Dean Hughes
Dean Hughes was born in 1943 Utah. As an adult he taught English at Central Missouri State University and creative writing at Brigham Young University, being also a husband to Lorraine Hughes and a father to their three children, Tom, Amy, and Robert. In the meanwhile, he cultivated a passion for his own writing. To Meridian Magazine, he described his journey:
I was 34 when I finally sold that historical novel, Under the Same Stars, to Deseret Book, so I had been trying for 17 years and it was the fourth book I had written. All this was ever so much more complicated than this summary may imply, and the truth is that I quit a dozen times but then couldn't ever 'stay quit.'
Under the Same Stars is a historical fiction. While focusing mostly on this genre throughout all of his books, Hughes has acknowledged both a humorous and serious side to every story. He mentioned in a Something About the Author bio that he wants to write "entertaining" works, but also:
My goal is to write some works that are truly fine pieces of art. I love writing. I love the freedom, the creativity and the wonderful feedback I get from kids, librarians and teachers. I want to make young people think and feel and care—there are too many forces pushing them in the opposite directions.
Hughes knew even back when he was a kid how meaningful books could be, the way he still knows it today. As he put it himself:
When I was kid I always told people I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Well, I've accomplished the first part: I'm a writer. Now if I can just grow up.
