My Story

With 20 published books since 2014, I guess you could say I’m one of the more prolific non-fiction authors in Australia. I love it, and when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. Well, until an editor tells me a deadline’s approaching! But that’s exciting too, because it means the story I’ve been cultivating for months, or years, is close to being published. And whether it’s book No. 1 or book 21 (released in 2026), the thrill of receiving that first copy of a new book is my ‘Grand Final moment’, where, finally, I get to reflect on and enjoy the journey that story took me on; the people I interviewed; the unknown snippets of ‘gold’ I unearthed; and the rewarding feeling of knowing I accomplished what I set out to achieve.

For me, the writing, interviewing and researching process is addictive; just like reading was addictive when I was a kid and definitely throughout my high school years.

It was during high school that I first got belted across the head by the then rarely spoken ‘D’ word—Depression. That’s a common word today, we all know someone who suffers from it, but in the 1990s I didn’t know anyone who had it. So, in what is already a challenging phase of your life—puberty, fitting in, and all that—I then had this unspoken word weighing me down. And as I was to later learn (much later, unfortunately, as an early diagnosis would have been very helpful in navigating ‘humanhood’), I also had Asperger’s, which, on its own, is a 24/7 nightmare. Lump depression and anxiety on top, and it’s a bloody hell.

Ironically, the ‘Aspy’ part of my make-up became the key to finding my calling, and excelling once I did. For all the awful things it can do to your mind and body—struggling with textures, noises, temperatures, environments, and lots more—it also produces something in your brain that enables you to become so focused and passionate and driven and creative and obsessed that, when you work out what the heck you actually love doing, you will channel all your energy into that thing. There’s no holding you back, then!

From a young age, I was obsessive about reading, watching and collecting anything related to sport and history that I could get my hands on. My wonderful parents were no doubt driven insane trying to deal with my demands around “don’t bend that newspaper, I need to keep that article!” Weird kid, right? But, once I finally realised what I was destined to do, those mountains of old newspapers, books and other material became a treasure trove of information that I was able to draw from when writing my books. In fact, just before I sat down to write this, I was flipping through some old newspapers for another book I’m working on. Thanks for being patient and obedient, Mum and Dad!

The depression never goes away, much like Russell Crowe’s character in one of my all-time fave movies, ‘A Beautiful Mind’. It doesn’t go away, but you learn to carry it on your shoulder without it totally dragging you down or holding you back from chasing your dreams.

I’m in my 40s now (“Really, that old? You’ve maintained your looks”, I hear you say), and I live with it 24/7, but despite different medications, hospital stays, a (failed but expensive) hypnotist, and countless other means of trying to kill off the dreaded ‘Big D’, what has proven most successful is the writing, researching and interviewing. That’s the reason I’ve been so dedicated and passionate and driven and prolific over this past 15 years, because unlike everything else I’ve tried, nothing has eased the anxiety, the negative thoughts, the doubts and fears anywhere near what the process of writing a book has done.

How did the first book come about, the one that changed my life? I’m one of four kids, and in 1996 my mum drove us the 3-4 hours from our farm in Numurkah to Melbourne to witness the AFL Grand Final Parade. After the cars drove away, we were walking through the Bourke Street Mall when I spotted an elderly man in a trenchcoat wandering alone. No one else recognised him but me. It was the great Dick Reynolds, arguably (definitely, in my mind) the greatest player in footy history; certainly Essendon’s greatest. When I rushed up for an autograph from “Mr Reynolds”, he was shocked that this 15-year-old recognised him. And I was shocked that he was shocked!

That brief ‘shocking’ encounter led to me always looking for a book on his life, but as the years went on, I never found one. Finally, in my mid-20s, struggling to hold down a job or maintain a relationship—a reoccurring theme throughout my life—I decided, without any understanding of what it would entail, that I would be the one to write Dick’s story. Four years later, King Richard: The Story of Dick Reynolds, a 700-page tome, arrived at my door, during which time I’d interviewed over 200 people, completed a Master of Arts degree on Dick’s early life (which taught me how to actually write!), and, importantly, had led me down a path that I would never now consider stepping away from.

I’d found what I was meant to do, and the rest is history. Okay, there’s a lot more I’m skipping over, (like how I went on to write a PhD on another footballing icon, Alex Jesaulenko) but I’m sure you’re sick of reading about me—if you even made it this far. If you have, thank you.

For what it’s worth, I’m a father of two boys now, Ernie and Henry, and teaching them to read and follow their dreams will be central to my education for them. To always knock on doors in pursuit of what you are passionate about. I had a proud dad moment a while back. Someone stopped Ernie (five years old at the time) and asked, “Young man, who’s your favourite footballer?” They expected a stock-standard response: “Buddy Franklin” or “Joe Daniher”. Instead, they nearly fell off their chair when Ern replied, “Dick Reynolds!” Clearly, I’m on the right track.

To view and purchase my books, visit the SHOP section at the top of the page. Below is a list of what I’ve written thus far. By the way, I’m always seeking new, best-selling story ideas, so if you have one, reach out via the CONTACT section and let me know.

My editor once said about my approach, “Dan has the ability to draw out stories from people that they didn’t initially intend sharing”. I think the reason for this is, they see very quickly that I’m genuinely interested in their life and their stories, that, given everything I’ve endured throughout my own personal battles in life, I’m able to better empathise with other people’s struggles and the little wins we all have along the way.

As I battle to try and keep up with everchanging modern times, I’ve added podcaster and filmmaker to my repertoire. With the podcasting, I’m aiming to interview every living past Essendon player (it’s called The Red & Black Project), coach and president to build up a priceless oral history collection for present and future generations of Bomber people to learn from. And I do a similar thing with my local club, Leongatha Football Netball Club (the Talking Parrots Podcast), which has been a great way to connect the different generations in the community.

I also go into people’s homes (invited, not through the window!) and put their life story on film for their families to cherish. It’s called My Eternal Films, and is a great way to preserve your mum, dad, grandparent or weird uncle’s memories forever. If you want to get your loved one’s story on film, click on that CONTACT page and reach out.

Thanks for buying and reading my books, I really appreciate it. Hope you get as much enjoyment out of reading them as I did writing them.

Dr Dan—October 2025
(Yep, I’m a doctor, believe it or not. I can’t cure your serious health concerns, but I can write the death certificate!)

My sole works:
Book 1: King Richard: The Story of Dick Reynolds (2014)
Book 2: Skills of Australian Football (2016)
Book 3: Larrikins & Legends: The Untold Story of Carlton’s Greatest Era (2017)
Book 4: Always Striving: The Key Moments that have Made the Essendon Football Club (2017)
Book 5: The Norm Smith Medallists (2018)
Book 6: Crimmo: The Peter Crimmins Story (2020)
Book 7: A Football Genius: The Peter Hudson Story (2022)
Book 8: The Red & Black Collection (2022)
Book 9: Brilliance and Brutality: Richmond, Carlton & the Grand Finals of 1969, 1972 & 1973 (2023)
Book 10: Just Browny: The Greg Brown Story (2025)
Book 11: The MCG Trust (working title, to be released in 2026).

My co-written works:
Book 12: Sport In Victoria: A History (2013)
Book 13: The Will to Fly (2016)
Book 14: Champions: Conversations with Great Players & Coaches of Australian Football (2016)
Book 15: The Shinboners: The Complete History of the North Melbourne Football Club since 1869 (2017)
Book 16: Nova: Finding My Voice (2018)
Book 17: Grand Finals Volume III (2019)
Book 18: Legends of the Australian Football Hall of Fame (2019)
Book 19: The Three-Peat: History of Hawthorn Football Club 2009-2021 (2022)
Book 20: We Are Geelong: The Pictorial Story of Geelong’s Campaign to Win a 10th VFL/AFL Premiership (2022)
Book 21: Collingwood Forever: The Epic Story of Collingwood’s 2023 Premiership (2023)

“Dan’s talk brought a hush to the hall as every pair of ears absorbed the details. His genuine presentation showed no signs of artifice; it was simply an invitation into a world of uncertainty, in which Dan’s allies have supported him throughout.”

Matt Langdon, Founder of the Hero Round Table

In 2013, Dan successfully completed a Master of Arts degree at Victoria University. Then, in 2016, he was awarded a scholarship through Federation University Australia to write his PhD on Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend, Alex Jesaulenko, which was completed in 2019. He has also been published in Inside Sport Magazine and the AFL Grand Final Record. 

Dan and his sons, Ernie and Henry, live in Leongatha, in Victoria’s picturesque Gippsland region, with their loyal sidekick Dennis the border collie.