Galesburg native Aaron Wayne-Duke has been a radio broadcaster, public speaker and self defense teacher and now a children’s author.The owner of Galesburg Martial Arts Academy released his first title, “You Can Not Lick Your Elbow!” last February and is anticipating release of his second sometime in March or April.
In 2014 Wayne-Duke was having lunch with his dad, who had just written a book.
He tells Galesburg’s Morning News on WGIL that when his dad suggested that he write a book himself.
“Half jokingly I said to him, ‘I’m going to write a children’s book, less words, more pictures’, because that sounded like less work. He laughed about it and then it wasn’t until the middle part of 2015 I really started to do a little more research.”
He started pulling books he liked to read as a kid; Dr. Seuss and The Outsiders.
After taking to the internet to find an illustrator and talking to artists in the area he ended up with Olivia Walker, who he has only been in contact with over email.
Walker also is working with Wayne-Duke on his next book.
“You Can Not Lick Your Elbow!” is currently available at Stone Alley Books in Galesburg and is free with an Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription.
Jan. 30th at the Warren County Public Library, the author will do a reading for children that is open to the public.
