What inspired you to write this book about your life experiences?
well two years ago my cardiologist said said I would be lucky to live another three months, all due to 50 years of Cocaine and Meth addiction so I decided to, grow up, clean up, and write a book about how I had wasted a lifetime in what now seems like the blink of an eye.
Can you describe your journey from addiction to recovery and writing?
I was Security Police K-9 in the military, I was 17 years old and in 1973 I felt I should go to Vietnam to fight for my country, except I missed it by three months and was stationed stateside, and when I went into one friends room he had a pound of weed and an ounce of cocaine on the table with three other friends and when I asked where he got it he said that he had taken half of the guys dope after he pulled him over and arrested him. I asked how he felt about the guy that was going to do 20 years at Levenworth and they all just laughed and said thats his tuff luck, and they showed me how to smoke weed and snort cocaine and that was the beginning of my drug addiction.
How did you decide on the title of your book? What does it signify for you?
I looked at life like there were good roads and bad roads for example I wanted to become a police officer, but instead became a carpenter and every time I chose the bad road knowing it was the wrong choice but did it anyway and I did that throughout my life. Thus the book ALL THE WRONG ROADS
You mentioned discovering spiritual themes in your writing despite being raised as an atheist. Could you elaborate on that experience?
In the first sentence of my book I state that my father was the Epitome of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he was pure evil who raised me an Athiest teaching me that god didn’t exist and only the weak believed in god because they couldn’t deal with there own problems. But while I was writing some of my near death experiences I realized that nobody has that many dumb luck experiences and I came to the realization that god had been with me my entire life, and that although I never believed in him, he had never stopped believing in me.
What role did writing play in your healing process?
Once I started writing I realized I would never touch drugs again because it would destroy two years of hard work and I might as well thow the book in the Garbage. So I guess you could say I used the book to help keep me clean.
Were there specific moments or stories from your past that were particularly difficult to revisit while writing?
I think the sexual abuse was very hard to write about and just all the stupid things that I did, but if I hadn’t gone through all these experiences there wouldn’t be a book.
How did your perception of yourself and your life change as you wrote about your experiences?
I hadn’t realized how much I had learned until I started writing and all of a sudden I had goals for the first time in my life and my book is just the beginning.
What message or insight do you hope readers will take away from your book, “All The Wrong Roads”?
The reason I wrote the book was to show people how I had wasted a lifetime living the moment never considering the future, until the only thing I had left was regret. But to also show that it’s never to late to change and try to make a difference the world.
Were there any authors or books that influenced your writing style or approach to storytelling?
when I was younger I read all of the Louis L’amour and Edgar Cayce books but as I got older I didn’t read any books. I just sat down and started writing everything I could remember and then rewrote it three times until I felt it was right, which took about a year.before I published it.
Can you share a pivotal moment during your writing process when you felt a significant breakthrough or realization?
When I was in the Basic Training I had this guy walk up and asked what religion I was as he handed me a card with that poem FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND on it and as I read it and laughed and said God never carried me anywhere then I tore it up and tossed it in the trash can and proudly answered I’m an Atheist. But while I was writing, like I said on question four I came to the realization that god has been with me my entire life, but my father had been very good at convincing me he didn’t exist.
What challenges did you face in writing about such personal and sensitive topics?
I don’t think there were any sensitive topics, I just wrote what I felt people would need to know about me, so as to understand my thinking better and why all the bad choices in my life.
How did your relationships with family and friends evolve during your journey of writing this book?
I had disassociated myself from my entire family because I was flipping houses all over the state and was back in town for a few days to visit my mother then gone again for months and even years at a time. But I moved in with my mother who is 85 with dementia and I do all the cooking so it worked out for the both of us. And I had a chance of to Bond again with my mother.
Did you encounter any surprises or unexpected discoveries about yourself or your beliefs while writing?
I found out I was a lot stronger then I thought, because there were more hurdles than I care to count, to publish and market my book and I can’t tell you how many times I just wanted to quit and just walk away, but I finally had a goal and I was determined to finish what I had started.
How do you see your book impacting others who may be struggling with addiction or spiritual questions?
I’m hoping people will see no matter how far down you go, you just take one step at a time and in the process you find god, it gets that much easier and I realized that I wouldn’t just be letting myself down I’d be letting god down also.
How has your experience of being associated with AllAuthor been?
All- Authors has ben amazing in helping promote my book, and the banners they create for me are Fantastic.
