3 years ago, this Boise native needed a break. Now he’s a Disney-published author sharing hope.

Ryan K. Sager can still recall sitting at his desk before dawn, wondering whether it was all worth it.

Sager, 38, was born in Boise and attended Frontier Elementary School, Lowell Scott Middle and Centennial High. And he found trouble on occasion. Trips to detention, where all he could do was put pen to paper, hooked him on writing.

Fast-forward to this week, when Sager has been conducting a book tour at Treasure Valley schools to talk about ”The World’s Greatest Chocolate-Covered Pork Chops,” which was released in June 2017 and is available at stores across the nation and on e-readers. The cover features a quote from famed Food Network personality Ted Allen, who called the book “a must-read for every kid born with a whisk in her hand.”

Publishing a book is no easy process, but as Sager stood in front of a crowded auditorium at Meridian’s Ponderosa Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon flanked by his wife, his mother and his daughter, his smile was proof that all of those early-morning sessions spent on the book were worth it.

“I can still remember, it was like 5 a.m. The sun wasn’t even up, but I was. And I’m not a morning person, so for me to be up is a big deal,” said Sager, who now lives in Utah. “I can still picture being at my computer, typing, looking out my window and just seeing darkness and thinking, ‘Am I crazy?’”

The book took three years to write; after that, he had to find an agent and a publisher. Sager collected a handful of rejections during the process, assuming he even received a response, and that’s a path he’s been down before.

Sager has written four or five books, he said, and this is the first to have been published.

“It’s kind of surreal, going from not even knowing if the book is going to get published, to Disney publishing the book, and now, he’s kind of a celebrity here,” said Katie Sager, his wife. “It’s amazing to see how far he’s come from just nothing to all of a sudden they’re selling out his book. It’s surreal and it’s fun to be a part of this process.”

“The World’s Greatest Chocolate-Covered Pork Chops” chronicles the exploits of a 12-year-old chef named Zoey Kate and her attempts to open a five-star restaurant, and it indeed was published by Disney Books — a concept Sager said he couldn’t have dreamed of three years ago.

The inspiration came from Sager’s actual daughter, Zoey, who was 5 years old at the time he started. One night before going to bed, Zoey argued with Sager about having cookies. Her persistence was inspiring, Sager said.

“This girl is just relentless, and she’s smart and she’s unstoppable. I should put her in a book,” Sager said he thought to himself.

And Zoey’s parents in the book are loosely based on Sager and Katie.

As he stood in front of hundreds of students Wednesday, Sager’s interactive presentation to students induced “oohs” and “ahs.” Naturally, a portion of his presentation was about the book itself and its creation. But Sager’s overarching message was one of hope.

“If you have a dream, go for it. If you dive in, you work hard and you stick with it, you will get it,” he told the room.

Sager sat at a small table with Zoey after his presentation and signed books for children. Each was personal and included a drawing of their favorite food. At times, it was hard to tell whether he or his daughter was more famous among the masses.

A long journey that once saw self-doubt is now one filled with joy.

“Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to do this. ... Success is a lot of work, and everyone who has achieved any measure of success, no matter what the field is or no what the level of success is, it’s a hard journey to get there,” Sager said. “So no matter how you cut it, it’s going to be hard. If what you’re going to do is hard, you may as well be pursuing your dream.”

This story was originally published April 5, 2019 at 1:33 PM.