Grandaughter Emmalie, Raymond Spitzer, daughter Sarah, Susan Spitzer
Raymond Spitzer was born in California and resided in Japan and Montana before his parents saw the light and brought him to Arizona. The son of an entomologist and high school science teacher turned homemaker, he grew up in Nogales, Arizona, from the
age of three in a family of six children. He completed high school and college in Tucson. He became an English and social studies teacher in Ajo, Arizona. His plan was to teach in Ajo for three years and move on to a bigger and better community.
At the end of three years, however, the charming small desert town had captured him. Instead of moving, he brought his bride, Susan Myers, to Ajo, where he taught for twelve more years. A brief commute to teach in Gila Bend was followed by a change
of career in order to stay in Ajo. He became a public safety telecommunicator (911 dispatcher), putting him in daily contact with deputies and corrections officers of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department…and with the public calling for assistance.
He still works full time in that capacity today.
Susan and Raymond raised two girls and a boy and now have three grandchildren. Susan directed her church choir as well as the Ajo Community Choir for 36 years. She also
directed the Ajo Community Band for fifteen years until her death in 2016. Raymond plays the trombone, piano, and organ and sings bass.
Books were always important in the Spitzer household when Raymond was growing up. His mother
would nightly sit in the squeaky rocking chair and read to her children. Excursions to the local library were weekly events. When Raymond started first grade, however, he didn't pick up on reading. His twin brother had an experienced teacher
and had no trouble learning to read. Raymond had a first-year teacher and didn't get it. When his parents discovered this, they made it a point to work with him nightly. They persevered though many tears and tantrums, but finally he learned
to read. In fact, reading became a strength as he eagerly read juvenile biographies of famous people, The Happy Hollisters, Old Mother West Wind, The Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, and Rick Brant Science Adventures. In junior high he
began reading the science fiction of Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. He subscribed to Analog, Galaxy, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Amazing Stories.
The writing bug bit Raymond when he was in high school. A
charismatic English teacher, Bob Kuhlman, and a creative writing class led Raymond to churn out original science fiction stories on an old Underwood typewriter. This lead to numerous rejection slips from science fiction magazines. Of this experience,
Raymond said, "Every rejection slip was well deserved." He majored in English and creative writing at the University of Arizona, but the rejection slips never stopped. Despite co-editing a science fiction fanzine called The Alien Quack in conjunction
with Tucson Public Library, Raymond decided to put writing on the back burner. He became an English and social studies teacher. His creative energies were used in the classroom instead of chasing the elusive dream of becoming a published author. The only story
he sold was returned because the magazine folded before it was published.
When Raymond went into law enforcement things changed. Instead of spending his evenings pondering how to reach reluctant students, grading papers, and preparing lessons,
he found he had time to consider writing, again. He was now reading mysteries more than science fiction, and with the influence of working in law enforcement, he decided to write a mystery novel. From the beginning it was to be set in Ajo, but the story and
the characters evolved through the years. This process took more than fifteen years. The most concentrated time Raymond had to write took place at scout camp when he accompanied his son as an assistant scoutmaster. When he finished the story he decided to
change the point of view and he started over. Again the story evolved and eventually was put aside about halfway through. Nevertheless, he still pondered the mystery and the characters.
"You better go find something that you think about when you
don’t have to think about it, when it’s just a joy to you." When Raymond came across that statement he had an epiphany. He asked himself, "What do I think about when I don’t have anything else to think about? My mystery story."
He decided to get it done and see if it could be published. He decided the story really needed to be told from Ted White’s point of view, so he started over, incorporating the changes from his attempt to write from the third person point of view. This
time he persevered to the end. The story which had begun as Desert Heat and had spent years as Heat Factor, now became A Guiding Hand. When he was satisfied that the book was as perfect as he could make it, he looked for a
publisher. Because of a religious theme in the story, he decided to send it to a religious publisher. It was rejected. The second publisher also rejected it. Although he had found numerous other publishers on the internet, the only ones that seemed
right were not accepting new material at that time. He reluctantly put it on the shelf.
A year later, prodded by his wife, Raymond checked the internet for publishers, again. There was a new one! WiDō Publishing. They were looking
for new authors. He made a few changes and sent A Guiding Hand to the new publisher on the block. In the cover letter he wrote that this was the first book of a proposed trilogy. Three weeks later WiDō Publishing phoned, accepting the mystery
with the stipulation that some changes be made. Raymond learned how crude his story was during the five rewrites that were required to make it publishable. Nevertheless, on May 3, 2011, Arizona Guy was finally published. The religious theme was virtually
eliminated and the proposed trilogy became book #1 of the Ted White Mystery Series. He is confidant there will be many more than three books in the series.
Meanwhile, Susan taught music and special ed in Ajo Public
Schools for ten years. She retired in 2012 to devote time to a grandson and two granddaughters. After battling Sjogren's syndrome for many years, Susan succumbed on January 21, 2016. Her life was spent in the service of others, especially in music.
Her final concert was November 29, 2015. To the very end she was planning the next concert. Raymond continues to be a 911 dispatcher for the sheriff's department. His time there has given him a feel for police procedures and jargon, and an understanding
of the deputies, corrections officers, and civilian employees who work in that arena. These insights have influenced his writing. Book #3 of the Ted White Mystery Series, Arizona Guy: Drummed Out, has now been completed. It is in
the hands of the publishers.