I Wanted to Check out of this Hotel Called Earth

I will be changing the format on my author site. I need to get back to sharing with you about my book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.

In about two weeks the book will be officially in the marketplace.

It has been a hard, long road I have traveled to get to this point. I started writing, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, almost ten years ago. It will be ten years next March.

Why did I start writing the book? I am glad you asked.

I was at the end of my rope. I didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I felt the ship sinking and I didn’t have a life jacket.

I was having weekly pity parties, and no one was showing up to help me celebrate.  I was fighting self-doubt, anxiety, fear, failure, depression, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

I was ready to check out of the hotel called earth.

I was in a school parking lot on March 31st 2001 sitting in my Ford Explorer considering suicide. I didn’t want to face the trails of life any more.

I had retired from teacher, and was going from one job after another searching for something that I could feel good about after retirement. Nothing was working for me. I failed at each job I partook in. I even started my own business of find funds for businesses when they needed some while waiting for their invoices from costumers to come in. That failed because I couldn’t see taking money from them when they desperately needed cash at that time.

Every job I tried I needed to try to convince people of getting something they may not need. I worked at a department store in the housewares department. I sold pots and pans, coffeemakers, knifes, etc. I was pretty good at it. I even earned a seven day free trip to a health spa for me and my wife because of my efforts.

One Christmas Eve, I was working the late shift. I noticed that there weren’t any women shopping in my area. It was all guys desperately looking for something for their wives at the last minute. I had a field day. I came up to a guy and asked him if I could help him, and he said, Yes! please find something for my wife for christmas. I can’t think of anything! I saw dollar signs in my head, and directed him to the sets of pans. I convinced him his wife would love a $500.00 set of new pans.

There were several men just like him wandering around, lost in my section. I sold something to eveyone of them. I set a record for sales that night. They bought from me because I was  a man and they trusted me.

I went home that night and wondered, What have I done? I sold a bunch of men something their wives probably didn’t need just so I could make another sale. I was very upset with myself, and quite the job a couple of weeks later.

( Men…never buy your wife something for the kitchen at Christmas. Go down to the jewelry department. You will be rewarded much more if you do that.)

So I went on like this, going from one job after another in sales. The last sales job I had was in leasing, and the same nightmare was forming while doing that. I was trying to have someone lease something when it may be better to buy it outright.

I hit rock bottom on March 31st. I drove to that parking lot I told you about. I was sobbing so much I could hardly see out the window of the rig. I stopped and parked, and was on verge of doing something very drastic.

I finally cried out to God, “I can’t take this anymore!” There was a sudden calmness inside my rig, and in me. The air even seemed different. It was as if God was saying, “It is about time you came back to me. Now let me carry you the rest of the way.”

The rest is history. I started writing Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, a couple of weeks later.

It took me almost ten years to get my thoughts down, and organized. There were doubts along they way. Satan did every he could to stop me, but I prevailed, and now you have to chance to read my story and learn for yourself how to survive in a not so friendly world.

I hope you will read it and let me know what you think of it. I have been blessed with some very impressive endorsements written in the book. I have had many authors and important people in the publishing world recommend the book.

You can preorder Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, and save 27% by going to www.winepresspublishing.com. Go to the top and click on “bookstore.” Write in the search area, “Signs of Hope.” That will take you right to my book page. The book will only cost $14.59 there for a short time, and then it will be $19.99 once it is public. Take advantage of that now.

God bless you nad NEVER give up. Fight back the attacks of Satan and turn to God to supply you with all the armor you need to survive.

 

Discussion of Drugs, Suicide, etc at www.signsofhope.com

                             There is Hope at www.dailysignsofhope.com

 

Talk about a dreary, depressing, title! However the words used are ones that are getting to common in our world today. I didn’t even mention battles we face like: self doubt, depression, fear, low self esteem, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

www.dailysignsofhope.com just started up three days ago and it reaches out to those who suffer with all of the afflictions I just mentioned.

There will post there by: David Brown,  Michael Clark, and yours truly, Doug Bolton. We will take turns posting our thoughts on how to cope in this not so friendly world. Go there and check it out.

That is what my book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, is all about. It is a book that talks about my own battles with all of these demons and how I conquered. I also share how you can conquer them too.

Go to the right side bar and sign-up for my online newsletter, and you will receive excerpts from, Signs of Hope:Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. 

The newsletter has a total of four pages:

  • A front page that talks about my book, and thoughts of the day.
  •  Another page that is a sports page that talks about Oregon State University sport, and any other sports I think might be interesting.
  • A resource page where I share ways to cope in a troubled world.
  • The last page is a travel page for now, but in the near future it will be transformed into a writer’s page. It will have thoughts on,  How to Become Famous before you are Famous.

It will cover all the things you should be doing before you even approach and agent of a publisher. It will talk about the social networking. What to look for at conferences. Groups to join to have a good platform, etc.

I am very excited about this new page. It will be coming out in about a month  so tell all your writer friends to get signed up for the newsletter so they will be ready when it starts coming.

* Please remember that you can always go directly to the page you want and skip all the rest. Many people wan’t subscribe because they do not like one of the pages. Skip that page if you don’t like it.

You can also opt out any time you want. There is a spot at the bottom of each newsletter to do that.

I am still doing my free book give aways. Just have been too busy to keep them going on a regular bases.

Just had the 500th person subscribe!! That person will win a book if they respond to my email that I sent them.

Befefits of subscribing:

  1. Free newsletter
  2. Free eBook
  3. Free books in a drawing

Did I say they were all free?

Please tell everyone about this site. Word of mouth is the best way to have growth.

 

OUT!!

 

Why Did I Write a Book? To Save My Life!!

(If you are looking for the Beaver Path Finder, you will need to go over to the side bar on the right and click on the “Subcribe to my newsletter,” icon, and then put in your email address. The first Path Finder will come out by Friday.)

This heading may seem a little sensational. It may look like I made the title up to get you hooked to read further. I did not. I wrote a book, and it did save my life. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to find out why the book saved my life, and read what it is about.

It is not for the faint of heart. It is uplifting, but it talks about self doubt, fear, hopelessness, depression, and anxiety.

I know, how could a book be uplifting when the topics are self doubt, fear, hopelessness, depression, and anxiety?

To give a one sentence synopsis of the book:

I was on the verge of suicide, and God showed me a way to overcome it.

I do hope you will subscribe to the newsletter. It only takes a second. There will be other pages/links in the newsletter.

There will be a sports page/link where I share news from Oregon State University sports. There will be other sports discussed too. The very first newsletter will be coming out this week. The wait is over. I am putting the fnal touches on it, and it should be out before Friday of this week.

There will be a page/link where I talk about all of my travels. I have been all over Asia, and traveled many of the United States following the Beaver’s football team. There are some very outstanding views in this country. There are some very funny stories. There will be thoughts on what I saw and how I felt when I stood on the actual last big battle ground of the Civil War.

Other discussions will be of countries like: Singapore, Thailand, Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan.

I was able to pet one of the most famous winning Kentucky Derby horses of racing history; meet some wonderful people in Louisville, Kentucky; thought I was going to die riding a bus along highway 101; walked through Hearst Castle; watched a football game with a huge crowd of 109,529 people; had people yell at me that I was tiger bait; walked down Bourbon Street in New Orleans with beads being thrown down to me; had a hot springs for a swimming pool; almost got thrown off a dock for not wanted to pay the dock fee, and was amazed at all the history in Boston, Mass.

This is just the top of the iceberg of what the traveling page/link will have. I have many good memories, and some bad memories to share with you. Subscribe, and the adventure will begin.

There will be a resource page/link that I will use to post actual articles from newspapers from all over the world, pertaining to your mental health.

This is finally a reality of a long time dream of mine. I have wanted to write a book about my afflictions, share my travel adventures, AND be able to talk about OSU all at the same time. This website, and my newsletter are doing just that.

This area will slowly be transfered over to discussion of the book, Close Encounters of the Heavenly Kind Through Bumper Stickers.

Yes, there will many times when I discuss other things. I have some articles I have written. Some have been published in magazines. The title of my latest artice in, The Christain Journal Magazine, was called, Stop the World and Let me off, I am Tired of Going Round and Round. It told the story of the lowest time in my life. I will be posting that article here soon.

I suggest you also sign up for the RSS feed. When you do you will get notices of when I have posted on this site. Then you can come here and read what I have written. The RSS feed is at the beginning of any post including this one. You just click on it and follow the directions. Your notices will come at the head of your Explorer or Explorer Express Favorites on your email page. It will just to the right of the word “Favorites.” It may come from other places if you do not have Explorer.

Some of the other articles that I will be posting are very timely with the Holidays coming up:

  1. The top 5 ways to Face the Dark Side.
  2. The Top 10 Ways to Turn That Frown Upside Down.
  3. The Top 5 Ways to Always get up After you Fall.
  4. The Top 5 Ways That Success Does Not Guarantee Happiness.
  5. The Top 5 Ways to Support Someone in Need.
  6. The Top 5 Ways to Eliminate Negative Thoughts.
  7. The Top 5 Ways to Stop Tearing Yourself and Others Down.
  8. The Top 5 Ways to Relieve Stress.
  9. Showing Sympathy Can Uplift Even the Most Downtrodden,
  10. How to Move From Your Home of Depression.

I have many other articles to share.

Be sure to subscribe!  Do it now, along with the over 200 hundred people who have done so far in the first month of existence. The first newsletter will come out this week, and if you haven’t subscribed you will miss out on the very first exclusive newsletter.

Beaver fans!!! Do not walk away because you are uncomfortable with what the topics could be on the website or newsletter. When you subscribe you have the choice of immediately going to what ever page you want. There are links there. You also have the choice to opt out anytime you want.

First of all, the website or newsletter will not bite you! It is good stuff to help you and others that you feel will benefit from it. If you know of someone who needs reassuring, tell them to come to this site. I have had people email me at my blog at, www.depressionsuppressed.com and tell me that what I shared was just what they needed.

Got to run…. I have a busy day ahead of me putting the finishing touches on the first newsletter. Sign up now!!

OUT!