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Authors | L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

L. E. MODESITT, JR.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr., was born in 1943 in Denver, Colorado. Although he spent most of his childhood and teenaged years in the Denver area, avidly reading science fiction, he never attended any science fiction conventions -- even in Denver. Nor did he attempt to write science fiction. Mr. Modesitt graduated from Williams College under the delusion that poetry was considered respectable and that fantasy and science fiction were not, a mistake he now attributes to youthful enthusiasm.

He has been a delivery boy; a lifeguard; an unpaid radio disc jockey; a U.S. Navy pilot; a market research analyst; a real estate agent; director of research for a political campaign; legislative assistant and staff director for a U.S. Congressman; Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues; a college lecturer and writer in residence; and unpaid treasurer of a civic music arts association. In addition to his novels, Mr. Modesitt has published technical studies and articles (generally with boring titles), columns, poetry, and a number of science fiction stories.

Shortly after his tours as a Navy amphibious officer and then as a pilot, he returned to Denver as a market research analyst and economist, which experiences generated the idea for his first published story -- "The Great American Economy" -- printed in ANALOG in 1973. He remained oblivious to the existence of fandom and conventions, and pursued a career in another type of fantasy by becoming legislative director for Congressman Bill Armstrong in Washington, D.C., and later as staff director for Congressman Ken Kramer. During his years in Washington, he attempted to regain some hold on reality by writing increasingly more science fiction. Not totally by coincidence, his first novel was published while he was serving as head of Legislation and Congressional Relations at the U.S. EPA during the Reagan-Burford scandals. There he was responsible for responding to Congressional investigations and hearings and accepting midnight telephone calls from various individuals terming themselves journalists. This experience led to the writing of The Green Progression, with Bruce Scott Levinson, a book almost totally factual and yet termed more fantastic than any of his fantasy novels. Such public and critical reaction confirmed his fundamental belief in the reality of science fiction and fantasy.

After departing EPA and while working as a regulatory consultant, his editor enlightened him as to the importance and role of fans and conventions and shanghaied him to his first convention at the age of 42. Shortly thereafter, his writing increased, and his consulting decreased, and he has been attending and participating in conventions ever since.

Along the way, Mr. Modesitt has weathered eight children, a fondness for three-piece suits [which has deteriorated into a love of vests], a brown labrador, a white cockapoo, an energetic Shih Tzu, a scheming dachshund, a bewildered Sussex spaniel, a Siamese rabbit, and various assorted pet rodents. Finally, in 1989, to escape nearly twenty years of occupational captivity in Washington, D.C., he moved to New Hampshire. There he married a lyric soprano, finally confirming that sometimes the third time is a charm, and he and his wife Carol moved to Cedar City, Utah, in 1993, where she directs the opera program at Southern Utah University and he continues to create and manage chaos.

Although he is possibly best known for his "Recluce" fantasy saga, with over two million books in print world-wide [and translations in eight languages besides American and British English], he continues to write science fiction as well, and has been known to twist the arms of booksellers [most tactfully and gently] to encourage them to backlist his titles other than fantasy.

Visit Webpage at: http://www.lemodesittjr.com