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Featured author in March 2019 on New Authors

TWO sons TOO many, beginning excerpt.


Where does one begin, at the beginning will be the reply from all the smarties in the group, of course the beginning so here we are.
Once upon a time a baby was born and the world did not know what it was in for, but alas it was me. They say a big whopper of a child yet at only 9lbs or somewhere around that mark.
My own very first son, came in at 10lbs 11 or 11lbs 10 always get confused with numbers, yet my self-proclaimed mathematically genius has carried me through many a task of deep deep numerical quagmire.
Back to serious stuff though, so born yeah! Great out in the world, funny thing as an adult I have the most vivid memories of being a baby, I always ask other adults, new groups of friends do you remember being a baby? Many say NO and I find that strange as I can recall before I ever walked, like it was yesterday I can recall my older brother being told to share his candies with me and I knew he didn’t want to and I wanted candy. I will guess my age of that event to be approx. 1 year old.
Now to read and write and put it all on paper finally well aren’t we off to a great start, memories from 1 year of age, no wonder the book weighs a ton. Let’s catch up, this is the internet age so better reference would be “no wonder the download took 7 months” Being witty not the theme here but yes I like to keep things real and call them for the way that I see them, trouble is if you really take a look at the truth or the realness of a situation you are going to find some funny stuff there too and so with life being deep, emotional and miserable it is just as well there is a laugh or two along the way, any who? as they say, back to me. You got the picture born a big lad and it carried through all my years, not the biggest in the group but a good firm strong built individual to say the least. 6ft and change in the vertically and broad and strong in the wide section, not fat that came with life a little later on.

So why bother reading about me, no reason really you should close the book now and return it for your money back, demand full refund, that is what I say to those of the pessimistic view, why did you pick it up in the first place I mean after all what could be so interesting about me compared to the next Joe schmo? Nothing! That’s right nothing.
The reason I am going to share this with you, the reader is to maybe let one little ounce of this life out to you and maybe just maybe after the record breaking sales of my book one single individual will get it and then it was all worth it.
Rambling again, well you will get used to that and if you like to get lost in a story, then I have tons of them for you, funny thing on that note. A smart well wise really, guy I came across in my twenties told me, “you know the truth is the hardest thing to believe” I gave it some thought he persisted, he was a city cop actually and I kept thinking he wanted me to say something I didn’t want to say or something. The old Jedi mind trick being used on me, but anyway he insisted, “think about it” if someone tells you a lie you swallow it whole, and cannot wait to run and tell your friends, mates, partners the story. Now someone tells you the truth, what is a typical response? “Get out of here” “shut up” “are you for real”, “that can’t be true” etc. etc. You walk away in no hurry to tell anyone. Funny how it works isn’t it. Give it a little thought and you will see, draw on all and or any stories someone ever told you, what was your reaction?
Ok so I have many, many, truths to share with you and some you are going to say are in no way believable and others you will swallow hook line and sinker. Why, it is just the nature of the beast in us. If I could tell you why, I wouldn’t be writing it all down to share with you. I would be charging $1000 an hour in a well decorated office in my downtown Manhattan office whilst living care free somewhere around central Park. Just to live the rich lifestyle, of a genius mind reader type guy.
But I do not and so I cannot answer why we tell the truth and nobody wants to believe it. So when reading further keep in mind you might want to set down the auld book as it gets to be too unbelievable which might actually mean you have hit the real truth piece.
I can tell you right now we are gonna become buddies on this one if you stick with it and I will have to call you buddy because I have no way to know your name, are you man or woman, adolescent or elderly or anywhere in between, so take no offense from us getting to know each other through the buddy system. I will call you buddy for want of any better term, none come to mind right now so why not.
Ok the child hood, I was born in the mid-seventies, some of you may identify immediately with the era of growing up and being a fully-fledged kid in the early eighties. I had a great child hood; I mean my innocence was top class. I was so shy you would never believe it, as people used to say I was a fine young handsome man and again being a big strong fit child, all the older folk would pass some comment or other. But my innocence was immense; I mean I was so shy and scared as a young boy. I never or rarely would speak in a crowd or answer the teachers question in school, why I just thought it was better to let someone else answer, someone who would get it wrong and then they could be the embarrassed one, hell no! Not me. I was not going to embarrass myself in a room of 30 other children, that being said because they all viewed me as a genius by about 5years of age they didn’t want me to answer anyway because I always had the answer. The other kids got their kicks out of getting their assignments finished before me checking to see if I was finished already I never cared less, looking back I just did what I needed to do and that was enough.

Chapter 1
I have my father to thank or to blame, who knows which, maybe my older brother too, the same guy who wouldn’t share that candy I distinctly remember hearing my mother say “share with your little brother” but I was standing up in the baby cot waiting for him to come into the room and share but he just didn’t. He came in when the candy was gone with a smart Alec type look on his face, so I was destined to be pissed off and disappointed by him from the get go, resentment? Nah, not really, just a vivid baby memory. Why would I thank him, well he is 2 years my elder, so when he had started school at 4 years of age, I was jealous of him doing homework in the evening right around his 4 and half yrs. to 5 mark so me approx. 2 and half heading into three. I wanted home work too. My dad used to sit me up on the opposite end of the table from him and while he was doing the really nasty homework piece I was at the other end learning to write, trying to read and do mathematics. At three years of age, I couldn’t wait for my dad to set me up with the home work for the evening, I would try and finish fast because my dad seemed to enjoy it, the harder the math he gave me the quicker I would try and do it. Then it actually became serious, I was rattling of the times tables, long division sums, long multiplication at least that’s what it was called back then, to my older brother I was just becoming more and more annoying. But hey I didn’t know what annoying was, I was 3 for crying out loud. Looking back my poor dad thought he had an Einstein, thought he produced the next NASA scientist, keep reading you will tie it all together, but to save any suspense, I have never worked for NASA….
So by the time I had started school I was waiting for the others to catch up within about a month of joining school, the teachers were answering me with things, like yes Aidan I know you know, let’s give the others a chance. So there I was off to a flying start in life, bright as a bulb, eager to learn more and loving every minute of it, no idea what arrogant meant or cocky or any of those words, was just me being me.
My class mates struggled through that first year of school learning three times three is nine, three times four is twelve and so on. I was buzzing around a little tyke I can’t wait for the 12 times 12 I will smash them on this one, I used to say things like, it’s easy just 10 times 10 and add 2 times 2… I really had no idea then obviously I was 4 years of age and remember turning five, but I had no idea that some people didn’t get it, it didn’t work for them in their brain. I never thought anyone was less or was stupid, I remember as a child back then I just thought everybody was cool and everybody liked to have fun the way I did, to laugh and make jokes and play sports was all that was important. And sports it was, I loved every kind of activity they would give us, the list, basketball, Olympic handball, soccer, swimming, Gaelic football, hurling, running around the roads to try and do 5 miles or even ten miles but that was for the bigger kids so I had to wait. But I sure loved sports. I didn’t want to wait I wanted to play and I wanted to win. I wanted to play with the bigger, well older children cause I was big for my age and so around 8 and 9 I wanted to be with the 12 and 13 year olds going up against them hard tackles and always thinking, I will out smart you and I am strong enough to win the tackle so no fear there. I liked it, I liked to give the full 100%. What did that get me? medals and trophies and achievements like nothing else, I wanted gold, I got it, I wanted to win the trophy we got it as a team, they made me captain of the team for no reason other than I was a good thinker and gave it my all and would never shy away from the challenge on the field of play.
When I was not in school or doing homework, although to be honest I rarely did homework as I was going along now at 8 and 9, because I just needed to read it once and I knew it, maybe the odd poem or two, had to repeat it several times to get it to stick, so what some might or could argue was a little laziness on my part was really just boredom, lack of challenge. But in the sports the medals came, on the field of play I was a madman, I was a lunatic, I wanted to win and win always but not to any severe mental case type. I just liked the limelight and got a weird feeling the almost embarrassment feeling or awkward feeling when all the grownups would pat me on the back and say well done.
My dad never pressured me; I would return home and he would say did you win? Yes, I answer he would say something like “I knew you would” I always believed he really did know that I would win. My dad was never shocked about me winning and I didn’t care to try and shock him, so it was easy going as 1,2,3 that’s why I said earlier my child hood was great easy going, things came super super easy, no challenge could not be accomplished. My poor mother she came to a soccer match one time, I remember she was there when playing but not really feeling she was there, because hey it was game day. Time to focus on the task at hand and get the win.
I did my usual routine of keeping the guys motivated, what I didn’t know during the match but when we got home and my dad asked my mam at the dinner table Sunday evening, well what did you think, they play well don’t they. She said “oh my God, I can’t go to another game, that was awful” I was sitting at the dinner table all ready with smiles and thinking my mam was going to be, well speak so highly of how great I was, flattened by her comments, she said that was awful… my dad asked her why, she started off with the “well I never heard such language at a football match not even from adults and these children are playing under 9 age group and my son has to be the one running around the field like a mad man, screaming and cursing f words at every body for the full 90 mins” my dad was laughing which gave me an in to speak and say “Mam you just don’t get it. I am the captain I have to keep the lads heads in the game”, she said not like that.

Does a life story interest you as in the whole life story or just bits...
I know you don't need to know how many weetabix I had each day. But some people I find / I think, want all the juicy details and leave out all the rest.
What do you think?

A very poignant question! How many Weetabix did the character have each day?
Well personally, if it was a hefty read, I would be prepared to know if he even soaked it in milk, but in a novel, it might be on a need-to-know basis, like only if it were crucial to the story. Having said that, if it helps in charachter building, why not?

I have a question about character
Being a true story. The character building is really just how it happened so, I believe there are details some will notice and some will not. The nature of how we hear stuff even when we are telling it to ourselves.
Oh yeah the question.
Is telling you I didn't become a rocket scientist a buzz kill? Would ya rather be left wondering?

I wanted to provide you with some of the back story or the forward story.
A little video clip from my home town. It gives some of the places inside the piece a face if you like, link below

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?stor...

👍 Enjoyed the video Aidan. Thanks.

Aidan wrote: "I have a question about character
Being a true story. The character building is really just how it happened so, I believe there are details some will notice and some will not. The nature of how we ..."
Well, an element of suspense is always good, but a sense of humour is even better!

Grasshopper wrote: "👍 Enjoyed the video Aidan. Thanks."

That is great, hope many will check it out too. Have a great weekend

Catherine wrote: "Aidan wrote: "I have a question about character
Being a true story. The character building is really just how it happened so, I believe there are details some will notice and some will not. The nat..."

Thank you for the input Catherine. Have a nice weekend

Aidan wrote: "Grasshopper wrote: "👍 Enjoyed the video Aidan. Thanks."

That is great, hope many will check it out too. Have a great weekend"
Thanks Aidan and wish you the same.

Thanks Aidan and wish you the same. 🤓

Happy Monday folks,
TWO sons TOO many, what's it all about?
It is all about me. Imagine, me could be that interesting, like to put it in a book. The story is that interesting yes. The fact that it all just so happened to happen to me is why I had to tell it.

I wrote the story 100% for myself, there was not any idea it would ever be a book. I really never considered even a manuscript. What I had were a ton of words on papers everywhere and a ton more on a USB key chain thing and then another bunch of them on the computer. It finally came together and my therapist actually said to me “you have to make it a book", “people need to read this" I decided and said "sure why not".

Since that decision was made I have met some wonderful people of the book world and what an amazing journey. Oh yeah, what's it about.

Here is a radio clip to give you more heads up on why I had to write it and probably why I needed to write it.

https://cdn.rasset.ie/manifest/audio/...

To bring you some more thoughts about my debut memoir TWO sons TOO many, I have been so lucky to receive some newspaper coverage too and this article went live March 5th 2019.

The timing amazing. Here on Goodreads a spot with all you wonderful people to come and "meet the author" and feature my first book.

Here is a link to the article from the newspaper's two page spread.
#MakingMarchMine
http://fingalindependent.newspaperdir...

👍

Can we have some quizzes to boost interaction, Aidan?

Questions.
Okie dokie.
How long is a string?
😊😊😊😊😊😊

Where
Am I from and do you agree with a young sports man's mind?

Question
TWO sons TOO many, is a memoir. In some lists that would be autobiographies as there is only that option.
In many it is only available to class as non fiction. There is a massive difference between my own story and "how to make plastic cups"
How would you class or categorize TWO sons TOO many?

Legacy writing perhaps?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogr...

Question
TWO sons TOO many is 500 pages of reading. 502 I believe to be precise.
How long does it take you to read 500 page book?

Question.
TWO sons TOO many,
The roller-coaster read that it will bring you in, close you out and wrap you right back up again.
So you like/enjoy being emotionally involved in the books you read? Kind of A or B answer

A. Emotionally involved
B. Thoughts running wild

A

Both actually

Becky wrote: "A"

How emotional, one wonders. Like deep? Scary like therapy uncovering stuff you never knew was there or just surface level?
Thank you for your answer.

Catherine wrote: "Both actually"

So mind bent and keeled over in tears grabbing for the tissues kind of stuff.
Walk out to your family looking like a train just ran through the house kind of thing? 😊
Thank you for your answer

Well not so extreme!!🤔

Some fun for March & the featured spot of the month.
🔥🔥🔥🔥WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Here it is,
3 lucky folks will win a personalised copy of
TWO sons TOO many.
I am going to go to the post office and mail you a signed and personalised copy just for you.
Would you like to win this?

I have two other titles currently available on Amazon. Have a read of either of the new releases & send me your thoughts in a message or leave a review. They are easily downloaded for kindle.
You are not going to win a kindle version.
I am going to send you a hard copy of #TWOsonsTOOmany.

So it is as easy as that to enter and you have til end of the month of March.
Here you will find the link.

I look forward to your messages. Enjoy the reading and the fun in getting your very own signed and personal messaged copy of TWO sons TOO many.
(u never know how great a prize this could be 😊)
Link to the books.
small print details. 5 entries, 1 book winner
12 entries, 2 book winners
20+ entries 3 book winners.

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01GMP523Q

👍👍

A very touching story and beautiful too.

Melina wrote: "Congratulations on being this month's featured author. How long have you been writing, and what was the inspiration for your latest novel?"

Melina wrote: "Congratulations on being this month's featured author. How long have you been writing, and what was the inspiration for your latest novel?"

Hi Melinda, thank you for the question.
I released TWO sons TOO many in June of 2016. Though it took me some time prior to put it all together from idea to actually release it into the big bad world.
As it is a life time memoir/biography I guess you could say I have been writing it ever since I stepped into the world.

The inspiration for my writing has been my TWO sons Darra & Patrick, they have lifted me to a place in life that is very special and dear to me and the inspiration to spread the word and inspire others has become my life.
My most recent title 17 & Life is just new out and again a memoir of when I was 17. Something again that I felt compelled to share with those who may struggle a little or just love a whole new perspective.

Ruby wrote: "A very touching story and beautiful too."

Thank you Ruby, those are kind words

I almost forgot to mention.
If you are on Facebook or twitter.
Come and say hi.
You can find me at @TWOsonsTOOmany
Have a great week folks.

Keeping it real.
& u up to date of course.
Podcast Friday 22nd March
https://www.classichits.ie/podcasts/n...

Have a listen. The interview all about TWO sons TOO many

Thank you all for your messages through this great month of March.
I see how many are more comfortable sending direct messages in twitter and Facebook. And thank you for these.
I encourage you all to not fear putting your comments down. No one is judging
Last week to win a personalised copy of TWO sons TOO many. Details are in post above.
Remember follow and share @TWOsonsTOOmany

It is great having you with us Aidan. You still have a a week more!

With March coming to a close, it will be my last few days to share some content with you to make you content.
Here is a link to where you can find my books.
Easy #Kindle download and paperbacks too.

Check em out, enjoy the reading and of course would love to read your reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01GMP523Q

The last couple of days to get that free book sent to you. #TWOsonsTOOmany
Wherever you are in the world. With you vey own signed note inside.
See the post above to win.
Have a great weekend. And cheers March

On this side of the world. Our clocks go forward. Don't forget folks and thank you for March I hope you have enjoyed TWO sons TOO many.
Thank you to all for your readership thus far

Thank you for being with us in March Aidan. We had a lot of fun.

Kindle countdown deal ongoing right now. If any of you would like to spread the word.
Appreciate it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07N4J...

👍

Grasshopper wrote: "Thank you for being with us in March Aidan. We had a lot of fun."

Grasshopper wrote: "Thank you for being with us in March Aidan. We had a lot of fun."

Catherine wrote: "👍"
Prize have been sent out and confirmed received. FYI

Aidan wrote: "I wanted to provide you with some of the back story or the forward story.
A little video clip from my home town. It gives some of the places inside the piece a face if you like, link below

https:..."

Thanks for sharing. Informative.