At age fifteen, Dustin began working as a lion and tiger trainer at the Siberian Tiger Foundation near his home in Ohio. He worked there for eight years throughout high school and college. Instead ...view moreAt age fifteen, Dustin began working as a lion and tiger trainer at the Siberian Tiger Foundation near his home in Ohio. He worked there for eight years throughout high school and college. Instead of going to Ohio State to major in zoology and become the next Jungle Jack Hannah, Dustin went to college to become a preacher. After college, Dustin spent a year traveling North America, the Middle East, and Europe as the personal assistant to an author named Josh McDowell. That year inspired his desire to be an author. He has written nine books—five novels, three, nonfiction, and one autobiography.Eventually, Dustin decided to end his career as a preacher and join the military. Entering the military was a difficult task because, during his junior year of college, Dustin had testicular cancer. In 2010, after five years of being rejected because of his history of cancer, the military let him in. Dustin served nine years, the last six as a public affairs officer. He deployed on missions in Peru, Kosovo, and Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. He resigned as a captain. Since then, he has worked as a government speechwriter for a foreign development agency, a position he was appointed to by the White House. Dustin has degrees in religion and international politics.One of Dustin’s favorite books, 1984, opens on April 4, 1984 with Winston Smith rebelling against the totalitarian state of Ingsoc by writing down his own thoughts in a journal. Dustin was born the day before on April 3, 1984. He likes to think that on the day he was born Winston was struggling over whether or not to continue hiding that he was a freethinker or be outwardly defiant, and on Dustin’s birthday Winston made the decision that the next day he would.view less