Larry's Personal Background,
Such as It is! 
So you want to get personal? We don't mind. Us cats get personal with the human bean all the time constantly wanting outside, back inside, to be fed, wanting water, and to be loved. Yet that isn't what all this is about, is it? So here are the nitty gritty details subject to change every once in a while. Ebony and Abraxas (Abby) would like it a lot if you would sign our guestbook by clicking the butterfly graphic up above. I, the Maniac, was born in Springfield, Ohio, USA back in old 1950. I led a wonderful life as a child. Now there were a few bumps along the way, but isn't that life? I graduated high school in 1970 and then joined the US Navy. I have been all over the world and in every hot spot until 1995. Then I retired a commissioned officer at the last. I enjoyed the career, but retirement allows me to write full time and pursue all my varied interests and hobbies. One of my greatest interests is Maniac's Photo Gallery. In 1996 I followed the seasons. During the winter I come to Tampa Bay, Florida, USA and enjoy the sunshine and the beaches. The NHL hockey is great too. Then in the spring and the fall I visited my main office in Virginia, USA. My parents take care of that place and live there full time. During the glorious summers I lived on the hill at Five Acres, which is my brother's place. How do I accomplish all this traveling economically? I have a Ford F350 one-ton dually diesel truck that pulls a 36-foot fifth wheel. Recently, my youngest son at 18 has joined me. He enjoys Florida a lot considering that he came from Nebraska, USA. It was and still is cold there. My youngest son has since returned to Nebraska. He couldn't get used to city living. I am now (1997) staying in Florida year around. I am in the city of Marathon right in the middle of the Florida Keys! So things do change, but that is good. At least I think so... I have beefed up my company branching out to other areas besides writing novels and poetry. I do computer consulting for small businesses and personal computer users as well. About anything you can do with a computer, I will assist other users in those areas. My only weakness is LANs (local area networks). You see, I was the big-time boss person that ran the department that did all that stuff in the Navy. I have enough experience and information on LANs to be dangerous. Yet I know when to break out the books and call someone too. Most recently, I have added an online publishing house called NetPublishers. I devote most of my time writing SF/Fantasy books and free-form poetry. I write futuristic novels about the earth and the development of a star navy. My poetry is free-form and inspired on the spur of the moment and by the emotions felt. The first rule of writing is to write about what you know about and what you feel is important to you. The second rule is write at least a line a day. There is a lot more on writing in the How To section. And now I have my own online bookstore called AlphaOmega BookStore & Publisher. Some more about me, if you like. I grew up my early childhood in housing project made for veterans from World War Two. There were lots of children to play with and plenty of room even in the city to play in. Weldon Park Elementary School saw my first grade. I wasn't prepared for school. I failed the first grade. I believe it helped me to adjust. Later on in my school life they found out I couldn't comprehend what I had read. Once that was fixed I became an honor student. I can't say that I ever consistently liked school until I went to college. Life in Weldon Park was fun. We moved out to the country later. During my middle childhood I enjoyed and learned the country life. Okay! I can take the hint. Everyone wants to know how I got the CB handle "Maniac" and why I use it as my Internet name (when I think of it)? I have a 36' Holiday Rambler Fifth Estate fifth wheel travel trailer that I and the cats live in year around. I got tired of people following me too closely. It takes 10 tons of truck and fifth wheel a very long time to stop. So I commissioned a local Florida artist to paint the cartoon character Yosemite Sam on the back of my fifth wheel. The cartoon character is saying "Stay back, varmint! Maniac driving!" Now as to the second question, I used Maniac as my Internet name, because I couldn't think of anything else clever enough. So I used my CB handle of "Maniac". Isn't that a boring story or what? Recently, Kitty GreyCat suddenly became ill. She had feline leukemia even though she had been checked and vaccinated for this every year of her 15 years. Although hope remained for a week that she would get better, she had a massive stroke July 9, 1997. That afternoon she died. It was devastating to say the least. If losing a beloved cat hurts this much, what must it be like to lose a parent or a child? I have a motto I try to live by. It goes, "Live a lifetime each day." I think that is rather good and covers a lot of territory. Yet now I believe I need to add something to that. "Live each day as if it were your last." You or one of your loved ones may be gone tomorrow. Never hesitate to say, "I love you." At the beginning of 2000 I had cause to remember what I wrote in this paragraph. My father died in late December. This was worse by far than losing Kitty GreyCat. I was comforted that I got to spend nine months with my parents before this happened. And, now [2003], my mother died suddenly of heart failure. I was just going to call her and missed an opportunity to say that I loved her. I was talking about Springfield, Ohio, the city of my birth. That was few paragraphs ago. We moved out of Springfield to Irwin, Ohio. Then to Mutual, Ohio. Next the place on Old Columbus Road. Next back to Springfield and, finally, to London, Ohio. My parents and my brother continued to move around, but I was in the Navy when they did that. I may have all that confused, but that is the best I can remember. Irwin, Ohio, we lived in an upstairs apartment on my maternal grandfather's property. He, his wife, and two children lived in the big house close by. My great grandmother lived in the apartment below us. She was a character. My two uncles were my companions. One was 14 and the other must have been 7. I was about 8, I think. We explored all the countryside around there. The railroad tracks going to Marysville, Ohio, were especially interesting. Learned a lot during this time. We lived in Mutual for about a year. Couldn't afford to feed the pets we had and had to get rid of them. That was a gut-wrenching experience. Attended the Freewill Baptist Church in Urbana. Helped build the new church there. Well, I pounded in a few nails. I was only a little fella at the time. Remember it being extremely cold in Mutual. The big, ranch-style place on Old Columbus Road was like my childhood golden age. Farm land for as far as you could see. Went haying one year and enjoyed myself tremendously. My best friend was Keith from the farm up the road. Very pleasant memories here. Then the big two-story house in Springfield was the only place I had my own bedroom. My first love was here at 12. Her name was Rita, and she was a sultry 13. Went to London just before I turned 13. My teenage years were rough, but there was a lot of good too. Growing up isn't easy, but it all works out eventually. From here I graduated high school, joined the Navy, and got married. If you want to see more, go to My Navy Page. |
