Born in Watchung, New Jersey, not much is known about Bodin's early life or family. His father was a former
Sussex County judge, and he claimed to be family friends with
Woodrow Wilson, a man who had a profound impact on his life. Bodin attended the
University of Pennsylvania, and afterwards became a newspaper reporter. Bodin served in France during WWI. He met his French wife Juliette in
Toulon. They were married on June 24, 1919. After the war, Bodin worked for the
Crowell Publishing Company for eleven years. He became a literary agent in 1931. In 1932, Bodin began his writing career with the weekly column
The Manuscript Man in
The Birmingham News (
Alabama), which provided news and tips on the New York freelance writing market. The column ran until 1947. Bodin wrote for
Strange Stories magazine as "Lucifer" and
Thrilling Mystery magazine as "Chakra". In the 1930s, he served as a
literary agent and
mentor to
L. Ron Hubbard. In 1953, he suggested that if
Winston Churchill doublecrossed the United States, the
atom bomb should be used to divert the
Gulf Stream in order to freeze England. He suggested the same thing two years later in
Upper Purgatory, claiming to have received a letter from
William E. Bergin,
Adjutant General of the United States, treating the idea seriously (pages 17–18). In 1949, Bodin was treasurer of the
Bernarr Macfadden Foundation, and managing editor of Macfadden's
Physical Culture magazine. In 1956, Bodin was the president of the foundation, worth about $5,000,000. That year he also provided the foreword to a book by Blanche A. Draper, the pastor of the Church of the Radiant Flame, a woman who worked as a
psychic and
medium. In the late 1950s, Bodin wrote a monthly column for the metaphysical publication
Orion Magazine. He died in Erie, Pennsylvania, at age 88. ==Literary Career==