On a hunt to find new wholesome reading material for his children, a Saskatchewan resident decided to take things into his own hands.
Jason Weening, podcaster, speaker and father of 10 kids between four months and 18 years old, decided to add author to his list of titles.
"If you walk through any of the big bookstores and you go through the kid's or youth section, you find a lot of witches, vampires and horror teddy bears," said Weening. "I think we can do better than that for our kids. So, I thought maybe I could write something."
That's when Weening came up with the idea to create Riders of the Lost Reptiles: Danger in the Jungle, a story inspired by his kid's love for dinosaurs, Jurassic Park, Indiana Boys and Hardy Boys. It took just under two years to write, starting in early 2022 and wrapping up last December.
"It released on Amazon about two months ago, and I've had lots of moms and dads reading it to their kids," said Weening. "People are loving it."
He says Riders of the Lost Reptiles: Danger in the Jungle is filled with high-paced adventures, danger, family and dinosaur riding, and is targeted toward kids ages 8-12 years.
"It's hopefully going to be a trilogy," said Weening. "I have parents asking me when the next book is coming out."
Weening says he is about halfway through writing his second novel, with hopes to have it completed by the end of the month.
On top of writing, Jason is also a podcast co-host of Helping Men Thrive.
"My friend and I were talking. We had a lot of good friends who were winning at work but losing at home, so we put some content out to encourage dads to be intentional with their families and husbands to be intentional in their marriage and learn from their mistakes."
To learn more about Riders of the Lost Reptiles: Danger in the Jungle or Helping Men Thrive visit heydads.ca