In 1994, after returning from a mission’s trip to the Ukraine where he ministered at some of that country’s toughest prisons, Darrell received a postcard from a literary agent. The invitation to submit his work for possible publication turned out to be a come-on. However, that postcard piqued an aspiration that had lain dormant in Darrell since high school. He decided to try his hand at writing.

As with most budding authors, Darrell didn’t know how to write. Despite his talent as a vivid storyteller, his lack of attention in school left him with a lot to learn about the technicalities of English usage. Published in 1996, his revised version of Never Ending Spring was one of the first eBooks. An earlier version of it sold six copies. That same year Darrell began writing for a daily devotional titled “Call to Glory.” Today that publication has grown to the point where it’s considered the standard of daily devotions. According to its website, “Call to Glory” prints and distributes well over 30,000 copies per month.

In addition to writing devotionals, Darrell continued penning novels and being turned down by publishers, sometimes to the tune of two or three rejections a day.

In 2009, Darrell tucked in the manuscript of his inspirational non-fiction work, Live Life to the Fullest, with some gifts his wife was sending to friends. They read it and suggested he self- publish the book. Surprisingly, the first printing sold out quickly. This inspired Darrell to publish Out of Darkness, a Christian murder mystery, followed by a new rendition of Never Ending Spring. Today Darrell has eight books in print, with his ninth, Tales from My Back Porch, to be released in June 2017.

Darrell’s time continues to be divided between jail and prison ministry and writing.