Family, faith at heart of local father-daughter novel

Some fathers and daughters like to go to sporting events together. Others like to meet for ice cream. Still others share an interest in music or movies.

For Dann and Kennedy Hurlburt, spending time with each other a few years ago meant writing a book together.

Their book, “Suddenly Rural Girl” follows the highs and lows of a teenage girl, who is dealing with a lot of emotions after transferring to a new school. Running throughout the book are the twin themes of family and faith. The 247-page book came out in 2023 and was distributed by Kirk House Publishers.

“We’re a strong Christian family,” Dann explained over cold drinks at Caribou Coffee in Northfield. “Our goal was to reinforce positivity, joy, diversity and faith, so we kept the book uplifting and hope-filled.”

Dann, a media and design specialist at Carleton College, said writing the book together not only gave them an opportunity to share a common goal, but the time they spent researching and writing brought them closer together.

Kennedy, 15, a freshman at Rosemount High School, is currently learning how to drive on her learner’s permit. A member of the soccer team, Kennedy is the middle child between Rowan, 18, and Hollis, 13.

Kennedy explained that the initial idea for writing the book grew out of a school assignment. Once her father agreed to take on the project, they soon established their routine. Every Saturday morning they would write at a Farmington coffee show not far from their house. They would talk about their plot and the characters Dann used with the help of artificial intelligence.

“We had a huge cork board in a spare bedroom where we’d stick photos of the characters,” he said.

Kennedy focused on authentic teen dialogue, while Dann concentrated on action and plot movement.

“Kennedy learned to use better descriptive words,” said her father.

An avid YA reader, Kennedy said she was inspired by the quirky characters Jenny B. Jones introduced in her books. Dann gravitated more to the rugged Minnesota wilderness described in William Kent Krueger’s books.

On the pages, their writing influences and styles meshed.

Since both father and daughter share a love of lakes, jokes, Golden Retrievers and the great outdoors, the authors said they incorporated those elements into their story.

A busy teen

After her dad is tragically killed, Dakota Moore’s mom moves her to northern Minnesota where Dak discovers an outcast classmate may be a reclusive miracle worker. She thinks she found him too late.

The truth is, she met him just in time. Now, tucked into a secluded A-frame near a beaver-infested creek with her strong Sioux mom and a lisping little brother, Dak faces a new school and a trio of mean girls. Seemingly alone, she buries herself in a design app and self pity until an old blind man, his curly-haired horse named Eyeballs, a quirky dragon-doodling classmate, and a strawberry blonde with delicious sun-kissed freckles give her four reasons to keep on living.

Will Dak discover the miracle worker’s secret before tragedy strikes?

At the end of the novel is a companion study guide filled with questions for classrooms and theme-based prompts for book group discussions.

While Dann said he’s ready to get to work on a second book with Kennedy, his daughter hasn’t entirely signed on to another dad-daughter project. After all, she’s a busy teen.

But that has not prevented the duo from agreeing to some author signings and bookstore and library visits. For more information and to stay current with upcoming book talks and appearances, contact dann@dannhurlbert.com

More Information Content Bookstore in Northfield has added “Suddenly Rural Girl” to its online store. The book is also available through Amazon and Barnes & Nobles. The paperback is $19.95. ab0e4e9a-8bb0-4437-b019-be5543d7c4af

Bio Box In his current capacity, Dann Hurlburt helps faculty create instructional videos and manages Carleton’s campus event video production. Prior to Carleton, Dann taught video production and theatre. As a professional actor and director, he has appeared in more than 50 television commercials and stage productions. Through his MFA, Dann produced the educational documentary “How to Write and Produce Your Own High School Musical” distributed through Films Media Group. Additionally, Dann invented and brought to market the Little Prompter, a personal teleprompter for faculty which has taken on a life of its own with another video supplier. 2c1d19a1-d4bb-47bc-b735-d3fa8ee89e65