As far back as Dan Araujo can remember, he was interested in telling stories. They were akin to exploration, but they were entertaining and could be beautiful and moving to a crowd. A born performer paradoxically shy, writing was a way of stepping into the limelight without necessarily doing so.
When he was young, his family would take him to movies, and he would be enveloped in the worlds and experiences they gave him. They showed the power of storytelling, and how it could positively affect the lives of those taking them in. It was this idea that entranced the young author, who delved into storytelling in all of its differing fashions–from screenwriting to filmmaking and short stories; to journalism and now to novel writing.
For his first novel, Close Proximity, Dan decided to take a differing approach to his craft, leaning more into what he called a “collaboration” with his audience for the first time. It has been a turning point, something that has allowed the author to transcend the isolating task of writing and connect with the audience he is speaking to, which has ultimately made the work more satisfying and fulfilling.
The support of his family, especially his long-time partner Nicole, has been an important step in his “second” life as a writer after dipping out of it for many years. He writes with her in mind, casting her as his “targeted reader”, which he feels has helped the process immensely.
Close Proximity was published in May 2025 and the results have been successful. A copy of the book is even at the Auburn Public Library. As for upcoming work, Dan has kept a few things burning. He mainly likes to be able to tell the story as completely as he can before setting it down to paper, believing once something is written, it becomes fixed and expressed.
He is an admirer of writers, and always has a few books going at once, reading work as diverse as Stephen King to EB White to Toni Morrison. Daniel writes for the Auburn Journal. He hopes anyone that reads a copy of his book is entertained and has fun–both things he values above all else about writing and stories.