Hi, I'm CJ Gryffin—author, dragon enthusiast, and someone who believes the most powerful voices are often the quietest ones.

As a special education teacher, I work with young people who experience the world differently. Students who are nonverbal, who process sensory information uniquely, who possibly see connections and patterns others miss. They're complex, and deeply misunderstood by a world that doesn't always make space for them.

The Color of Silence was born from that truth.

I wanted to write a story where the nonverbal boy wasn't a tragedy or a plot device—where he was the hero. Where his way of experiencing the world was honored, not fixed. Where a dragon appeared not to change him, but to guide him in finding his own voice.

Darius Turner is fictional, but his journey is built on real experiences, real struggles, and real triumphs I've witnessed over a decade of working with extraordinary kids.

I write under a pen name because this work feels personal, almost sacred. The real children and families who've inspired these stories deserve their privacy. But I promise you this: every word is honest.

The Dreamers' Dragons series starts with Darius in 1930s Atlanta, but it expands across centuries, bringing together six children who must save both the dream realm and the waking world. Historical fiction meets fantasy. Autism representation meets dragon magic. Intimate character journeys meet epic quests.

When I'm not writing, I'm teaching, drinking diet coke that’s gone flat, or falling down research rabbit holes about everything from 1930s rail yards to medieval Scotland.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for giving Darius a chance to tell his story.

— CJ Gryffin