Apologies for not posting much over the last 6 months.
The reason being, a stay in intensive care, unconsciousness, in an induced comma, waking up confused, dazed and scared, festooned with tubes everywhere and no recollection as to why.
Its been a sereal journey. The time since has been hard.
One day I am Ram, the next moment, a shell of who I was... Gloomy yes but that's what it felt like.
From being free and able bodied to being dependent on many people, predominantly my wife Julie.
One day, I had influenza, next I'm waking up two weeks later in intensive care????
I'm slowly getting back to myself but there is still a way to go...
Life's been very busy with recovery and physio, memory issues and lots of tests, investigations and reviews by all sorts of specialists. Then there has been all the exercise, 'strengthening my core' due to the vertebral fractures I have...
No idea when or how I got these but, they are there.
I don't think there's any orifice that's not been scoped or organ that has been radiologically checked out by xray or scan.... The barrage of blood tests I've had is also remarkable that I've not needed a unit or two of blood to replace the 'arm fulls' of claret extracted from my thrombosed veins!!
I've become a patient and it is truly eye opening to be in this position.
I'm in the process of chronicling it and maybe making an attempt at writing a true story about this all. The Encephalitis Society have been very helpful to Julie, my family and myself giving us support and direction. I am indebted to them all, especially Julie who has given me the love and support I have not always returned as well as the strength to carry on. Thank you xxx.
My boys and their wives as well as my sister in law Val and brother in law Tony, as well as my mother and father in law Claire and Henry, who have been there for me. Becks and Mo for their help as well as Ambe, for his help and guidance during the acute phase... My mum, dad, brother and sister who came over when I was ill and all my friends Alan and Helen, Douglas and Irene, Jim, Linda, Jill, Catriona..... The list goes on, Cheers!!
To all my fellow Dr's and nurses who got me over this rather unplanned and dark hump, I thank you all.
I know this may read like an acceptance speech at an award ceremony but in a way it is. It is in deed an award of thanks from me to you all.
As a family, all the help, encouragement and direction we have received from everyone has been humbling and fantastic. The hard work from community services, Louise and Magda as well as the GP services, Nuffield House and Debbs has been amazing to Julie and I. The NHS is a great institution and I have given so much for so many years to it but it has paid me back when I needed it. Thank you 😌 (I'm not very good at choosing the appropriate EMOGI).
Anyway, having this perspective of healthcare professional to patient may be worthwhile to undertake, especially for me!
I'm in a space I hope no one gets to experience... I appreciate the alternative is RIP but this is not a bed of roses either.
Despair, pain and anger need to be managed and I am not always good at it.
Society imposes on us to be strong as men and as professionals... This is not always easy but hayho, life goes on.
It's not been all bad: I got to see the world cup 2018 on TV even though the team I was backing came third... Though most important of all, I got to meet our fourth grandchild, the beautiful little lady Eliza, who joins Heath, Cass and Daisy as the new leaves in our ever expanding family tree.
I have been writing a little, reading even less but painting and drawing a lot... One of my friends helped me conjure up the word 'Encephalartist'... I don't think it's been used before and I'm going to take the bizzare honour of claiming it... 😁
In the meantime, I leave you with some of my art... And a promise to get some more posts in sooner than they have appeared lately.
In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the summer, reading and creating life.... I hope you consider reading one of the books available on Amazon
If you do, please leave a review and make sure you tell others that these books exist and are in the public domain to be read and enjoyed by everyone.
Peace and love 😘
The ideas surge through your mind, bouncing within your head, snapping from one synapse to another... The inception of a story begins.
If it's a good idea, it stays there and you plan ahead.
As with all my novels, I have followed that eureka moment with hours of creativity and enjoyment.
The commitment of completing a book is a work of love, effort and belief.
I have no regrets and although I aspire to get these read by as many people as possible, I am also aware that they may lack in some technical perfection... However, does the 'odd editing eeror' make them poor? Maybe to some, however it should not detract from the essence and body of the tale.
The story should be told, no matter what the finish is like. By awaiting the perfect diamond, you may miss out on other precious things.
So why not give a truly independent range of books a try and judge the content and flow.
Perceptions are what I mistook
When I wrote my first ever book
Reality hit, the work it took
To market my first ever book
It was a novel all would read
A story everyone would need
But now years, on I've taken heed
Marketing books is a difficult deed
Some books on I'm sure of one thing
Money and fame ain't everything
It's the joy my books can bring
So onto another writing fling
It's not easy being an author
Though I believed it ought-to
The words should flow like water
It doesn't pay for bricks and mortar
The day job needs to stay
Selling books currently doesn't pay
But wish the books well I pray
They'll get popular, maybe one day
I aspire for them getting read
Someone choosing my books instead
Read them wherever, on the train or in bed
Share them, enjoy and be happy you read.... RPG Books
As a fledgling author and independent of any help... It's hard work to build a brand.
RPG Books is my brand.
It's slowly becoming a brand, my work, my stories, my books, shared with the world.
They are personalised with the thoughts and streams of ideas at the time of putting pen to paper, or computer content!
There are more to add and enjoy but in the mean time, the work continues... Marketing, blogging, sharing on social media and on and on it goes...
The results? Well I'll never be a millionaire through my writing but my intention was never that.
Share the thoughts and giving the world a piece of me is all I want.
If you have a chance, have a look at my author page on Amazon and maybe even download or order a copy of one of RPG books...
Creating a novel is an awsome understanding.
Especially when the author has had no training in the craft.
However, the drivers of said undertaking make the writing worthwhile and less laborious.
My day job, like many other people's, is stressful, serious and difficult. I need to vent my feelings and frustrations creatively.
In my case, writing was a way of relaxing, sharing experiences and ideas, enjoying the ride . To me, spinning a tall tale that was fun to write, sharing a story and flexing my artistic muscle were the drivers.
Promotion of them is something I chose to do with respect of getting them read.
Selling them is secondary, the profit margins are low and the time it takes would be counter productive to my primary aims of enjoying life.
So why the blog?
Connection to the world.
It's a way of saying 'I'm real, I'm here and I believe I have something to say'
Life is too big and hard to worry about success as an author when really, I'm just doing it for fun.
With this in mind, if you want to read something honest, different and entertaining and mine, then please have a look.
If not, may you choose someone else's work, either way, enjoy, share, learn and spend some time with your thoughts.
It's fascinating how we progress, grow and learn.
I have three sons and now two grandsons who are now starting to form words to converse with the world. To make their selves heard and understood.
I love communication and words but even more so when we have 'dinador', dog, apple and others as well as animal noises to aid explanations.
It's a wonder that never ceases to inspire and I'm greatful for the chance to have seen it with my own sons and now with the next generation of the family.
Soon they will be able to read and write their own stories and share their tales in their own blogs... I look forward to the day.
The follow up to Mental Dental (Murder by Proxy) is being written.
A mystery thriller that packs a lot of bite. This one too is fast becoming a great read. It will keep you guessing as the twists and turns keep happening in front of your very eyes.
I'm hoping it will be available in time for Christmas... Believe it or not, it will soon be here!
I know this may sound like a ploy to sell the 1st book but you really need to read the ingeniously different book in order to make sense of the follow up story.
I do need some suggestions for book 2, so any suggestions would be welcome.
As an incentive, I will send the person making the winning suggestion a free signed copy.
Funny how life is.
Someone at work was saying how much they enjoyed Mental Dental (MBP) and a colleague asked... HAVE YOU WRITTEN A BOOK?
When I said No, several... She had not realised.
Poor marketing strategy
I'm a nurse and fledgling Author.
Having published a range of books, all in English and one also in Spanish. I am pleased to offer a range of novels to entice many a palate.
They are works of fiction as my none fiction writing is reserved for work... I have never published a technical book but have published research and articles in my specialist field.
My first ever published article was in the 1990 's and it was a piece on environmental psychology.
It was based on the patient's experience influenced by environmental factors affecting patient stress in an accident and emergency department.
It inspired me on...
I write because I relish and love to tell a good story. The best medium to tell them to a wider audience is through a book.
These books range from Legally Lucky that has been likened to in pursuit of happiness, ghostly short stories with the Phantasms series, a comedic recollection of a disastrous vacation with Hilarity in the Hills. Mental Dental (Murder by Proxy) and Phobic Wars are based on 2 of my dislikes... Cockroaches and dentists.
Having written these, I am so proud of them. Yes they aren't perfect and there may be some editing irregularities but they are readable and more importantly, they capture the imagination and make the reader turn the page.
I don't actively promote them, despite some publishers constant attempts at enticing me with Paid For promotional packages.
I want people to read them, share their thoughts about the stories, tell others about them and create some noise.
Getting the stories to wet the appetite for more.
So if you want something different, something entertaining, something that will take you to a place outside of yourself for a while... Then click on the link below. Especially as some are on special offer on Amazon Kindle UK and Amazon.com.
I find writing with music on the background a very useful way to generate ideas and block out the world.
I use an eclectic mix of tracks and sounds and vary them depending on my project and mood.
What music do you write best to?
Is a classical background music or operatic backdrop your preferred medium or a heavy rock track to get the words flowing onto paper?
With that statement, paper or PC??
Do you prefer silence?
Indoors or in the great outdoors?
It would be interesting to see what makes us tick.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Following the publication of my latest novel, it takes my tally to eight!
Who'd have thought that a few years ago?
I published Legally Lucky, anxious about making the decision and with lots of stories to tell, I made the leap of faith.
True, they will probably never make the classics list but they are entertaining and fun.
All available on kindle and paperback.
One in Spanish.
A trilogy.
All with potential best selling qualities...
Now there are eight ....
Legally Lucky
Phobic Wars
Mental Dental (Murder by Proxy)
Phantasms in the Infirmary
Phantasms in the Infirmary Vol II
The Ultimate Phantasms in the Infirmary
Fantasmas en el Hospital
Hilarity in the Hills
So why write?
Simply because I enjoy the construction, development and publishing of the stories to share with others.
Knowing that others find them enjoyable is good enough for me. It's not about the money, not a lot to be made up to now!
My aspiration is that one day I'd like to do this full time.
For those of you thinking of publishing, my advice : go for it.
He who dares wins
Why do we write?
It's certainly not for the money...
The artistry of blending words into sentences and giving life to our thoughts is more my thing.
Story telling in a written format is way of sharing a moment of thought and putting it on paper, or pc nowadays!
It makes it solid and perpetual.
Writing a story that then turns into a novel is cool.
It is an escape of the mind into a relative reality.
Relaxation and disengagement from the pressure of life.
I am not a professional writer and my books may not be prize winners but I like them and I like what they say.
Reviews are generally kind, thanks.
If and when there are less favourable ones, well I feel it but you cannot please everyone all the time... Fact.
So am I an author? Am I a writer, well yes as I like to look at the written word looking back at me.
I prefer story teller.
My aim is to be read and share my thoughts, dreams and hopes of leaving some joy and positivity behind.
It's not the money or immortality I crave, just sharing my stories. That is my target and aim.
My next book is already in the wire-frame stage.
It's my first attempt at writing comedy in a novel.
It's based on a family holiday we had in France.
Most is based on truth....
It's going to be a mix between national lampoons holiday and a trip advisor nightmare.
I am still at odds at a good definitive title but St the moment it's working title is Frolicking French Fun or Hilarity on the Hills...
Advice on this greatly appreciated.
I'm enjoying penning the memories and relieving the reflections.
Glad we can laugh about this now.
Not long now folks although next one up is the Spanish version of Phantasms in the Infirmary out later this month... In time for navidades... Christmas
