by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
He had done it twice before, but this time was different.
The birth of his first grandchild caused Jacksonville attorney and author Roger Dodd to venture away from legal writing and into penning his first children’s book.
“Lil’ Lady Piper’s First Trip and Other Things She Learned!” is the result of an unfulfilling trip to the children’s section of a bookstore.
“I wanted to give her a book for her first Christmas, but I couldn’t find one in the entire store that I liked,” said Dodd. “Most people don’t think that children begin absorbing and learning until some time after they are born, but I think that they do as soon as they come into this world,” he said.
“So I wanted to create a book that had a positive outlook and positive character values.”
Piper was born July 29 and Dodd flew to Utah to congratulate the new parents, his son Matt and daughter-in-law Ashley, and to see his first grandchild.
“She’s so beautiful. I didn’t expect to be as moved as I was,” said Dodd.
He was so moved that he had the story written before he stepped off the plane on the return trip. He believes strongly that anything that comes from the heart can’t be wrong, but he made sure to consult with a child psychologist to ensure the words and the message were appropriate for a children’s book.
Dodd focused his attention for the next three months on creating the book. He knew what he wanted to say, which was well suited for the legal books he helped to create.
He co-authored “Cross Examination: Science and Techniques” with Larry Pozner in 1993 and issued a second edition in 2004.
He also co-authored “Media Skills: The Lawyer as a Spokesperson” with Claudia Oltean in 2008.
All were published by LexisNexis, but none of the books required Dodd to interview artists to create illustrations.
“I had no idea what I was getting into,” said Dodd, with a deer-in-the-headlights look. “During the interviews I asked each artist to draw the same picture, but I couldn’t find anyone with the same vision I had.”
Luckily, he was able to find an artist near his Valdosta, Ga., law office who “got it.” Ben Blanton was able to listen to what Dodd wanted and, more often than not, create a picture that depicted what Dodd envisioned.
As any proud “Paw Paw” would do, he began to talk about the project with friends and colleagues. Some were completely surprised that a plaintiff’s trial lawyer with more than 35 years of experience, who spends his time out of the courtroom writing and lecturing about how to break down witnesses during cross examination, has a soft side.
“After they read the book, people are amazed that I can be so sensitive and warm,” said Dodd.
Once the book was ready for the press, Dodd became frustrated with the pace of publishers, so he decided to publish the book himself and had a website created to sell it, www.pawpawbooks.com.
About 100 books have been sold to other proud grandfathers, said Dodd. The website will also provide updates on future installments describing Piper’s adventures.
“I hope I don’t have a lot of grandkids,” joked Dodd. “Because I know each one is going to ask, ‘Where’s my book?’ And this wasn’t easy.”
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