© Dewey The Disassembled Drone

Gregory W. Brock lives in Benham, Kentucky. A small town of fewer than 500 people in the eastern part of the state. And though he lives in a small quaint community, he has always had big dreams of becoming a published author. Ever since he was a young boy, books and stories were important to him. He fondly remembers snuggling in his grandfather’s lap for storytime. Now as a father of 4, he makes sure to read to his children nightly. But with bills to pay, a home and family to care for, and work, Gregory never found the time he needed to simply sit down and write with no distractions.

That all changed on Christmas Day 2020 when the town was left without internet service for some time. Already having the day off from work, and with the rest of the family entertained with their new Christmas gifts, Gregory sat down to write. Not only did he find that he had the time to write, but he was hit with a wave of inspiration. By the end of the day, Gregory had composed 4 manuscripts for children’s books. The first manuscript is titled “Dewey the Disassembled Drone”, and was inspired by Gregory’s experience with drones.

About 3 years ago, Gregory purchased a drone out of curiosity. “I had bought a small one just to get the hang of it and learned to fly,” he said. Since then, he has made several upgrades and has finally found his favorite drone to fly, a DJI Mavic Air2. Known for superior flight and imaging capabilities, the Mavic Air2 is a compact, portable drone that retails for under $1,000. Gregory also has a Bachelor’s degree in filmmaking from Full Sail University, Florida. His goal is to get his Part 107 so he can commercially fly his drone and be part of some independent film crews in the Kentucky area.

One day, while Gregory had been working on his drone, an idea for a book came to mind. “As I had just finished cleaning it, there were some parts that were not attached to it,” he recalled. He got an idea of a drone that wants to fly but can’t because of missing parts. At the time, he just filed the idea away. Gregory says that he is the world’s best procrastinator. But that Christmas morning, the story of the drone was the first one he remembered.

Dewey is a drone that a little boy named Billy Bastian received as a gift. All Dewey can think of is being able to fly for Billy, but he can’t because he doesn’t have all his parts. Dewey is missing his 4th propeller, so every time he tries to take off, he crashes. Sadly, Billy packs Dewey up and returns him to the store. Back in the store, Dewey meets an unlikely hero that helps him overcome his obstacles and realize that with work, dreams do come true.

Currently, Gregory is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund the publishing and release of “Dewey the Disassembled Drone“. He hopes that kids and parents become more interested in drones and robotics, recognizing the importance this technology will hold for the future. “Drones can help them to see new heights and see the beauty in our world from a different lens while capturing some of the most beautiful scenery that even the smallest of towns have to offer,” Gregory said. “I hope parents and children can read this book and cherish the memories that it brings to them.”