May 17 2024 4pm

    By the grace of God, had someone else not been aware, my life would have ended.

   ...and my children would never know.

My Wifes Ex Husband...In A Podcast

    

 

 

 

 

    On November 1, 2022,  Chicken Soup for the Soul  released their book in their series, My Wonderful Wacky Family. Contained within the story is my story of Joes, My Wifes Ex Husband. Joes story would later be turned into the Chicken Soup for the Soul Podcast.

    I present to you, a rerun of the podcast, of My Wifes Ex Husband, this Fathers Day weekend. 

   My Wifes Ex Husband In a Podcast.

 

 

 

 

My Wifes Ex Husband

    

 

 

 

 

    On November 1, 2022,  Chicken Soup for the Soul will release the next book in their series, My Wonderful Wacky Family.

    Almost four years, to the day, since I was last published within the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, I have returned to their publications with my next story, My Wifes Ex Husband.  This is the story of Joe and I - two divorced men trying to make sence of the relationship when I marry into the family.

    It is, in my mind, one the two most difficulty pieces of literature that I have written, and conicdently, the piece prior to this, was the previous most difficult.

    My Wifes Ex Husband was written during the pandemic while I was the in house carer for my wifes mother. It was written of the most significant man in my life, outside of my own father.

    It was an honor to write of Jeanette's son, Jillian and Janeva's Dad, and Everley's Grandpa.

 

 

 

 

News News News News

 New. News. News. News.

But I can't tell you.

Not till November 1.

Then, I can tell you the news.

But you will be second to know.

Happy Birthday Ming

 

Happy birthday Ming.

It's a been a long time since we last spoke. I can't recall how long it is. I recall what was said, and how I was away.

In the last sixty days I've lost the man who taught me to parent, a parent I cared for and a co-parent. I kept to myself since I got here because of the damage that was done before I left.

How's your Goddaughter? You might know more than I, but the loss of the girls broke me. 

I went back to work on my book last week. In particular, I changed the part where I mentioned you and your wife. I had not used your names through the first few drafts - not because I didn't want to, but because I felt that you and D didn't need the "publicity" that might come when the book came out. I prefer to think of the two of you as the couple who could point to the book and go "he's talking about us there." There is a section where your words read "If he comes here, it's because no one else believe in him."

I have change it, to include your name, not because the words have changed, the relationship has changed. You were #thefirstfan and people should know, even if it's not the case now.

Happy birthday Anthony, from your fan. Your friend. 

Citizenship

  There are moments in a life - defining moments where you can identity time, date and place, where a life changed. Birth. Marriage. Death. While there are many others, I have uncovered a moment that I had not considered before.

  Citizenship.

  Many years ago, I left my native Australia and settled in the United States of America. I would never yield my native country, as it became more apparent that I would need to take on another country.

  In the middle of the pandemic, my approval to become a United States Citizen arrived. Poignant. While there would not be the same solemn ceremony, it was a "make best" situation.

  At Cabrillo Point earlier today, I swore my Oath and became a United States Citizen.

  The ceremony was captured and later reported in the various media outlets.

  The San Diego Union Tribune captured a still and quoted me in their feature article.

  Later that night, I appeared on the Fox 5 San Diego news broadcast, and later on the NBC 7 news broadcast.

  And for the Spanish speaking community, on Telemundo 20.

  In Charlotte, North Carolina, the San Diego citizenship ceremony made the evening news. The story was picked up and carried across the nation appearing in Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Ohio, Georgia,   MSN, the Point Loma OB Monthly Magazine, and the Border Report.

  I am grateful for the well wishes, the supporters, and even the nay -stayers. This has been a long wait, and the next journey begins.

James Patterson Writes in Pencil

  For those that came in late...when I write, I write with a pencil.  Always have. There is something about the lead of the pencil on the yellow of the legal pad paper that makes the writing seem... historical. It feels alive as I scribble it down.  

  As one of my goals for the year involve more published works, I began taking online lessons in Masterclass. Masterclass is a series of video tutorials given by experts in their field of expertise. One of the contributing authors is James Patterson. Patterson has multiple books that I have read (as a fan) where his protagonist (Alex Cross) is employed in an industry that I once was.

  About the fourth lesson in, I was not enjoying the tutorial as much as I like. Though the format was similar to Stephen Kings "On Writing" book, I was not enjoying Patterson's class as much as I had enjoyed his book.

  And then it happened.

  James Patterson said that he writes in pencil on a legal pad.

  James Patterson writes the same way I do...or more accurately, I write the same way as accomplished author James Patterson does.

  And suddenly I was enjoying Patterson's class much more. I went back and started his Masterclass again, and although the links to a number of discussions with previous students is broken, the class became more poignant to me. It became more real as a one on one class because....James Patterson writes in pencil.

  I am hopeful that one day a fan will have the same connection that I had when they relaize their favourite authors (that would be me) writes n pencil.

Vale, Cliff Bourgeois

  Vale, Cliff Bourgeois.

  After three tours of duty in Viet Nam, Cliff finally succumbed to Agent Orange at 79 years of age.

  A gentle man whose love of his family, was exceeded only by his love of his country.

  When Saigon fell, he kept watched, so others may live. He was captured in one of the most iconic images of that war. Cliff stands at the extreme right.



 

Thank You, First Fans

  First Fans will be aware that the month of January has not been...favorable. Aside from the surgery, sleep has been hard to come by with the discomfort. When conjoined with Dad's health, it has not been a glamour start to the year.

  February does not appear to hold much in the way of glamour either, as the follow ups to the vision and surgery proceed.

  Here's hoping that these visionary issues can be resolved in a timely manner so I can get back to the writing and publication.

  For the First Fans, thank you. 

Eye Will See You

Friends, Family and Followers,

  The last 45 stitches have been removed and the results are:

 - I get to keep my eye sight.
 - I do not need reconstructive surgery.

  A legacy of the Australian lifestyle, I am grateful to Suzi for vigilance of "the small dot" on my face, and to daughter Jillian, who while I was away at dad's, was the voice of reason to her mother when the prognosis came.

  For the Limelifers, starting One Drop Wonder means "eye will see you" in Denver

Not Being Stephen King

  I was recently approached by a fan - a First Fan - with a request to supply a book for one of their friends. The Other Person is a fan of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series in which I have made a number of published contributions

  I agreed to supply the book.

  Whilst searching through the Contributor's Copies of a number of books in which I have appeared, I began to think about what should I write to the Other Person as an Author Dedication. The First Fan has asked me for a copy to introduce my writing to one of their friends - should I include the First Fan by name in the dedication? Perhaps it would be better only to dedicate it the Other Person? Maybe I should include my business card to legitimize the dedication?

  Did Stephen King have these dilemmas early in his career, and how did he handle them? I sincerely doubt that King has these quandary's now - he has a staff to help and guide. For me, it's a one person show.

  Perhaps that's the benefit of not being Stephen King. I don't have to sign thousands of books at mass events where people line up for hours. I don't have a room full of books that will need generic signatures before being shipped out. I still have that intimate fan base, where all (most of) my Fans are known to me personally.

  Not being Stephen King may have an advantage.

  I wonder if King ever sits around at book signings and asks himself "when is the next person that I know by name, going to show up."

  I would suggest that those people that King knows by name, are his First Fans that he took care of in the early years, and still takes care of now. They don't have to show up at book signings - he sends them First Copies.

  I'll write the First Fan into the dedication.

  Maybe one day King will ask me to write a dedication for him.



  

Tecnhical Upgrades to Site and Email

  For the past eleven years of so, I have used the technical services of Go Daddy for my email and web site. In April this year, I changed my cell phone from an Android to Iphone X, my first Apple product. At the time of conversion all my settings from the Android device transferred over to the Iphone.

  In the past couple of months, Apple, somewhere along the line, decided that "backwards compatibility" was no longer going to occur - probably because there's no money to be made with it. Consequently, when I routinely changed the password of my email account on my cell phone, the operating system could no longer accept the "antiquated" email and server that I was working on.

  For three hours yesterday, the service department of Go Daddy and I went to work on correcting the issues associated with coming forward to 2018 technology. There's was nothing wrong with the old technology, but it did have a shelf life of 2019 - the forced changed was just unexpected.

  Who has to change their entire web site and email operating system as a result of changing their passsword? Me.

  In about ten days or so, the new web site will transition over, email will be moved to a new server, and all of this will appear seamless to you, the reader.

  With one exception. For the next ten days, I will not be able to respond to emails through my cell phone and will have to use a desktop or laptop and log into a browser window to respond. If my responses are not timely, I ask for your patience as the technology upgrades are made.

  Many thanks to Go Daddy for providing great service. 

The Uber Driver

Feature story in the San Diego Reader.

The photoshoot of the Chevrolet did not make the final publication. 

Photoshoot

Photoshoot.

In Memorium

The day could not pass without remembering the life of Mark Goodwin, Constable of Police, died in the line of duty 9 July 1991.

There, but for the stroke of a pen, go I.

Not All Bad - Part II

Recall I said that it wasn't all bad after I submitted a feature article, the first in three years?

Look for the article to be published in the coming months.  Submission accepted.

Protecting The Writting Time

  At 16:45 Friday 30 March 2018,  Good Friday the world changed.

  The much maligned opportunity to acquire quality writing time came to fruition and presented itself before me as an initial unwelcome visitor. While the past seven days have been spent composing documents for the annual tax return, I have been allowed to make notes, jot ideas and began composing a feature story that I have long held dear to my heart.

  I have also returned to a evolving story line, also near and dear to my heart, which holds a partial connection to the previously mentioned feature story. That developing story has also had more attention to it in the past seven days that it has had in the prior months.

  Not every one gets another opportunity to write. This one, shall be protected.

Healthy Time

Earlier this week I was in San Francisco, a city I first visited in the 20th Century.  Since then, I have made a number of return journeys to the city. Business,  work, and with my family.  It is the location of the moment when I realized that my Father's health was failing.

This week, it became the catalyst for a change of direction.

I'm runnin out of healthy time. 

A Cat in The Lap

There are times when I struggle to accomplish things during the week

There are times when I struggle to accomplish things by years end.

And there are times when I recognize that I may never accomplish, or repair, what has been done in life.

This week is the first time in four months in a new position that I have had some semblance of a Saturday to myself. Not before time too. I completed (almost) all of my work by noon, cleaned, did chores, and this evening, started to write. No sooner had I started writing did my companion - Jacob the Cat, come and began critiquing my work. He would usually perch himself on the printer and look down on my work space. The printer is broken so he plopped in my lap.

A Cat in the Lap seems like almost a good title for an enjoyable read.

Much better than trying to rewrite history.

I Bought A Car

I bought a car.

Not for my wife.
Not because I have a child.
Not because I have a family.
Not because I'm getting a divorce.
Not because I'm crippled by child support.
Not because I'm immigrating.
Not because I'm remarrying.
Not because my daughters need transport.
Not because another car died.
Not because I'm out of paying child support.

I bought a car.

This time, it was for me.