Q & A with John Young, author of ‘The Dolphin Keeper’

Longtime Sayville resident John Young recently published a children’s book titled “The Dolphin Keeper.” The Suffolk County News sat down with Young to discuss the book and what inspired him to write it.

Suffolk County News: Can you tell me a little bit about what “The Dolphin Keeper” is about?

John Young: It’s about a fisherman who never married, loves the sea. Everybody in town knows who he is. He teaches the kids about conservation, the sea, the boat itself. He cares about the environment.

SCN: Why did you decide to write this book?

Young: It was a story I and my youngest son, [Corey] started to write and he passed away on me, and so I had to finish writing it. It’s not like I strove to be an author. That never was on my mind. It was something that I had to do.

SCN: How long did it take you to write the book?

Young: I went to Vermont and it took me about three weeks. I sat there and I wrote the book. I didn’t go back, didn’t reread it, just wrote the book.

SCN: How do you know the illustrator Nancy [Ruth]?

Young: She’s part of the art group I’m a part of, The Bell Street Artists, which is based in Patchogue.

SCN: Who do you hope will read this book?

Young: Everybody in the world. I hope an awful lot of people read it because to me, there’s an important message to it. You know what, you don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring. Give your kids a kiss at night and ‘I love you’ because you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. In my wildest dreams did I think what happened to me was going to.

SCN: What is the ideal age range for this book?

Young: The age range is between 8 and 13.

SCN: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Young: I’m an old fart [laughs]. I’m 60 years old. I’m an artist-sculptor. Pretty much lived on Long Island all my life. I was born in Flushing, Queens, and then when I was 2, came out to Sayville. I work on a freight boat. Art has always been a part of my adult life.

SCN: Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?

Young: There are a few important messages that I wanted to convey. The most important thing is you don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring. We all take it for granted and why wouldn’t you, we’re all human. You just don’t know.

“The Dolphin Keeper” can be found online on Amazon and the Barnes and Noble website. Please visit @john.youngart on Instagram for more information.