I Finally Wrote My First Book

I always figured my first book would be something dramatic.

Maybe a raw, slightly unhinged collection of essays about grief, faith, and the sheer audacity of trying to keep houseplants alive while homeschooling.

Or a humorous midlife manifesto titled something like Hot Flashes and Holy Moments.

Possibly even a novel where the main character finally gets the cherry-red 4x4 pickup truck of her dreams.

Instead, my first book is a 137-page textbook.

A Book of Centuries.

Yes. I wrote a timeline notebook.

And I’m weirdly proud of it.

Here’s the truth: I looked everywhere for a Book of Centuries that actually worked for my science-minded kids and honored the way our family sees history. I wanted geologic deep time (dinosaurs, mass extinctions, the whole “Earth is ancient and fascinating” situation) sitting right alongside the story of people, ideas, and the Incarnation. I wanted the pages themselves to quietly point toward Jesus in the BC centuries and then move outward from Him in the AD ones. I wanted a blank spread right at the hinge of history so families could mark the birth of Christ however they wanted.

I could not find one that did all of that.

So I made it.

It’s called The Great Timeline.

It includes:

Full geologic eons, eras, and periods (Hadean through Cenozoic)

Century spreads from the 31st century BC through the 23rd century AD

BC pages with the recording grid on the left and drawing space on the right (moving toward Jesus)

AD pages with the drawing space on the left and grid on the right (moving outward from Christ)

A deliberate blank spread between 1 BC and 1 AD

It’s a living record. Not a pre-filled timeline that does the thinking for you. Just clean, thoughtful pages that grow with your student over years of living books, nature study, history, and science.

And because I am a budget-conscious homeschool mom who has spent far too many evenings staring at expensive curriculum wishing someone would just make the useful thing affordable, I priced it at $5.

Five dollars.

For a 137-page printable PDF.

You print it. You bind it (spiral or comb works great). You use it for years.

I want families to be able to afford the tools that make homeschooling richer, not feel like every good resource requires a small bank loan. This is my small contribution to that goal.

I still can’t quite believe this is my first book.

But I’m also completely delighted that it is.

If you’ve been looking for a Book of Centuries that makes room for both trilobites and the timeline of redemption, it’s ready.

You can get it here:

https://thedancingdinosaur.com/product/book-of-centuries/

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go stare at the file one more time and whisper, “I wrote a textbook,” in slightly stunned amusement.

— Jessi