Living in Queens, NY, I decided my life in New York had become lonely and wearisome—and stagnated, as well. The prospect of marrying my live-in girlfriend was dwindling, and it was time to leave. But where? Back to California? I had no job, and apartments in Southern California were exorbitantly expensive.

Tucson seemed a better option for me in 1990. My mother and her sisters had moved there. Also, I had two cousins living there for some time. At least in Tucson, I would have some family support; besides, sunshine and warm weather (and low rents) were just what I was looking for after suffering through driving in some of New York’s brutal snow storms. I would spend 10 years in the “Old Pueblo”, enjoying time spent with my cousins, aunts, and uncles, and meeting many friends with whom I’m still in touch.

I would go back to school, earning an associate’s degree in computer science, while working in computer support at a fat farm, and working as a computer programmer and insurance biller. It was during this time, I learned ball-room, country and west-coast dancing, spending almost every night at this—even while in college—and would develop a large circle of friends I had never attained before in my life.

As a result, my studies began to suffer.

At the University of Arizona, I tried to cram calculus and trigonometry during the summer semester, in between work and my social life. I decided my math skills were not up to where they needed to be, so I attempted to change my major from computer science to management of information systems (MIS), but discovered my calculus and trigonometry coursework would not be credited toward this degree; I would need to spend another year taking accounting and statistics. As I was running out of grant and loan money, I needed to graduate within two years.

I cut my losses, and changed my major to creative writing, intending to become a technical writer. I also enrolled in a non-credited course in science-fiction writing at the local community college. Simon Hawke of the Time Wars series taught the course. I would later be invited to his home he had built out in the Sonoran Desert.

I regarded these meetings as jam sessions for writers. Excited, I joined the Sonoran Writers Group. About a dozen writers would sit in Simon’s living room, poring over stories we worked on during the month. Each student would critique a story presented, before Simon commented last, with comments redlined on each manuscript. These sessions would teach two things: valid criticism from a professional writer as well as receiving criticism from readers who are also writers, and likely have more insight into the writing process than amateur readers.

The criticism sometimes could be upsetting, but so long as there was nothing personal behind their remarks, a writer learns how to deal with constructive criticism, better than what one could receive from paid beta readers.

The Sonoran Writers Group would eventually fold when Simon met a lady online and moved to North Carolina where she resided. We tried to keep the group going at another writer’s home, but interest eventually waned after Simon’s departure.

My life would change again when I got married to a lady from Chickasha, Oklahoma. Marriage meant a move to a small town in 2001. Unable to find employment there, I enrolled in speech-pathology programs from two different institutions before I decided this occupation was not for me. My daughter, Regan, was born in 2002 and for much of this time, I was a house husband. This time off allowed me time to complete a western novel, which I still haven’t published, feeling it still needed an extended revision. The novel was set during the early days of the cattle drives along the Chisholm Trail. I lived in an old house built along one of the forks of the Chisholm Trail, so I was in a good location for researching the book.

Moving to Oklahoma City in 2004, I enrolled in a physical therapy program at a local college and would find work long-term in several settings as a physical therapist assistant. After getting divorced in 2006, I would remarry again in 2007—to Carmen, and in the following year, Cameron Scott was born. We bought a home that backed up to some woods, where our Bichon-Frieze could roam—along with the local wildlife of opossum, fox, armadillo, skunk, and wild turkey.

At around this time I had returned to regular reading of science-fiction and fantasy. Inspired by the Kindle online publishing revolution, I embarked on writing a fantasy series entitled, The Legion of the High Bloods, of which to date I independently published on Amazon two books in the series. I have a forthcoming novel The Ice-Coins, a science fantasy, scheduled to be published in March 2024.

For those interested, there will be forthcoming blogs, describing how I was able to complete two massive novels and the numerous mistakes I made during the process. Until next time.