Leppek’s Apollonia traverses time

FROM THE IJN GIFT GUIDE Leppek, IJN assistant editor, has always been a storyteller. His first byline came at age eight for an article about a cardinal in the Fairview Rocket, his elementary school’s newspaper in Denver. Unofficially, Leppek became the storyteller of his family, hosting his own pretend radio program, “The Sunday Visitor,” for his four siblings, whom he admits were “a captive audience.” His younger brother Roland says that Chris actually captivated — and sometimes terrorized — their imaginations with his scary stories. “I always told the stories as though they were true,” Leppek says. Among Leppek’s passions growing up were horror movies and reading. He enjoyed a local television show, “Shock Theater,” which aired such classic horror films as “Dracula” and “Frankenstein.” […]