Pat Ritter. Books

[patritter]

The reason I came up with the name Bundy Quicksilver was because of Bundaberg Rum (a rum made in Bundaberg, a Queensland town) and Quicksilver because when you're on the downhill slide of alcoholism it is like quicksilver, slippery and dangerous.

For days I typed the story of Bundy how he lost his wife Ada through cancer and now didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. His mind turned to alcohol; he remembered a promise he made to Ada some twenty-seven years before. He didn't want to go down that track again. He would keep to that promise.

Bundy recaptured his childhood memories of when he was introduced to alcohol by his grandfather at twelve years of age. The first taste of alcohol never left his mind. Over the next sixteen years he consumed more alcohol each year and became so accustomed to drinking alcohol his tolerence rose and he became more dependent on drinking it everyday.

On the morning of the 13th January 1977, his wife Ada told him she'd had enough and threatened to leave him, íf he came home drunk that night and take their two children with her.

He made her a promise Í WILL NEVER DRINK ALCOHOL AGAIN!' and kept his promise.

It was okay to stop drinking but the problem was how was he going to change his habits of drinking and change to not telling lies and being a good and loving husband and father.

Wait until tomorrow and I'll share with you how Bundy overcame alcoholism and became a better person for these changes.

[patritter]

Each day when I wrote Bundy's journey to overcome alcoholism, my mind echoed the journey I'd taken myself. This journey uncovered many demons in my life, especially an important one 'being a rescuer'.

I lived with this habit since I was six years old when the seeds of this habit engrossed my mind to such a degree I became so good at being a 'rescuer' I didn't know any other way to please people, especially my father.

You see all I ever wanted from my father was the words, 'I love you - you are my son - you are a worthwhile person'. Unfortunately I never received these words from him then or forever after. To seek his love (or non-love) I did anything in my power to appease him. Even made a hot cup of coffee and watch him drink the coffee and drink a stubby of beer at the same time.

After leaving home I continued this habit with my bosses, peers and any person in authority. Writing this book was probably the best thing I could've written at this time of my life. I remember when I was about two-thirds of the way through the book I suddenly hit a brick wall.

I knew what I wanted to say or write, but do you think the words flowed. Not in your life. For a fortnight I tried in vane to restart the process. I wanted to get it right. However, the rights words wouldn't flow from my mind.



One morning I awoke at two o'clock in the morning when a sudden flow of words, like a river, flooded my thoughts. I jumped out of bed, turned on the computer and wrote the remainder of the book for the next ten hours without a break. That's not exactly true because I made heaps of cups of coffee and visited the toilet many times.

Wait until tomorrow and I'll continued my journey of being an author.

[patritter]

Thank you all for liking these short stories of my writing career.

[patritter]

Eventually I completed the manuscript of 'Confessions of an alcoholic'. Up until this time I tried traditional publishing and self-publishing. After completing this book I felt great about the story but moreso how it could help people who had a problem with alcoholism.

After my time as a alcohol and drug counsellor I knew there were many people out there and hoped to reach those people to help them overcome their alcoholism. I took the bit between my teeth and thought 'what have I got to lose?' I self-published the book and had printed five hundred copies.

When I look back on the time now, hindsight is a wonderful tool to have, I discovered two hundred copies sold almost automatically. Unfortunately three hundred still remain in their boxes in my office.

It wasn't until the book converted to a e-book I've been able to sell more copies than I printed. There is a broader audience.

This is a link to 'Confessions of an alcoholic': https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7688

Wait until tomorrow and I'll share with you my next book on this journey.
Confessions of an alcoholic, an Ebook by Pat Ritter
http://www.smashwords.com
Bundy Quicksilver is an alcoholic. He tasted his initial taste of alcohol at 12 years old. Before he knew what alcohol could do to him it was out of control. At 28 years his wife gave him an ultimatum 'if he didn't do something about his drinking she was leaving and taking the children'. He promised...

[patritter]

At this point in my writing career road blocks started to form. I'd reached my goal of writing and self-publishing also tried marketing which was not only expensive but time consuming.

Daily I journeyed throughout the local region speaking with local book stores hoping they would either purchase my book 'Confessions of an alcoholic'. Some wanted the book on consignment and a small number purchased the books to sell in their stores. It was frustrating and not successful. Instead of selling the book at $20.00 each, which was a huge amount to pay, the stores owners wanted to buy them at $9.00 each. Each book cost $6.00 each to be printed.

This was a different way to market the book.

I used the internet as far as I could in those times, sending out newletters and brochures. After reviewing my future as a writer and self-publisher, I looked at improving my writing by attending various courses. I joined three writing associations and read articles each time their magazines were received.

A turning point came when I attended the first Writefest conducted by Bundaberg Writers Group. This was an opportunity to meet other writers and see what the industry was doing. To my surprise after meeting the Executive Officer of Queensland Writers Centre, he introduced me as an expert on self-publishing. At the time I never considered myself to be an expert.

I spoke to the audience to explain how I'd written and self-published 'Confessions of an alcoholic'. This was met with much excitement. Then I dropped the clanger, how do I market the book?

Tomorrow I'll share with you my next step in the venture of being an author.

[patritter]

One goal I needed to reach was to improve my writing. I checked most of the successful writers and read what they'd achieved. It appeared I was on the right track and according to these well known writers they too had difficulty grasping the right track to know where to go. Most suggested to write short stories and to never give up your dream.

Another turning point was attending a writing course facilitated by Rose Allan named 'Writing From The Heart'. Rose is one of those people who are special. Her ability to raise one's awareness and think on the right side of the brain is special. I left her course bubbling with self-confidence and assurance to further my career.

For the remainder of the year I wrote short story and entered each in competitions. This was a test of my ability to tighten my writing. Short stories do that for you, there's no woffling on. To read these short stories and holiday books I've written and published go

Wait until tomorrow and I'll share with you my next adventure with my writing career.



Saturday 17th March 2007 we headed off on our holiday not knowing exactly where we were going and for how long we would be away. Before leaving home we thought the drought had bitten badly but during our trip we were to learn that our paddcks were lush and green compared to some of the areas we

[patritter]

Thank you for liking my writing. I appreciate your input.

[patritter]

Along the journey there are always hic-cups of some type to encounter. We would like our road to success to be smoothe but unfortunately at times bumps in the road turn into gullies. For a couple of years I wrote a life story of an elderly man who'd done so many adventures in his life, I wanted to share them with the world.

You may have read in the post of 'Hollywood' John McMullen's Story. Near to the final climb to the top of the mountain John wanted to pull out of the whole thing. I wanted to finish it. Well, you wouldn't believe it I'd spent two years of my life writing a manuscript with this elderly person and after the second draft he too decided to pull out and not continue. I was deversated and hurt. There was nothing I could do but to accept his wishes.

Did this teach me a lesson. You bet your life it did! Never again will I write an autobiogaphy on another person. Someone else can do it. Both people, John and the elderly person, were very excited whilst I was writing their story, however, like I mentioned before I needed to plunge my hand into their soul and extract the good with the bad.

These two experiences were so similar to one another I decided to write my own memoir to test myself if this would happen to me.

[patritter]

I decided to write my own memoir. Before commencing this journey, for days stories wondered through my mind resulting in me sketching a life-line on a sheet of A4 paper.

Instead of commencing 'once upon a time', I started from the present and worked backwards. My journey of life went from sign post to sign post. Each time my life changed I made a short summary of the event and asked myself 'why' did my life suddenly change at this point.

Another interesting event to happen regularly was the different people I met along the way. Would you believe a friend I met when I was five, we continue to this day to be best friends. At fifteen I met another friend and he also remains my best friend. How did these things happen, I often wondered.

Both my parents were born in Cunnamulla, a south-western town in Queensland. I was born in Brisbane yet when I was twenty-one I travelled to Cunnamulla and worked on a sheep and cattle property where my grandfather was employed as a shearing contractor many years before. His name burned into the wood at the shearing shed.

A little over twelve months later I returned to Cunnamulla as a police officer and there met my wife who was born in Cunnamulla. We were married for thirty-one years before she lost her fight with cancer. After a couple of years we were transferred and a decade later returned to Cunnamulla in the role as a detective.

Was it a co-incidence or was my life mapped out for me. Did I have a Dream Angel to guide me through life. There were many incidents once I joined the dots on the sheet of paper to signify the journey I took.

After I studied the map of my life, jotting short entries at various signposts along the way I decided to write my memoirs.

Wait until tomorrow and I'll share with you how my memoirs were published into a book named 'Dream Angel'.