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Lee Roddy, 95, in Feb. (author of juvenile Protestant mysteries/adventures)
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leno...@yahoo.com
Mar 22, 2017, 7:07:30 PM3/22/17
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(I have to say, I don't understand the business about Grizzly Adams, since the only author is listed as Charles E. Sellier Jr., who died at age 67, in 2011. Same goes for "The Lincoln Conspiracy," but that has a co-author named David W. Balsiger.)
Born in Illinois, he grew up in Oakdale, California and died in Grass Valley.
http://www.theunion.com/news/obituaries/obituary-of-lee-roddy/
Last two-thirds:
...His first short stories were published when he was 14. After graduating from Oakdale High in 1940, Roddy attended Modesto Junior College for a year before moving to Hollywood to begin a writing career. Starting as a page boy at NBC, Roddy also worked part time writing for advertising agencies and radio stations while earning a degree in radio broadcasting from Los Angeles City College in 1945. In 1947, Roddy married his college sweetheart and switched from freelance writing to a more secure staff position writing advertising copy at KTRB, Modesto. He was soon promoted to sales manager, a position he held for eight years. While still pursuing his goal to be an author, Roddy became general manager or sales manager at radio stations in Honolulu, Hawaii; Hollywood and Anaheim, California. In the early 1960s, he changed careers from broadcasting to newspapers. Roddy became a journeyman reporter and feature writer for the Turlock Journal and the Modesto Bee before his books started selling well.
In 1977, Roddy sold the first of 62 books, a biography of Robert E. Lee, which is still in print. Roddy's historical novel, "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams," became a prime time television series. The author's juvenile novel, "Secret of the Shark Pit" was a million copy seller and is still in print. His other adult credits include two historical suspense trilogies, "Between Two Flags" and "Giants on the Hill." Roddy also wrote " The Lincoln Conspiracy," (became a movie); "In Search of Historic Jesus," and "Jesus," a nonfiction book now also a movie in a thousand languages through Campus Crusade for Christ. In total, Roddy wrote 44 novels in four series for middle grade readers, 10 historical suspense novels for adults, and several nonfiction titles, including "How to Write a Story." The author's works-in-progress at his death include an adult and a juvenile historical novel.
http://www.newreleasetoday.com/authordetail.php?aut_id=623
(with a few more details on his childhood)
http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/lee%20roddy%20archives%20page%203.html
(1940s-1950s photos)
http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/lee%20roddy%20video%20interview.html
(video interview from 2004?)
http://www.teenink.com/nonfiction/celebrity_interviews/article/388315/Author-Lee-Roddy/
(long Q&A interview from 2011 - with seven facts for writers)
Excerpts:
RH- Where do you get your ideas?
LR- With some 70 books published in nonfiction and fiction, I still get ideas from everywhere. I overheard two elderly women talking about their parents in the Great Depression who had deliberately abandoned their 12-year-old son and secretly moved away because the parents could no longer feed him. The writer in me asked, “What if that had been a girl? “ That simple question resulted in nine award-winning girls’ novels and sales of more than half a million copies.
Another idea came when I wondered what it was like growing up in the American Civil War. I checked Books in Print and found lots of bugle boy stories but none about kids in their year-by-year struggle in the midst of our nation’s deadliest war. I created six novels featuring three very different focal characters and dramatized their year-by-year struggles in extreme situations that were beyond their control. Flags is my only series where the main characters grow older in each book.
RH- Has a friend or family member ever given you an idea that you used in a book?
LR- Yes. One day our adult son, Steve, watched and listened as some local boys bought chunks of meat to feed sharks in an ocean pit. That was all Steve heard. But for excitement and fun reading, my writer’s imagination created a mystery, a chase, some Hawaiian culture and history, a dangerous ocean rip-tide, and a watery trap with no way out for the main character and his friends whom he unwisely involved in the adventure. These elements developed into my single best-selling juvenile novel to date, Secret of the Shark Pit...
RH- Please share your testimony of Salvation.
LR- There was nothing spiritual in my childhood home except occasionally hearing my mother singing old hymns, indicating an earlier Christian experience. My Dad literally ran preachers off when they came to call. In my teens, Dad finally let one neighbor lady take us older siblings to church. On a Sunday, at age 17, I knelt at the altar and received salvation. I didn’t always “walk the walk” until about age 50 when I joined a men’s Bible study group. By then, I had sold several short pieces, but not a single book. One day these men laid hands on me and prayed that I go forth to follow the writing I felt led to do. Within a year, I gave my first lecture at a Christian writers’ conference, followed by 30 years of teaching writing to all ages across the nation in all kinds of venues...
http://copperfieldreview.com/?p=402
(long Q&A from 2012)
Excerpt:
.D.L.: What are you working on now? What areas of history would you like to visit in your writing in the future?
L.R.: I have two works-in-progress: one has a different slant about the California Gold Rush of 1849. The other takes a unique angle about the Pony Express. As for the area of history I would like to write about in the future – well, for years, I’ve thought about how I could help people rediscover their true American heritage. I see so much deviation from the historic facts that I’d like to tell stories that recapture what it was really like, and not slanted as much of our heritage is today
R.D.L.: Your wonderful exciting novels come to life through your use of history. How does your research process work? Is it time consuming? Do you have any research tips for writers of historical fiction?
L.R.: I prefer working with original resources when possible, so I’m always looking for old manuscript sources, etc. I work by getting an idea of what I think would be interesting to readers and also keep me enjoying the search. Usually, I read an hour each night on various subjects that interest me. I travel to the historic sites where possible taking my video camera and tape recorder. Yes, it is very time consuming, but it’s a pleasure, not work. My interest stays high because I have a strong desire to pass on what I’ve learned through researching history.
As for tips: You’ve got to love what you do or your manuscript won’t have the spark and glow that should show in the finished story. Of course, all well-told stories have about the same basic structure and contents, so it’s how you tell the story that makes it appeal to readers.
http://www.leeroddybooks.com/blog2/?p=250
(his blog)
http://www.leeroddybooks.com/
http://www.leeroddybooks.com/books_series_dillon.htm
(covers and synopses of some of his mysteries)
From Christianbook.com (the entire interview is no longer available)
...Since 1974, Lee has written countless books. Most
significantly, he wrote the Jesus film for Campus Crusade for Christ,
which is now in more than three hundred languages and is viewed
worldwide. He has had five of his books made into major motion
pictures, and has been on the New York Times bestseller list on
several occasions.
An American Adventure and Between Two Flags are two popular series for
young adults that present exciting stories set in historic America.
Lee's other children's series include Giants on the Hiss, the
Pinkerton Lady Chronicles, D.J. Dillon, and Kidwitness Tales...
...He's received the Silver Angel Award from Religion in Media, 1986, for
The Hair-Pulling Bear Dog, The City Bear's Adventures, Dooger, the
Grasshopper Hound, and The Ghost Dog of Stoney Ridge.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/67029-an-american-adventure
(reader reviews)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080919/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_1
(single film credit - under his real name, that is)
https://www.google.com/#tbm=vid&q=%22lee+roddy%22+books&*
(two audio recordings of some of his work)
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.arts.books.childrens/XYG2Oyu42Wg/WczM_ATCHhMJ
(birthday post, with booklist)
Lenona.
Born in Illinois, he grew up in Oakdale, California and died in Grass Valley.
http://www.theunion.com/news/obituaries/obituary-of-lee-roddy/
Last two-thirds:
...His first short stories were published when he was 14. After graduating from Oakdale High in 1940, Roddy attended Modesto Junior College for a year before moving to Hollywood to begin a writing career. Starting as a page boy at NBC, Roddy also worked part time writing for advertising agencies and radio stations while earning a degree in radio broadcasting from Los Angeles City College in 1945. In 1947, Roddy married his college sweetheart and switched from freelance writing to a more secure staff position writing advertising copy at KTRB, Modesto. He was soon promoted to sales manager, a position he held for eight years. While still pursuing his goal to be an author, Roddy became general manager or sales manager at radio stations in Honolulu, Hawaii; Hollywood and Anaheim, California. In the early 1960s, he changed careers from broadcasting to newspapers. Roddy became a journeyman reporter and feature writer for the Turlock Journal and the Modesto Bee before his books started selling well.
In 1977, Roddy sold the first of 62 books, a biography of Robert E. Lee, which is still in print. Roddy's historical novel, "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams," became a prime time television series. The author's juvenile novel, "Secret of the Shark Pit" was a million copy seller and is still in print. His other adult credits include two historical suspense trilogies, "Between Two Flags" and "Giants on the Hill." Roddy also wrote " The Lincoln Conspiracy," (became a movie); "In Search of Historic Jesus," and "Jesus," a nonfiction book now also a movie in a thousand languages through Campus Crusade for Christ. In total, Roddy wrote 44 novels in four series for middle grade readers, 10 historical suspense novels for adults, and several nonfiction titles, including "How to Write a Story." The author's works-in-progress at his death include an adult and a juvenile historical novel.
http://www.newreleasetoday.com/authordetail.php?aut_id=623
(with a few more details on his childhood)
http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/lee%20roddy%20archives%20page%203.html
(1940s-1950s photos)
http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/lee%20roddy%20video%20interview.html
(video interview from 2004?)
http://www.teenink.com/nonfiction/celebrity_interviews/article/388315/Author-Lee-Roddy/
(long Q&A interview from 2011 - with seven facts for writers)
Excerpts:
RH- Where do you get your ideas?
LR- With some 70 books published in nonfiction and fiction, I still get ideas from everywhere. I overheard two elderly women talking about their parents in the Great Depression who had deliberately abandoned their 12-year-old son and secretly moved away because the parents could no longer feed him. The writer in me asked, “What if that had been a girl? “ That simple question resulted in nine award-winning girls’ novels and sales of more than half a million copies.
Another idea came when I wondered what it was like growing up in the American Civil War. I checked Books in Print and found lots of bugle boy stories but none about kids in their year-by-year struggle in the midst of our nation’s deadliest war. I created six novels featuring three very different focal characters and dramatized their year-by-year struggles in extreme situations that were beyond their control. Flags is my only series where the main characters grow older in each book.
RH- Has a friend or family member ever given you an idea that you used in a book?
LR- Yes. One day our adult son, Steve, watched and listened as some local boys bought chunks of meat to feed sharks in an ocean pit. That was all Steve heard. But for excitement and fun reading, my writer’s imagination created a mystery, a chase, some Hawaiian culture and history, a dangerous ocean rip-tide, and a watery trap with no way out for the main character and his friends whom he unwisely involved in the adventure. These elements developed into my single best-selling juvenile novel to date, Secret of the Shark Pit...
RH- Please share your testimony of Salvation.
LR- There was nothing spiritual in my childhood home except occasionally hearing my mother singing old hymns, indicating an earlier Christian experience. My Dad literally ran preachers off when they came to call. In my teens, Dad finally let one neighbor lady take us older siblings to church. On a Sunday, at age 17, I knelt at the altar and received salvation. I didn’t always “walk the walk” until about age 50 when I joined a men’s Bible study group. By then, I had sold several short pieces, but not a single book. One day these men laid hands on me and prayed that I go forth to follow the writing I felt led to do. Within a year, I gave my first lecture at a Christian writers’ conference, followed by 30 years of teaching writing to all ages across the nation in all kinds of venues...
http://copperfieldreview.com/?p=402
(long Q&A from 2012)
Excerpt:
.D.L.: What are you working on now? What areas of history would you like to visit in your writing in the future?
L.R.: I have two works-in-progress: one has a different slant about the California Gold Rush of 1849. The other takes a unique angle about the Pony Express. As for the area of history I would like to write about in the future – well, for years, I’ve thought about how I could help people rediscover their true American heritage. I see so much deviation from the historic facts that I’d like to tell stories that recapture what it was really like, and not slanted as much of our heritage is today
R.D.L.: Your wonderful exciting novels come to life through your use of history. How does your research process work? Is it time consuming? Do you have any research tips for writers of historical fiction?
L.R.: I prefer working with original resources when possible, so I’m always looking for old manuscript sources, etc. I work by getting an idea of what I think would be interesting to readers and also keep me enjoying the search. Usually, I read an hour each night on various subjects that interest me. I travel to the historic sites where possible taking my video camera and tape recorder. Yes, it is very time consuming, but it’s a pleasure, not work. My interest stays high because I have a strong desire to pass on what I’ve learned through researching history.
As for tips: You’ve got to love what you do or your manuscript won’t have the spark and glow that should show in the finished story. Of course, all well-told stories have about the same basic structure and contents, so it’s how you tell the story that makes it appeal to readers.
http://www.leeroddybooks.com/blog2/?p=250
(his blog)
http://www.leeroddybooks.com/
http://www.leeroddybooks.com/books_series_dillon.htm
(covers and synopses of some of his mysteries)
From Christianbook.com (the entire interview is no longer available)
...Since 1974, Lee has written countless books. Most
significantly, he wrote the Jesus film for Campus Crusade for Christ,
which is now in more than three hundred languages and is viewed
worldwide. He has had five of his books made into major motion
pictures, and has been on the New York Times bestseller list on
several occasions.
An American Adventure and Between Two Flags are two popular series for
young adults that present exciting stories set in historic America.
Lee's other children's series include Giants on the Hiss, the
Pinkerton Lady Chronicles, D.J. Dillon, and Kidwitness Tales...
...He's received the Silver Angel Award from Religion in Media, 1986, for
The Hair-Pulling Bear Dog, The City Bear's Adventures, Dooger, the
Grasshopper Hound, and The Ghost Dog of Stoney Ridge.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/67029-an-american-adventure
(reader reviews)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080919/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_1
(single film credit - under his real name, that is)
https://www.google.com/#tbm=vid&q=%22lee+roddy%22+books&*
(two audio recordings of some of his work)
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.arts.books.childrens/XYG2Oyu42Wg/WczM_ATCHhMJ
(birthday post, with booklist)
Lenona.
leno...@yahoo.com
Mar 22, 2017, 7:15:20 PM3/22/17
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