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History

On March 4th, 1949 I was born to James Riley Conley and Ervena (Childers) Conley at the Methodist Hospital in Portsmouth, Ohio. That was not to be the last time my mother would be sequestered in that hospital as I turned out to be the eldest of ten (10) kids. I grew up knowing what responsibility meant as it was my lot in life to monitor and look after my brothers. Pemm Riley entered the world 2 years later and became the focal point of many of our adventures. Thomas Dale, Gary Wayne, Daniel LeRoy and Margaret Anne rounded out the first part of the family. They were followed by Glen Erwin, Paul Edward, Nancy Alice and Mark Allen.

My father grew up working hard for his living. He supported his family by working on the Norfolk & Western Railroad - ensuring tracks would safely carry the coal-laden trains from the mines in West Virginia and Kentucky to the furnaces in Pennsylvania. He also cleared garden patches and planted foodstuffs that we would exist off during the wintertime. We also raised pigs, a couple cows, mules and chickens. We were kind of self-sufficent.

Dad fought in the Army during World War II - on Guam, the Philippines and Okinawa. To say he hated the Japs was an understatement. It was something he never got over. My mother on the other hand was a very forgiving person. She doted on her eldest. As a high school graduate she thought highly of having an educated child. She would walk about a mile down to the mouth of the hollow every other Thursday to borrow paperback books from the BookMobile. I would carry them home in a basket and she helped me read such authors as Isaac Asimov, Heinlein and Andre Norton. I was six and my spirit lived in outer space at the time. My second grade teacher, Mrs. Zeek, couldn't understand why I hated the books of "Dick, Jane, Sally and Spot". They were too far beneath me. She told my Aunt Ella Mae, the third grade teacher at our school that I was having trouble reading and my aunt related that to my father. He punished me by taking the books out of my hand and putting them on a shelf that I couldn't reach. My mother would get them down and give them back. He wanted his sons to keep their heads out of the clouds. She wanted me to become educated.

I went to the Navy in 1970 and traveled all over the world. First to Boot Camp in Great Lakes, IL. Then to Pensacola, FL before shipping out to Guam. 5 years on Guam was followed by Winter Harbor, ME and Diego Garcia, BIOT. Tours of duty back on Guam, Edzell, Scotland, London England and back to Winter Harbor where I retired in 1990. I enjoyed my time in the Navy.

The family relocated to Memphis, TN where I worked at various jobs (Admin Assistant, Dock Worker, Computer Salesman, Teacher) to name a few. My mother-in-law thought I couldn't hold a job. Lots of tension there. I met a special person in 2004 when Carmela Santos came to Memphis as a Special Education teacher. We got married in 2006, moved to San Jose, CA where we both taught school before moving to Virginia. We didn't last long there and moved back to Memphis. Then my brother Tommy said he had a position for me in a Southern Ohio sand pit and I moved to Ohio. Carmela relocated to Philadelphis, MS where we are to this day. I am now retired and spend my days writing books. So far a total of 76 books have been published. My slogan is: Read & Enjoy!