Later in life I decided to become a school teacher and that is when I came up with the idea to write The Adventures of Gunpowder and Conrad. For several years I taught 4th and 5th grade Reading class where I would sit for hours everyday and read with my students. Many of these students were rural kids that struggled with formal language so I searched for ways to gradually introduce books that appealed to their interest. After the love of reading was established then I could gradually challenge them with more difficult reading. After a little asking around I found out their interest was exactly what mine were as a child which included horses, dogs, cattle, hunting, exploring, fishing, tractors, and the like.

When I would visit my grandmother as a child, I would get her to tell me about my father, Conrad, as a little boy and his first horse, Gunpowder. The Adventures of Gunpowder and Conrad is a combination of events that occured between my father and his first horse but also events that occurred between myself and the different horses that I grew up riding. I also wanted to make this novel unique so the story is told from the horse's perspective. In addition the story is inner twined with horse care and good horsemanship that would benefit the novice horse owner. I also wanted this book to be extremely child friendly, giving very positive messages such as caring for animals, strong work ethics, a loving family, and Christian values.