Good question, I suppose. it’s Dan Case.

No, not the Writing for Dollars Dan Case. He lives in Texas, I live in Arkansas. I’ve never met him, never read anything he’s written, never even spoken to him on the phone. But, since I started writing again I’ve had a lot of people ask if I’m him. I’d say I’m sorry, but I really am not—I’d much rather be me.

I’m the other Dan Case, freelance writer, speaker, actor, musician, cat lover, and a Radio Broadcast geek. Yeah, I know—who’d have thought that a radio geek could speak, write, act, and play music, too. Amazing, eh?

I live in Arkansas, “The Natural State.” I think they came up with that nickname because there’s a whole lot of nothing (aka “natural areas”) between the inhabited dots on the Arkansas map. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve lived in a lot of places, and Arkansas is one of the best, with the exception of the heat and humidity of summer. That’s the price we pay for an easy winter, a price I can handle. I grew up in Erie, PA, one of the world’s best places for those who love “lake effect” snow. I’ve had enough of that to last well beyond the rest of my life.

As a freelance writer, I’m writing for some magazines and working on a couple of novels. I was first published in 1990.

As a speaker and actor, I’m working on getting “restarted.” Before I took a break from it all, I was routinely doing speaking engagements and original dramatic monologues. In my past, there are a lot of community theater performances, and once I was actually paid to sing in an operetta.

No, seriously. C’mon, quit laughing! I really sang with a professional opera company once. They were desperate for someone to do a role that had a lot of on-stage time but only one speaking line and no solos. I was a stand-in for a young pro who had been mugged in Chicago and was in no condition to stand up, much less sing. They tolerated my singing to use my acting skills — or at least they tried to tolerate my voice. I’m a good singer, but I ain’t no opera star.

As a musician, I’m a brass player and singer. I play 2nd Cornet in the Natural State Brass Band, a British-style brass band based in Little Rock. I also play trumpet, flugelhorn, and occasionally cornet in the Worship Band at Parkway Place Church in Little Rock, where my wife Sharon and I are members.

As a Radio Engineer, I am the Director of Engineering/MIS for Citadel Broadcasting Comany’s Little Rock stations. I’ve been there over 10 years.

My wife Sharon and I have been married for over 16 years. Our daughter, Sara, is a teacher at Gibbs Magnet School in Little Rock, where she teaches German at the Elemetary (K-5) level. Sara was Sharon’s daughter before she was mine (we were both married before), but she’s definitely mine, too. I adopted Sara in 1992, and I’m extremely proud of the woman that she has become.

I am a blatant Christian. I don’t go around trying to beat people up and use my faith as a weapon. My faith in Christ is a part of who I am, and it’s reflected in my writing, my speaking, and hopefully in everything I do. If I offend you with my faith, I won’t apologize. There are times when I’ve been offended, too — and many of those times, I really needed to be offended, and I’m glad someone was willing to tell me what I needed to hear. Feel free to challenge me if you feel the urge.

I’m passionate about grace, restoration, and healing for broken hearts. I think I’m in pretty good company. Those are things that God is passionate about, too.