Julie Rogers Pomilia, the granddaughter of Roy Rogers, chatted about her new book “Your Heroes, My Grandparents: A Granddaughter’s Love.”
Her father was Tom Fox, Dale Evans’ only biological son, from her first marriage when she was 14. Tom was the oldest Rogers sibling.
Idea for the book
“I got to the point in my life that I wanted to leave something, a legacy of some sort, for my three sons,” she said about her idea to write this book.
“I realized I had never really told them a lot about my life growing up so I tried to start writing a book about what it was like for me growing up with famous grandparents and the impact they had on me. It quickly became a daunting task of ‘where do I begin?’ and I got writer’s block so I stopped,” she elaborated.
She continued, “My husband encouraged me to begin again by just jotting down little 2-3 page stories about random memories. That’s when it took off and became easy and fun. Before I knew it, I had 33 little stories.”
“Along the way, as I would appear at different western festivals around the country, other people persuaded me to broaden my audience and get it published, so I did,” she added.
Writing inspirations
On her writing inspirations, she said, “I’m inspired by authenticity… n situations and conversations. Seeing the humor in the most ordinary things. Oh… and also the desire to be heard is kind of important to me. I also have to be in a state of mind where memories and ideas flow with ease.”
“Well… I do have to have all of those things, and maybe also some snacks and a Diet Coke,” she said.
Lessons learned from writing this book
When asked if this book taught her anything about herself, she responded, “I think writing and finishing this book taught me what I already knew about myself, but I was scared to admit…that I’m a fairly conversational-type writer that can hold people’s interest with the small things.”
“It doesn’t always have to be grand. It also showed me that I can actually finish something that I start! I did it!” she exclaimed.
A cathartic process to write this book
She noted that it was a cathartic process to write this book. “It gave me a sense of gratefulness for the idyllic family was raised in,” she said. “They were famous, but I didn’t know it when I was young.”
“I just thought everyone’s grandpa had a TV show. They never acted like Hollywood royalty. They were the same, both on and off the screen, being exactly who fans hoped they would be…but better,” she acknowledged.
“In this world right now there is a lot of instability, turmoil, and even hate. So this was therapy for me. Every time I sat down at the computer to write, I was transported back to simpler times and feelings of safety…knowing I was deeply loved and cherished by all of those around me,” she said.
“I might have lived in a bit of a bubble, but now I have those wonderful memories that I can go back to any time I want,” she added.
Future plans
On her future plans, she said, “Well, I had to leave about 150 photos out of the book for lack of room. So I would like to begin a second book that is all photos, like a coffee table book. I could till sneak in a few captions to get my writing fix.”
“There are hundreds of photos of Roy and Dale that I still have in boxes out in that black hole I call my garage. Many of them never seen by the public…funny, sweet, and endearing ones that I know would strike a chord with people. I mean, yes they were Hollywood legends, but the delightful part about them, was that they were just regular people who we happened to call Grandma and Grandpa,” she said.
She continued, “After that, I want to get the children’s story published that I had written even before I began writing this book on my grandparents. I am an elementary school teacher and I find humor and wisdom in the simplicity of children’s story books. Plus, I want to give it to my grandchildren so they can say, ‘Lollie wrote me a book!'”
The digital age
On being an author in the digital age, she said, “Well, I think it’s the greatest time ever to be heard with a positive story like mine! Okay, realistically, technology is a second language for me and most others my age, so it is both a blessing and a challenge.”
She continued, “I sometimes get frustrated by digital saturation and my lack of knowledge about how to use it, but I just surround myself with people who do understand it. I was fortunate enough to find an amazing publisher that knew what they were doing and yet, still walked me through it patiently.
“Second, I believe books and the gems they hold inside are still relevant because people are still starving for quality voices. You just have to catch the pulse of the public and right now, people want nostalgia…feel good stories, which ‘Your Heroes, My Grandparents’ is,” she said.
“It just involves digital marketing, social media, podcast interviews, and websites now. And by the way, I have had so many people come up to me saying that they still prefer holding a book in their hands, over reading it on a kindle. Just saying,” she added.
Success
On her definition of the word success, she said, “I guess success is pretty subjective. But to me it means that I have behaved and accomplished something that leaves me happy with my mark on the world, and more specifically on my children, my grandchildren and those close to me.”
“Success involves being the best possible version of myself. I set out to do something and I did it. I feel happy,” she exclaimed.
Closing thoughts on the book
She remarked about the book, “My desire is two-fold. I want my readers when they have finished the book, to feel like we have just been sitting at the kitchen table chatting over a cup of coffee.”
“I hope the book brings them a feel-good experience,” she said. “I loved my family so much, I want the readers to know and love them too. But secondly on a broader scope, I want them to be introduced to a couple, who were not only amazing grandparents who went to every recital, birthday party, and school function of mine they could, but who also brought wholesomeness to an entire generation of kids.”
“Kids who sometimes didn’t have a great situation at home, who looked to my grandparents as role models, watching them every Saturday at the movies and on TV, wishing that Roy and Dale would adopt them too, for as you know, they had nine children, (yours, mine, adopted, and fostered),” she said.
“They brought hope to so many,” she admitted. “Specifically, because of their courage in bringing their little newborn daughter home who had been diagnosed with Downs-Syndrome, instead of institutionalizing her (as was the custom back then) they changed the landscape of public opinion around the world of how to lovingly take care of children with special needs, and starting several children’s foundations that are still going today.”
“They were authentic real-life heroes,” she said. “In fact, in the 1940’s, Life Magazine polled children, asking who they would most want to be like. It was a three-way tie between Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and Roy Rogers. People in today’s world need to know about and start focusing on the positive people who influenced America. That is my message and I am grateful for this opportunity.”
Her book “Your Heroes, My Grandparents: A Granddaughter’s Love” is available on Amazon by clicking here.
