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Re: Pat Ritter. Books

PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 4:03 pm
by dub
"G'day cobber!" :-D
Awesome - OMR - Stories
Object Of Desire.
A lovely story Pat, plus a beautifully and convenient enjoyable digression from a full on schedule.
A refreshing story to read at break-time :yes
'Food for thought?'
Word count: 492 :applause
:thanks

Re: Pat Ritter. Books

PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 10:12 pm
by patritter
Thank you dub for your kind comments. I appreciate your feedback. Here is the story for today: 'Awesome - OMR - Stories' - Page 32:

A Brush With Fame.

It was 12.30pm on 29th August 1989 at Parliament House Brisbane. Top State Queensland was proud to organise the event of the book launch ‘Closing The Gap’. The Honourable Brian Littleproud M.L.A., Minister for Education, Youth and Sport officiated.
If ever a dream came true for the authors, it was at this very moment. Who would have thought when one of the authors, a Detective Sergeant in charge of Juvenile Aid Bureau Petrie, a Brisbane northern suburb would became so frustrated with an issue of ‘teenagers running away from home’ that he and his fellow author wrote and published a book to help all parents improve communication with their teenager.
Three years before the launch, the journey began when the Detective Sergeant couldn’t find an answer to ‘teenagers running away from home’. His superiors couldn’t help. By accident, he enrolled in the local TAFE to participate in a management course. A lecturer, his co-author, taught him a subject named ‘Behaviour’. One weekend the class attended a two day workshop on the subject performing role plays in communication, stress, motivation, and conflict resolution.
After the first day of the workshop the Detective Sergeant returned to work. He received a telephone call from a concerned mother. Her daughter was stealing money from home and spent it at school. Instead of passing off this telephone call as a ‘family issue’ the Detective Sergeant listened to the caller. During the day he remembered the techniques taught to him by his lecturer in communication and applied these techniques to the caller. He suggested she sit down with her daughter and ask the reason why she took the money.
After attending the second day of the workshop he returned to work and received a telephone call from the concerned women he’d spoken to the previous day. She spoke with her daughter about their issues and came to a resolution.
The thrill of helping this caller rose through the Detective Sergeant’s mind like a tornado erupting endorphins like a volcano of hope. He couldn’t wait to tell his lecturer about finding a solution to his issue of ‘children running away from home’.
Over the next twelve months the Detective Sergeant mentored parents and their teenage child each time there was an issue with parent-teenager relationships. Success grew so fast the Lecturer suggested they write a book on the findings. This book became ‘Closing The Gap’ giving the authors a brush with fame.
Word count: 412.

TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK PLEASE CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120881.

Re: Pat Ritter. Books

PostPosted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 10:32 pm
by patritter
'Awesome - OMR - Stories' - Page 33:

I Wish I Had Known That When I Was Young.

Hindsight is a wonderful tool to have in one’s life toolbox. Imagine if we could look into a crystal ball to see our future. I, for one, would know the winning numbers of next week’s lotto or keno.
Memories from an early age; reminds me of what my parents and grandparents did. They wagered their well earned money on betting, may it be on a Saturday afternoon at the races, or playing poker with their friends. My mother loved to have a wager on a horse as did my grandmother who, on a Saturday afternoon bet fifty shillings each way on a horse in each race at a meeting.
One Saturday afternoon I accompanied my grandparents to the Brisbane Races. Before we left home I sat and studied the form guide to pick some winners. We always went to the Flat Section of the course because it only cost one shilling to enter. This day I backed a horse named ‘Pete’ at the price of 20-1. I won one pound and thought ‘how good is this’?
Out of habit I too played the evils of betting. At Sandgate Pier, a holiday spot I visited as a ten year old child; was a penny slot machine. By placing a penny into a slot, turning a small thumb handle, the penny dropped into the machine and if you were lucky you received either two pennies or lost the penny you invested. Naturally being a gambler I lost, however, I never gave up. The machine wasn’t going to beat me.
Inheriting the gambling bug at an early age I wagered my hard earned cash either at the races or any other gambling I could find. Was it the excitement of winning which caused me to chase that rainbow in the sky?
Looking back at the time, I think it would’ve been highly unlikely if I would’ve listened to any neither advice nor stop from trying to win the big prize. What caused me to continue in this way?
I could blame a thousand people throughout my life who I saw try the same as what I was doing. It was fun; exciting and plain bad luck when I didn’t win. On the other hand when I did win, which was fewer times than I can imagine; the risk was worth it.
Often when revisiting these times I shudder at the thought of how wealthy I would’ve been had I invested the money I wagered into a growth managed investment. If I knew than what I know now, would I have changed anything in my life? I doubt it. I’m still chasing the golden rainbow in the sky and one day I’ll reach the pot at the end of the rainbow to collect the prize I so richly deserve.
Word count: 478
TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK PLEASE CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120881.

Re: Pat Ritter. Books

PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:58 pm
by patritter
'Awesome - OMR - Stories' - Page 34:


A Most Dangerous Person.

The message was clear: drop in at 21 Barry Street on your way to work; a father has a baby in the house. There was no mention of firearms; however, for a reason only known to the detective, he slipped his Smith and Wesson revolver into the back portion of his trousers, held tight by his belt.
When he approached the address his Boss was standing on the footpath, ‘you got your gun.’ His Boss commanded. Immediately the detective felt the cold steel of his revolver pressed between his back and the leather belt he wore and nodded.
They walked side by side slowly to the front porch of the house. The front door opened. A man stood holding an infant child in his left arm and a M1 carbine rifle in the other, ‘piss off coppers – I want my wife.’ He screamed at the two officers. He looked upset.
Without blinking an eyelid the detective moved his right hand behind his back and clasped his fingers around the handle of his revolver, slowly moving his index finger to the trigger. The man with the gun raised the rifle and pointed the end of the barrel, an inch away, directly in front of the detective’s forehead.
‘I want my wife.’ He screamed at the two officers.
‘We’ll get her – just stay calm.’ Words quivered from the Boss’s lips.
The detective stood erect looking directly into the assailant eyes, his fingers curled around the butt of his revolver, his index finger on the trigger, ready to draw the pistol from behind his back at any second.
‘Then bloody well get her here now! I want to see her.’ The gunman screamed.
‘Alright, we’ll bring her back.’ Both police officers retreated. The last they saw of the gunman he returned inside of the house with the infant child still in his arms.
Within four hours, members of the elite Emergency Squad arrived to try and talk the gunman into surrender, to no avail. The gunman’s mother with a policewoman finally persuaded the gunman to surrender and release his child.
When the detective interviewed the gunman, his reason he pointed a M1 Carbine Rifle to the detective’s forehead was, ‘I wanted to scare you.’ He certainly carried out his desire. When the police searched the home of the gunman, they discovered 200 hundred rounds of M1 Carbine ammunition and two .22 calibre rifles and 100 rounds of ammunition.
Afterwards the detective realised how close he had came to death, when the gunman pointed the barrel of the M1 Carbine Rifle only an inch from his forehead. The barrel of the rifle appeared to him at the time to be the size of a cannon. The gunman was a most dangerous person.
TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK PLEASE CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120881.

Re: Pat Ritter. Books

PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 9:52 pm
by patritter
'Awesome - OMR - Stories' - Page 35:

The Caravan Park.

Alone she slept in a rented caravan. Life had dealt her one of those hands which she hoped wouldn’t land on her lap for sometime. She was lonely and exhausted. To stay overnight at a caravan park was somewhat beneath her status. She’d fought with her parents and wanted to escape. These domestic disputes had been going on for sometime and her only escape was to leave the family home to see if she could cope by herself. It was a test she wasn’t prepared for; only time would tell what the outcome would become.
When she awoke the next morning, stretched, she realised she needed to visit the bathroom. Usually her bathroom was an en suite in her bedroom at home. This en suite was a walk from her rented caravan to a community toilet block, a distance of forty metres. She’d slept in the clothing she’d worn when she booked into the caravan park the previous night. To make matters worse she didn’t carry any luggage, only her purse and mobile telephone.
She lifted herself from the soft uncomfortable mattress she slept on, placed her bare feet on the floor, thinking how cold her feet felt. She stood upright and knocked her head on the overhead cupboard. Tears trickled from her eyes. She sobbed but needed to visit the toilet urgently.
Feeling around the floor, she found her shoes, slipped them on, tried to gather herself together by combing her hair with her fingers. She felt dirty and uncouth. Opening the small door, she escaped into daylight.
‘Hi there neighbour.’ A male voice sung to her.
She looked from where the voice come from and saw an old man waving, ‘you okay?’ His voice warm and tender, in a way this person reminded her of her father.
She burst into tears, cupped her hands around her face, and sobbed. The old man didn’t known what to do, he walked toward her. ‘Can I help you?’ He softly asked and placed his arm around her trembling shoulders.
Between tears and sobbing she said, ‘I’ve run away from home.’
‘Where is home?’ He asked kindly.
‘Brisbane.’ She muttered.
‘You are a long way from home.’ The old man suggested. ‘Come with me and my wife will help you.’ They walked to the caravan next door to meet the stranger’s wife. After consoling with his wife, she telephoned her parents and later met them at the caravan park.
For the remainder of her life she never forget the kindness given to her by two elderly people she’d never met before who lived at a caravan park.
Word count: 441
TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK PLEASE CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120881.

Re: Pat Ritter. Books

PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:09 pm
by patritter
Thank you dub for your thanks. I appreciate it. Now for today's story: 'Awesome - OMR - Stories' - Page 36:

The Bookshop.

Unfortunately the local bookshop we are used to visiting and browsing to find the book of our choice is coming to a close. Instead, we now trawl the internet to find an e-book. For those people who do not know about the e-book, it is an electronic book, not dissimilar to a paperback capable of being read from a computer or an e-book reader.
How has the written word come to this with readers? For a start it is easier for the author to publish their book as an e-book. Once the e-book is published, it is sent off into cyberspace for customers to search the internet to choose an e-book to read, by means of a computer, e-book reader, mobile telephone and any other devise to store a book.
It is a simple process. For example: the website www.smashwords.com is a website an author can upload the manuscript, attach a front cover to form an e-book. This book is circulated via affiliated e-book distributors such as – Amazon; Apple; Diesel; Kobo and many others.
Another important fact which helps the e-book is the price. Prices range from free, to whatever price the author wishes to sell their book. On researching this area, two dollars and fifty cents is a medium price for an e-book consisting of three hundred and fifty pages. Any e-book reader can hold up to three hundred and fifty books at any one time.
In the traditional publishing world of books, the author searched for a publisher to publish their work. Not only was this a time consuming way to publish a book, but after the book was published and released much promotion was needed to be carried out by the author.
Another disadvantage for the author publishing with the traditional publisher was the amount of money the author received after their book went onto the open market. Normally the author received 10% royalty from sales which over the years has decreased to 6%.
In regard to an e-book, the author receives 80% of the sales whilst the distributor receives 20%. If the author sells their e-books for $2.65c, which is the average price, the author receives $2.12c per sale. On the other hand if the author was published by a traditional publisher, the book would need to sell for more than $22.00 for the author to receive a similar royalty.
Another advantage for the e-book is; it is distributed across the globe to each country in the world. Almost all countries have the internet and if a customer has the internet they have access to e-books.
There is a strong argument to suggest the next generation, our great grandchildren, would never have heard of a bookshop.
Word count: 455

TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK PLEASE CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120881.

Re: Pat Ritter. Books

PostPosted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 10:32 pm
by patritter
Thank you dub for your thanks. Here is the story for today: 'Awesome - OMR - Stories' - Page 37:

The Life Of A Carrot.

Terrance and Pat were two small seeds in amongst many seeds, encased in a packet with the words ‘carrot seeds’ printed in bright red lettering.
‘Why are we here Terrance?’ Pat asked his friend.
‘Hopefully some kind gardener will buy us and take us home so we can grow to become big carrots like our parents.’ He shared.
‘What are we – exactly?’ Pat asked in an inquisitive voice.
‘Don’t you know?’
‘Why would I ask if I knew what we were?’
‘We’re carrot seeds – that’s what we are.’
‘Ah, we’re carrot seeds – what is it exactly what we do?’
‘We’re planted in the ground to grow, people eat us.’ Terrance tried to explain, ‘look Pat that little old lady is picking up our packet.’ Terrance shouted.
‘Why do people eat us Terrance?’ Pat’s voice quivered and shook being thrown about inside of the packet.
‘Because we’re a vegetable – that’s why. We’re good for people’s health - makes them see well?’ Terrance related to his friend after they stopped from being tossed about.
‘There’s light, Terrance. What’s going to happen with us now? Have aliens taken us?’ Pat voiced with concern.
‘No look, this lovely lady is putting us into the dirt……away we go – down into the dirt.’ Terrance screamed.
‘Where are you Terrance – its dark down here?’ Pat was concerned about his friend.
‘I’m over here, not far away. We’ll grow together and even could end up on the same plate for supper.’ Terrance was excited about his future, he knew if his owner gave him a drink of water every couple of days and fertiliser, he would grow into a huge carrot.
‘I’m pleased we’re close together – I’d miss you if you were on the other side of the garden.’ Pat expressed to his friend. They’d known one another since they were small seeds in a pod.
Time went by, eventually Terrance and Pat grew into huge carrots, ‘what’d think now Pat, we’ve grown and almost ready for picking.’ Terrance shouted to his friend.
‘Yeah, we’ve grown tall haven’t we? When we are picked, would you do me one small favour Terrance?’ Pat asked
‘Anything, whatever you want.’ Terrance agreed.
‘Make certain I’m the first carrot eaten. I don’t want to be left behind.’
Word count: 383.
TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK PLEASE CLICK ONTO THIS LINK: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120881.