About Leland Alan Hall: Eldot is a simple cipher: the author's first initial spelled phonetically followed by a period [L. = Eldot] Why? When this novel was first published, the subject matter was more sensitive and controversial than it is today. Lest relatives, friends or former colleagues be inconvenienced or victimized, the nom de plume was adopted as a shield. Secondly, the author didn't want media opportunism to distort what the book was seeking to achieve. Media treatment of the subject was the major motivation to write Julian's side of the story in the first place. All the Julian books received positive critical reviews. Seven years later, the potential for controversy still exists, but the extremist groups have lost their clout-society has evolved rapidly: social media and the cell phone have changed the landscape; the Julian novels are made more topical than ever. In 2018 the subject matter is relevant and openly discussed; a movie on the same theme is a contender for the 2018 Best Picture of the year. For this reason and to satisfy readers' response, the five books have been revised, updated, and re-issued as the five volume Julian's Private Scrapbook set. Thus it's appropriate to let the reader get a peek behind the curtain. Eldot has lived in the Pacific Northwest for most of his life. In order to dodge the draft and avoid the Viet Nam war, he took an occupational deferment to teach high school Drama and English. The interminable nature of the war and the draft lottery kept him in that occupation so long that the refuge morphed into a successful career. Why change a good thing? He became a local and state leader in his profession. After thirty terrific years as an educator, he retired. Now he's taken up writing. The novels are not autobiographical.