Snell shares Arcanum author spotlight
There are only 2,062 people in Arcanum, which is in Darke County,
on the border of Ohio and Indiana.
And yet there are two “famous” authors who were born in and grew up
in Arcanum – Linda Coble Castillo and BJ alum Roger Snell.
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| Roger Snell |
Neither is the most famous native of Darke County. That would be
Phoebe Ann Mosey, better known as sharpshooter Annie Oakley, who was born in a
cabin within two miles of Woodland, now Willowdell, which is 30 miles from
Arcanum.
Roger wrote “Root for the Cubs,” which disputes that Babe Ruth
actually called the home run against Cubs pitcher Charlie Root, despite the
legend.
Linda went from cranking out three or four Harlequin books a year
to writing a Kate Burkholder crime thriller series set in Amish country for
Berkeley Publishing. One became a movie, “An Amish Murder.”
Arcanum began in 1849. The railroad arrived three years later.
Roger and wife Linda live in Frankfort, Kentucky with daughters
Rachel and Hannah.
Roger, who survived immune system attacks on his cerebellum and brain that stopped his
breathing when he felt asleep by turning to vitamins, minerals, nutriets and
diet, administers a marketing program called Kentucky Proud that helps farmers
transition from tobacco to alternative crops such as fruits and vegetables.
The article on Roger published in the Daily Advocate of Greenville,
which is 10 miles from Arcanum and also in Darke County:
Arcanum produces another author
ARCANUM – Roger
Snell, a 1977 Arcanum High School graduate, said he ironically released his
second book the same day Linda (Coble) Castillo (a 1978 Arcanum graduate)
recently appeared at the Arcanum Public Library, where he worked while going to
high school.
“Both of us had Ms.
Pallant as our creative writing teacher,” Snell said. “She is mentioned in my
book and so is Linda.”
Snell said his
memoir book, titled “Love Grandpa,” features Arcanum and Darke and Preble counties.
“Growing up in
Arcanum, it mentions a few highlights….dozens of local names and a funny story
in the midst of the rubble of his childhood home after the tornado,” Snell
said. “As Mike Bevins toured my old bedroom, with no ceiling, insulation
hanging everywhere, furniture tossed haphazardly, he said, ‘Looks the same as
when you lived here.’ Dad, a long-time Arcanum letter carrier and then
well-known at Arcanum Hardware, made national news with his description of the
tornado as he stood in the rubble of the only home he ever owned.”
The key point of the
book, however, is about his near-death experience in April.
“The book is
inspiring, faithful, and covers a career as a reporter who won the Pulitzer
while looking for the worst in people,” he said. “But I found the best in
people when I became bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and was surrounded by people who turned life’s tests into testimony. I devoted
my life to changing the world. Instead, this wonderful world changed me.”
“Love, Grandpa,” his
latest book, is on sale now.
“It is a memoir and
a Christian non-fiction account of what happened when I reached death’s door in
April 2017,” he said. “I spent 19 years digging for dirt and finding the worst
in people, I learned to see the world differently when I became a bishop for
the church. Soon, I was surrounded by faithful and extraordinary members who
turned life’s tests into testimony, including my own daughter who lost her son
40 days after birth. I sought to change the world. Instead, this wonderful
world changed me. My life transformed from demolition to construction.”
Snell has been
writing as early as he can remember.
“I even typed up my
own daily newsletter – back when we had typewriters – when I was going to
Butler Junior High outside of Arcanum,” he said. “I wrote more than 3,000
stories, mostly investigative, and won the Pulitzer Prize while with the Akron
Beacon Journal.”
Snell said his
journalism career was inspired by Watergate.
“But my start was
because of exceptional teachers at Arcanum High School and Butler Junior High,”
he said.
Snell moved to
Kentucky in 1998 and runs the ‘dating service’ for Kentucky Proud.
“That’s how one of
my bosses described my job as one of the pioneers of the state marketing
program helping Kentucky farm families find buyers and markets for their
products at Kroger, Walmart, independent grocers, restaurants, and more,” he
said. “I wrote both books between 5-6 a.m. each day and full-time on weekends.”
He continued, “I am
a lousy missionary and very shy about talking about religion. But after what
happened to me at death’s door, I am obligated to get a lot bolder about
offering hope, love, and comfort to a troubled and contentious world. My wife
grabbed both my hands when I was on my death bed, fell backwards with all of
her strength, just to pull me up out of bed and into a wheelchair so I could
write 800 to 1,000 words per hour per day. I did 100,000 words in 100 days.
This book is the result.”
The 58-year-old
author graduated from Ohio State University in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in
political science.
