Dan Wyson keeps ‘climbing and reaching’ with his children’s book, ‘The Gold Egg’; next book in the works

FEATURE — Dan Wyson has spent many years as a certified financial planner helping adults reach their personal goals, but on the side, he has been working to assure the success of a younger crowd. And after 25 years of on-and-off work on his long-planned children’s book, he was finally able to publish “The Gold Egg,” and he told St. George News the response has been amazing.

Author Dan Wyson at the Canyon Media studios discussing his recent tour and new work on the horizon, Oct. 24, 2018, St. George, Utah | Photo courtesy of Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Wyson said as an independent publisher, he knew it would be a huge hurdle to climb getting his dream to press without a large, national network behind him. And despite the book doing very well in every market it’s been placed since, he said it’s still a battle to meet his personal expectations.

“There’s always something more, and it’s sort of what the story’s about,” he said. “You’re always climbing and reaching for more.”

Helping people make long-term decisions about retirement has always been a part of his career, but Wyson said he always wanted to find a way to reach people early and help prepare them in advance for life. He thinks it’s better to start planning young – like around age 7 – rather than showing up at his office door at 50 years old saying “Hey, I am ready to retire but I’m broke.”

Read more: ‘We need to reach out to young people’: New children’s book ‘The Gold Egg’ teaches financial success

Along these lines, Wyson said that going to elementary schools and reading to the kids is what he has enjoyed most about promoting the book. At first he thought he was going to be out there teaching kids these great messages, but actually, he said they have been teaching him – that they already get it and they understand his message.

They’re just glad someone is finally recognizing it, he said, and the kids have loved the story. They are willing to accept it’s okay to have dreams – and even fail – as long as you keep climbing, he said.

Wyson’s father always taught him that you never teach down to a child; you always teach up. Wyson said he sees a lot of children’s books being published right now as being fluffy, lacking in substance or even demeaning kids. One of the great things about his book is being able to connect with children.

As just one example, a parent from Dallas, Texas, who had already placed two previous orders for 10 copies of the book recently called back and ordered eight more because she keeps on finding people with whom she’s compelled to share the poignant story.

“I write to inspire thought,” Wyson said, and this book, the first of his “Read With Me” series, is ideally meant to be read with a parent, teacher or other adult so it can be discussed and reinforce what they have learned.

Society tries to protect children from everything by putting them in a little bubble, he said. Parents should not be sheltering the children at all times; they need to allow their kids to face life’s challenges head on.

Top left: Dan Wyson (“Ule B. Wise”) participates in a question and answer session during a book reading of his children’s book “The Gold Egg,” St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo still from video shot by Aaron Crane, St. George News

“You take a story and you have a good, solid, strong message, and the child will get it,” he said. “They’ll embrace it.”

As a father of a large family, all Wyson had to do was look toward them for inspiration, and he found many lessons he had learned from each that he wanted to share with the world.

For the next book in the series, due to be released just after Christmas, Wyson again enlisted the help of his daughter Jaimee Lee Brennan to be his illustrator. Brennan is a former Marine with a Bachelor Game Art degree.

Brennan produces all the artwork digitally on a computer. This time around, however, she took on a more imaginative role by creating the pictures based solely on a brief story outline from her father, letting him fill in the words after.

Wyson was beaming with pride as he described their collaboration.

“My daughter is an amazingly talented artist. It is a great relationship we have,” Wyson said. “When I tell her an idea, she just says, ‘Oh I can see that. I can see what that looks like,’ and she’ll draw, and that gives me inspiration for the words that go with it.”

The colors and the way she captures the thought is just magical,” Wyson added.

The next book, “The Magic Violin,” is the story of a young girl whose grandfather plays the violin beautifully. Every time he plays, while the other kids mess around, the girl sits enthralled with every note, saying the music “just speaks to her.”

She asks her grandfather how he plays so beautifully, and he replies “Well it’s magic. It’s a magic violin.” The girl believes him and one night sneaks in and tries to play it for herself, but of course, the violin will not work for her.

It is a story about discovery, Wyson said, where the grandfather helps her find the magic that’s within her that will bring out the magic in the music.

“I love to write a story with a strong message that will touch young and old alike,” he said, a task not always simple when writing in poetic verse like his youthful idol, Dr. Suess. “He had the advantage. He got to make up words, and I don’t, so it’s a little harder,” he said with a chuckle.

Wyson has more visits planned to schools this fall and a couple of local book signings. Dates will be announced soon when fans can get a chance to meet him and have their copies personally signed during the holiday season.

“The Gold Egg” is available for purchase now in hardcover or for Amazon and Amazon Prime. It can also be found at Christensen’s department store, located at 761 Bluff Street in St. George.

Written by ANDREW PINCKNEY, St. George News.

• S P O N S O R E D   C O N T E N T  •

Resources

  • Purchase “The Gold Egg” by Ule B. Wise on Amazon or at Christensen’s Department Store, 761 Bluff St., St. George | Wyson Financial.

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Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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