Fulfilling his dreams while creating others is John Shors’ full-time job.

Shors, a Des Moines-native, is the author of six books and is in the process of writing a seventh. His first six novels, “Beneath a Marble Sky,” “Beside a Burning Sea,” “Dragon House,” “The Wishing Trees,” “Cross Currents” and “Temple of a Thousand Faces,” have received many awards and have been translated into 26 different languages.

Embarking on journeys to explore places such as Asia, the South Pacific, Europe, Africa and North America has influenced his novels.

“The books are more rich because of the travel I’ve done,” Shors said.

Unlike his past books, the one that is currently in the works relates to young adults. Shors is a master storyteller according to Amy Tan, a New York Times bestselling author. He is consistently being asked when his next book is going to be published.

“I’m blessed that I have a lot of readers,” Shors said. “It’s great to be on a schedule based upon demand.”

Aside from an extensive imagination, Shors has a giving heart. He has raised money for groups like Children’s International Summer Villages, Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation and the Arbor Day Foundation. The groups plant trees and help provide safe, educational environments for children.

He also donates a percentage of the money generated from his novels to these groups. Not only are readers buying a good read, but they’re also giving to charities.

Traveling is a major part of his life, and he still goes on explorations. This winter he plans to go to Cambodia and Vietnam with his wife and children. 

Shors has won numerous state-wide awards in journalism while he was a reporter for the Des Moines Business Record before he moved to Boulder, Colo. and helped GroundFloor Media take-off. Shors said he liked being a reporter but being an author suited him better.

“I love the process of writing [and] concocting something out of my imagination,” Shors said.

Authors like Shors have been invited to the annual Wonder of Words Festival in Des Moines for the past three years.

“[We] have lots of local authors,” said Salome Nengean, event and program inquirer for the festival. “People can check authors out and buy their book.”

There are different styles of writing presented at the event..

John Shors will be at the Wonder of Words Festival at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Central Library in Des Moines. Admission for the event is free.