These Books Made Me: "The Han Solo Adventures"

by Dan Stout in


As a kid, I loved everything Star Wars. The characters, the drama...  Those movies planted seeds for the expanded adventures I had with Han, Luke, & Leia wherever my stubby little legs could carry me and my Darth vader helmet full of Kenner action figures. 

But just as much as I loved the movies, I loved the books. That's right, the books.

"Han Solo at Star's End" and its sequels ("Han Solo's Revenge" and "Han Solo and the Lost Legacy") blew my little kiddie mind.

First released in 1979, they were windows into full adventures just like the ones that I'd had with toys, but fully fleshed out, and introducing a full cast of characters beyond the ones I'd grown to love through the films.

The trilogy covers Han & Chewie's adventures before the films began. It'll probably come as no surprise that they're depicted as smugglers with hearts of gold. They may complain along the way, but when push comes to shove, they always set aside their own interests to help out those less fortunate than them. 

I can't objectively say how well these books are written, as I haven't revisited since childhood. But I can say this: as a kid, they were friggin' magical. I read and re-read them, bringing them along on family vacations and into all my favorite secret reading spots tucked away in the backyard, where I felt I was in a world of my own.

Today, I cite these books as the reason I have a goal of some day writing tie-in fiction. As a kid thrilling along to Han and Chewie's adventures, the author's name didn't mean anything to me -- I had no idea who this "Brian Daley" guys was -- but I did know that he had the coolest job ever.

The chance to play in someone else's sandbox is pretty irresistable. To dive into the thoughts and feelings of your favorite characters, to tell new stories that explore deeper questions... and then to share them with other fans? That's like having the best action figures ever.

And I wasn't the only one who felt that way. Brian Daley's Han Solo novels were embraced by the later Star Wars writers, leaving a thumbprint on the wider "expanded universe" of novels, comics, and short stories. Later books made mention of the events in this trilogy, and their influence has trickled down to the current batch of films and stories. 

Not too bad for a few books about a smuggler and a wookie up to no good.

I'm Dan Stout, a joyfully collaborative storyteller who loves rocket ships, dinosaurs, and monsters that skulk through shadows.

"The Hula-Hoop Heart" at The Columbus Arts Festival

by Dan Stout


I had a great time reading at the Columbus Arts Festival this weekend. I appeared on the OHIO Magazine Word is Art Stage as part of a diverse lineup of writers and essayists which included fellow Writeshop members Jordan Kurella and Jeannine Jordan.

Thanks to everyone who rallied against the heat and came out to support the arts!

I'm Dan Stout, a joyfully collaborative storyteller who loves rocket ships, dinosaurs, and monsters that skulk through shadows.

The 2017 Campbell Anthology

by Dan Stout


Author Jake Kerr has assembled work from 75 authors who are eligible for the 2017 Campbell award for best new writer. The final product -- Event Horizon 2017 -- is currently available for free download until June 15, 2017. 

Jake reports that a print version will be available for purchase soon. 

I'm happy to report that my story, "Ghosts, Bigfoot, and Free Lunches" is included, along with work by a vast number of terrific writers. Check it out if you get a chance!

I'm Dan Stout, a joyfully collaborative storyteller who loves rocket ships, dinosaurs, and monsters that skulk through shadows.

Little Libraries

by Dan Stout


I love Little Libraries, both as a way to build community and a way to share literature. And I'm so happy to be part of the Hemingway Shorts collection, which will be distributed to Little Libraries around the Chicago area. 

If you want to learn more about Little Libraries or The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, just follow these links or let Google be your guide. They're both well worth checking out!

I'm Dan Stout, a joyfully collaborative storyteller who loves rocket ships, dinosaurs, and monsters that skulk through shadows.

STEM Romances

by Dan Stout


The Romance genre has undergone a major transformation with the advent of e-books and mobile readers. The pool of authors has changed, and so have the readers. And with new readers and creators come new expectations.

One of the most interesting of these shifts has been in the roles, interests, and occupations of women characters. Specifically, the increase in characters who work in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). These women provide readers -- especially young readers-- the chance to see women as having both brains and bodies, logic and emotion, rather than being constrained to only one at a time.

If you'd like to learn more about these kind of romance novels, this NPR article by Maya Rodale looks at three modern romances with female leads in the STEM fields, and is a great introduction. 

I'm Dan Stout, a joyfully collaborative storyteller who loves rocket ships, dinosaurs, and monsters that skulk through shadows.

"Autumn's Daughter" in Andromeda Spaceways

by Dan Stout in


My story "Autumn's Daughter" is in the latest issue of Andromeda Spaceways. It's about parenthood, and how the fear of that staggering responsibility battles with the desire to protect and provide for your children.
It's also got creepy clowns and a lot of running around and screaming in the woods. Because those things are part of parenthood as well.

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I'm Dan Stout, a joyfully collaborative storyteller who loves rocket ships, dinosaurs, and monsters that skulk through shadows.

Books, Storytelling, & New Friends

by Dan Stout


I spent the weekend at the World Fantasy Convention. The panels & lectures were interesting, but the real magic was in the casual conversations at the bar and in the hallways. I was amazed by how many talented and kind-hearted people

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I'm Dan Stout, a joyfully collaborative storyteller who loves rocket ships, dinosaurs, and monsters that skulk through shadows.

Cast a Deadly Spell turns 25

by Dan Stout


Today marks twenty-five years since HBO’s CAST A DEADLY SPELL was released onto an unexpecting TV audience. A Lovecraftian horror story laced with comedy and cast in a noir mold, it’s a mad mix of genres that preceded both the Urban Fantasy boom in fiction and the rising tide of pop-culture Cthulhu mania...

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I'm Dan Stout, a joyfully collaborative storyteller who loves rocket ships, dinosaurs, and monsters that skulk through shadows.

Cover Art

by Dan Stout


I love it when a publisher illustrates one of my stories, but in this case my story IS the illustration. Designed by Ogilvy & Mather, the cover of the Hemingway Shorts collection features a silhouette of Hemingway created solely with text from my story, "A Memory of Elephants."

Every time I look at it, I can't stop smiling.

I'm about halfway through the book, and I'm tremendously impressed with the quality of the work included. Hats off to the other authors, editor David Berner, and the production team at the Hemingway Foundation.

I'm Dan Stout, a joyfully collaborative storyteller who loves rocket ships, dinosaurs, and monsters that skulk through shadows.