Nathan Dahlstrom writes Western-tinged Young Adult fiction under the pen name S.J. Dahlstrom. In an era where libraries have allowed the creep of ideology to spoil books, he delivers characters and scenes with backbone and wonder. Align interviewer Kevin Ryan chatted with Nathan at Mercury Studios, headquarters of Blaze Media. You can find the entire profile here (LINK) They discuss masculinity, boyhood, and storytelling through the lens of the American West. As well as the importance of writing children's books with a focus on values and ethics, The Bible's influence on storytelling, and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and its themes of roughness, politicians, and culture. Nathan shares how he became a writer after realizing most books for kids were about magic creatures, unlike his own experiences. He tells us about the need for apprenticeship, as a writer and a man, as well as the need to pursue a meaningful life through hard work and perseverance. All of it is included in Nathan’s philosophy of “Wilder good.” He tells stories the way people used to, before art and literature became corrupted by identitarian whimsy. The Wall Street Journal included his work on their list of gritty novels. And rightfully so. Nathan’s books offer wise mentors who transform weak adults into parents so that they can lead their children to wisdom. Strong families, devoted to their unity. In Nathan’s case, this mentorship was also creative, and professional. His friendship John R. Erickson, author of the “Hank the Cowdog” series. John Erickson taught Nathan how to multiply his gift, although first he had to find it. He is devoted to this up-building, where love is a matter of building someone up. He employs this in many ways — including his job as a creative writing teacher at a middle school. As Nathan says in the interview, the ideal man contains a mixture of rough exterior and inner intellect, a mix of inner and outer qualities, like Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Although, as Nathan points out, Jesus Christ is the ultimate man, an intellectual with a carpenter's vocation. Jesus' teachings and the concept of "Wilder good" as a philosophy.