Just an old man who writes

Biography

Oh, you know, things are really dull just now. I've cleaned up the yard, last night's picketer's left a mess with the remains of their burned out torches. But now things are quiet, no more shouting, and no gunfire, especially not after what happened.

But that's not why you're reading this, you want to know who I am. Okay.

Seriously, about being shot at? Is this true? well not these days. Years ago, yeah... And I definitely don't think it's dull when you're being shot at. I was. But like I say, that was years ago. Though because this is about writing and thus implicitly, my use of language, I'll mention that no, I wouldn't call that exciting. And I'm fortunate he wasn't a better shot. And no, if you're wondering, I've never been in the military.

Millions of years ago, seems like, I was a radio officer on a privately owned, managed, and operated research submarine and also helped operate and manage a satellite that orbited earth. That was for NASA of course, which today has a somewhat similar space-craft orbiting Mars, doing atmospheric research. (That would be the Mars Atmosphere & Volatile Evolution and Mission.)

The submarine was the Aluminaut. Okay, and I am very serious, neither of those jobs were very exciting.

So because my life is dull and I know someone who just might soon be in a place like Iran, and very much on the run, I've written this to give that person a few pointers.

And here's my mission statement: I'm publishing a simple story about a lonely Russian girl stranded in Iran. Those countries share a 1,000 mile border, except when you're in Tehran, and SAVAK has it's agents after you, well, that's not dull. More than that though, it's hard to stay lost, to stay out of the way. I'm hoping this helps. And look at it this way, staying lost and getting wet, living on the edge of a desert, maybe stealing food, maybe wearing the chador, all this is very much better than being beaten in a lonely prison cell (which is what a few survivors report.)

But read my books (which I'll have here soon,) because ah, while you can learn about Iran's agricultural problems from the CIA fact book, people who read my work are one person removed from thwarting two Revolutionary guards who are about to as to see your face. And how does someone escape?. by walking into a police station, maybe appropriately called the Disciplinary force.

About being shot at... That happened on an island claimed by Cuba, and truth, I shouldn't have been there. That's something I did in the late 60's. See?, I actually am old.

And no, I've never been an employee or consultant to/for the CIA or any similar government agency. In the '70s I was contracted to NASA, managing satellites. I know, not quite the same thing...

So today I'm just an old guy with stories to tell. Again, I know an American, a coed, intelligent, she might have some issues, and she's not yet very wise, but give her a few years, check back, I'll let you know. But the character in one of my books is true-to-life, though since I don't want to prejudice her career I've placed her in Iran.

My readers can expect the ordinary... But then, you never know, Fleming, the James Bond author, was the original architect of one of the greatest intelligence deceptions of WW2, ("The Man who never was.") And that came at a critical time for the allies, for the Germans were winning and that carefully orchestrated deception saved the lives of thousands of allied soldiers.

So you never know, maybe I'll slip and write something that isn't dull. You just have to risk it.

More than anything else, my works are about people. Who they are and why and how. And people are complex, composed from elements that are usually rich in emotion and love. Sure, some of what I write is about that, about men and women, how they're different.

Smashwords Interview

What do you read for pleasure?
When I was a boy I read science fiction, now I read social fiction, mostly. Really what someone reads is a direct function of what they think, of who they are, of who they want to be. And I'm old, what am I doing reading social fiction?, well, we're all social creatures. Reading, and this is universal, is fun. Not should be fun, IS fun. If that's not true something is wrong.

I also read the Bible. We're a country that, value-wise, is falling apart, We've changed and the problems we read about (say online at the news portals,) portray our decline.

I don't think I can reverse this. I've tried, I used to counsel people, mostly young people. Again, I don't think I helped anyone, maybe one, maybe two, ask me in two years. If I actually did help it'll probably be evident then. Of course I also, this is the truth, the first person I counseled I hurt. Not intentionally.

Counseling might seem easy, it's not. I asked my client for a few weeks, and strengthened my skill-set, especially in the areas needed. Did I effect change? Yes, but again, ask me about her in two, maybe three years.
Describe your desk
I do computer science research, I don't have a desk. I have computers, these days laptops.
Read more of this interview.

Series

Why you should never patronize American-style Pizza shops while in Tehran
Please don't imagine that I am making light of the American agents now in Iranian prisons, absolutely not. I very much respect their efforts to maintain our freedoms. Still, I wonder at the wisdom of branding anything, even pizza, American in Tehran. From what I know of that troubled country; first, I would not have made use of anyone even vaguely American, second, I'd have looked at building a story around a Muslim family "returning" from, say, Europe. My simple story isn't about the CIA or the people who work to maintain America's defenses, instead I depict the problems of a young intern attempting to flee Iran for Russia. Look at America's past fights, look at the wars we've been in. Usually we lose the first encounter very badly, then we roar back to secure victory.

Books

A primer on avoiding Iranian prisons, chapter 1; This is a serial, I expect to publish at least ten installments.
Series: Why you should never patronize American-style Pizza shops while in Tehran. Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 6,260. Language: English. Published: November 19, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Adventure » War & military adventure
I'm writing a How-To book for a friend, in this case how to avoid spending five or ten years in an Iranian prison, and because I am writing about a real person I have fictionalized my instructions. I'm looking for early feed-back,

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