[00:00:00] Jason Singleton: If I was to boil it down to one sentence it would be dino Mike is a story about a hungry dinosaur who learns that you can't have your friends and eat them too a lesson that we all can take to heart myself included. 

Welcome to the power of kids' books, where we believe books are a catalyst to inspire and empower change. My name is Dori Durbin.

I'm a children's book, author, illustrator kids, big coach, and a parenting abundance coach. And let me tell you, I can hardly wait for you to listen to this next episode.

[00:00:32] Dori Durbin: Question. What happens when a writer who never thought he wanted to write, not only writes, But writes a middle grade novel that sandwiches betrayal, forbidden friendships, and a perilous purpose. In between, two anthropomorphic dino clans trying to solve the very plight of their own existence? Ha! You're gonna have to wait and find out. Today's guest is a dad and a fine dining food server who knew His stories were great [00:01:00] enough to be delivered on paper. Now he has one middle grade novel and another one on the way.

[00:01:05] Dori Durbin: Welcome to the show, Jason Singleton. 

[00:01:09] Jason Singleton: Hi, Dori. Great to be here. Thanks for having me. 

[00:01:11] Dori Durbin: Absolutely. I think it's so amazing that you had these visions in your head, and you knew they were there, you knew they were important enough to write down, but it may have taken you a while to actually do that. So from the time that you had these ideas in your head to the time that you started to write them, how long do you think that took?

[00:01:33] Jason Singleton: Oh, I'd say probably well over a year at least.

[00:01:34] Dori Durbin:  So you actually acted out on pretty quick compared to a lot of people. 

[00:01:41] Jason Singleton: Yeah, I let it marinate for a little bit and then it just became this itch that needed to be scratched and, you plug away at it a little bit every day and eventually if you take enough steps, things get done. 

[00:01:55] Dori Durbin: what was the process like for you in developing your characters and the plots? Because a lot of people sit down to write their stories. There are so many possibilities that it almost gets overwhelming and they don't continue. So what was your process like, 

[00:02:12] Jason Singleton: would say I would say it was definitely long.

[00:02:14] Jason Singleton: I tend to craft stories out on a bulletin board. I go through a lot of note cards. I think that's helpful for me because I get to move a lot of things around. And definitely I think one of the hardest things is character development because you know what you want to say, but making it true to the character in a way where the characters can grow while sticking to the thorough line of your story.

[00:02:45] Jason Singleton: That's definitely something that takes a lot of refinement. But it's very rewarding when it all comes together. 

[00:02:51] Dori Durbin: So  the names, your dinosaur names, just throw a few of them out there. Cause they're hilarious. 

[00:02:56] Jason Singleton: Yeah, absolutely. We have Dino Mike, of course, his name's Michael Dinonic is but his friends call him Dino Mike.

[00:03:01] Jason Singleton: It's. Funny because he doesn't have any friends in the beginning, so it's something he makes up. We have gruber spins. He's a hetero osass. There's a triceratops who's the chef, if you will for the herbivores. Her name's Contessa Tree Horn and of course he had the leader of the herpes Paki Cephas named Granny Pao.

[00:03:20] Jason Singleton: So there's a lot of other fun ones too, 

[00:03:23] Dori Durbin: but That's awesome. And those just came to you from the names of the dinosaurs themselves? Or how did you come up with those?

[00:03:29] Jason Singleton:  Yeah, I I when I'm writing, I just watch it in my head and I just have to drown out my own thoughts and listen to what I see.

[00:03:36] Jason Singleton: Yeah I don't think I spent a lot of time working on the names. They just they just fit. They just stuck. And, you build from there. 

[00:03:42] Dori Durbin: They worked for you for sure. Yeah. Thanks. Many people dream of being an author while they're working, but very few people actually do it.

[00:03:52] Dori Durbin: If you were going to describe a day in the life of your day employed and being a writer, what did  that look like in the middle of everything?

[00:04:01] Jason Singleton:  It doesn't look like a lot of sleep. That's for sure. You scribble you scribble whenever you can. I tend to keep a notebook near my bed.

[00:04:10] Jason Singleton: A lot of ideas come to me at night and I've worked in the hospitality industry for so long. So I'm used to working at night. So that's when my brain's alive. I'm usually very tired during today. You always want to have something nearby so that when that inevitable moment comes where you get that realization that solution to that problem that you've been working on, it's going to come to you. But if you don't write it down, there's a good chance you might forget it. So I spend a lot of time in front of a keyboard, certainly, but more I write manually the old fashioned way 

[00:04:46] Dori Durbin: At work you must not be able to entertain any of those ideas that pop through.

[00:04:51] Jason Singleton: That's not necessarily the case. I think If you do something for so long, and you're very good at it, you can still be good at it, but still I don't want to say [00:05:00] autopilot, because I try to be present in everything that I do, but I'm always running through scenarios in my head. And sometimes I'll have to pull up my phone and get some notes down. But yeah, I'm I like to think that I'm creating all the time, 

[00:05:13] Dori Durbin: I love that. I'm glad that you admitted the phone piece, because I think that a lot of authors actually use their phones quite a bit like that. And I've seen people out for walks, and  just do voice notes really fast, and they get back on, and and it could be anything, but I just like to pretend they're all authors, writing down their ideas, so your story, it's, almost complex, but I don't want to scare people. So it's complex in that there are a lot of conflicts in the daily lives of these characters.

 And I thought it was really interesting because you have a middle grade novel, but it's not the content is something that I think. Parents could read to their kids if they're not old enough to read it themselves. How about we do this? How about you summarize what your novel is about, pick a couple of those conflicts, and maybe explain those to the  listeners.

[00:06:06] Jason Singleton: Yeah, certainly. If I was to boil it down to one sentence it would be Dino Mike is a story about a hungry dinosaur who learns that you can't have your friends and eat them too.

[00:06:17] Jason Singleton: A lesson that we all can take to heart myself included. But basically Dino Mike is a carnivore and carnivores by nature eat herbivores, but Dino Mike doesn't eat other dinosaurs. They live in a jungle called the Goodlands. And one day the carnivores all wake up and there are no herbivores in the good lands.

[00:06:39] Jason Singleton: And I actually, I call them carnies and herbies. That's fun. Dino Mike finds a map that shows where the herpes are hiding and they they actually ran away to an oasis in the desert. With no herbies to eat, the carnies are starving. Dynamite who can never do anything right has the dynamite plan to go to the desert and make friends with the herbies and trick them into coming back to the good lands to feed his starving family. And when he makes some unexpected friends along the way he finds himself in quite a conundrum. 

[00:07:15] Dori Durbin: That's awesome. And you have friendships between the two also .

[00:07:20] Jason Singleton: Certainly. Yeah. And they develop in a very organic and unique and often funny ways. So 

[00:07:26] Dori Durbin: I love it. So I know that I read somewhere it described your book as having a narrative voice that is filled with wit, drollery and snappy banter, 

[00:07:36] Jason Singleton: First and foremost, I take that as a tremendous compliment. It's fast pace. It's witty. And it's real life friendships are, you're constantly teasing. It's your best friends are the ones that you poke and prod the most. Those are the ones that you can go to that, the ones that you can count on are the ones that are going to give you the hardest time. And it propels the story forward. 

[00:07:57] Dori Durbin: So awesome.  I know at some point we're going to have you read 60 seconds worth of your book. Yeah, able to do that for us now?

[00:08:06] Jason Singleton: Yeah, I'm happy to actually have it right here.

[00:08:10] Jason Singleton: Perfect.

[00:08:11] Jason Singleton: So I'm going to read a, just a quick backstory on where I'm going. This is toward the beginning of the book and this is there's a herbivore in the Goodlands after they've all left and he's being hunted by a pack of Velociraptors so I'll just jump right in. The Heterodontosaurus popped up and weighed his options.

[00:08:33] Jason Singleton: On one side, the river turned to a raging waterfall. On the other, the raptors droned and got to their feet. They stood between him and the only path that didn't involve jumping off a cliff. The waterfall, the Heterodontosaurus decided, had far fewer teeth. He plugged his nose and jumped, landing with a splash a mere ten feet below.

[00:08:51] Jason Singleton: It was the same waterfall where Delilah had stopped for a drink. Bernadette whistled. The Heterodontosaurus spun around. Hack and Shrapnel landed with two thuds at Bernadette's side. The Heterodontosaurus had nowhere to go. What's going on here? came a voice nobody recognized. The raptors and the heterodontosaurus turned.

[00:09:10] Jason Singleton: It was Dino Mike. Nothing, Hex said. Mind your business. Mind your manners, said Dino Mike. He took a step forward, but the shadow didn't do him any favors. What is the situation with the Herbie? Seizing a glimmer of hope, the Heterodinosaurus slunk off to the side. Shrapnel spotted him immediately. Where do you think you're going?

[00:09:31] Jason Singleton: Just stretching my legs, said the Heterodinosaurus. I think I'll leave it there. 

[00:09:38] Dori Durbin: I was waiting for more. I like the little bits of humor you have just in what you read, too, with the sarcasm and like the quickness and just the descriptions, too. The waterfall, we had less teeth, that kind of thing.

[00:09:51] Dori Durbin: So very fun. Thank you. Have you read this to any classrooms yet? 

[00:09:56] Jason Singleton: I have not read it to any groups but I would love to my daughter's in high school now. When I started writing this, she was more in the reading age. That would have been fun. It takes a long time to edit and do other things like after the books actually written especially when you go through several rounds of editing.

[00:10:14] Jason Singleton: I think I did 4 or so. 

[00:10:18] Dori Durbin: That's a lot, just to go through as a writer too, to have them go through your work four times is painful. 

[00:10:24] Jason Singleton: I'll tell you what, an editor is a writer's best friend. 

(00:10:30) Dori Durbin: Hey there, excuse this interruption, but have you been wondering if you could write your own kid's book? I know that you can get excited about a concept, and some sort of idea, but sometimes it's just a matter of having confidence to get started. So this is you something that you really want to do, but you're just not sure if you're capable of doing it, yet. We should totally book a chat and just talk about your idea. All right. I don't want to keep you from the show. So book a call and we'll talk soon.

[00:10:58] Dori Durbin: What does your daughter think now about your book now that it's out in the real 

[00:11:01] Jason Singleton: world? Yeah she loves it. For a long time or for a little while anyway, it hasn't been out that long or finished that long. I should say it was her favorite book. It was recently dethroned but I appreciate her honesty.

[00:11:16] Jason Singleton: But yeah her favorite page is the dedication page. That's where it says her name. And yeah. I wrote this thinking how can I sum up everything I want her to know about life, but in a fun way that doesn't sound like a lecture. And I think the older she gets as she goes back and rereads it she's really going to grasp those lessons and be like.

[00:11:40] Jason Singleton: Man, I see what he was trying to say. 

[00:11:42] Dori Durbin: Yeah. So for people who haven't read this yet what are some of those lessons that you're hoping she gleans from it ? 

[00:11:49] Jason Singleton: Yeah, absolutely. First and foremost embrace who you are. It's okay to be different. You're going to face conflicts in life where you're going to have to make decisions.

[00:11:58] Jason Singleton: It's okay to have [00:12:00] disagreements. And basically con conflict resolution, there are a lot of times. When we run into conflict, it's very easy to see it as an A B proposition, and there's usually a C in there, and maybe even a D, an E, an F. Yeah, there's always a creative solution.

[00:12:23] Dori Durbin: Let me ask you, too. As you were getting out there in the real world and meeting these. The parents, the students, even the teachers who are going to be coming along.

[00:12:35] Dori Durbin: What should we tell them about what your next steps might be? 

[00:12:40] Jason Singleton: Oh, my next steps in in a literary sense. Yep. Yeah I have I have a few things percolating. But what I'm actively working on right now is actually is actually a sequel. And I never really wanted to write a sequel just because I didn't want to force it.

[00:12:57] Jason Singleton: But just like how this 1st one came about. I have an an idea that needs to be written. It needs to be told. And, I mentioned again, so I'm going to scratch it. I think whereas this 1 is teaching you if you want to have friends, be a good friend. I think this next 1 is going to deal more with sort of herd mentality.

[00:13:16] Jason Singleton: And how it's okay to go against that sometimes. 

[00:13:21] Dori Durbin: I like it. And still the same characters are totally different characters. 

[00:13:24] Jason Singleton: Yeah. A lot of returning characters and certainly some new ones as well. 

[00:13:28] Dori Durbin: Ah, and do I hear another one in the back of your mind 

[00:13:31] Jason Singleton: somewhere? Yeah. Maybe not in this universe, but maybe if, if it I won't do it just to do it like but if if a story really grabs at me, then certainly I'll dive in. I think I'm working on something that I've been working on with my daughter. And I think we might actually write it together. But that has to do with mermaids, pirates and penguins. 

[00:13:55] Dori Durbin: So who do you feel like would be the perfect reader for your current book?

[00:14:00] Jason Singleton: I say it's for dinophiles from 10 to 99. It really is something that families can enjoy together. I think that 4th grader will have that. Magical experience that I had when I was a kid watching Jurassic Park and at the drive in movie theater that wall, that wow factor, that, that wonder.

[00:14:22] Jason Singleton: But I think that parents reading it too going to take you back to your childhood and, resonate. Wake up that dormant imagination. 

[00:14:36] Dori Durbin: Was it the Jurassic Park movies that ultimately inspired you? 

[00:14:41] Jason Singleton: That's definitely where I fell in love with dinosaurs and I've been obsessed ever since.

[00:14:45] Jason Singleton: And yeah, I remember being at the drive in movie theater and surrounded by trees. And it was windy and every time there was about to be a dinosaur coming out of the trees would shake and yeah, I've been obsessed with dinosaurs ever since. 

[00:15:03] Dori Durbin: That's really cool. What about reading wise?

[00:15:06] Dori Durbin: Was there anything that really influenced you when you were growing up ? 

[00:15:08] Jason Singleton: Oh, absolutely. And even more recently than just growing up I grew up on the The Goosebumps books by R. L. Stein. So I remember I used to read like 4 of those a day. I used to get in trouble for reading too much.

[00:15:21] Jason Singleton: I would never put my books down certain but more recently Catherine Applegate I think the 1 and only Ivan. I've drawn a lot of inspiration from just seeing things from a silverback gorilla's perspective. And then her follow ups to that, 

[00:15:35] Dori Durbin: And would you say that your books follow that kind of same type of thing, the perspective of Mike? 

[00:15:41] Jason Singleton: Yeah, it's told from a, it's told from an omniscient perspective, but you definitely can feel dynamite thoughts and actions and really his emotions. So same, but different I think it has I think a closer parallel might be, the Lion King, Zootopia, and I know I'm [00:16:00] comparing it to movies, but when I'm reading this book, I see it as a movie in my head. 

[00:16:04] Dori Durbin: So that'll be down the road too for you. 

[00:16:07] Jason Singleton: Yeah, absolutely. I think it would play very well on screen. 

[00:16:12] Dori Durbin: And one other question that keeps popping in my head is.
 What power do you think books have to make a difference for kids and how do you see that affecting 

[00:16:22] Jason Singleton: them? I think they have the ability to make a lasting impact. I think that they can inspire, they can teach lessons, but in a fun way, whereas you don't even realize you're learning, but when you reflect back on it at later moments in your life, you'd be like, wow, that really changed me.

[00:16:47] Jason Singleton: Yeah, it just. Activates the imagination we can actively use our brains versus, I say this as a parent put the phone down, pick up a book.

[00:16:58] Dori Durbin: I agree. 100%.  Oh, this is funny. And I think as parents, that's something that we have to model and that we have to encourage. And that whole creative piece, there's so many other avenues right now that are distracting all of those, these new things that are just taking over and there's some simplicity in just picking up a book and letting your brain just go.

[00:17:22] Dori Durbin: And that's magical in itself. I couldn't agree more. Jason, where can we find Dino Mike and you the easiest? 

[00:17:33] Jason Singleton: Yeah, absolutely. Dino Mike is available on Amazon the paperback and all other platforms that are available for ebook. The audio book is available on Audible. I can be found on Instagram too and my website www. 1ton. press. 

[00:17:56] Dori Durbin: Very good. And when do you think we might start looking for your [00:18:00] next book? 

[00:18:01] Jason Singleton: Yeah, I'm hoping to have I'm actively working on the draft. I'm hoping to have the draft done by the end of the year and we'll see how the editing takes maybe late next year.

[00:18:11] Dori Durbin: That'd be awesome. We'll have to keep following you so that we know what's happening. So that, which again, if we read the book, we'll be able to know. 

[00:18:19] Jason Singleton: Yeah, absolutely. 

[00:18:21] Dori Durbin: Awesome. Thank you for your time today, Jason. We really appreciate it. 

[00:18:25] Jason Singleton: Yeah. My pleasure. Thanks so much for having me.

[00:18:27] Dori Durbin: Absolutely.