Timothy M. Buchanan, author of The Apprentice Trilogy
Author · Speaker · Educator

Timothy M. Buchanan

Nothing teaches you about life like a story.

Timothy writes clean, wholesome adventures for readers of every age, and he believes a good story teaches better than any lecture. He wrote The Apprentice Trilogy for his grandchildren, and families now read it together in print and on audiobook.

A career spent in classrooms and boardrooms taught him the same lesson twice: people of every age are wrestling with the same questions, and a story answers them in a way a lesson cannot. He is a recipient of the Excellence in Teaching award from Regis University, has spent twenty-five years writing and creating curriculum, and has spoken at state conferences for career and technical education in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New York.

He lives in Olin, Iowa, with his wife, and still finds his way into a classroom or a library every chance he gets.

The Apprentice Trilogy

One young man. Three journeys to become who he's meant to be.

The Apprentice: The Courage to Seek, book one The Journeyman: The Courage to Act, book two The Craftsman: The Courage to Live, book three

A clean, family-friendly coming-of-age adventure for tweens, teens, parents, and grandparents, in print and on audiobook.

See the books, hear a sample, and find your bookstore
The Candlestick Wars: The art of thinking beyond your product or service, by Timothy M. Buchanan
For leaders and business owners

The Candlestick Wars

The art of thinking beyond your product or service.

Stories teach in the boardroom too. The Candlestick Wars is a short, entertaining business allegory about what really connects a company with its customers. In today's marketplace a great product is not enough. The book gives you the tools to ask better questions:

  • What is the impact of our company on the people we serve?
  • What common ground do we share with our customers?
  • How can we show people what we can do for them, rather than relying on advertising to tell them?
  • How is doing business with us so much better than using a competitor?
  • What do we need to be doing right now to keep providing the same quality in the future?
“While a mediocre salesman may sell a great product, a great salesman sells a solution to a customer's problem.”
Amazon reader, 5 stars
“Amazing practical insights that are hiding in plain sight… don't be fooled by its size, it packs a punch.”
Amazon reader, 5 stars

Available in paperback and Kindle, on Amazon only. Looking for speaking for your company? Visit timothybuchanan.com.

For Parents of Tweens and Teens

Have Timothy speak at your library, book club, or school.

How Fiction Can Shape Young Lives

Harper Lee didn't lecture readers about justice and empathy in To Kill a Mockingbird; she let them live inside Scout's world and learn it for themselves. Research now confirms why that works: children absorb values more deeply by living a story than by being told a lesson.

Tim shares invaluable insights and ideas on how stories can shape healthy lives in kids. This is a presentation that will build a new excitement for reading.

Inquire About Availability

One email. I read every one myself, and I'll write back.
303.517.0129

Life Skills Curriculum

Values Based Success

Values Based Success, Volume 1: Building Your Baseline, book cover

Volume 1 · Building Your Baseline

A hands-on workbook built on Tim's Name It, Own It, Do It™ process: twelve foundational values, from honesty to self-control to teachability, developed through weekly reading, discussion, and reflection.

Volume 1 is available now, with additional volumes planned.

Tim visits schools, libraries, and book clubs for author talks and reading events built around the trilogy.

Invite Tim to Speak →