Book Lover: Life Skills Coach Writes Fable About Finding Purpose

I am excited to be interviewing my cousin, fellow book lover, Fletcher A. Davis. He is a life skills coach who works with at-risk foster children in the Chicago area. He is married and has three children and a granddaughter.

Fletcher Davis likes to write and spend time with his family. In fact, he wrote a children’s book dedicated to his granddaughter. His book is called Never-the-less. He describes it as “a simple fable with many meanings (personal, social, spiritual, political) that everyone can enjoy, regardless of age.”

He said the book can stand the test of time. Read more below.

Question: What inspired you to write Never-the-Less?

Answer: I’ve always worked with children, and during down time, for instance while waiting for visits to start, I would come up with little short stories to entertain them. I worked with my agency’s Steps to Life Program early on. While working with that program, we took the kids to camp every year and that’s where I honed my storytelling skills.

What pushed me to actually put pen to paper and write this story was the birth of my granddaughter. I thought that it would be a great gift from me – her first book being a story written by her grandfather, dedicated to her.

Q: Did you get to choose the illustrator of the book? Have you ever met him (Archangelo Crelencia)?

A: I am good friends with the illustrator – we’ve known each other for years. We worked very well together to bring my vision of the story to life visually.

Q: What was the easiest/hardest part about writing/publishing Never-the-Less?

A: The easiest part was being creative, and working with someone I was good friends with, whose work I trusted and respected. It just clicked. He had published two books of his own, so he knew the ins and outs of getting the project published.

The hardest part for me was waiting to see the finished product and hoping the reviews from the public were good.

Q: What books did you read as a child?

A: I read a lot of comic books. My dad, a truck driver, was an avid comic book reader. He’d pick them up on his routes and bring them home. My favorites were Conan the Barbarian and Spiderman.

Q: Are you working on another writing project?

A: Yes, I am working on two books at this time: a sci-fi detective story called Sun Fall, and a psychological thriller called Hash.

Q: How has what happened to George Floyd affected you? 

A: It has strengthened my resolve, as a black man in America, to be the best that I can be.  No one is promised tomorrow. I will fight for the rights of my people and all people in America. I will do this the best way I know how – through my writing and through the work I do with children.  What happened to George Floyd should not have happened and saddens me deeply. If his death brings about massive change in America and around the world, I am happy to pay honor to him.  I hope, through my work, to say “My brother, you did not die in vain.”