Q&A

Some friends mentioned a magazine that asks questions of authors and now they want to direct the same queries at me. I'm a pretty private guy, but they're insisting. So OK... here goes. I'll keep this net:
 
What advice do you wish you'd given your 25-year-old self?
Don't worry about what other people think. Your parents did too much of this, and you know that. Do your own thing... and get on                                                                                                        with it.

What advice would you give your 80-year-old self?
That's assuming I get there. Ummm... keep accepting "the new normal" as the way things are and the way it has to be.
 
What do you know for sure?
That loving and being loved are the most important parts of my life. (They're also the parts that are missing, but that's a whole other story.)
 
What have you learned?
Sounds like a broken record here (hmmm... does anyone use that expression anymore?) I've learned to accept my new normal as the way life now rolls. Not thrilled about it, mind you, but I've learned to stop fighting it. You can't be happy if you're fighting.
 
What will you never learn?
How people can abuse others by taking advantage of them. So sad.
 
Best piece of advice about writing?
Don't let artificial things like writer's block get in the way. Just write: you can always clean it up later.
 
Did it work?
Yes.
 
What inspires you?
People inspire me. Really talented, capable, strong, unique, caring, non-self-serving people. Always.
 
The moment that changed everything?
When my son Jamie died suddenly on Christmas Eve, 2016. Life will never be the same.
 
Anything left you'd like to do?
Always wanted to see Italy. Never got there. I regret that. Oh well, can't have it all.
 
Anything you once had you'd like to re-capture?
Yup: confidence. The disasters in my recent life have robbed me of that. Having confidence is a game changer. But I guess it's easy come, easy go.
 
Happiness is...
My puppies Molly and Macy. They love me. And I love them. We have a great time. (OK, they're not puppies any longer: Molly's 10 and Macy's 9. But they'll always be puppies to me! Is there something pathetic about a grown man whose dogs are his best friends?)
 
OK, can we stop this now?

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