Roger Blake

One Helluva Life Roger Blake

Publisher Marketing: An apt description of my life would be a tattered masterpiece of jobs and careers that should have worked, but never did. It has been the pursuit of creativity wherever I could find it, interspersed with necessary occupations that included everything from naval aviator, government executive and gallery owner to salesman, bartender and truck driver - to name only a few. None of my many jobs, however, came close to providing the passion and fulfillment I received from art and writing. One Helluva Life begins with my enlistment in the Navy in 1965 and a tour flying F4B Phantom II fighter/bombers during the Vietnam War. An accident occurred that ended my combat duty and set the course of my future, although I didn't know it until much later. The book is significant as a story of how Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, worked its way insidiously into the fabric of my life. It is an intensely personal and honest account of good times and disappointments, victories and failures, perseverance and survival. Other persistent themes throughout the story are: the joy of the creative spirit; the important influence of friendship and personal relationships; and the power of caring and generosity by others when it's needed most. My hope is that the reader will relate to this account as a compelling and sometimes inspirational story. Where we end up in life is a snapshot into our personality, but our journey to get there shows the world who we really are. Contributor Bio:  Blake, Roger Lensfogger's BEST - A Super-Hero's Collection of Humor, Satire, & Short Stories BIOGRAPHY Roger Blake a.k.a. Dodger Lensfogger The earliest of these stories, How the World I Saved, was started over 35 years ago in 1988. I remember typing away on my word processor in the converted loft of an old railroad depot. Dust would shake off the rafters covering me and my work every time a train rumbled through. Some stories were conceived in the sleeping compartments of semi-trucks as I crisscrossed the country during the late 1990s through 2005. My life has been a pursuit of creativity wherever I could find it. Another apt description would be "a tattered masterpiece of jobs and careers that should have worked but never did." Careers have included flying in the Navy, commercial real estate and truck driving - all interspersed with periods when I dropped out to survive doing other things - like being a waiter, jeep tour driver, cabbie, bartender, inn keeper, gallery owner, car salesman, photographer and artist. None of my many, many jobs ever compare to the passion and fulfillment that I receive from art and writing.