to my poor Cuban parents in a city named Palma Soriano, in the province of Oriente, not too far from Santiago de Cuba, which is near Guantánamo.
For me, experience was always a hard teacher. I had to learn the lessons on my own; then pass the rigorous tests of life. Because of that, I became a man of very many idiosyncrasies. The most important has always been my tenacious determination to accomplish something. I cannot sit and wait for things to happen, I have to go and make them happen! As a Boy Scout Troop-41-leader in Cojimar, Havana, Cuba, I learned and taught that if I must get in a room, but the door is locked, I’d make a hole in the wall, pry or break a window or dig a tunnel! I’ve learned what to do, what not to do and a lot of good, practical things as a Boy Scout. I live by my slogan:
Work hard, learn, and never ever say, “I can’t.”
In my life, since a little boy, I have been involved in many contradicting endeavors; as catholic, I was an altar boy. As Protestant, a singer in the choir. Also a Master Mason to the 14th degree, a Rosicrucian and with no regrets I had respectfully declined entering other groups.
But my greatest experience and knowledge came to me:
First, from being raised by my single working mother, with no help
from my father; and not so because he was a bad person,
but because he needed help himself.
Second, from the traumas and tribulations of my clients of 40 years as a
Medical-Hypnosis Therapist.
In the Cuban Rain Forest I was introduced to Clinical Hypnosis at age 14. Later I learned the technique and I’ve used it on myself every day of my life, and in others any time I see the need for my service; most of the time in a subliminal way, or for no charge to those that can’t afford my fee.
Later I learned and privately taught
Mental Telepathy.
I am licensed by the State of California since July 22, 1994 to teach Clinical Hypnosis in English and in Spanish, and grant diplomas to my students.
My license number is:
1002401
I was certified by the
American Board of Hypnotherapy On May 3, 1994 Certificate Number 7580
People that know me well tell me that I have inspired them, that I have had an extraordinary life.
I believe very strongly that you create your destiny based on the good and bad decisions you make every day of your life. But I have learned through my own experience that God, Dios, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha or whatever you wish to call The Great Architect of the Universe, skillfully crafts the most important events of our lives for us.
In my old country I attended public schools until the third or fourth grade of elemental studies. Later, toward the end of my Cuban life, I finished my equivalence to high school with a private instructor in Guanabacoa, Havana.
I said farewell to my Cuban life on August 28, 1961 when I conceived an infallible plan to abandon the island and all the wonderful things that I could stand no more.
I was born for the second time on September 1st 1961
When, after praying for a quick death, I was rewarded with a long, good life, as the cruiser USS Huntington rescued me and my crew of four, from the Florida Straight, just 45 miles Northwest of Key West, Florida.
We were in a 14-footer rowboat, my aunt Yolanda Valdés, my Scuba-diving-buddy Rolando Collazo and a married couple friend of the family, Cira and Emerito Perez, after spending four days and nights as we escaped from the slave colony of the island of Cuba.
The hurricane Carla was very determined that you won’t read my books and novels.
As the big USS Huntington cruiser got on it’s way to Key West, FL. I was wearing the only garment I brought with me: my swimming trunk and a wet sweatshirt.
Now I sat on the steady bridge of the large warship wrapped in a warm blanket… I turned around to see the open sea for the last time, when I saw the American flag waving on its pole. Was she saying goodbye to what was left of the setting sun? No! She was saying:
“Welcome to America, Pedro Juan.”
From that day on, I consider that banner to be, my one and only flag.
We spent one week in Opalocka City, FL. My crew and I went trough a rigorous interrogating process from the C.I.A. and I.N.S.
The main focus of their questioning was:
“How come after four nights, the s o s …---… was so bright?”
The fact was that we never use the flashlight until that night we saw the airplane. We navigated at night by Polaris. When clouds covered Polaris and the other stars, we use the last direction of the wind or where the waves were splashing the boat. Good thing I was a Boy Scout!
Later on, as soon as I could, I became a naturalized American citizen, and translated my name officially and legally to…
Peter John
My pretended name when I played soldiers and Indians.
I never went to college, but people that deal with me could swear that I have graduated from a very good Spanish university somewhere.
Even though I call myself a Catholic and brought my three daughters as such, I have created my own religion based on my life experience, believes and principles.
Please, do not evaluate my books and novels by my writing.
Consider that when I climbed aboard the big and beautiful USS Huntington Cruiser, my English vocabulary was confined to:
“Give me one kiss my darling.” “I am looking for work.” “I learn fast.” “How much?” “Too much!”
I could say the above, but I could not write it.
I could sing with excellent pronunciation all the sons of Nat King Cole and Doris Day; however, I didn’t know the meaning of the words I was so well pronouncing.
I’m going to let you in a little secret:
As I write these pages, I’m breaking a writer’s rule of not starting a second book until you finish the first one. However, since I am not a writer, I have in progress eight more books and novels in my computer… Sorry!
When my mind is blocked for one book or novel, I open another and work on it. But when I can’t convey my thoughts to the keyboard, it’s time to turn the computer off and if the weather permits, I get inspired again by doing my favorite hobbies which are, riding my Gold Wing Honda to the airport, to fly my single-engine Cessna airplane, or spear-fishing my lunch in the near-by pond. I am a licensed private pilot and a certified diver.
I brag of being a good story teller, but I will deny very many times being a writer; on the other hand, because of what I said before, I can’t sit and wait for thing to happen, I am determined to personally write and self-publish all my novels and books, helped only by the spelling checker of my word processor, that as you shall notice soon, it is not 100% effective. I do this so that my books and novels don’t lose their essence through some good intentioned editing and translations.
I rather have the rough corners of a speech written by a president, than the smoothed out version of a speechwriter.
I believe that by writing these books and novels myself, I am making the hole in the wall, if not digging the tunnel I mentioned before.
Should you notice in my dialogues and narratives, that I do not construct my sentences the way you would, it must be because, like my good friends that peek over my shoulder tell me, I write with the same accent I speak; but because of one of my very many idiosyncrasies, I don’t consider this to be an obstacle in becoming a writer to be. I promise I’ll learn from my mistakes.
Because you are putting-up with my accented writing, you are about to read a heck of a good novel… Then, wait for the movie!
