Back in 2012, I finished and self-published my first novel: “Montesquie, New World Island.” It traces the move of the family to a new Volcanic Island in the Pacific Ocean to escape the intrusions of the federal government. That same year, I published the sequel.
My next adventure in fiction writing was “Considering the Ant. Memoirs of Samuel Guardyall,” published in 2017. It’s about a man, who after his wife died in a car wreck, he gets the news that his grandfather left him a log cabin. He works at adjusting to the hardships of life without any modern conveniences.
These three novels were quickly self-published without any edits of my grammatical errors. I was too excited to spend months or a year correcting those English misdeeds. I wanted to hold these books in my hand and be able to give them away to friends and relatives, so the errors were also throughout.
My next adventure in the publishing industry in 2017 was a
book named “Rummagings.” It’s a compilation of my online blog posts from
2005-2007.
Then in 2018, I put together a short history of, “School Bus Then and Now.” That was a give away to my friends and associates of the Broken Arrow School bus transportation system. I was retiring after ten plus years of transporting kids to and from schools. I did that to keep busy after my full-retirement from a twelve year career position with the City of Tulsa as a golf course greens keeper.
Now, “Just a Matter of Time, Until the End of Time,” is on the market. Over four-months sometime in the future, this Christian family of four deals with persecution and the continual oversight of the government. I finished the original draft over a year ago, but this time I wanted to do it right. It was edited, corrected, and professionally edited again, sentence by sentence.
That, my folks, is the history of my putting thoughts and
ideas in black and white.
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Author: Arnold R. Kropp
About Mr. Arnold.
Back in the days when I was a kid growing up in south Chicago, freely roaming around the neighborhood was common, and just a part of life in the late '40s and early '50s. A train track was less than a mile away and a favorite place to walk along the rails. A large city park was a bit closer with areas of dense trees and areas of open grassy picnic grounds. A public golf course was just two blocks away, but the famed 4-lane busy Western avenue had to be crossed to get to it, and we crossed in the middle of the block running between the cars and trucks. We knew the risks. In the winters, we would climb that fence making our way to one of the ponds, we’d push and shovel away the snow and play a spontaneous game of hockey, or bring a sled and slide down the hillside ; no adults, no special padding, just a group of kids enjoying the contest.
Dad was at work. Mom was home tending to the laundry and preparing the family meal for promptly at 6 pm. Life was good. It was fun. Sunday mornings were dress up in suit and tie, polished shoes for Sunday school and the worship service, then to a restaurant.
Arnold went on to college immediately after high school, but could not find a subject, a major that was really up his alley, so he enlisted in the Army and served in Germany during the years the Berlin wall was built. Seeing what effects Soviet communism had on the people of East Germany left an impression on him. During those years, he would write many long letters home starting a desire to write more than just letters. Many years later Arnold developed a blog where he posted hundreds of articles on the political side of American life. Some of those are available in the collection named "Ramblings".
Today, Society is totally different from that of the '50s, a whole lot different.
Today, it has become scary to let the kids roam. Today it has become organized to the hilt with 2nd graders playing organized football. In my present relatively quiet neighborhood, I do see kids walking the streets, but there is a difference as the kids seem to be apprehensive and on guard or intently operating a telephone as they walk, not running after each other playing hide and seek.
Today, the above freedoms of the '50s are suspect and avoided as being dangerous activities. And that is sad. It's sad that today's kids do not have that freedom, and it may be having a direct effect on their development. Consider, one fact that is readily apparent today compared to yesterday; the preponderance of overweight and obese kids, even pre-school kids are heavier than we were, and this has to be affecting the rest of their daily lives. No doubt about it. But, I'd better hush, can't talk about those things.
Yes, in the '50s there were Semi-trucks, public transportation, murders, rape, robberies, house fires, sickness and diseases resulting in death, and yes, there were deadly vehicle accidents too. There was even poverty and homosexuals too. We went to public schools, and the high school was integrated. This was Chicago, but those events did not make the headlines, as news was only broadcast at 6pm and possibly 10pm nightcap. Days of the cold war kept us together as a nation. We saw the "Victory at Sea" war clips before the main feature at the theaters.
And now technology dominates life. A cell phone in every handy pocket posting selfies. A computer saving everything to one of those cumulous clouds. Room size TV’s broadcasting everything 24/7.
This is more information than I want.
Let me decide something.
I think. therefore, I am.
I was born a male, therefore I am.
I was born-again, therefore I am.
I have life within, therefore I am.
The news is not my guide.
The TV is not my Sheppard.
View all posts by Arnold R. Kropp
One Day at a Time 