Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Norman E. Edelen considers his years at Crispus Attucks High School the happiest time of his youth. He was the male lead in “Charm School,” his senior class play that he thinks his starring role influenced his election as vice president of his graduating class; it couldn’t have been for his skills on the varsity basketball team. The “Big O” (a little name dropping here) came after.

A trained stat specialist by virtue of the U.S. Air Force, Norm admits this is where and when he really grew up. He won 7th place (some money) in an Air Force World-Wide short story contest. His story was titled “Democracy: U.S. Air Force Style.” The notoriety got him additional duties writing for the base paper-at no increase in pay.

Norman settled in Los Angeles after his honorable separation from the Air Force. In 1966, after more than a half dozen years as a Los Angeles Policeman, he started writing professionally (got paid), writing educational films on black history. He also wrote training films for the U.S. Navy, public announcement TV spots for the Veterans Administration and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

A member of the Writers Guild of America, West, he wrote the first thirteen episodes of “Serendipity,” a Saturday morning children’s TV show that won an Emmy Award. He was writer­ associate producer of “Preacher Man,” a TV documentary narrated by John Amos (a little Good Times name dropping here) that was nominated for an Emmy. He was co-writer-producer of a bicentennial TV special called “The Greatest Story Never Told”- about freed blacks and slaves who in 1763 petitioned the Colonies for freedom; the time when Abigail Adams asked her husband how they could petition the King of England for freedom while denying freedom to the slaves. Ossie Davis and Raymond St. Jacques were the lead actors (the last of the name dropping).

At the Golden Anniversary of his high school graduation class, he was the honored guest speaker where he spoke to the theme “Returning to Our Roots.” It was the year 2000 and on that occasion Norman E. Edelen was cited as a “Distinguished Hoosier” by the Governor of the State of Indiana.

Nine years later and within five years, Norman completed the three novels in his trilogy After a While You Wonder: After a While You Wonder, Tuesday After Next and It Don’t Matter: Amor Regge Senza Legge (Love Rules Without Rules or Laws).

Norman E. Edelen resides in Southern California.