Author, Pastor,
Funeral Services Professional,
and Local Santa Claus
Byron D. Winn
Author, Pastor, Funeral Services Professional, and Local Santa Claus
Byron grew up in Arkansas, but his career as a funeral services professional, after his studies at John A. Gupton College, has taken him to North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. At his heart Byron is a great storyteller and has always enjoyed relating a good tale. The idea for The Director’s Rose began on May 4, 1994, and he knew some day he would share the idea with the world. Byron would tell stories about Friendly the Fire Dog to his two beautiful daughters. Now, while serving as a pastor in Arkansas, the books have become reality.
Byron is also a very popular and in demand Santa Claus in his home town of El Dorado, Arkansas, during the holiday season.
The Director’s Rose
The Director’s Rose is a haunting, deeply human novel that merges grief, duty, and legacy into an emotionally resonant portrait of a man standing at the crossroads of tradition and tragedy. Set in the mountain town of Weaverville, North Carolina, the story follows Kevin Northrup—a fourth-generation funeral director—whose life is upended when his father and grandfather die in a suspicious accident. As he takes over the family business, Kevin navigates the rituals of death, the burdens of inheritance, and the slow unraveling of hidden truths that have shaped his lineage. The tone is both literary and elegiac, reflecting the precision of a memoir and the atmosphere of a Southern gothic. Through measured pacing and lush detail, the novel examines mortality, vocation, and the sacredness of service in life’s most fragile moments.
Friendly the Fire Dog
At the Friendship Fire Station in Winchester, Virginia, the firefighters make an unexpected discovery — a tiny mixed-breed puppy hiding in a house they just helped save from a fire! Since no one knows where he came from, the firefighters take him back to the station for safety, love, and plenty of belly rubs.
A trip to the vet shows he’s healthy and ready for a fresh start. All he needs now is a name! The whole crew decides together to name him after their station… and Friendly the Fire Dog is born.
This heartwarming tale is the beginning of a fun, adventurous series about a lovable firehouse pup and the heroes who call him family.