Daniel Hietala
Author of Thrilling Tales of Morality, Faith, Adventure
Daniel Hietala is a writer and content creator recognized for his contributions to psychological thrillers and spiritual fiction. He has built a reputation for narratives that refuse easy answers — stories that probe the human soul with the precision of a surgeon and the urgency of a confession.
His fiction explores what happens when belief, betrayal, and broken people collide. Whether the arena is a Colorado mountain, a dissolving marriage, or a prophet commanding the world's attention, Hietala's stories ask the questions most writers shy away from.
With a passion for youth as an educator his entire career, Hietala is currently authoring a children’s adventure series about boys figuring out the path to manhood in the great outdoors.
He is also the co-author of a historical western series of books about the life of Wild Bill Hickok, The Wild Bill Saga, premiering with the 2025 release of Prince of Pistoleers.
As co-founder of Scriptoria, a digital bookseller and creative studio, Daniel works alongside novelist Robert Cavaliere to curate character-driven fiction across multiple genres, with an emphasis on mystery and spiritual themes. Scriptoria also produces documentary films and book trailers that complement its literary catalog.
Regret
A Novella about the consequences of Neglect
Clint is a middle-aged man grappling with the aftermath of a divorce when he is miraculously rescued on a mountain by a mysterious stranger. After seeing his life flash before his eyes, Clint decides to change his life and fix his relationships with his daughter and ex-wife.
The only problem is that he soon meets a stunning woman at a cafe and is immediately consumed by the pursuit of a reckless relationship. In the meantime, his ex-wife and daughter are shadowed by the looming danger of a stalker. Can Clint find redemption in time to save his soul and protect the lives of his daughter and ex-wife? Or will his life serve as a mortal lesson for anyone unwilling to step away from the ledge of temptation?
The Killing Rock
A Story of Betrayal, Revenge, and an Unlikely Guru
Colin Mondale watches in disbelief as his best friend’s descent into madness is rebranded as a spiritual awakening. The world sees a visionary; Colin sees a friend who has lost touch with reality on his Colorado property. In his awakened state, the prophet reveals a personal betrayal that has Colin reconsidering the reality of his own life.
Now, Colin is certain of only one thing: his friend must die.
But how will he assassinate a prophet with the eyes of the world are watching? And is there a way for him to reconcile his murderous heart with his eternal soul?
Unfinished Business
When Lester Thompson wakes to a stranger raiding his refrigerator, he grabs his gun and heads downstairs — only to discover the intruder is his wife's dead husband. Unfinished Business is a darkly comic supernatural drama about the ghost you can't shoot, the sins you can't bury, and the marriage that might not survive either. As the apparition returns morning after morning in a mundane routine before work — Lester must reckon with the possibility that the real haunting started long before anyone died.
Unfinished Business is a ghost story for people who shrug off the possibility of a God just as quickly as they dismis ghosts. A sharp, funny, and quietly devastating novella about guilt, grief, and the sins that follow us whether we confess them or not.