Paul McCusker (born October 3, 1958) is an American writer and producer. He is best known for his work on ''

Adventures in Odyssey ''Adventures in Odyssey'' (AIO), or simply ''Odyssey'', is an Evangelical Christian radio drama and Radio comedy, comedy series created and produced by Focus on the Family. Aimed at families with children age 12 and younger, the series first air ...

'', a nationally syndicated radio drama, and for his work with

Focus on the Family Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is an American Christian fundamentalism, Evangelical Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of Evangel ...

's Radio Theatre. He has written over 50 books, 21 plays and 4 musicals. His best known works are the play "Catacombs", the novels ''The Mill House'' and ''Epiphany'', and his audio adaptations of

C.S. Lewis CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to: Job titles * Chief Secretary (Hong Kong) * Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces * Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public se ...

's works.

Career

McCusker grew up in

Bowie, Maryland Bowie () is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 58,329. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County; i ...

. He graduated from college with a degree in journalism and spent several years writing copy for a local publisher. From the late 1970s, he began writing sketches and plays for his church, Grace Baptist, many of which were published and are still in print. Among his most popular plays are "Catacombs" and "First Church of Pete's Garage". In 1985, McCusker moved to California to write for Continental Singers and their touring drama group The Jeremiah People. In 1988, he was invited by

to help develop a radio show for kids, which later became ''

.'' He still consults on the show's scripts and writes them on occasion. He has also written 18 tie-in novels, including the " Passages" series. In the late 1990s, McCusker developed

's Radio Theatre. He has also dramatized

's ''

The Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia (wor ...

'' and '' The Screwtape Letters'', as well as ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'', ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'', ''Amazing Grace'', and the ''Father Gilbert Mysteries''. He won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

in 1997 for his work on'' Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom.'' Paul also writes novels, ''The Mill House'' and ''Epiphany'' being perhaps the best-known, and ''TSI: The Gabon Virus'' (2009) his most recent, which was co-written with Dr. Walt Larimore. Paul has continued his audio drama efforts with the Augustine Institute, writing and directing ''Brother Francis'', ''The Trials of Saint Patrick'', ''Ode to Saint Cecilia'', and ''The Legends of Robin Hood''.

Personal life

Paul McCusker moved to England with his wife in 1991 and lived in Hailsham and Winchester for a time. He was a Baptist until he attended an Anglican Church in England. Now he lives in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

with his wife Elizabeth and two children; Thomas and Eleanor. In 2007, he converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

References

Sources

Works of McCusker
at

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"'Radio Theatre': Tales With a Message" - Radio World
*

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110904171552/http://www.audiotheatrecentral.com/2011/02/atc-episode-6-father-gilbert-soul-in.html Interview with Paul McCusker regarding Adventures in Odyssey & Focus on the Family Radio Theatre - 2/28/2011]
Screenwriter for Beyond The Mask

External links

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From Faith, Media & Culture column at Beliefnet.com. {{DEFAULTSORT:McCusker, Paul 1958 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American radio writers American male radio actors Adventures in Odyssey Converts to Roman Catholicism Novelists from Maryland People from Bowie, Maryland 21st-century American male writers