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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
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Happy Friday, fantasy fiction fan!
Today I’ll be sharing chapter 21 of The Dragon Collector with you. Now most of this chapter was not included in the original version of the book. But after listening to feedback from my readers, I learned they were confused about who was who in Javan’s family.
I have to admit it does get a bit confusing since the people in Zandador have such long lifespans and many of his great grandparents are still alive. I thus added Javan’s Family Tree as a chapter to detail out his relatives going back seven generations.
If you want to see the family tree for yourself, you can snag the ebook over on Amazon or get your own autographed paperback version of the book directly from me. Actually, you can get all three paperback books autographed and shipped to you in time for Christmas if you purchase them through my Dream Doers Publishing link. Check out the links below.
Right now, let’s get to the story. We pick up with Ravier still sharing the history of the kings and queens of Zandador. Enjoy!
Purchase The Dragon Collector on Amazon
Purchase an autographed copy of the The Dragon Collector
Purchase autographed copies of the entire Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga at a discounted rate.
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
So you want to write a book. But you’re young. Maybe you haven’t graduated high school yet. Or middle school.
Your heart tells you to go for it, but your mind has some doubts.
Am I good enough to be an author?
Is my idea good enough to write about?
Am I capable of writing a good enough story?
Will my story ever be good enough to let anyone read?
How will I know if my novel is good enough to publish?
Those are just some doubts I’ve struggled with throughout my author journey, and I bet that every writer everywhere has dealt with some version of at least one of these doubts. Tune in to today’s episode to hear one trick I use to defeat those “not good enough” doubts.
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
Friday Nov 25, 2022
Friday Nov 25, 2022
In today’s Fantasy Fiction Friday episode, I’m coming at you with chapter 20 of The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga.
Before I wrote this chapter, I created a historical timeline of all the kings of Zandador. The timeline has their names, what bloodline they are from, and how long they reigned as king. You can check it out on the blog here if you want to see it for yourself.
Another thing I had to know before writing this chapter was the history behind the bloodlines themselves. How did the factions develop? What is the underlying mission of each faction? The questions Javan asks in this chapter are questions I asked myself while building my world.
Once again, I apologize for the lack of action. As I was reading back through this, I chastised myself for the way I wrote this story. I’m telling myself to get to the action already. But this was my first fantasy novel, and I got better about showing rather than telling as this story moves along and in the two books that follow.
Speaking of those two books—The Dragon Hunter and The Dragon Protector—they are going on Cyber Monday sale starting tomorrow, November 26 through next Friday, December 2. The sale is a kindle countdown deal on Amazon, so that means you’ll be able to get the best price for the first few days, and then the price increases by a buck every few days until the sale ends on Dec 2.
The Dragon Collector isn’t on sale, but since the starting price is already at .99, I didn’t reduce that price. Now with this Cyber Monday sale, you can get all three ebooks for less than three bucks, and that deal will last through the end of the day on Monday. Then the price increases for books one and two on Tuesday.
Enough chit chat. Let’s get to chapter 20!
The Cyber Monday sale for THE DRAON STALKER BLOODLINES SAGA starts on November 26 and goes through December 2.
Take advantage of the Cyber Monday sale and snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here.
Tuesday Nov 22, 2022
Tuesday Nov 22, 2022
When I decided to be an author in 1999, I thought people who self-published did so because they were B-level authors who couldn’t get a contract with a “real” publisher. To me, it seemed like cheating your way into publication.
I also thought that getting a book deal from an established or traditional publisher was a privilege meant for an elite few who wrote well enough to be recognized by “them,” the powerful publishers in New York. I wanted to be one of those elite few. I wanted to top the New York Times bestseller list, see my books turned in to movies and earn fame and fortune from my stories.
Then God did some work in my heart, mind and soul. And when I finally got the attention of an agent, I couldn’t in good conscience proceed with the traditional publication route. Tune in to find out the three reasons I ditched the traditional route and chose to self-publish instead.
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/insiders
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
Friday Nov 18, 2022
Friday Nov 18, 2022
Ready for a fun Fantasy Fiction Friday episode? Moving forward on Fridays, I’ll be reading you snippets of The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga, and sharing behind the scenes insider secrets along the way.
In The Dragon Collector, fifteen-year-old Javan believes he is simply an ordinary orphan abandoned by his mother at birth--until he is whisked away to another dimension and his destiny as the chosen one from the Collector Bloodline is revealed.
Armed only with an ancient weapon, a trio of old advisors, and his determination to win, Javan is soon caught up in a dangerous Battle for the Throne.
Now his choices could save--or destroy--the people and dragons of Zandador, including the mother he just met.
Today we’re picking up in chapter 19 where we left off after the 21 days of storytelling episode blitz. Remember that Javan is learning the history of Zandador from his grandfather cause this dragon dimension thing is new to him considering the fact he grew up on earth.
When I wrote this chapter years ago, I broke the classic rule of “show, don’t tell.” I thus do a lot of telling in this chapter, and it’s not very adventurous. I find it interesting, though, and it lays the foundation for the Origin Trilogy I have planned once the Saga is complete.
Hopefully you find the world of Dragon Stalkers interesting as well. Let’s get to it!
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here.
Tuesday Nov 15, 2022
Tuesday Nov 15, 2022
So you’ve decided you want to write a book. Fantastic! Welcome to the author community!
But now you’re realizing that you’ve read short books and long books and in-between books. How long does a book have to be to be considered a book? Is an author who writes a skinny little story just as impressive as one who writes an epic tale? Who determines how long your book should be? And how do you figure out the right length for your story? Do you measure by pages or words or some secret measurement you don’t know about?
Never fear, my friend. Take a breath, close your eyes, and listen in. I’ve got three easy ways to choose the word count for your first book. Listen in to learn and come away with your target number.
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here.
Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Facebook Community here.
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
And here we are on Day 21 of the 21 Days of Storytelling featuring The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga.
The story snippet of the day is chapter 18, The First Dragon Collector.
Now I’m gonna warn you: this is not a chapter filled with action and adventure. I almost didn’t include this and the next few chapters because I just wanted to get on with the action, but the practical me realized that Javan needed to know the geography of the land and background info of his heritage.
Could I have helped him learn it in a more exciting way? Probably. But this was the best I could do with the experience I had at the time of writing it, and although I did edit this section to break the chapters into smaller chunks, I chose to leave the way I told this part of the story when revising it later on. Why? Because no story is perfect. There are always ways to improve. I wanted to remind myself that it’s okay not to be perfect. I wanted to be content with doing my best with who I am and the writing skills I have at the time of writing any given story.
My mission is to get better with every book, to deliver a better story with each story I write. And when I wrote this section of the story, I had a map that an artist friend of mine drew for me. I referred to the map as I wrote, and that helped me picture it.
I wish I could share a picture of that posterboard-sized map on the blog, but my friend took it with her to create a digital version of the map. Then she moved, and we lost touch.
I’ll work on recreating it with my less than stellar artistic skills and having that for you on the blog. To be notified when it gets posted, be sure to join the Insiders email list at authordkdrake.com/insiders. You’ll also get access to the DK Drake Starter Library when you become an insider, and a digital version of The Dragon Collector is included in that starter library through today.
Today is also the last day for the rest of the year to apply for one of the three available slots of the Personalized Writing Workshops with me. If you want a writing mentor to help you write your story, be sure to apply today at authordkdrake.com/writingworkshops.
Enough preamble. Let’s get to the story, a story that includes a fantastical explanation for the Bermuda Triangle.
Apply here for a Personalized Writing Workshop with Author DK Drake.
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Welcome to Day 20 of the 21 Days of Storytelling featuring The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga.
The story snippet of the day is chapter seventeen entitled Omri’s Orders.
In today’s Insider Tip, author DK Drake discusses the POV shift to Micah in the first scene of chapter 17. Why shift the point of view character when the story has been told from only the main character’s point of view for the first sixteen chapters?
Listen in to find out.
Apply here for a Personalized Writing Workshop with Author DK Drake.