Mom’s Choice Awards is excited to announce another post in our interview series where we chat with the inventors, designers, publishers, and others behind some of our favorite family-friendly products.
Hello, Mom’s Choice readers! Thank you for joining us for another segment of our interview series! For this interview, we had the pleasure of speaking with Daniel E. Brown, the author of the MCA award-winning book, Second House From the Corner. This is Daniel’s third book to win an MCA and the second interview he has done with us! Second House From the Corner is a story about a young boy in heartland America who gets an opportunity to earn enough money to buy himself a new bicycle. While the young boy is on the job, laying on the ground he finds something that changes his life forever! Keep reading to find out more about Second House From the Corner as well as its author, Daniel E Brown!
MCA: Hi Daniel! Thank you for joining us again and congratulations on your third Mom’s choice award! Second House From the Corner is such a fun and inciteful read. You’ve stated that you drew a lot of this story from your time as a “Dew Worm” picker during your childhood. Can we start the interview by you telling us more about your background?
Daniel E. Brown with his wife of 40 years
Daniel: At 62, I am a certified, qualified, and tested Grand-Dad. That may be my most favorite title! Growing up, in a farm country in Illinois, I played just about whatever sport was in season. I was fortunate to earn 7 varsity letters in high school. After Graduating from Gibson City High School, I played football at the University of Illinois and at Mississippi State. Which means I was bi-lingual once I mastered the proficient use of the word “Y’all.” While at MSU, I married a young lady who is so Southern that she could get 3 syllables out of the word “cake.” We have now been married for 40 years. She has that word down to just 2 syllables now.
Hobbies? Anything interesting and “phun.” My wife and I have taken the time to travel to Panama and Russia on church-related mission work. Kids are the same no matter what the language in this big ole’ world. They are always quick to smile and look for the best in people. And it is our job to provide that for them even if our time with them is only for a few weeks.
MCA: 40 years, congratulations! With all of that international travel and mission work, it sounds like you two have had quite a life together! What lead you on your path to becoming a writer?
Daniel: The pathway for me to become a writer was possibly that I am a natural storyteller. I used to tell my kids a story right before they turned out the light to go to sleep. To my “southern” wife’s credit, she said, “You really ought to write these stories down. You may one day forget them.” I did sit down and spent the better part of one year writing down up to 20 some-odd stories. I placed them into a box and lost that box for 30 years. While cleaning my garage in 2018, I found those old stories. What inspired me to follow through and have a book published was the thought that one day, maybe my Grandkids will read one of my stories to their Grandkids? That was the lone and primary purpose. It was a goal to leave something tangible in the form of a “story” to my grandchildren’s grandchildren.
MCA: We know that you drew from your childhood when writing Second House From the Corner. Can you elaborate a bit on how exactly the book came to be and the inspiration that was behind it?
Daniel: The Second House from the Corner was a real place. Mr. Harold Rhodes had a fish bait business in Gibson City IL. He sold fish worms, which he called “Dew Worms” to the local fishermen. Mr. Rhodes back in 1967 paid us 2 cents for each worm that we brought to him. As a kid in that age in time, we could make 5 dollars in a night’s work. That was huge money for being just 10 years old. As a kid with a flashlight in the night, and several hours to dream and imagine, that set the stage for the thought of “What if I ever found something valuable?” A child’s imagination sets the stage for this book.
MCA: What are some of the key lessons found in Second House From the Corner?
Daniel: Hang in there, and pay attention. In almost every setting in life, you may come across an exciting opportunity whether you are 10 or 110.
“Second House From the Corner” Book Cover
MCA: What has the response to Second House From the Corner been like from readers?
Daniel: I would have to say that responses are all different. Most of the children read or hear the story and it opens up the door of “I wonder if…….?”
MCA: Second House From the Corner really centers around how important a first job can be in shaping a person’s life. In your opinion, why is a person’s first job so important?
Daniel: A first job is really cool in that you receive value or money for the first time in your life. I was so excited to have a $5 bill, a 50 cent piece, a quarter and three pennies as a 10-year-old. That money was right there in my blue jeans as I rode my bicycle home. What a treasure!
MCA: If you could ensure readers of your book walk away with one main lesson, what would it be?
Daniel: Hang in there, you may one day be surprised at what you come across in your normal day. Try hard to recognize “opportunity” when it crosses your path.
MCA: That is some great advice, thank you, Daniel!
You can learn more about Daniel E. Brown and his award-winning book, Second House From the Corner, by visiting his MCA Shop pages.
