He becomes the architect of the Texas blockage-running program during the Civil War of the 1860s that sends tens of thousands of bales of cotton through Texas, into Mexico and on to ships headed for Europe, enabling the South to procure vital war supplies and gold in order to keep the Confederacy alive. His loyalties to his country and his state are caught in a whirlwind as he tirelessly leads rebel forces against Union troops in Texas. An honorable man struggles to find his bearing during an exceptionally turbulent historical period. Following college at The University of Missouri and a stint in the U. A. Army, Lee began a 15-year newspaper career at The Phoenix Gazette in Phoenix, Arizona. He wrote more than two thousand news articles and feature stories for The Gazette.His main work emphasis was government and politics, and most of his career was spent writing about the Arizona State Capitol, the Arizona House of Representatives and the State Senate. Lee also covered the Phoenix City Council and Maricopa County governmental issues. He wrote numerous stories about prominent Arizona politicians including U. S. Senator Barry Goldwater, Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives John Rhodes, and U. S. Senator Paul Fannin.Lee had three novels published during and after his newspaper career, including Gunblaze by Leisure Books; the first book in the Border Legend series by Walker and Company, and Davy Crockett for Dell's American Explorers series.He left the newspaper business to pursue a career in real estate and still owns a real estate company, Southwestern Homes Realty, in Scottsdale, Arizona.Lee and his wife, Sue, have two sons and two daughters, who all live in the Phoenix and Tucson areas with their families. They have eight grand-children.He is an avid outdoorsman who walks his boxers two to three miles each morning. Lee's favorite passion is hiking the Grand Canyon at least once a year. He also plays golf regularly.Lee has returned to writing novels on a full-time basis and concentrates on southwestern historical fiction with action and adventure being the dominant focus.
