At the age of thirteen, Dean C. Gardner told his mother that he wanted to be a writer. She told him to fill his bucket and then he would be a writer. So, he went to school to learn how to write. With a BA in English and journalism, an MA in creative writing, and doctoral studies in literary criticism, he learned to write. His mentor was Dr. Cambell Tatham at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. When he was in his sixties he published his first book. Since then, he has published two books a year.