My official bio

Born & raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, Travis D. Peterson grew up building tree forts and exploring trails in the woods, riding waves, catching fish in the ocean and lightning bugs in the night air.

As a young adult, he worked as a bookseller and spent way too much money on stacks of books while pursuing degree in Computer Graphics Technology from Purdue University. Most of his experience is in print design, winning multiple awards from the Religion Communicators Council for his work.

Travis currently lives in Bergen, Norway where his wife, Anne Berit, is from. They have two brave and wonderful kids—one of which has profound hearing loss and has received bilateral cochlear implants that help her to hear. Travis' books for children feature characters with cochlear implants to bring awareness.

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How to contact me

A little more about me

I was raised in a Southern home with a loving family that valued Christian living. We were in church anytime the doors were open. My parents taught my two younger brothers and I the importance of a relationship with Christ and living out our faith. I grew up in a small church that has always felt like an extension of my family, and for that I am grateful.

Travis D. Peterson: Boilermaker

I left Wilmington to attend Purdue University where I earned my degree in Computer Graphics Technology while working in a local Christian bookstore. I studied a broad range of topics and mediums in the graphic design industry, but my focus was in construction graphics—taking blueprints and creating 3D models of homes. I earned minors in both Construction Graphics and Computer Programming.

Travis D. Peterson: YWAMer

While in college, I decided I would return to my home church and serve as youth leader. So after graduating from Purdue, I joined Youth With A Mission (YWAM) at their Richmond, VA campus for a year and went through their Discipleship Training School (DTS) program as well as the Principles in Child and Youth Ministry (PCYM) program.

Through these courses I spent a couple of months on outreach on Anjuna Beach in Goa, India, as well as some time in the urban ministry in both Richmond and Los Angeles, and even on a Native American reservation in Oklahoma.

I eventually returned home and became the youth leader as intended, although it never became the full-time career I had imagined it would be. I also returned to Christian retail for a few more years.

Then God spoke again. He told me he had something bigger for me, and that I should quit my job in the bookstore. I certainly don’t encourage anyone to quit their job without a backup plan, but that’s exactly what I did! For six months I waited on the Lord… “God, what do you have in store for me? What could be bigger than the youth ministry calling you’ve already given me?” Eventually it came. I was to return to YWAM.

Up until then, I had struggled to find my way in my career as a graphic designer, only freelancing a little here and there. But the door opened for me to join YWAM’s University of the Nations campus in Kona, Hawaii and serve as a full-time missionary graphic designer! Shortly after making that move, I also took over as managing editor of the campus publication, Transformations Magazine.

Travis D. Peterson: Family Man

Looking back, it wasn’t this move that was the ‘bigger’ thing into which God was leading me. Just a few weeks after moving to Kona, at an Easter Sunday sunrise service at Old Airport Beach, I met the love of my life for the first time: my Norwegian Viking princess, Anne Berit. Within a few weeks we were spending every evening together, sitting on a park bench and talking. The following year, Anne Berit was staffing a DTS and we asked the leaders if I could join her team on their outreach to Dominican Republic and England during the 2012 Summer Olympics.

By the end of that year, we both returned to our respective hometowns. The financial support had mostly dried up for me, and I felt a new season was coming. She visited me for Christmas and New Year, and we were engaged before she left! On October 6, 2013 we were married in a small chapel in Wilmington, which almost became a Skype wedding after Anne Berit’s fiancé visa took so long to be approved. She arrived only 2 weeks before the wedding.

Travis D. Peterson: Award-Winning Designer

A few months later, we moved to Atlanta where I was hired as Graphic Design Specialist for the global office of a church denomination. While the ministry itself was not the right fit for me, it challenged me professionally and I gained much experience in the ‘corporate’ setting. I earned 10 awards from the Religion Communicators Council for my work. 

Best of all, our son Aiden was born while we lived there. Aiden is a passionate little ball of energy that takes note of details, has sympathy toward the hurting, and likes to include others in everything he’s doing.

Travis D. Peterson: Expat

In 2017 Anne Berit, Aiden, and myself packed our things into a container and shipped it all to Europe. We're now living by her hometown of Bergen, Norway on a small island. From our dining table we can watch the cruise ships floating into and out of the city. It really is a beautiful place.

It’s also where we’ve welcomed our daughter, Esther. Esther is a brave and determined little viking with strawberry blonde corkscrews. Esther was born with profound hearing loss and was the recipient of bilateral cochlear implants at just 9 months. So far her reception of the CI has been tremendous! She’s learning new words in both English and Norwegian as well as signs in both languages.

Travis D Peterson and family fall photo. Travis is holding Aiden, Anne Berit is holding Esther.

Travis D. Peterson: Author

It’s through this experience with Esther that I’ve learned that there is a vast population of people with whom I’ve had no real contact. I look forward to the day when I can communicate not only with Esther but with others in the deaf community using sign language. I’ve also been inspired to connect with this community in another way—through written word. I've written two children's books so far, and both include characters with hearing devices. It's my desire to bring awareness to deafness and hearing technology through my books.
Front cover of Ada and the Helpers shows an illustration of Ada the fox in purple tutu and gray cochlear implants around her pointy ears with forest scene behind her.
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Physical Details:

Hardcover Edition

  • ISBN: 978-82-692196-0-9
  • 9"x9" (230mm x 230mm)
  • 32 matte-coated pages and uncoated endsheets
  • Double-sided dust jacket with ASL poster inside
  • Jacket, cover, and interior all printed on Forest Stewardship Council® certified paper.
  • Printed and bound in Lithuania

Softcover Edition

  • ISBN: 978-82-692196-1-6
  • 8.5"x8.5"
  • 36 matte-coated pages
  • Printed and distributed by Ingram and Amazon

E-Book formats also available.

Ada and the Helpers

Ada is a dancing, deaf fox with cochlear implants who loves to help others. On her way to dance in a talent show one day, she meets three other creatures who are each facing a physical challenge or disability of their own. She decides to help each of her new friends to see past their challenges and discover their natural, God-given strengths. But can they help her in return? Ada's a bit nervous about the talent show!

Will she be able to hear the music clearly? Will everyone laugh at her?

Follow Ada and her new friends on an exciting new adventure that inspires friendship, helping others, inclusion, and finding your strengths. Plus, your child can learn the ASL alphabet at the same time!

Masterfully illustrated by fine artist Melissa Fischer.

Key points about this book

  • One word spelled out using the American Sign Language alphabet on each spread of the story (14 in all) in diverse skin tones so that you can help your child practice learning the American Sign Language alphabet and begin fingerspelling.
  • The hardcover edition has a double-sided dust jacket with ASL alphabet poster on the inside.
  • The book introduces three of the ling sounds used in the Ling Six Sound Test, which is used to help audiologists, special educators or teachers of the deaf, and parents or hard-of-hearing children assess whether or not the child can hear and recognize the full range of vocal sound. By helping your child associate these phonics with the characters in the book, it becomes easier for you to practice these sounds with them.
  • The rhyming nature of the story is welcoming for hearing kids, but is especially helpful for young children who are hard-of-hearing.

Reviews for Ada and the Helpers

"The story of Ada and the Helpers is language rich and weaves the use of American Sign Language Alphabet throughout as the pages teach new vocabulary words related to this magical story. 

"I really enjoyed how Ada met a diverse group of new friends along her journey and how they all found their strengths to form a bond to help each other.  This book is a must for all families!!!"

Dr. Johnnie Sexton, Au.D.

Executive Director and Founder, The CARE Project

"It is not often that a story about a disability is so well done. The illustrations by Melissa Fischer bring all the characters to life, especially Ada with her hearing aids and tutu. What I found so wonderful about Ada and the Helpers by Travis D. Peterson is that it features Ada and her disability but does not focus exclusively on that. She understands her challenges and realizes that everyone needs helpers of some kind.

"I also loved that each page spread included a word spelled out in ASL and that diverse hands were used in each word and in the chart at the end!

"What an important message to convey to kids right now - 'let’s help others too.' Hopefully, this is not the last we will see of Ada and her friends!"

Kristine Zimmerman

Readers' Favorite® Reviewer

Book cover has an illustration of a boy and a girl in costume standing in front of a purple blanket fort with stuffed animals behind it casting large, ominous shadows on the wall. Book title: Never Ever Build a Blanket Fort!"
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Physical Details:

Hardcover Edition

  • ISBN: TBA
  • 9"x9" (230mm x 230mm)
  • 36 matte-coated pages and uncoated endsheets
  • Double-sided dust jacket with poster inside
  • Jacket, cover, and interior all printed on Forest Stewardship Council® certified paper.
  • Printed and bound in Lithuania

Softcover Edition

  • ISBN: TBA
  • 8.5"x8.5"
  • 36 matte-coated pages
  • Printed and distributed by Ingram and Amazon

E-Book formats will also be available.

Never Ever Build a Blanket Fort

What would happen if your most‐trusted ally suddenly became your worst enemy?

What if your enemy was... soft and fuzzy?

In Never Ever Build a Blanket Fort, a pair of siblings set out to build the perfect living room dwelling—that quickly evolves into something much more medieval.

Can the kids defend it against the most unlikely of villains?

This is the first of what I hope to be a series of books meant to encourage creativity and imagination in children!

Illustrated by Lee Dixon.

Key points about this book

  • A main character with cochlear implants to bring awareness
  • A Mini-feature at the end of the story gives a short history of castle moats.
  • Double-sided dust jacket with poster inside