I'm
J. Dallas Brooks

About

I'm a writer based in Colorado.

As a proud member of Generation X, I was influenced by the popular culture and stories of the 1980s, when stories were fun, action-packed, and for the pure enjoyment of the reader. As an Air Force veteran with over 26 years of Cybersecurity experience at the Pentagon, NORAD, US Space Command, and others, I write thrillers, science fiction, and even historical biographies with a military theme. I'm represented by Brandy Vallance of the Barbara Bova Literary Agency.

Services

My Story

I was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1979, a 7th generation Georgian. My father worked for Southern Railways (later Norfolk Southern), and I grew up in the typical Gen X fashion. Being outside with my friends, riding bicycles, playing video games, swimming and cooking out on the grill, and dreaming about the future.

dallas in a cowboy hat at 2 years old.jpg

It was actually my granny, born in 1934, who introduced me to video games on her TI-99. Some of my favorite childhood memories are playing games like Alpiner and MunchMan on the old console before we moved up to the Atari and eventually Nintendo Entertainment System consoles.

As a kid in the 1980s, my favorite shows were usually action-packed series that had either a bit of high-tech science-fiction or a military theme. I gravitated quickly to Knight Rider, The A-Team, and Airwolf. What I liked about them is that they all had heroic protagonists using their awesome skills and tools to solve problems and help people. I was always intrigued by the fact that most of my childhood heroes on screen were Vietnam War veterans. I have profound respect and deep admiration for the real Vietnam Veterans, and that's one of the reasons I'm usually seen wearing something with the olive drab green color scheme as a way to commemorate their sacrifice.

After High School, I joined the United States Air Force, where I served for 10 years as a Computer Operator. On 9/11, I was a 21-year-old Senior Airman stationed at the Pentagon. While there, I also stopped over 400 cyber-attacks, and it marked the beginning of my cybersecurity career journey. I rose to the rank of Tech Sergeant before declining an opportunity to earn my commission as an Intelligence Officer in order to pursue a new career in Colorado in 2008. In my military time, I met my wife (Juli, another USAF Veteran), began a career, and learned many great things about life. It was truly a transformative experience.

I hold an A.S. in IT Systems, a B.S. in Political Science (with a minor in Military Science), and a M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction. I'm also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and I've helped to develop and implement robust cybersecurity programs for both space-based and ground systems for the Department of Defense. For a few years, I worked as an adjunct professor of Cybersecurity for a private 4-year university, but I ultimately decided to stop my PhD studies and follow my true passion...writing!

I rediscovered my passion for writing at about 34 years of age (a decade ago as of this writing). Throughout my childhood, I had always been fascinated with good story-telling and great books. Once I learned that one could read for pleasure, instead of being forced to in a classroom, I discovered the works of Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising), Madelein L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time), and Washington Irving (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow). Of course, as a Generation X'er, I also read books that I was by all rights, a bit too young to read, such as Stephen King's novels It, The Stand, and Carrie. I owe my late mother a debt of gratitude for her 1970s and 1980s hardback collection of King novels! My favorite writer, however, has to be Michael Crichton. His novels, Jurassic Park and The Lost World (and the movie adaptations) inspired much of my love of science, technology, and creative writing.

Now I live on my 40-acre farm in southern Colorado with my wife, Juli, and our 7 children (half of whom are now grown, and several of whom are now attending college full-time or running their own businesses).