As NCAA commercials constantly remind ESPN viewers, most college athletes "go pro" in something other than sports. Recently, a former Big Green athlete has entered the world of children's literature, incorporating into his work what he learned on and off the field as a Dartmouth student.
Matt Royer '93, who won three Ivy League Championships as a linebacker on the football team, has illustrated two books that his wife, Kerry, has authored "Nightbear and Lambie" and "Nightbear and Lambie: A Christmas Ride."
Royer played a year of freshman football and then spent the next three years on the varsity squad. He contributed, but did not start, on what were some of the most talented teams in Dartmouth's history teams that featured, among other high-profile players, future NFL quarterback Jay Fiedler '94.
"I had a great time," Royer said. "I still keep in touch with some of the guys I played with."
Even though Royer took several painting courses at Dartmouth, he did not expect art to serve as anything other than a hobby, choosing instead to major in biology with a special focus on environmental science. After graduating, he attended Duke University Law School and is currently the Pennsylvania attorney for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and president of the Tri-County Conewago Creek Association, a local watershed group.
"[My painting] just kind of sat on the shelf for a while," Royer said.
The inspiration for "Nightbear and Lambie" came when the Royers bought two stuffed animals for their children, now six- and four-years-old, from Pottery Barn named Nightbear and Lambie.
The Royers based the bedtime stories they told their boys on the adventures of their stuffed animals, and one night, Kerry, who had majored in English at Pennsylvania State University and worked in corporate communications before becoming a freelance writer upon the birth of her children, suggested to Matt that she write a children's book based on one of the adventures and he illustrate it.
After finishing the manuscript, Matt and Kerry sent it to the Pottery Barn headquarters and waited for a response. Several months later, Pottery Barn offered to sell "Nightbear and Lambie" in all of its stores nationwide.
In "Nightbear and Lambie," the two characters endeavor to make chocolate milk after everyone in the house has gone to bed, facing challenges such as getting into the refrigerator and using the chocolate syrup.
Following a successful release strong sales necessitated the printing of a second edition Matt and Kerry completed "Nightbear and Lambie: A Christmas Ride," due to be released later this year.
The second book will feature Dartmouth imagery, as Matt included the iconic Baker Tower weathervane in one of his illustrations.
While the Royers are not currently working on any new projects, Matt said that he and Kerry are willing to continue the "Nightbear and Lambie" saga for as long as there is a demand for the books.
"It's been a really nice partnership," he said.
The Royers' two children are too young to play football yet, but they participated in summer T-ball and Matt expects that they'll follow in his footsteps once they've gotten a bit older.
"I think [football] will be a big part of their life like it was for me," he said.
Matt Royer is not the only former Dartmouth athlete to enter the world of children's literature.
Tom Earle '89 drew from his experience as a hockey player when writing "The Hat Trick," a book for young adults about a young hockey player and his ascent to the NHL, where he is forced to question how much hockey really means to him. "The Hat Trick" is Earle's first novel.
Earle played in several youth hockey leagues before suiting up for the Big Green. After college, he traveled to England to play in the British Ice Hockey League. According to Harper-Collins, Earle has been a teacher for the past 18 years and currently resides in Oro-Medonte, Canada, with his wife and three children.
Earle could not be reached for comment by press time.
