Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!
Where we celebrate new books by Michigan's children's book authors and illustrators
Congratulations to Roger D. Hess on the release of his new book, 3000 Feet Over Lambeau!
Congratulations on the release of 3000 Feet Over Lambeau! This is the second book in your Stadium Adventure Series. Can you tell us a little bit about what inspired this series and its newest addition?
There is something magical about a trip to a stadium to see your favorite team play.
Walking through the gates makes your heart beat a little faster. Handing your ticket to an usher and having him show you to your seat gives you a feeling that you belong, a feeling of ownership.
Stadiums and ball parks are made of brick and mortar that breathe excitement. Hot dog vendors shouting to the crowd, the smell of popcorn and peanuts. The anticipation of seeing a performance that has not been scripted…you don’t know what will happen.
And maybe the best part is knowing that whatever happens, win or lose…life goes on.
The Stadium Adventure Series celebrates the quest to be a part of that experience. In Freaked Out at Wrigley Field and now, in 3000 Feet Over Lambeau, it’s more about the journey than the destination.
Sort of like traveling to Oz, it’s a merry, sometimes scary, sometimes magical run through a forest filled with lions and tigers and bears.
Before becoming an author, you spent time working in a variety of other fields, like journalism, screenwriting, and advertising, to name a few. What inspired you to start writing middle grade books?
When our kids were growing up, we could always find great books for our girls to read, but we had a tougher time finding books appealing to our boys. I guess I whined about it so much, my wife, who is really the brains of our whole operation, convinced me to stop complaining and do something about it. So, I came up with an adventure series featuring three adopted brothers, all different races, and their exploits with, as it turns out, not-so simple visits to stadiums and ball parks.
Trouble is, I waited so long to start writing, it’s our grandkids, instead of our kids, who are reading the books! Also, I am beyond happy to say, it’s not just the boys who are finding the books entertaining. We had one nine-year-old girl send us a note saying she has read Freaked Out at Wrigley Field five times and would I please hurry and get the next book out!
Now that the next book, 3000 Feet Over Lambeau, is out, I’m excited for my readers to discover that the quarterback of the team is a girl. And, not only is she the “second best” player on the team (according to one of her fellow teammates), she is without a doubt the leader of the group both on and off the field.
On your website, you note that with every purchase of your books, a donation will be made to a national hunger non-profit organization. Can you tell us a little about this organization and why you donate?
One of the main characters in the books, Michael, likes to eat. He lives to eat. Which is exactly like I am. In fact, while writing this, I wish I had a slice of pizza next to my keyboard right now.
With that in mind, the fact that more than 12 million children in our country struggle with hunger we feel is a national crisis. In this, the greatest country in the world, that is a problem we should not have. It’s something we can fix!
So, with every book sold, the Stadium Adventure Series makes a donation to Feeding America. At this point, kids and parents who have bought our books have helped us provide more than 3,000 meals to hungry kids. We understand that it is a drop in the bucket, but we’re just getting started. And if it helps raise awareness of the problem and gets other people involved in their own communities, who knows what can be accomplished!
What’s something you hope your readers will take away from reading 3000 Feet Over Lambeau and the Stadium Adventure Series?
I hope my readers get swept up in the excitement of visiting a stadium. I hope they love the kooky cast of characters as much as I do. I hope they laugh. I hope they feel a little scared. I hope they find they have to fight back a tear or two. I hope they see life has a little magic if we keep our eyes open to it. Most importantly, I’d like my readers to realize that when everyone works together toward a common goal, there’s no limit to what can be achieved.
And, as far as 3000 Feet Over Lambeau, I hope they discover there’s a big, wide world of smelly cheese out there they never knew existed.
What’s some advice you would give to other writers hoping to publish their own middle grade books?
I hardly feel qualified to give advice, but I really believe it’s important to write about what interests you. And…to write every day. There will be days when you can barely eke out a few words and then there will be times when your fingers can’t keep up with your brain.
Persistence pays off. I plod along. Plod. Plod. Plod. Then comes that glorious day when you write THE END…and then it’s just 3-4 more months of rewrite!
As the great Jimmy Dugan, played by Tom Hanks, once said in the movie, A League of Their Own, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”
One other tip: Have your dog sleep under your desk when you’re writing.
What’s next for you? Any upcoming books? How can people learn more about your work and connect with you?
Retirement. After 30 plus years of writing TV, radio, newspaper ads, and magazine ads, I’m leaving it all behind to devote all my time to writing more books, promoting the series, visiting stadiums and rooting for my Detroit Tigers, Lions, Wings, and Pistons.
Now that 3000 Feet Over Lambeau is out, I’m plodding along with the next adventure, Tiger Stadium Time Machine, and I’ll be honest, I can’t wait to find out what happens.
To contact me the best way is to email me at roger@stadiumadventureseries.com. You can also visit my website stadiumadventureseries.com.
A little bit about the book:
Hang on to your cheese wedge! 3000 Feet Over Lambeau picks up where Freaked Out at Wrigley Field left off.
There is something magical about a trip to a stadium to see your favorite team play.
Walking through the gates makes your heart beat a little faster. Handing your ticket to an usher and having him show you to your seat gives you a feeling that you belong, a feeling of ownership.
Stadiums and ball parks are made of brick and mortar that breathe excitement. Hot dog vendors shouting to the crowd, the smell of popcorn and peanuts. The anticipation of seeing a performance that has not been scripted…you don’t know what will happen.
And maybe the best part is knowing that whatever happens, win or lose…life goes on.
The Stadium Adventure Series celebrates the quest to be a part of that experience. In Freaked Out at Wrigley Field and now, in 3000 Feet Over Lambeau, it’s more about the journey than the destination.
Sort of like traveling to Oz, it’s a merry, sometimes scary, sometimes magical run through a forest filled with lions and tigers and bears.
When our kids were growing up, we could always find great books for our girls to read, but we had a tougher time finding books appealing to our boys. I guess I whined about it so much, my wife, who is really the brains of our whole operation, convinced me to stop complaining and do something about it. So, I came up with an adventure series featuring three adopted brothers, all different races, and their exploits with, as it turns out, not-so simple visits to stadiums and ball parks.
Trouble is, I waited so long to start writing, it’s our grandkids, instead of our kids, who are reading the books! Also, I am beyond happy to say, it’s not just the boys who are finding the books entertaining. We had one nine-year-old girl send us a note saying she has read Freaked Out at Wrigley Field five times and would I please hurry and get the next book out!
Now that the next book, 3000 Feet Over Lambeau, is out, I’m excited for my readers to discover that the quarterback of the team is a girl. And, not only is she the “second best” player on the team (according to one of her fellow teammates), she is without a doubt the leader of the group both on and off the field.
One of the main characters in the books, Michael, likes to eat. He lives to eat. Which is exactly like I am. In fact, while writing this, I wish I had a slice of pizza next to my keyboard right now.
With that in mind, the fact that more than 12 million children in our country struggle with hunger we feel is a national crisis. In this, the greatest country in the world, that is a problem we should not have. It’s something we can fix!
So, with every book sold, the Stadium Adventure Series makes a donation to Feeding America. At this point, kids and parents who have bought our books have helped us provide more than 3,000 meals to hungry kids. We understand that it is a drop in the bucket, but we’re just getting started. And if it helps raise awareness of the problem and gets other people involved in their own communities, who knows what can be accomplished!
I hope my readers get swept up in the excitement of visiting a stadium. I hope they love the kooky cast of characters as much as I do. I hope they laugh. I hope they feel a little scared. I hope they find they have to fight back a tear or two. I hope they see life has a little magic if we keep our eyes open to it. Most importantly, I’d like my readers to realize that when everyone works together toward a common goal, there’s no limit to what can be achieved.
And, as far as 3000 Feet Over Lambeau, I hope they discover there’s a big, wide world of smelly cheese out there they never knew existed.
I hardly feel qualified to give advice, but I really believe it’s important to write about what interests you. And…to write every day. There will be days when you can barely eke out a few words and then there will be times when your fingers can’t keep up with your brain.
Persistence pays off. I plod along. Plod. Plod. Plod. Then comes that glorious day when you write THE END…and then it’s just 3-4 more months of rewrite!
As the great Jimmy Dugan, played by Tom Hanks, once said in the movie, A League of Their Own, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”
One other tip: Have your dog sleep under your desk when you’re writing.
Retirement. After 30 plus years of writing TV, radio, newspaper ads, and magazine ads, I’m leaving it all behind to devote all my time to writing more books, promoting the series, visiting stadiums and rooting for my Detroit Tigers, Lions, Wings, and Pistons.
Now that 3000 Feet Over Lambeau is out, I’m plodding along with the next adventure, Tiger Stadium Time Machine, and I’ll be honest, I can’t wait to find out what happens.
To contact me the best way is to email me at roger@stadiumadventureseries.com. You can also visit my website stadiumadventureseries.com.
Hang on to your cheese wedge! 3000 Feet Over Lambeau picks up where Freaked Out at Wrigley Field left off.
In this unbelievable, unpredictable, fun-filled, stadium-jumping adventure, Hawk, Nestor and Michael travel to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio with their youth football team led by a pint-sized quarterback who’s as tough as nails and…a girl.
At the Hall of Fame, they collide with a kooky out-of-control collection of radical Cheeseheads on a secret mission of mayhem.
Suddenly, the team finds themselves in the middle of one big mixed-up mess with only one impossible, eye-popping, stomach-churning, death-defying way out!
A little bit about the author:
Roger D. Hess has always been a writer. He’s worked as a journalist, a greeting card writer, a screenwriter, a speech writer and a ghostwriter. He’s been an award-winning copywriter in advertising and marketing and a crackerjack public relations expert, pounding out hundreds of press releases for major news outlets. Now, he’s a novelist.
He is also a husband, a dad, a grandpa and…a stadium lover. Every year, he squeezes in as many visits as possible to ball parks, football stadiums, hockey arenas large and small. For him, happiness is a ticket in one hand and a hot dog in the other. And it’s at that point, the adventure begins!
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