

SO, ABOUT CAPTAIN HOLLY...
A native Wisconsinite and science-fictioneer, Daniel grew up in the country in rural Milton, reading copious amounts of Jules Verne. A traditional fellow, he harbours a deep adoration for traditional family and the lost culture of high Western values. Daniel went to college for writing and hold an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. For seven years, he taught courses in writing, logic, and moral reasoning for the University of Wisconsin, laboured and preached at Living Word Fellowship in Whitewater for three years, and founded Axis Academy from those experiences to better equip people to reason, write, and build a future on classical values and competencies.
​Currently, Whitewater is Daniel's home in his beloved Wisconsin, where he lives with his wife, Elizabeth. Together they have three radiant daughters, and Shackleton, their border collie. Daniel and Elizabeth classically educate their girls and are always active in homeschool communities. Much of their free time goes to mentoring former students or young adults in their church, or sometimes teaching teach them to be handy or to love good books. They talk often of Tolkien and Herbert, discuss theology and culture, complain about taxes, and watch Star Trek together. ​Some of his greatest influences in his academic, theological, and literary life are Chesterton and Edwards and Spurgeon, but surprisingly, so are Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, men who spoke the language Daniel understands best, and inspired him to teach the Hero's Journey and classical archetypes, and to love the vaults of Western heritage within good storytelling. ​Heritage is our mainstay, and the heart of our life together, and what we try to teach and pass on, a heritage of faith, family, and fellowship.​​
MILD OBSESSIONS INCLUDE:
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​Time Pieces
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Telescopes
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Fine Hats
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Cartography
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Safari Jackets
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19th Century Firearms
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Fencing Swords
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Messenger Bags
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Lighthouses
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Seaplanes & Flying Boats
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Sailing Ships
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All Things Maritime
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The Northwest Passage
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American Steam Railroads
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Antique Astronomy
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Paranormal Stories
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Whales & the Like
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Poems of Kipling & Whittier​
​When not working, writing, or indulging in my beloved family, you'll usually find Daniel in the garage, building some unnecessary piece of furniture that he'll probably upgrade in six weeks or so anyway, illustrating some concept art for a book he may or may not ever write, or fiddling with the antiques on his desk to make sure they're aligned properly, though he'll seldom dust them. Sometimes he'll play a video game of an evening or read a favourite for the hundredth time ... or sometimes play with his Star Trek ships when nobody's looking. ​​
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Holly's work​
If you like what he creates, whether writing or podcasts or courses or other material, you can help support more of its creation below. It takes a great deal of time and labour to produce what he does, and any blessings help to free up time to make more. Nothing you see here would've happened at all without the support of those who want to see more of what Captain Holly loves to do, write and teach and equip.