Life of Pol

The horrific murder of George Floyd was bad enough. But even before all the guilty parties could be brought to justice, the protests began. Protests against police brutality. Of course, I get it. It's obvious there's a huge problem. And protesting is fine. But when the protestors begin to just burn buildings down for now reason other than to destroy property, that's when is no longer protesting. It's terrorism.  L.A. was torched last night. High-end stores were looted and burned. A sunglasses stores was emptied out. What the fuck does stealing hundreds of sunglasses have to do with protesting police brutality? There is no longer any message about George Floyd. Now, all anyone sees are violent people endangering lives. There have been shots of graffiti on walls on the news that says to kill cops. That is so heartbreaking.  Yes, there are bad people in police departments. There are racists hidden all over the workforce, in all professions.  But when something really bad i...

I wasn't sure what to post today, so I decided on a small excerpt from Nature's Forces , the first installment of Serpenteens .                                                           (copyrighted material) One Twisted Twister   I woke up when I first heard the thunder.   I’ve always been like that.   I would wake up because I heard thunder, even before I realized I heard thunder.   The others say they have always been the same way.   I guess it was just a part of being one of us. I had been in such a deep sleep I was surprised that anything could have woken me.   The events of the past few months had really taken a toll on all of us.   There were times when I wasn’t sure how much more we could take.   But those moments never lasted long.   We didn’t have a choice in what we did.   ...

Every author imagines his or her work on the big screen. I'm no different. Especially with the Serpenteens series, because the visuals would be so cool. And I love the characters, of course. I even went as far as had my friend Angela, who does my book covers, do a movie poster. I came up with names for the actors and director and producer and stuff. It was fun, and it came out great. Have you ever heard of "visualization?" When you create images of what you want to happen. You see it already achieved. This helps with that a ton! The movie version of Serpenteens would be amazing, I just know it. Forget for a moment about all the wicket storms that occur: blizzards, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes. The characters themselves would win hearts. I often wonder which character would be most loved. Probably Kody, because he's the main kid. But Kurt, there's something about Kurt. A skinny country kid with a cowboy hat that hold down his full head of blond hair. He has the ...

As I'm writing this, I can honestly say that I don't know if it's Thursday or Friday. I'm leaning toward Friday. I haven't watched any TV this morning, and that's usually my clarification of the days. Anyway, whatever day it is, it'll be a good one.  Steve and I are getting into a sort of quarantine routine, which includes my workout time, his workout time, a long walk for Finn and ball time for Brodee, and of course a daily naptime.  For the most part everything's been working out fine. But the other day was a bit rainy, and Finn couldn't go for his long walk with Steve. So all that energy that would have been expelled turned into the zoomies a few times during the day.  You know how difficult it is to try to keep the noise down on a third-floor apartment when an eleven-month-old, fifty-pound golden retriever gets the zoomies? Good times. (insert missing laughing emoji here) We didn't have an art day as we had planned. We have everything we need...

I wasn't sure what I was going to blog about today, but that question was answered when I logged onto my blogger, and was notified that a new layout was available for users. Yeah! Of course there's no way to go back and edit a post if you see a boo-boo. They forgot to keep that option on the POST button. I sent feedback about it. Hopefully they put that back, or there are going to be a lot of boo boos in future posts. Why did they have to change it? It was fine. "If it ain't broke--" and all of that. I don't do well with change. I've been with the same great guy for almost thirty years. I was at my job with the City of Austin for twenty-seven years. They say change is good for the soul. To that I say, "Blech!" (I was going to insert a cute emoji with his tongue ticking out, but I just discovered another thing they left off of the new layout.) Not much will be changing for our day today. Perhaps we'll have an art day. Stay safe. Mask up. Prote...

I know I posted about movies yesterday, but today I'm dong it again. Why? Because the remake of The Invisible Man was released today on DVD! This movie is really good. I guess that's obvious or I wouldn't be talking about it, huh? I've always loved the Invisible Man. Just the concept of invisibility is so cool. Imagine the things you could do or places you go? This movie follows an abused wife, played by Elisabeth Moss. After her husband commits suicide, she is suddenly terrorized by an enemy she can't see. Invisibility in this version is achieved by a specialized suit (don't worry, that's not a spoiler) that reflects light. It's kinda scary because it's something that will probably be around in the future. So, Steve and I are going to venture out to BestBuy today and grab a curbside order of The Invisible Man in 4K. If you want a fun and suspenseful movie, this one's on demand, too. Stay safe. Mask up. Protect others. 💓

In  an ongoing effort to help each other through this weird moment in history, when so many of us are spending time at home, today we'll talk movies! My favorite movies to watch over and over and over . . .  The first one is a live-action remake: Aladdin   I was very surprised by this movie. When it first came out, I was weary of Will Smith playing the genie. But man, was I wrong about that. The movie is done just like the cartoon, with just as much vibrant color and fantastic soundtrack, and Will Smith's performance as the genie does Robin Williams proud. And it doesn't hurt that Aladdin is a cutie pie. 😛 The second movie I'm suggestions is another live-action remake: The Lion King We went to see this movie in the theaters, and had high expectations because Jon Favreau, who produced and directed it, also did another of my favorite movie live-action remakes, The Jungle Book . We were not disappointed. If you grew up with the cartoon, and i...

It's true there has been a lot lately to be bummed out about. It's been difficult emotionally. Being quarantined for so long and being afraid to venture out to the store when we need to go. I've been trying my best not to let it get to me, but I've been failing. Some days it seems worse than others. That has to stop. Yes, it's a stressful situation, but Steve and I are a lot better off than many people. We aren't standing in food lines. We're able to pay rent. True, he hasn't worked in two months, but thankfully, unemployment came through quickly. For many it didn't. Still hasn't. But most of all, Steve and I are healthy and safe. That's what's really important. So that stress and anxiety that is slowly taking over my days, has to be put away in a drawer somewhere, because this situation isn't going to stop any time soon. It's time to flip the switch. Those "voices" of doubt, well, they need to b...

For those who are dedicated enough to read my blog, I'll let you in on a little secret: I once wrote an erotica series. In my ongoing efforts to try whatever I possibly could to grab that success or notoriety, I dabbled in erotica. I had never really thought about writing those type of books, but several people had mentioned in an off-handed comment, after reading certain scenes in my books, that I should write erotica. The genre had been getting more and more popular over the years. I figured, why not. So I came up with D'Angelo Harris. A young, good-looking guy, living in California and trying his hand at the escort service life. The sex, the money, the parties, and unexpected love. Sex Money Life Love Those were the titles of the books. The books were fun to write. Not for all my readers , by far. That's why I always kept it under wraps.The series came out of the gate okay, people liked them. But things fizzled fast and I never finished the final b...

I haven't written anything in book form since December. Six months. I've never gone this long without writing before.  I don't know what's happening. Yes, there's a pandemic going on, and that has monopolized most of my thoughts, but I know there's more. I've wanted success for so long. I've worked at it for so long. Still . . . You can't help but let it get to you after twenty-something years. And what's so frustrating for me is that I have three books finished! The all just need to be edited. One simply needs to be edited, the other two are only in their 1st drafts, so they'll  need two more read-throughs, then sent to the editors, also. It's all the crappy part of writing--editing and re-reading. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with it, but now, because I don't feel like doing anything , I can't get it done. I can't help but have my mind drift over to those thoughts: You're just wasting your tim...

Do you believe in them? I do. I always have. I have always been drawn to movies and books about ghosts. Oddly enough, Reunion is the only ghost story I've written. But it was fun writing it, because in a ghost story, you can make them do pretty much anything. I think my favorite ghost movie is The Others . Perfect setting and fantastic plot twist. Of course there are children in it, too, and children always make a ghost story creepier. It was what I loved about writing Reunion-the Children of Lauderdale Park . Throw in some burned ghost kids, and you're gold, right? Perhaps one day the god of success will shine his light upon me, and a movie will be made of the book. For those who have read it, you know how scary and fun it could be with all the kids. For those who haven't yet read it, here's a link to AMAZON . Did you know that the word ghost is also a verb?  "To cut off all contact with (someone): to subject to ghosting." Sadly I know ...

The days have been blending together more and more. Same routine pretty much day in and day out. It's usually when "Good Morning America" starts that I find out exactly what day it is. But we're not the only ones dealing with this problem. Again, the new normal, and I'm usually off by one or two. The picture above is of Buster, about seven or eight years ago. He was such a character. He's been on my mind a lot lately. He's always on my mind, but more so the past few weeks. Maybe he's watching over his daddies extra careful now. Golden retrievers. Man, they're great dogs. The best, in my personal opinion (and I'm willing to bet money that Steve would say the same thing). Now we have these two monsters! We've never been a two-dog family, but we became one when Finn entered our lives back in September. Brodee was missing his home up on the mountain, and clearly was not liking it down in the "big city." He spe...

It was a good day yesterday. We had a nice dinner for Steve's birthday; crab legs and steak. Yesterday was also memorable because of new from the White House. The news was that the orange freak who is supposed to be leading the country is now taking a drug that isn't approved for what he's taking it for. "Duhhhh, I'm a smart!"  It's dangerous to take the drug, yet he is still doing it. Why? Because he has stock in the medicine! Of course! It's absolutely ridiculous, the things that this moron does, yet nothing happens to him, legally or otherwise. I know we're  not supposed to wish ill will on anyone, but come on! Just one massive heart attack would help the world so much! There's actually the strong chance that tRump is lying about taking the drug. Which means that he got a doctor at the White House to lie for him saying that he is taking it. He's most likely lying about taking the drug just so others will want to ...

May 18th, 1967-the day the world got better! That was the day Steve came into the world. Today is his birthday, and although we're stuck at home, we'll make the best of it, because it's what he deserves. I can't begin to tell you how much Steve means to me. Although, those who know me totally understand. He's my best friend.  That always sound cliché when it's said, it is very true. My life became truly blessed the day we met. Let's see what other wonderful things happened during the year that brought Steve: The Monkees released their 2nd album. NBC released a colorized version of Dragnet . Lunar Orbiter 3 was launched. The NFL drafted Bubba Smith from Michigan State. "Respect" was released by Aretha Franklin. The Beatles single "Penny Lane" went #1 on May 18th. But the most important thing to me that happened in 1967 was that Steve came into the world. And twenty-something years later, he would step into my world and ...

Five years ago I thought, when we moved to the mountains of Colorado, we had found our forever home. The scenery and wildlife are amazing. I fell in love! But then, the people started showing their true colors. Especially after we had moved down to the Springs. Very unfriendly people, and the majority are tRump supporters. Suddenly everything seemed tainted, and became more so every day. It's a shame that people can ruin a place. The Charis Bible College (a place where hate is taught) in Woodland Park has ruined that town. It's full of bible thumpers who are only in town for a few months to learn more about hatred and how to spread it. It's sad, how religion can get so twisted. Steve and I are very religious. We say our prayers each night and several times during each day. We have faith in God and put faith in Him when things are tough. But as far as religion--people too often use it to spread hatred and violence. I cringe when I hear someone say the...

The morning started off as did all the other mornings, full of anxiety and angst. It followed yet another sleepless night. I think the sleepless nights are because we're not doing that much during the day. My body just isn't tired enough to sleep through the night. Even though it feels tired enough during the freaking day! I've been trying to work out, but my back had been out because of all the sitting. Trying to find a balance in this new normal is becoming increasingly difficult. I purchased a movie yesterday at BestBuy and it was all done outside. You see, the Call of the Wild came out on Tuesday on DVD. We love that movie and had been waiting for the DVD release. We went for our Walmart run, thinking we would pick up the movie there, but they didn't have a 4K version. So we tried the BestBuy across the street. But they were only doing curbside sales and stuff. The guy outside asked what I wanted, I told him, and he went to see if they had the movie in 4K...

Yesterday started out on the wrong foot when the first thing I heard on television was the dire warnings of the coming winter to be the darkest in history. WTF? It set the tone for my mood all day, although I tried my hardest to fight it. I don't want to feel that way every day. It's already difficult trying to stay upbeat when every day for the foreseeable future will be the same--hanging out at the apartment because it's too scary to go anywhere. Knowing me, I'll become agoraphobic before too long. I'm trying hard to balance the negative thoughts with positive ones. Even though it's scary to go out in public, Steve and I are safe here at home. That's all that really matters. All my positive thoughts usually involve the fact that we're safe and sound. That may sound selfish, but I'm sure you know what I mean. The world has changed. Social distancing, wearing masks ( please wear a mask when out in public!), all those things are going to...

The news just gets worse every day! Ugh! I don't even want to turn on the television in the mornings.  The leading health officials are warning that if we don't get a hold of this thing now, we will have the darkest winter in history.  Well that's something to look forward to! I fear, that with all the idiots protesting the stay-at-home orders and ignoring social distancing, this reality will come to fruition. It's sad that the ignorant ones will cause more suffering for those who are obeying the rules. And nothing can be done about it.  I'm trying so hard to stay positive, but there's so little to be positive about lately.  There are good day and there are bad days. I can only hope that the good days are strong enough to blot out the darkness of the bad days. Stay safe. Stay inside. 💓

There was some sad news out of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo yesterday. Their beloved moose, Tahoma passed away. Tahoma was brought to the zoo when he was ten months old as a rescue. He spent his life being cared for and loved. He passed away just shy of his thirteenth birthday. Although the zoo was closed to the public, an article reported that Tahoma was surrounded by all those who loved him. Steve and I were lucky enough to have been able to see him in person about five years ago. RIP, big guy. You will be missed. 💓

Today I thought I'd talk about my other passion: Wood burning. Or the official name: pyrography. Let me start by saying, I cannot draw. But, for some reason, I am pretty good at burning images onto wood. The first time I ever tried it, I was in middle school or something. I had a teacher who I liked very much, and I wanted to make her a present. For whatever reason, we happened to have one of those single temperature old-school wood burning tools. I'm sure you've all seen them: We also always had random pieces of wood lying around the shop down in the basement. I'm not sure what put the idea into my head, but I decided to try a wood burning. I chose a unicorn as my subject. The picture I found was cool, I'll always remember it: it was a full-body unicorn, with his right leg raised. He was heavily muscled, with a cool spiral horn mounted his forehead and a flowing mane. Using a technique I still use, I covered the backside of the picture completely wi...

Do you ever imagine what your life would have been like if that "alternate ending" had happend? If you had turned left at the fork in the road instead of right. My big dream was to be an actor. I had pursued it all through high school and for a few years afterward, but that was it. I knew I could have done it and been successful. At the risk of sounding smug, I'm a pretty good actor, or used to be. Every time I would watch a movie, I would fantasize about the time when it would be me up there on the big screen. I even saw myself winning an Oscar. Or at least nominated. I didn't pursue that dream the way I should have, and I let it slip through my fingers. But it's okay. It's okay because, each time I think of that lost dream, there is one single thought races into my mind: If I had pursued acting, I would have never met Steve. And that makes it all clear again. Everything happens for a reason. We are true believers in that.  Even if I had made...

Have you heard the one about the author who thought he was cursed? Yes, there was a time when I thought that could possibly be what my problem was. Back in the day--Steve and I were in our first apartment--I had yet to publish anything. But Luthor , Blue Moon , and Inanimate Objects were already written.  I think I was working on Squish-Squash .  I had been sending out query letters to publishers for the books I had already completed. The wonderful experience of sending out hundreds of query letters for months on end, all to return with the same answer: Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately your work does not fit what we are looking for. We wish you the best of luck. (Fuck off.) That last part was usually omitted from the actual letters, but I saw them there each time, anyway. But then someone contacted me with a different answer. He was a publisher. His company, Blue Cap Publishing, was new, but had a few titles already. He was interested in Blue M...

Today's post will be shameless self-promotion! I've written over twenty books, ranging from a magic elevator to ghosts haunting a playground.  I can feel the success that is just out of reach. I can see it. I know what it will be like. I just can't make the final connection. But it's so close. How close? I have over twenty titles. I also  have more than 13,000 Twitter followers and 500+ Facebook followers, not to mention Instagram. If each of those people purchased all my books, even just the eBooks, it would make a huge difference in my life. Then go one more step: My Genie in a Bottle series was created after listening to Christina Aguilera's song by the same name. Countless times I have tagged on Twitter and Instagram when I do posts about the series, thanking her for her inspirational song. It just takes that one moment for her to see one of those posts and grab a copy of the books, enjoy them, and then send out one tweet to her ...

What to talk about on day 46 . . . let's see . . . It's drizzling. Not an actual rain that we need, but we'll take it. Of course it's cold again. Yeah. Oh, yesterday Steve and I tried to watch The Joker, because it had won awards and everyone raved about it. We had never really wanted to watch it, and after we got maybe half way through, we realized we were right. We hated it. It was depressing and weird. There's too much depressing and weird in real life right now. It's funny, the way that happens to us with movies. There have been many occasions where a film is a hit and everyone loves it, but when Steve and I watch it, our opinions are total opposite from the rest of the world. We're left with feeling like, Why does everyone like this movie? What are our go-to movies? Hairspray! Moonstruck! The Color Purple! Life of Pi! Aladdin ! Love Simon! Those are some good movies! 😊 Not sure which movie today holds, but whatever it is, it...

I remember when Steve, Buster (rest in peace, baby), and I first moved to Colorado. we were excited. Especially for the snow. Buster loved everything right off the bat. Well, except the altitude. For three weeks after we arrived in Woodland Park, Buster and I suffered from altitude sickness. Headaches and feeling groggy and just blech. But, finally, our bodies acclimated to the altitude. We spent our first nine months in an apartment. When we found the Cabin Above the Clouds, we knew we had to have it. Buster loved it immediately. Each time we drove to the cabin during the months we waited for closing, he would get excited as if he knew we'd be living there soon enough. He loved everything about it. Especially watching the deer as they walked around the property. It seems like forever ago. Compared to life now, it seems like something made up.  It's hard to think of those times without my heart beginning to race and the tears start to well up in my eyes. But after ...

I don't really know what to say today without sounding like a downer each day. Spirits are betters, but there's not much uplifting news. So I posted the new trailer I made for Luthor , in case you hadn't seen it yet.                  LUTHOR TRAILER This book is so special to Steve and I. We both feel that, when my big break comes, this book will have a lot to do with it. I dream of the day I get to see the movie version. I've sent copies to director Guillermo del Toro in hopes of that big break. Obviously I've never heard back. Sending books to directors when they didn't ask is like shooting an arrow in the dark and hoping to hit a target across a field. But you always hear stories of people who made it because they took a chance. Imagine Guillermo del Toro making Luthor ? It would be amazing! The house alone would be creepy as hell. I also tag him each time I do a Luthor post in Twitter, in hopes he'll take notice. I'll kee...

Another day . . . Another day of what? Positivity. That's what. No matter how hard it is to be positive, lately, I have to find a way to do so. But it's difficult. As the pandemic continues and worsens, and the protests become more and more violent because of all the white trash with their guns, and the Murder Hornets moving in to destroy our food supply, and now just add a little war-like tension between the U.S. and China because of the orange dick in the White House . . . positivity seems almost unreachable. Almost. There has to be positivity mixed in there somewhere, or all hope is lost. Positivity is the anchor that will hold us in place, no matter how hard the storm blows. Positivity. I am CONFIDENT we will come out this, and things will be better. I KNOW everything will be fine again one day. I have FAITH in the new day. Positivity. Hold onto it. Strengthen it. Stay safe. Stay inside. 💓

I can't watch the news anymore. I have to try and stay off social media as much as possible. It's all too disgouraging. And the people protesting is just ridiculous. It's just proof that they aren't intelligent enough to understand what the measures are in place for. The death toll is supposed to skyrocket in the next two weeks.  That second wave is inevitable. Scary. Stay safe. Stay inside. 💓

The days are getting more difficult, I can feel it. And that feeling of angst is only amplified by the constant news of awful things happening in the United States. Just the amount of people protesting because their rights are supposedly being infringed upon is astounding. Just by being asked to stay home and to have stores closed temporarily.  Protesting with guns, too ! Really? You need your guns?  There was a story yesterday about a group of people gathering at a lake, and a park ranger went to talk to them about social distancing, and one of the kids pushed the ranger into the lake. Again, really ? He was only doing his job, trying to help others, and that was the mentality he was met with. That's the mentality of what civilization will be built on for the future? We're fucked. Things have to change. Look how people handled this crisis-- terribly !  Things have to change. Things will change. Until then, I guess we just have to make the b...

Sleep has been eluding me in the mornings. Usually about 3am (the witching hour) I wake up, and I'm unable to get back to sleep. If I do, it's only for fifteen or twenty minutes. I don't know what to do about it anymore. I don't know if there's much I can do. If it didn't leave me tired for the rest of the day, I wouldn't care. I wish I didn't have to sleep. Or eat. I could be happy being a Cullen-type vampire. Don't have to sleep or eat, and the blood you need comes from animals and not humans (although there are some humans that deserve it). I could deal with living like that. Plus, in the sunlight you look fabulouuus ! So, I'm in a writing slump. I have been since December. I haven't really worked on anything since then. And I have two projects to work on, too. Mentally, though, I just can't get into it. Again, I have that feeling "It's a waste of time" that I can't seem to shake. I get so excited at the rel...

Well my jaw's not broken! I was actually beginning to fear that I may have gotten a small fracture in my jaw from "the incident" with Baby Finn. By the time we were getting ready for bed last night, my jaw still hurt and I was unable to open it fully. I kept ice on it throughout the day, and apparently it helped. This morning my jaw felt better. It is still tender, but I can move it more. Whew! All I needed was to have my jaw wired shut for 6 weeks and be stuck with drinking my meals. I would waste away to nothing. Other than that, I feel a touch of anxiety because Steve and I are venturing out to PetSmart today. Finn has outgrown his harness, and we need to get a new one for him, he also needs food (Finn, not Steve). Plus, we're stopping at Walmart for a few things we need while we're out. I hate that feeling or dread simply because we have to go to the freaking store! I've been awake since three because I kept thinking about the "gam...