Pat Ritter. Books

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Build An Empire' - Page 108:

Chapter 12
On 11th January 1990, my days in Queensland Police Service came to a sudden halt. I had a pacemaker inserted. Twelve months later I retired medically unfit from a career I loved. What would I do?
Queensland Health advertised for ‘a drug and alcohol counsellor’. I applied for the role. When I arrived at the interview the book ‘Closing The Gap’ lay on a table. Margaret Holtham asked me if I was the co-author of the book which I replied, ‘Yes.’. Her words continue to haunt me until this day, ‘you haven’t learnt anything yet.’ I commenced employment with Queensland Health.
After I received my pacemaker, I fell into a BLACK HOLE! I couldn’t understand why I felt depressed and worthless. I enrolled in a counselling course: Crisis Counselling and Intervention’. When the lecturer explained about Crisis in our lives, I thought he was speaking to myself. His explanation was: we live along a life line when a crisis occurs. Mine when I received my pacemaker and medically discharged from the police.
We fall over the cliff into a BLACK HOLE hitting rock bottom. To return to the top of the hole may take two years. Different to my previous work. I mentioned previous about fate and destiny. One night I worked with Nurse George. Raining outside, a client of the service left in the morning wanted to sit at the rear area to keep dry. We agreed.
Following morning I saw this gentleman slouched against a chair. Dead! Confusion erupted among staff wondering what to do. During my time as a detective, I investigated this type of death. Ambulance arrived took the young person to the hospital. I gathered staff together writing their statements of events. Police arrived I handed the officer statements I obtained from staff. Driving home sky opened before my eyes, bright blue. I felt useful again.
When I arrived at work George said, ‘I owe you, my career. How did you know what to do?’ I explained over twenty years I carried out investigations of this nature. From this time onward, I commenced my new life. I wrote ‘How Could This Happen To Me? Story of experiencing the implantation of a pacemaker, recovery, depression.


To purchase ‘How Could This Happen To Me?’: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/9221. How Could This Happen To Me - Kindle edition by Ritter, Pat. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

‘Closing The Gap’ Smashwords – Closing the Gap – a book by Pat @ Amazon.com: Closing The Gap eBook Pat Ritter, Bob O'Sullivan,: Kindle Store.'Build An Empire' -

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My wife Olga, or ‘Bub’ played her role as a wife, mother, worker for twenty years of my life in the police. Now, her time to do what she wanted to achieve. Always involved with horses since her childhood. She chose harness racing. We purchased a Harness Racing establishment at Redcliffe north of Brisbane. In her younger life she learned her craft through her father who was a drover in far western Queensland.
How could I forget the first day we moved to our new establishment? Bub lived in her element. Over the fifteen years we lived in harness racing industry Bub went from a lone individual to successfully own, train, and drive her own horses in races. Harness racing became our life. Bub trained, drove, won races.
On a Saturday night we raced at Albion Park Paceway. One Saturday night I stood in the birdcage (an area where the trainers gear up their horses before a race) when a thought entered my mind. ‘I wonder if anyone has ever written a book about any of the celebrities of harness racing?’.
‘Hollywood’ John McMullen sat watching the racing. I sat beside him. We’d purchased a horse from John a couple of years before. ‘How’re you going John?’ I asked. ‘Good’. His reply. ‘You know I write books.’ His answer ‘Yeah’. ‘I want to write your story of harness racing.’ His reply, ‘who’d want to read about me.’ His answer. ‘You’d be surprised.’ ‘I’ll let you know.’ His parting words.
Six months later John telephoned me, ‘you still want to write my story.’
Four months of sitting with John at his home weekly, listening to his story of harness racing possessed me. This became my first attempt to write a memoir. During writing, my practice to listen to John tell his story, take notes, return home, write a chapter. Return following week, hand him the chapter, listen to next stage, take notes, return home type next chapter. This continued until I completed the book.

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'Build An Empire'

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Harness racing is a tough sport dealing with different people from all parts of the world. During one of my interviews with John, I said, ‘John, I’ve listened to your story. Mate it is great. I’ve found you to be honest and trustworthy. You’ve provided evidence of your stories.’
His reply, ‘Pat. In life you need to be honest.’ My respect for this person rose one hundred percent.
After we completed final chapter of the book John said, ‘I don’t want you to publish this book.’
‘Why! It’s a great story.’ We discussed our options. I wanted the world to know his story. A great inspirational story of grit, toughness. After hours of convincing, John agreed to me publishing his book. Throughout the book John mentioned names he used. I explained I needed to contact each of these persons to gain their approval for admission to the book. John produced a list of forty names, addresses, e-mails of these persons.
I sent a personal message to each of these persons explaining my role to write a book about ‘Hollywood’ John McMullen. They had no knowledge of what we’d written. I received forty replies. To prove John’s honesty these replies were similar stories John told me. I included each reply as a continuation to this book.


To purchase ‘Hollywood’ John McMullen Story’: Smashwords – 'Hollywood' John Mcmullen Story – a book by Pat Ritter. https://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-John-M ... ext&sr=1-1.
I’m proud to announce I receive a National Award from ‘In The Gig’ for publication of this book. Sadly, John passed away. His legacy lives on through his book.

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Build An Empire' - Page 114: Chapter 13

Along this journey events happened which I never imagined. 22nd October 2002 Bub and I sat on the front veranda at our home in Redcliffe discussing our usual topics of ‘life’. My mind filled with excitement about receiving a National Award.
I asked Bub this question, ‘I want to retire and write fulltime.’
Her answer, ‘we’ll stave.’
‘I don’t want to retire here in Redcliffe. Thinking more living in a small country town. Peace and quiet.’
‘What about Imbil?’
‘Where the hell is Imbil?’
‘In the Mary Valley. Beautiful country.’
‘Okay. Let’s got for a drive.’
We drove to Imbil. I’d never been there before. One Real Estate Agent. She handed us a sheet of paper informing us to drive to Brooloo about five minutes away. Fifteen acres for sale. Soon as we stopped, I looked about, ‘this is exactly what I want.’
‘You haven’t looked any-where else.’
‘Don’t need to. This is the place I want’.
We returned to Imbil, signed a contract for the property.

Aged fifty-four years old I focused on retirement, settle on the property at Brooloo, write to my heart’s content. One morning after Bub worked her horses, she asked me to look at her left shoulder. An itch from her bra strap. I looked to see nothing unusual.
Told her to visit a doctor.

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After she visited her doctor Bub discovered a melanoma on her left shoulder. Category three. My world sunk to a level of despair. After operation her doctor told me in confidence, she had nine months to live. Plans for our life went out the window.
She stopped training horses, discovered miniature horses. Bub never looked sick. I asked her what she wanted to do. Her reply, ‘go to the farm’. Over the months to follow Bub designed our new home; built cattle yards, purchased stock, lived her life to the best she could.
On the final Saturday before she passed, we stayed the weekend at the farm. About midnight she woke me, ‘Pat, take me to hospital.’
Bub went into Palliative Care, Redcliffe Hospital. I remained by her side until her passing. I lost my best friend, wife, lover. I became lost in a sea of grief.
House wasn’t completed before Bub’s passing. I lived in the shed until it was completed.
Bub left behind a list of things she wanted done. A garden built in front of our bedroom to house her ashes. After a couple of months, I completed each chore she left me. I consider myself the luckiest man alive to have found my soulmate, Bub.
In remembrance of her life, I wrote a tribute of her life named ‘In Remembrance of Bub’. click onto ‘In Remembrance of Bub’. Read her story. A blessed human being. FREE to download. We celebrated Bub’s fifty-first birthday. Each visitor receive a copy of her story.
Every person deals with grief in their own way. Because I never lost anyone so close, I didn’t understand how to grieve. Bub’s friend Muriel telephoned me one morning while I sat on the front veranda drinking coffee. After asking how I was coping, my reply negative. Muriel lost her husband ten years before. She explained – I needed to grieve for Bub, feel sadness, sorrow, loss. I didn’t understand Muriel’s meaning.
After saying farewell, I went to my office read the meaning of Muriel’s words. I returned to the front veranda to finish my coffee. Seated in my chair my left hand pointed toward Bub’s grave. I felt a slight touch of someone or something touching my left index finger. This sensation felt as if someone was letting go. This is strange, I thought.
Bub’s voice echoed in my mind, ‘you bought me all the way up here to write. Get off your bum and write’. Alarmed by her voice I finished my coffee, walked to my office, sat before my computer wrote ‘Confessions of an alcoholic’ in ten days.

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To purchase ‘Confessions of an alcoholic’: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7688. Confessions of an alcoholic - Kindle edition by Ritter, Pat. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Confessions of an alcoholic is the story of my life as an alcoholic. Instead of using my name this became my first book to use a character. In my mind I invented a character named ‘Bundy Quicksilver’. Bundy, referring to Bundaberg Rum. Quicksilver, how quickly one goes down the slippery slide of life effected by alcohol.
Still continued to self-publish. Self-publishing, I needed to pay costs of printing. Five hundred copies of ‘Confessions of an alcoholic’ printed. Before moving to Brooloo I arranged a friend to develop a website. From this website I designed a mail coupon to sell my books. This idea worked. Customers read part of my books on the website, click onto mail coupon, complete coupon, send me their copy. On receiving the coupon, packaged the relevant book, sent the book to the buyer.
For reasons unknown two hundred books sold overnight recouping my costs. Remainder of books still gather dust in my cupboard. I needed to develop more strategies to sell my books. After subscribing to author magazines my desire intensified to make this process easier.
I launched ‘Confessions of an alcoholic’ at Imbil Library.
With my mind focused on marketing my books I searched ways to promote them to buyers. Read magazines from author groups. Attended writers workshops. Bundaberg Writer’s Group conducted a writer’s conference annually. I attended this conference for the next decade.
My personal issue with writing. I failed to have self-confidence or self-belief in myself.
Whilst attending my first Bundaberg Writer’s Conference I showed an Executive Officer my book ‘Confessions of an alcoholic’. Following morning at the conference he mentioned to the audience my story on self-publishing my book. He invited me to speak on my way of self-publishing. I addressed the audience to share my story. Executive Officer told the audience after my presentation, I was an expert at self-publishing.

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Writing is a lonely journey.
Imagination of a story develops in your mind, characters appear, conversations commence between them. One thinks they need to visit a mental institution. From my experience this is not the case. I love to write.
Tell my story to my readers. In the beginning I never understood which genre to write it. Never understanding English, I wrote words and expressions developed in my mind. Humble jumble. Everything about to change:
Rosemary Allan (MA) advertised a weekend workshop ‘Writing From The Heart’. This workshop gave me self-confidence to continue my writing journey. An exercise Rosemary conducted when we arrived at her workshop. An apple positioned in the centre of a table. She asked everyone to write a paragraph on ‘The Apple’. With gusto I wrote my idea. She asked me to read what I’d written. To my delight Rosemary enjoyed my writing.

Mark Coker established a website ‘Smashwords’ to help authors publish in e-book format. I immediately jumped onto this wagon publishing my books as e-books. Amazon soon followed suit. Self-published my books on Amazon. This process changed my writing career. No costs. Sold books across the globe. Royalty paid monthly.
Instead of selling my printed books for $20.00, e-books sold for $2.00.
A larger audience. For instance, ‘Confessions of an alcoholic’ sold hundreds of copies in Canada. I have no idea how or why? I needed to write more books. I didn’t know how?