Douglas Pagels

As the author and editor of numerous books, Douglas Pagels has been a favorite Blue Mountain Arts´ writer for many years. His books have sold over 3 million copies, and his work has been translated into a number of foreign languages and enjoyed the world over. Many worthy causes and charitable organizations have featured his writings, and people of all ages turn to his thoughtful words, sharing them with family and friends.

“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have and one of the best things you can be.”- Douglas Pagels

One of the trademarks of Doug's work is that it is so accessible. It gives the reader the feeling of simply listening in on a conversation that comes from the heart and touches other hearts in many different ways. The more one reads his words and shares in his insights, the easier it is to understand his enormously popular appeal. His outlook on life is inspiring, and his optimism is contagious. Even when he is dealing with the tough times of life and trying to make sense of it all, readers everywhere have the same response: “Your feelings are so much like my own; I feel as though you understand exactly what I'm going through and what I'd love to be able to say.”

Doug's inspiration comes from many sources, including his enduring friendships and close-knit family. It comes from cherishing his thirty-year relationship with his wife, from the devotion of being a father to two college-aged children, and from the many experiences he has had in his lifetime. While growing up, he lived in places as diverse as England, Indiana, and northern Montana before his family settled down for an extended stay in a large house in Colorado. Soon after, circumstances dictated that his grandparents move in with them. Then his great-grandmother moved in as well, and conversations around the dinner table became a four-generation affair, with ages ranging from eight to eighty-nine. It's easy to see that when Doug writes about the meaning of family, he really knows what he's talking about.

But other aspects of his background added insights that went beyond family and into a broader view of people — and life — in general. In his younger days, while trying to earn enough to help put himself through college, Doug worked various jobs — fourteen in all. They included working in stores and an auto body shop, along with jobs as a janitor, a groundskeeper, a forklift operator, a delivery man, and a variety of restaurant positions. Time spent with his fellow workers, both on and off the job, helped to foster a deeper understanding of — and compassion for — a wide segment of society.

In the midst of all this activity, Doug managed to get a degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Several years later, he decided it was time to move on, and a series of plans were put into motion. He quit his job at the student bookstore, sublet his apartment, and was just days away from leaving town and moving to New Hampshire to find construction work there. He had just one problem to overcome: he didn't have enough money to make the drive across country.

When a friend called and offered Doug a few days worth of work as a proofreader at Blue Mountain Arts, the offer couldn't have come at a better time. Having been an English major, he figured he was up to the task and, when all was said and done, he would climb back in his Volkswagen bug, travel funds in hand, and head for New England.

Those “few days” turned into, at last count, thirty-two remarkable years. Proofreading soon turned into copywriting for things like catalogs and advertisements, and before long, editing and creative writing were added to the mix. The new job was exciting. Blue Mountain Arts´ founders, Susan Polis Schutz and Stephen Schutz, were wonderful people to work with, and it didn't take long for Doug to feel that he had found his calling. Soon some of his writings began to appear in the company's fast-growing greeting card line, and eventually other opportunities opened up, too. He began traveling extensively in search of inspiring and significant writings by authors from around the globe, and many of those quotes have found their way into a variety of best-selling anthologies. And finally, he began authoring his own books in his own unique voice, and the reception to those books has been extraordinary.

If Doug has a keen insight into human nature, he credits it to his early and ongoing interaction with people from all walks of life, all types of jobs, and a variety of settings. From those relationships, he has developed an awareness of what makes people tick, how important their hopes and dreams are, how their entire universe can revolve around their loved ones, and, unfortunately, what a struggle their daily lives can sometimes be. His intuitive understanding of people cuts across social strata and leaves categories of age, economics, and nationality behind. There's no substitute for real world experience, and Doug readily acknowledges the enormous influence his experiences have had on the content of his work.

Though he now does all his work outside of the office, Doug still maintains his long-standing association with Blue Mountain Arts. In recent years, in addition to writing, editing, and raising a family, he has managed to find the time for plenty of other interests. Doug has spent a great deal of time as an advocate for local environmental issues, and in years past, he could be found volunteering in classrooms, coaching basketball, and building a cabin in the Colorado mountains. He and his wife are frequent travelers, and his family has been the host family for many visiting college students from around the world.

It has been said of Doug's writings that no one is better at touching on so many subjects that are deeply personal and truly universal at the same time. And while Doug would tell you in complete sincerity that there's nothing special about him, in reality, the common bond that he shares with others combined with his caring voice, which has such honesty and understanding, are exactly what make him the unique writer that he is. His words mirror those of our own innermost feelings and — in the end — it is our own special reflections that he helps us see.