Joseph Wayne Dunn is a retired U.S. Marine and the author of thirty-five books — Christian fiction, nonfiction, children’s stories, and everything in between. He calls Lufkin, Texas home now, after years in Carthage, but ask him what matters most and he won’t talk about geography.

“I’VE WRITTEN THIRTY-FIVE BOOKS AT THIS POINT, AND IF I’M HONEST, NONE OF THEM WERE EVER REALLY ABOUT ME,” HE SAYS. “THEY’RE ABOUT GETTING PEOPLE TO HEAVEN. GETTING THERE TOGETHER. THAT’S THE WHOLE THING.”

That conviction is the thread under everything he writes. Whether it’s a suspense novel, a Western, a gentle children’s story about a golden doodle and a goat, or a nonfiction book wrestling with hard questions about Scripture, marriage, grief, or the state of the church — the goal underneath is always the same. Joseph writes under his own name and under a couple of pen names, but every book comes out of the same ministry heartbeat, Still Wanted Ministries, and the same message he’s carried for years: Wounded one, you’re still wanted.

“Life will pull you away from God without ever asking your permission,” he says. “It doesn’t take a dramatic fall. It takes a full calendar. A tired body. A few Sundays that turned into a few months. Most people I’ve met who feel far from God didn’t run away — they just got distracted, one ordinary day at a time.”

“BUT HERE’S WHAT I WANT SOMEBODY TO KNOW: THE ROAD BACK IS SHORTER THAN YOU THINK IT IS. GOD’S NOT STANDING AT THE FAR END OF IT WAITING TO SEE IF YOU’LL MAKE THE WHOLE TRIP ON YOUR OWN. HE’S ALREADY WALKING TOWARD YOU.”

“I’m a Marine before I’m anything else, so I don’t have a lot of patience for dressing things up more than they need to be,” he says. “And I’ve made my share of mistakes. I’d rather put those on the page honestly than pretend I’ve got it all figured out. People don’t need another expert. They need somebody willing to tell the truth.”

“IF YOU’RE READING THIS AND YOU’RE TIRED — TIRED OF TRYING, TIRED OF FAILING, TIRED OF FEELING LIKE YOU MISSED YOUR WINDOW — YOU DIDN’T. THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS TOO LATE WITH GOD. THERE’S ONLY WHENEVER YOU DECIDE TO TURN BACK AROUND.”

He writes because he believes a story — or a hard conversation — can put someone back on the road toward God, and he’d rather spend what time he has left doing that than almost anything else.

“Encouragement isn’t pretending things are fine. It’s telling somebody the truth and reminding them they’re not carrying it alone,” he says. “That’s really all I’m trying to do with every book — hand somebody a little bit of courage to take the next step.”

If something on this site stirs a conviction, a comfort, or a question you’ve been carrying, that’s not by accident. AS JOSEPH PUTS IT: “THIS ISN’T A PLATFORM FOR ME. IT’S AN INVITATION, BOOK AFTER BOOK, TOWARD HOME.”