About Justin De Santos
I’ve Always Been A Dreamer
I have always spent a lot of time in my imagination. Growing up, I was often told that my head was always in the clouds. Even as a child, I was drawn to characters, stories, and worlds that felt bigger than ordinary life. Stories entertained me, but the best ones also stayed with me.
I’m a ’90s kid, and I miss the days when many of the sitcoms I loved could make you laugh for an entire episode while still leaving you with something meaningful at the end. They explored honesty, friendship, patience, responsibility, family, and the consequences of our choices without sacrificing the entertainment.
That balance shapes the kind of writer I am today.
As a father and someone who spent years working in an elementary school, I have seen how ordinary childhood moments can feel enormous when you are still learning how to navigate the world. Waiting can feel unbearable. Sharing can feel unfair. Telling the truth can feel frightening. Making the right choice is not always easy.
I create stories children genuinely enjoy and parents are happy to share with them. Stories that make children laugh, help them recognize themselves, and give families something meaningful to talk about after the final page.
How Timmy Began
I have always believed that lessons can be learned through stories. As the saying goes, “Experience is the best teacher.” Although, whenever possible, I would prefer that it be someone else’s experience. Stories allow us to learn from another person’s choices without having to make every mistake ourselves.
The idea for Timmy came to me a few years ago when one of my children was three. I told him he could do something, but he needed to wait five minutes first. As many parents of young children can probably imagine, the waiting did not go over particularly well.
The moment stayed with me. I found myself wishing there were a story I could read to him that would help him understand patience in a way that simply telling him to wait could not.
That thought eventually became Timmy.
His first story follows an excited six-year-old navigating a birthday filled with presents, friends, games, cake, and several moments when waiting feels especially difficult. Through humor, heart, and relatable childhood choices, the story explores patience, self-control, and the idea that some of life’s best moments are worth waiting for.
Timmy is not perfect, and that is the point. He feels deeply, makes choices children can understand, and learns through what he experiences. My hope is that children will see something of themselves in him and carry the lesson into their own lives.
