Lee Roddy’s Blog

This entry malfunctioned during posting, so I have to rewrite it. I’d appreciate your paience while that’s done.

Here’s a email that sprinkled sunshine and roses on my day:

Dear Lee:

I can still remember the first day I picked up your book, “Cry of Courage,”  in the “Between Two Flags” series. I was eleven and it was the first deries I truly ever got into. It was that book which first started me on a life of writing (the main character wrote and for some reason it finally clicked that I wanted to as well) and sparked a passion for reading.

I am not quite sure why it was that particular book that did so, but it did. I can still remember begging my mom to take me to the Christian book store so I could see if a new book had come out. Every year I waited to see what happened to Emily, Gideon and Nat. Even when I had outgrown the series I still looked forward to reading them and searched them out.

When I finished reading the last book, “Risking the Dream,” I contined to look for more books (feeling as if the book left me hanging), but it never came. For years it it has plagued me, wondering what happened.

I have graduated college with a bachelors in English and am studying to be a children’s libarian. I have literally read countless books (childern’s books being my forte,), but even with that, I still want to know what happened at the end of that beloved series that started so much for me.

I know I sound crazy, but it is something that has nagged at me every  time I think of those books. I have never had this problem before, and I do so much respect you and your writing. I suppose I am writing you this on the slim hope that perhaps you had intended to write more and because of the popularity of the books or perhaps some other project took presidence  -  you never returned to finish.

Whatever the case, would you please email me some closure, if you could. If not, I  understand, you are very busy man, and I do not wish to inconvenience you; but if you could, I think it could give my mind some relief.

I am so sorry this comment was very long, but I thoughI would thank ou for the series as is, and hope for some closure. Thank you for your time and the Lord bless you.

Melody Williams

* * *

Melody, and all of you who have written to say pretty much the same thing  about wanting to complete the series, book, here’s the explanation; I originally proposed this as a ten book series,  the publisher only wanted six. Then they sold out to a house that only does nonfiction. About five years ago I resold the reprint rigthts to another house on a contract which covered 40 of my award-winning juvenile series. I have been unable to get them to reprint the six original flag under contract. The house did’nt want 10 books, so I condensed my planned four remaining books into one wrap-up. I completely outlined it, showing what happens to each of the principal characters through the end of the war and in later life. But so far, no sale. It’s a moving story, even if I do say so myself, but nothing has happened, saleswise. However, your letter about “that beloved series” has prompted me to consider some options which give me hope. I’ll let you know how those develop.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 9th, 2010 at 5:42 pm and is filed under Lee's Personal Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.