that you struggle with.
Even if you don’t want to be an author, the same principle applies. Discover your God-given strengths, determine what you want that aligns with your strengths, then find a way to do what you dream by sticking to those strengths.
Okay, enough motivational chit chat for today. Let’s get to the story!
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Are you an athlete who also enjoys writing? I am. I played volleyball, basketball and softball in high school, softball in college, and now run races of varying distances to feed my competitive spirit.
During a recent writing workshop I was leading, it occurred to me that many of the writers I’ve worked with also play sports. That’s when the “what if?” question got my creative brain churning.
What if writing was a competitive sport? Would it make you a more productive author?
Let your creative brain play with the answer to those questions for a moment, then tune in to hear how the way I answered the question has challenged me to restructure the way I think about time and writing productivity and life in general.
My 2023 plans are still taking shape because I am approaching the year in a way I never done before and in a way I’ve never seen done before. In other words, this year is going to be one giant experiment. It could be an explosive success or a “that was a bad idea, let’s trying something else” kind of failure.
Either way, I intend to use my bold goals to know and trust God more, improve my writing skills and productivity, and to connect with and teach you all I know about writing. Let’s dive in.
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Join the Competitive Writers League here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authordkdrakeinsiders
Sunday Dec 25, 2022
Sunday Dec 25, 2022
Merry Christmas, friend!
In this special episode, I challenge you to consider the character of the characters in the Christmas story. What was it about Elizabeth and Zacharias, Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men that allowed God to show Himself strong through these people?
Tune in to find out.
Friday Dec 23, 2022
Friday Dec 23, 2022
It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday!
And this isn’t just any Friday. It’s the eve of Christmas Eve and the Friday before Christmas. If you’re looking for a last minute gift of entertaining adventure for the avid reader in your life, I recommend the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga. You can easily gift the ebooks to any Kindle via Amazon, and you can be sure the books will be delivered in time for Christmas.
While you’re shopping, you can enjoy listening to chapter 23 of The Dragon Collector. In this chapter, Javan gets to test out some different weapons in an effort to find out which one will work best for him on his quest to collect dragons.
When I was trying to figure out what weapon would be best suited for Javan, I thought about letting him be great with a bow and arrow or a backsword. I even thought about letting the jolt blast be his weapon of choice since that is a weapon I totally made up for this story. But none of those weapons felt like the right choice for Javan.
He needed something unusual. Something no one else would think of using. Something that would play to his strengths and allow him to find a way to win the dragon collecting game because he was playing to his strengths.
You’ll have to wait until next week’s episode to find out what that weapon is. For now, enjoy his journey through the weapons that don’t play to his strengths.
You are now entering the Land of Zandador...
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Engage with an Expert Thursday was so fun with Kara Walker last week that I split it up the interview into two shows and couldn’t wait until Thursday to share part II with you. So here we are on the Tuesday before Christmas with another dose of Kara Walker, host of the Money and Mental Peace podcast. Today she shares her story about how she graduated from college debt free with $10k in the bank…and how you can do the same.
I find this topic of debt-free college intriguing, especially since I went to a private college utilizing student loans. That was the only way I knew how to go to the college I wanted to go to, and I didn’t even realize there was a way to NOT use student loans in order to get a good college education. Had I known then what Kara teaches now, I sure would have saved myself a lot of financial headaches. I thus hope you’ll tune in and listen to Kara’s fascinating story so you can graduate college debt-free and have money in the bank.
Debt-free college starts with learning about managing money effectively, so if you want to learn the basics of budgeting while still in high school, check out episode 33.
Want more tips on debt-free college and guidance on finding God's direction for college? Listen to Kara's Podcast.
MONEY AND MENTAL PEACE
Connect with Kara at www.MoneyandMentalPeace.com
Listen to Episode 33:
How Budgeting in High School Leads to Financial Freedom with Kara Walker
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Friday Dec 16, 2022
Friday Dec 16, 2022
It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday!
In today’s chapter of The Dragon Collector, Javan officially starts training to collect dragons.
At the outset of the chapter, Javan’s grandfather Ravier is Javan’s sole mentor. And Ravier plans on being the only one to train Javan.
But unbeknownst to both Ravier and Javan, Ravier’s wife and Javan’s grandmother Hannah has been on a mentor recruiting mission. She’s talked her father Hamilton into joining the fun and hunted down Astor, the oldest and wisest person in Zandador to help as well.
Tune in to find out what happens when Javan and Ravier are unexpectedly joined by Hamilton and Astor.
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authordkdrakeinsiders
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
It’s Engage with an Expert Thursday!
This the part of the show where I will bring on a guest expert to discuss a topic that is directly or indirectly related to your success as an author.
Today we will be kicking off this fun new aspect of the show with Kara Walker, host of the Money and Mental Peace podcast. She is here today to talk about the importance of budgeting your money and how to get started with budgeting even if you’re still in high school. She’ll be with us again next week to share her story about how she graduated from college debt free with $10k in the bank…and how you can do the same.
Debt-free college starts with learning about managing money effectively, so let’s dive in to the all important topic of budgeting with Kara Walker.
Want more tips on budgeting and guidance on finding God's direction for college? Listen to Kara's Podcast.
MONEY AND MENTAL PEACE
Connect with Kara at www.MoneyandMentalPeace.com
Listen to Episode 35:
Graduate College Debt-Free AND Have Money in the Bank with Kara Walker
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ