Dean cites the late journalist Matt Price as a major influence in his path to writing and pursuing his dream of being a published author.

Dean is motivated to write by a deep love of story craft and creating characters that leave a lasting impression. Dean has also sought to translate music into a literary experience, which is a central part of his first novel "The Hambledown Dream" which was first published in 2010.

He has continued with this theme of combining music into a literary tableaux with his powerful follow up novel "Gifts of the Peramangk" which was released internationally in 2012.