In my youth, I played organized baseball and football throughout elementary and high school. Especially during high school, I saw myself as more of a defensive, goal-stopping player. Unfortunately, this approach also applied to my life, not so much in terms of learning and practicing or success, but rather in my lack of ambition; I didn’t have a strong desire to be rich or famous. I tended to take life as it came, much like I did in the sport I loved, where I thrived in defensive positions like defensive tackle, and on rare occasions, as a monster back.
To that point, over the years, it’s been a challenge for me to do things that force me to make plans and set goals now in retirement, in my personal interest, these past several years. Many years ago, in my 40s, I designed, drew up plans, and rules for a board game to the point of even having it patented but not trademarked. It’s probably sitting at the bottom of some drawer or worse, since moving 8 years ago. Then my eldest son challenged me to submit a poem to the Library of Congress from an ad he saw in the Sunday Comics, of all places, which we both did and were published in 1991. I didn’t want to let him down, but it seemed like it was more of a way that if your poems were decent enough, they would publish them to sell books. My first published work in 9/1991 called, Fall Garden
Writing a Christmas story in 2013 inspired by the oldest three of our eight grandchildren, when they were younger, and before five of them were born or even celebrated their first birthday. When I read the story to them, they urged me in unison to publish it, and that’s how I became an author. Throughout my journey, I have learned about the processes, marketing, advertising, sales, and the challenges of getting people to write and post reviews. It also exposed me to public speaking on a personal front while visiting local schools. That being said, though I have yet to break even, it has been featured in the Delco Times, NY Times Book Review, and the like. I haven’t quite broken even yet; however, my grandkids had better insight than I. The book is now 12 years old, has been purchased in 20-plus countries, giving it international status, which, all things considered, is not bad for a Philadelphia Holiday Story. It has a 5-star rating and is available at most online bookstores in e-read and printed book formats, as well as at http://www.A-Glimpse-from-Christmas-Past@Audible.com
Since, then I published two other works, a children’s first reader called Keira in the Mirror about a child’s journey in self-discovery.
I am in the final stage of having my third book, a family legacy story, which is being published by and will be available soon at most online bookstores called A Chance Encounter with a Most Unusual Acquaintance
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