Del Mar Agent Kyndal DeJurnett Adds "Publishing a Children’s Book” to Her List of 2025 Wins
by David Hay
January 2026
Real estate agents tend to be first-rate problem solvers. They excel at navigating complex issues with creative thinking. For Kyndal DeJurnett, the solution to a classic parenting challenge turned out to be especially creative: authoring a children’s book.
A Del Mar, Calif.-based agent for Douglas Elliman and the mother of two small girls, Kynsley, 6, and Sloane, 2, DeJurnett had been looking for ways to help her older daughter with her acute fear of the dark. After pondering possible solutions while driving the hills and winding streets to her listings in the coastal community, she landed on the idea to engage Kynsley in creating their own story about a young girl (named “Kynsley,” naturally) facing the same fear.
The result is When the Night Turns Bright, a beautifully illustrated story of “the most beautiful girl, inside and out,” who lives in a charming house and has “big, big dreams.” While walking about the yard, Kynsley discovers a magical door to an even more magical garden, full of flowers, talking animals, and fairies. After spending a lovely afternoon with her new friends, she notices they are losing their happy glow and zest for life. It is getting dark—and they are all afraid of the night.
Kynsley decides to stay and comfort her new friends as they encounter all the charms of the night: fireflies darting around, stars shining brightly above them, the appearance of a gentle moon, all of which magically help to chase everyone’s fears away.
“As the night went on, the moon began to fade,
The first light of dawn, an appearance it made,
The Flowers stood taller, colors brighter than ever,
Now they knew the feeling would last forever.”
When the Night Turns Bright is a charming and well-composed conceit, brought to life—with illustration by Tetiana Gut—through Amazon’s self-publishing program. DeJurnett says 200 copies of the $9.99 paperback have sold since it debuted on Amazon’s marketplace in October.
And how has Kynsley reacted to the book’s publication? I asked.
“It’s been really special to watch,” DeJurnett shared. “Seeing herself in the story made it feel safe and familiar, and she connected deeply with the message. While she hasn’t completely ‘outgrown’ her fear of the dark, and I don’t think that was ever the goal, she’s learned how to move through it with more confidence.”
“Like most kids (and honestly, most adults),” she continued, “Kynsley still has moments where fear shows up, whether it’s the dark or a new challenge in life. When that happens, we often come back to the story together. We talk about finding the good in those moments, about how fear doesn’t mean something is wrong; it just means we’re growing. That reminder has become a tool for her, helping her pause, breathe, and face things with a little more courage.”
“The book isn’t about eliminating fear,” DeJurnett concluded. “It’s about learning that even in the dark, there is light, and that we’re capable of finding it again and again.”
David Hay is a well-known architectural writer and playwright. His stories have been featured in The New York Times, Dwell and New York.
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