Bio
I’ve led a colorful life, fueling my imagination for telling stories, fables and fiction.I was born in Bakersfield, California and abandoned by my parents in Seattle, Washington. After living in the foster care system for some years, I was eventually adopted. I’ve lived in Idaho, Washington, California, Virginia, and now make my home in Texas. My wife and I have four grown children, of whom we are justifiably proud, not because we were such good parents but because God is good.
Using the name Dan Arnold, I’ve written several westerns and an illustrated book on the training of horses, in addition to authoring and/or contributing to numerous technical manuals and articles in various publications and periodicals.
As a horse trainer and clinician (I trained performance horses for twenty five years), I had occasion to travel extensively and I’ve been blessed to work with a variety of horses and people in amazing circumstances and locations.
I’ve herded cattle in Texas, chased kangaroos on horseback through the Australian Outback, guided pack-trips into the Sierras and the Colorado Rockies, conditioned and trained thoroughbred race horses, galloped a warmblood on the bank of a canal surveyed by George Washington. Along the way I spent uncounted, delightful hours breaking bread with unique characters in diverse parts of the world.
At one (brief) point I was one of the 3% of fine visual artists who earned their entire income from sales of their art. Most of that time my family suffered from living with a starving artist. I’m a painter, sculptor and writer.
Under the name Daniel Roland Banks, I write contemporary detective thrillers. I’m a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Western Writers of America.
My book ANGELS & IMPERFECTIONS was selected as finalist in the Christian Fiction category in the 2015 Reader’s Favorites Book Award contest.
In 2013, after 40+ years of searching, I found and got reacquainted with my half-brother and a host of relatives from my mother’s side of the family.
I can’t sing or dance, but I’d like to think I’m considered an engaging public speaker, an accomplished horseman and an excellent judge of single malt Scotch.
Genres
Free Book Giveaways
Bear Creek
When former Texas Ranger, John Everett Sage, steps off a train to stretch his legs, he puts his foot into something that will change his life forever. A run away horse leads him in a new direction, one that will pull all the disparate elements of his life together. John will find his family, only to see them travel away in search of their own destiny. He’ll face new responsibilities, his personal limitations and the evil intentions of desperate men whose souls are lost to greed.
Along the way he’ll win the trust of a community, the support of a governor and the love of a woman. Even though the newspapers will probably get it wrong, as Colorado prepares to enter the twentieth century, John Everett Sage will become part of the legend of the west.
