From a lineage of Eastern European farmers who left their land to stake their claim in California, Daniel Hawthorne-West grew up as a craftsman’s son, surrounded by the hum of saws and the scent of freshly cut wood. Road trips in his father’s brown station wagon, sparked a lifelong love of exploration, fueling his passion for the open road and the stories waiting to be found along the way.

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A prolific songwriter with over 25 studio recordings, Daniel honed his storytelling skills, performing original tunes at numerous venues across the US.  His 30-plus years as a Client Development Executive at Herman Miller/MillerKnoll-where he rubbed elbows with legendary industrial designers and world-class architects, deepened his own sense of craft. Daniel’s debut novel, inspired by his own journeys through America’s forgotten highways, is a suspenseful odyssey of justice, reconciliation, and the search for meaning in the places we leave behind.