Meet Robert Yehling

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Yehling.

Hi Robert, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. 
I’ve been writing and running for as long as I can remember. I began entertaining classmates with stories of space adventures when I was seven and continued writing and reading voluminously through my childhood and early teen years. In 1976, when I was 16, I was named the sports editor of the Carlsbad High School newspaper, and I also was hired as a sportswriter by the North County (San Diego) Blade-Tribune, a daily paper. 

That was the start of my writing career. I spent eight years as a sports writer, rock concert and album reviewer, four years as a feature writer for Surfer, Bodyboarding, Breakout, and US Surf magazines, six years as promoter of the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour, a decade as an executive editor for a wide variety of special-subject and commemorative magazines, including “A Century of Moving Pictures” for the British Film Institute and “One Giant Leap for Mankind,” for NASA, commemorating the 25th anniversary of Apollo XI. 

Then, in 2000, I shifted gears and chased down my ultimate dream — writing books. I moved to New York, learned the publishing and editing trade, and have since written or co-written 27 books and edited more than 200 others in all genres. I’ve written an award-winning novel, “Voices,” a father-daughter-lost daughter relationship story set against the past 50 years of rock & roll; the Dolly Gray award-winning biography “Just Add Water,” about autistic surfing superstar Clay Marzo; and co-written a series of memoirs, including “When We Were The Boys” with “Rumble” executive producer and former Rod Stewart lead guitarist Stevie Salas; “Crawl of Fame” with Ironman Triathlon Hall of Famer Julie Moss; “Beyond the Dream” by Surfing Hall of Famer and 1980s superstar-turned-respected minister Joey Buran (which will be out in September); the just-released “Blonde with the Balls” with renowned art dealer-historian Patricia Hamilton; and “Soul Doctoring” with my longtime friend, medicine woman/doctor and Malibu resident Dr. Gayle Madeleine Randall, who was interviewed in a past issue of “L.A. Voyager.” I also was the principal ghostwriter on “George Lucas’ Blockbusting,” an exhaustive (and exhausting to write!) 950-page tome on the financial and creative wizardry behind the blockbuster films in motion picture history and how they influenced other films and defined the decades and filmmaking standards in which they were released. 

I never expected to spend 15 years of my life collaborating with others on their stories, but it felt both natural and a great way to learn about how my subjects achieved greatness in themselves and, in some cases, top-of-world status. I also loved hearing their stories and shaping them into books. Finally, my agent, Dana Newman of Dana Newman Literary Agency in Beverly Hills, coaxed me into writing my own memoir. I am now putting the finishing touches on “Front Page Pass: Writing Adventures of a Wild Child,” which says it all. Yes, it has plenty of classic memoir styling in it, but it’s also a romp through my incredible, crazy, and always eventful 48-year writing career, one that continues to surprise me every day. 

I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world. For 48 years, I’ve been able to honestly say I enjoy 90 percent of my work. How many people can say that? Now that I am battling an advanced form of cancer, I appreciate this journey even more, though it has taken away the other primary expression of my life — distance running and marathon racing. I have run five Boston Marathons, hundreds of other races and coached cross-country and track at three different high schools until my illness forced me to retire two years ago. I keep the flame alive with four of my cross-country teammates, including the screenwriter Randall Jahnson (“The Doors,” “Mask of Zorro,” “Dudes,” “Sunset Strip”), as we regale ourselves with memories of our excellent high school team… and all the crazy antics we pulled in the late 1970s when society was so much freer than it is today. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like most creative artists, my brain is wired differently than my parents, grandparents, schoolteachers, bosses, and society would have preferred … so yes, there have been struggles to go with the successes and smooth times. I struggled with child onset PTSD, the result of my dad’s experiences in Vietnam and how it affected him when he came home that led to a 20-year battle with major depression in my 20s and 30s. I rediscovered distance running in my late 30s, and the resulting (and surprising) 23 years of racing around the country and world became my therapist, healer, outlet, and creative brainstorming platform for the books I would write. So has hiking mountain ranges throughout the world, the latest being the five months I spent exploring the Santa Monica Mountains in 2022-23 during a rainy season. Ahhh, the waterfalls, lakes and streams! 

In 2002, I met Dr. Gayle Randall at a spiritual living conference in New Mexico, and we became fast friends. She has been instrumental in helping me find balance on this planet while always dealing with my crazy, creative mind. Also, in the 1980s, I turned to the teachings of Indian guru Paramhansa Yogananda and have been a member of the Ananda yoga meditation community since. Nothing like the combination of yoga, meditation, right diet, creative expression, and good exercise to create both a platform for continual happiness and joy and a means to help others through their own struggles, which is central to my life now. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What I am most proud of is being able to work with some of the most revered, respected, recognizable, and important figures in pop culture and the arts during the past 50-60 years. I’ve had the honor of working with George Lucas, 11 of the 12 Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon, the late great golfer Payne Stewart, musicians like Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane and Stevie Salas (Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Terence Trent d’Arby), original Iwo Jima Flag Raiser Sgt. Charles Lindberg, renowned art dealer-historian-gallerist Patricia Hamilton of Whitley Heights, who broke a very thick glass ceiling of misogyny in the 1970s-80s New York art gallery scene 

I’m also proud of working with great athletes from sports that define the California lifestyle, like Ironman Triathlon superstar Julie Moss, surfing stars Joey Buran and Clay Marzo, indoor and beach volleyball superstar Karch Kiraly, two-time Olympic track gold medalist Edwin Moses. Not to mention the wonderful kids I coached at Carlsbad High School and the success stories they’ve become. In all cases, these athletes took their platforms, and we called attention to something far beyond themselves, such as autism in Clay Marzo’s case and women’s empowerment in Julie Moss’ case. I was deeply involved in this messaging, which began with our books and turned into national programs, and I am so proud of that. 

I feel two of the greatest leaps we’ve made as a society in my lifetime are coming to a greater acceptance of the many gifts that people on the autistic spectrum bring us by their presence in our lives and women rising into their most powerful and greatest selves. I even adapted a book on that issue, “Women Rising,” into a screenplay. 

We have a very long way to go on that score, but this world simply does not do very well when women aren’t leading the way. I say that as a strong, self-respecting man who is so proud of my partner and all the adult daughters and granddaughters in my life who are living life their way. 

Finally, I’m not sure what sets me apart from other writers and others in the writing profession. Perhaps it is the 25 years of journalism background that preceded my book-writing career. Or that I was interviewing professional athletes and rock stars when I was 16. Or that I’m a five-time Boston Marathoner and multiple-sport athlete, trekker, surfer, and body surfer who is a hopeless bookworm and writes endlessly. I will say I take a service-oriented approach to everything I do, putting the other before myself, which explains why I’ve written 12 memoirs for others and am finally now finishing up “Front Page Pass,” which will be out in early 2025. 

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
YES. I bounce around various podcasts for inspiration or a good listen. “Books That Make You” and “Girl Genius” are two of my favorite podcasts, as are any good sports podcasts like “New Heights.” As for music, I am hooked on the ongoing shows of the late, great DJ Jim Ladd on Sirius XM Channel 308. They’re also running streams of 25 Jim Ladd shows at a time since his passing earlier this year. I met and knew many musicians and journalists in the rock music world, but one regret is I never met Jim Ladd. He is my hero, a DJ I’ve listened to since his KLOS days in the 1970s. When I listen to his four-hour shows, it strikes me more as someone artfully curating a tour through great music than a DJ ripping through a songlist. The music, his stories, the back-and-forth with callers … isn’t that what great creative communication is supposed to be about? 

There is also a health- and performance-related podcast that always inspires me to do my best, namely because of the guests and the conversations that take place. That is “Soul Stories,” hosted by Dr. Gayle Madeleine Randall, available on all platforms. Her guests are world-changers. So are we, if we find our “one thing”, connect to our inner and outer power sources and go to work. 

I have too many “favorite” books to name, but since we’re on the subject of writing and forms of writing, here are a few I’d recommend for anyone trying to grow themselves as a writer or refine their chops and their profession. I’ve referred to most of them in my 25 years of teaching at writers’ conferences, colleges, retreats, and private classes: 

“Writing Down the Bones,” by Natalie Goldberg 

“Stephen King on Writing” 

“Bird By Bird,” by Anne Lamont 

“The Mathematics of the Breath and the Way,” by Charles Bukowski (I LOVE Bukowski! Such an LA treasure) 

“The Storytelling Animal,” by Jonathan Gottschall 

“Hits, Flops and Other Illusions,” by Ed Zwick 

“Making Movies,” by Sidney Lumet 

“Writes of Life: Using Personal Experiences in Everything You Write,” by Robert Yehling 

“The Write Time: 366 Exercises to Fulfill Your Daily Writing Life,” by Robert Yehling 

Finally, we all have to stay healthy in order to do our best work and live our best lives. That includes a healthy attitude toward our planet and community, a healthy diet, and the ability to self-heal while also understanding that sometimes, we need help. For that, I recommend “Soul Doctoring” by Dr. Gayle Randall, which has helped thousands of lives since its release in 2022. She’s been a big part of my story for the last 20 years, and I am hers, and she’s also a healing treasure who happens to live in Malibu. 

Pricing:

• Writes of Life: $14.95
• The Write Time: $17.95
• Voices: $19.95

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wordjourneysliterary.com; www.WriteAwayBooks.com
• Instagram: Writerbob1959
• Facebook: Robert Yehling; Also, Word Journeys — Resources for Writers