Dunn Neugebauer has brought a new light into the world of inspirational books with his new tome “Funny Conversations with God.”

The former sports reporter, who worked at the Neighbor Newspapers in the 1990s, said he got the idea for the book after reading the “Conversations with God” series by Neale Donald Walsch.

“Those books changed my life,” said Neugebauer, who now works in public relations for Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where he also substitute teaches and coaches cross country and tennis.

“I grew up Southern Baptist, where you had to be afraid of God. I got to thinking, what if you could cut up with him? What if he was your buddy? Once I got the idea, I couldn’t stop writing, because I had a lot of things I wanted to say to him.” The book was released in October and Neugebauer has had two book signings – one in his hometown of Madison and one at Holy Innocents’.

It is sold online at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. The author said it only took him five months to write the book, but he took a year off halfway through writing it.

“A girl who knows me said, ‘It’s Dunn’s brain on paper,’” Neugebauer said of the book. “Most of it’s supposed to be funny, but some of it’s serious. It switches gears now and then,” he said. “It made me more aware, because you know, if God’s supposed to be with you, if he’s everywhere you go, then you know what he would say about some of what you’re doing. I’d like to think it made me a better person.”

Ned Mulligan, the school’s chaplain, said he had the book, but had not yet read it. “Dunn is a very interesting, colorful and beloved person,” he said.

Where to buy it: www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.