About the AuthorDeriyun McGee was born October 1, 1979, in Sarasota, Florida. Deriyun was raised in a single-parent, middle/lower-class home with two older brothers and two younger sisters. He was also raised by his grandparents, where he learned about the kingdom of God and how to be a man from his grandfather. Deriyun was involved in football and baseball growing up. He identified his talent for writing around the age of eighteen. He began his writing career by writing and performing rap songs. Deriyun graduated from Booker High School in 1998. He attended Manatee Community College, where he majored in mass communications and minored in film and scriptwriting. Deriyun has lost his beloved mother, father, grandfather, and two brothers. He uses his life experiences to inspire the amazing stories in his work. 

Children imitate the actions of adults. Walter Gilbert's boyhood experiences confirm what behavioral psychologists know. His mother attended community meetings with her children in tow. At the gatherings, he saw neighbors and friends of the family. Something happened while watching organizers articulate their vision for Newtown and neighborhood improvement strategies. 

Men such as the late Neil Humphrey, a Newtown entrepreneur and the late John Rivers, then Sarasota NAACP president made an indelible impression on the young man who would hold the same position years later. Gilbert participated in a federal lawsuit against the City of Sarasota for single member district voting. The court's decision in favor of the plaintiffs opened the way for African American representation on the city commission. 

Gilbert spearheaded the recognition of Dr. John W. Chenault, the first African American physician to receive practicing privileges at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. He is a candidate for the Sarasota County Charter Review Board. 

He holds the current position of Senior DirectorNice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

My name is Brian. I am 39 years old. I love reading books and writing them as well. I have written two books published, one being written, and one that is finished. I have been writing since 2015. What inspired me to write was my love of reading and making my own stories. I am currently working on a historical fiction novel about two brothers who fight in the civil war. One is fighting for the Union and to free his family's slaves and the other is fighting for the confederacy and independence.