Stephen Bly

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Stephen Bly
Mayor of Winchester, Idaho
In office
2000–2007
Personal details
BornAugust 17, 1944
Ivanhoe, California, U.S.
DiedJune 9, 2011 (aged 66)
Lewiston, Idaho, U.S.
SpouseJanet Chester
Children3
Education California State University, Fresno (BA)
Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.)

Stephen Bly (August 17, 1944 – June 9, 2011) was an American author and politician. He wrote more than 100 books and hundreds of articles, poems, and short stories. His book, The Long Trail Home (Broadman & Holman), won the 2002 Christy Award in the category Western novel. Three other books, Picture Rock (Crossway Books), The Outlaw's Twin Sister (Crossway Books), and Last of the Texas Camp (Broadman & Holman) were Christy Award finalists. Bly's books, primarily Western novel genre in the American West, historical and contemporary, are written from a Christian worldview. [1] His Paperback Writer was noted in a Publishers Weekly review for its “amusing parody of the proverbial dime-store paperback novel." [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Stephen Bly was born August 17, 1944, in Ivanhoe, California, to Arthur "Art" Worthington and Alice Wilson Bly. He had one sister, Judith "Judy" Bly Walston. He grew up on a farm in the San Joaquin Valley. [3]

Bly ranched with his uncle M.J. Allen near Coalinga, California, and his father Arthur Bly in Ivanhoe, California, until age 30. Bly graduated summa cum laude in philosophy from California State University, Fresno (1971) and received a M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary (1974). [4]

Career

Bly worked on the campaign of Gordon W. Duffy, and later served as his administrative assistant in the California State Assembly. After serving as pastor of several Presbyterian churches in California, he was the pastor of Winchester Community Church and elected to several terms as city councilman and as mayor of Winchester, Idaho (2000–2007). He was an active member of the Western Writers of America. He also collected and restored antique Winchesters and was roving editor for Big Show Journal.[ citation needed ]

From 1982 to 1996, he was part of a team of speakers who represented Family Living Conferences for Moody Bible Institute. He traveled with Kevin Leman, Gary Chapman (author), Dr. Harold J. Sala, Gary Ezzo, and Greg Speck. He and his wife, Janet, mentored writing students for Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.[ citation needed ]

Personal life

Home of Mr Bly in Winchester, Idaho. Stephen Bly house Winchester Western.jpg
Home of Mr Bly in Winchester, Idaho.

Bly met his wife, writer Janet Chester, at Redwood High School. They had three sons and made their home in Winchester, Idaho.

On June 9, 2011, Bly died at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho, after a five-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 66 years old. [3] At the time of his death, he was working on his last fiction book, Stuart Brannon's Final Shot. His wife, Janet, and three adult sons finished the novel and published it posthumously in 2012.[ citation needed ]

Books

Nonfiction

Fiction series

Stuart Brannon Western series
Nathan T. Riggins Western Adventure series
Code of the West Western series
The Austin-Stoner Files series
The Lewis and Clark Squad series
The Heroines of the Golden West series
Old California series
Fortunes of the Black Hills series
The Skinners of Goldfield series
The Belles of Lordsburg series
The Retta Barre Oregon Trail series
The Homestead series
Adventures on the Western Frontier series
The Horse Dreams series

Fiction stand-alone

Co-authored with Janet Bly

Fiction

Crystal Blake series
  • Crystal's Perilous Ride (Chariot/Cook, 1986)
  • Crystal's Solid Gold Discovery (Chariot/Cook, 1986)
  • Crystal's Rodeo Debut (Chariot/Cook, 1986)
  • Crystal's Mill Town Mystery (Chariot/Cook, 1986)
  • Crystal's Blizzard Trek (Chariot/Cook, 1986)
  • Crystal's Grand Entry (Chariot/Cook, 1986)
Hidden West series
  • Fox Island (Servant, 1996)
  • Copper Hill (Servant, 1997)
  • Columbia Falls (Servant, 1998)
Carson City Chronicles series
  • Judith and the Judge (Servant, 2000)
  • Marthellen and the Major (Servant, 2000)
  • Roberta and the Renegade (Servant, 2000)

Nonfiction

  • Questions I'd Like to Ask (Moody, 1982)
  • Devotions With a Difference (Moody, 1982)
  • How To Be a Good Mom (Moody, 1988)
  • Be Your Mate's Best Friend (Moody, 1989)
  • How To Be a Good Grandparent (Moody, 1990)
  • Winners & Losers (Moody, 1982, 1993)
  • The Power of a Godly Grandparent (Beacon Hill, 2003)

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References

  1. Janet Rubin (November 2006). "I chose Idaho: Writing a Life in the Gem State", Idaho Magazine
  2. Publishers Weekly. Review on Amazon. July 14, 2003
  3. 1 2 "Stephen Bly, 66, Winchester". The Lewiston Tribune. 12 June 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  4. Bly, Stephen A. (1994-04-15). Son of an Arizona Legend. Crossway. ISBN   978-0-89107-770-1.