I’m excited to talk about my first book here in the Authors’ Lounge, the title is “The Boy Who Skated with Dragons” this book is about a boy who is very shy and afraid of talking to people so it is very difficult for him to talk to other kids and make friends, he has a very active imagination and imagines that he has dragons as his friends, he even gets his mother to sew him a dragon costume so that he can be like the dragons he creates in his mind, this is fun for him but he still feels very alone because he wants to have a connection with other kids that he sees playing together in the park.

One day he discovers skateboarding and becomes infatuated with it, he finds a skateboard and starts to skate, he feels so alive and excited to be riding a skateboard even though it is not easy at first. Over time he is able to make friends  and build confidence in himself, skateboarding really helps him learn to believe in himself and follow his dreams, he realizes that he is capable of so much more than he even imagined. The boy becomes really good at skateboarding and wants to share it with so many other kids and inspire them to work hard towards their goals since he was able to bring his dreams to life.

The boy overcomes his insecurities and struggles and finds meaning and purpose in his life.  The story is very inspirational for kids, especially those who may struggle with being shy, it is relatable and real and teaches that we all have gifts and talents that we can use to inspire others and make a positive impact. Everyone struggles with something in life and even through our struggles we can all accomplish amazing things when we work hard and don’t give up. It’s not always easy to stay positive so it’s good to find other people who can inspire us or be there to talk. 

I am a professional skateboarder and I worked really hard to accomplish that childhood dream, it took a lot of hardwork, time, patience, dedication, failure after failure and wasn’t always easy to keep working towards that goal of mine, there were times when I wanted to give up because it was not easy to get sponsors and recognition that I needed to make it in the skateboard industry. I learned that falling is part of the process whether it’s learning a new trick or getting rejected, it’s important to get up and keep trying, there is more than one way to reach a goal.

I always struggled a lot with being shy, self conscious and insecure growing up, I never really believed that I was good enough or that people liked me, I wanted to fit in and be liked by others but I always felt different because it was not easy for me to interact with people. Skateboarding really helped me make friends and build confidence in myself, it gave me something that I could do with other people and not have to talk much. Skateboarding also gave me freedom and an escape from my struggles, I would focus on something positive that was also fun and exciting.

Drawing and writing has always been a positive outlet for me to express myself in a creative way along with skateboarding, that is why I decided to create my first book “The Boy Who Skated with Dragons” My goal was to inspire kids through my artwork and writing with a postive message and incorporate skateboarding into it as well. I had set this new goal for myself and accomplished it in 2014 when it was published.

Once “The Boy Who Skated Withy Dragons” was published it gave me so many amazing opportunities to reach out to kids, I was able to share the book at schools, libraries, youth centers, skateboard shops, skate parks, coffee shops and some of my book readings at schools I nwas able to do a skateboard demo for the kids and it brought so much joy to them, it feels good to make such an amazing impact on kiids through my books and skating, I never imagined that I would be able to do all of these things, I also learned to push myself and grow as aperson while challenging myself and insecurities.

I’m happy that I found the Authors’ Lounge because it’s another place for me to share my story and hopefully inspire others. I have a second book called “A Journey Of Dreams: The Adventures of Dex and James” it is a follow up to my first book and was published in 2016, I’m currently working on a 3rd book called “Super Dragon Skater Boy” I hope to raise the money to publish the book and then I will be doanting copies of the book to kids in need.

You can see more about it on Instagram @superdragonskaterboy My personal Instagram is @jimbates4 where you can see lots of my skateboarding and my youtube channel as well www.youtube.com/killjimbates I also started a small skateboard griptape company called Dragon griptape based on the character I drew for my books, Instagram @dragon_griptape I’m excited to see where the journey takes me next with my books and skateboarding, thank you to the writer’s lounge for a chance to share.

My first two books and dragon griptape are available in my online store here https://www.etsy.com/shop/boywhoskatedwdragons www.dragonskateco.com