Meet Dan Kolbet

I get no greater joy from my writing than when I speak with a reader of one of my books. I want to ask, “did you see it the same way as me?” Often the answer is no, and that’s awesome. I enjoy it when a reader finds things between the lines. Or when they provide a motivation that I never intended for a character to have. That means the characters are active and living in their memories still. That’s good stuff. I’ll describe it like this; I’m happy to start the painting that the reader can finish.

Since I was in high school, I wanted to be a writer. An English teacher told me I wrote run-on sentences. I retaliated by writing a three-page paper using only five-word sentences. Take that! By the way, she was right about my run-on sentences. Those are not my only editorial issues.

I made myself into a writer the best way I could. My degree in Journalism from Gonzaga University got me into newspapers as a copy editor and occasional reporter. Luckily I grabbed the last rowboat off the printed-newspaper sinking ship and sailed for other work. Today I work full-time in a completely unrelated field at a large company on the West Coast, but those writing chops come in handy every day.

The indie literary world isn’t glamorous, and after putting in my 40 hours a week at “work,” it’s sometimes a grind to get any writing done at home. I tend to need at least two solid hours to write to get anything accomplished. Just about the time I get in a rhythm, life intervenes, and I have to set it aside for a while. You know, to do stuff like see my family!

I’ve published six novels, which you can find on this site. While I don’t like to label them, people need to know what they’re getting into when they buy one.  Don’t Wait For Me and Better Not Love me are companion romance stories. You Only Get So Much is a family saga. Off The Grid, my debut novel is a thriller. My fifth novel, An Agreement We Made is a domestic drama. My latest novel, Big Sky Lake is the first in a series of small town love stories.

A little more about my writing: I don’t like to over-describe a scene or character. You can see it in your head better than me. I’m OK with using profanity when it is expected of a character, but not for shock value. Sex (at least the stuff that makes you blush) isn’t the type of thing I will write. I set most of my stories in the Northwest or West Coast because that’s what I know and love. I also like flashbacks that tell a specific point that moves the action ahead.

One last thing. If you happen to read my books, thank you. If you’re up for it, I would very much appreciate your review on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever you happened to find it. Reviews build credibility and hopefully expand my audience. 

Thank you for stopping by.

-Dan