Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
This is the nickel version of my life story.
I grew up in Southeast Dallas, Texas ( That section of Dallas is known as Pleasant Grove. Trust me when I say, it was anything but pleasant. ) It was and still is a very rough part of Dallas. Unbeknownst to me at the time I had been born with Tourettes Syndrome ( TS ), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ( OCD ), and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ). During the mid 1990’s I coined the phrase Tourettes Trifecta. My father was a violent alcoholic, my mother was an addict, and my brother was both. I developed PTSD before I was 16 because of how violent my father was or so says Dr. Vasavada, a psychiatrist.
Now for the good stuff. After dropping out of high school in the eleventh grade ( The 2nd time thru. This is very misleading because about twenty years later it would be determined that my IQ was 141 which is genius level. It turns out that I was just bored in high school. ) So, I joined the military in the hopes of escaping the daily bullying from the neighborhood kids. Unfortunately that did not go as planned. I was still being bullied because of the tics that are part of the trifecta.
Finally, I was kicked out of the Navy because in their estimation I had not been able to “Adapt to military life”. That was the understatement of the year. I still had not yet been officially diagnosed. During the 21 year period between the date of my separation from the Navy, June 24, 1971 and the date that I was officially diagnosed, March 22, 1992, I was fired more than 200 times. That is not an exaggeration. In fact the Social Security Administration classified me as 100% disabled in Dec. of 1992. The reason I was fired was always the same. “Mark, we like you, your honest, dependable and loyal. Man, you work harder than anyone here. “But you just do not fit in.” I went though girlfriends just about as fast as I did jobs. I was never able to understand why the ladies never wanted to stay around me for very long. Particularly because I had been classified as extremely good looking when I was only 15 by a 25 year old woman that was friends with my mother.
The emotional pain of living with the undiagnosed Trifecta become so overwhelming that I attempted suicide three different times during my twenty’s. In March 1992 the psychiatrist that I was seeing finally told me. He said, “Mark, I may not yet know exactly what is going on. But there is one thing that I DO know about you. You have a will to survive like I never seen before. You are the type of guy that if you were in a plane crash up in the mountains and everyone on that plane was killed except for you. It would be because you were the one son of a bitch on that pane that absolutely REFUSED to die. Ten days later you would come walking out of those mountains. Frostbit, but you would be breathing.”
I always knew that I was extremely strong willed. I just had no idea why. My first wife Judy, was a very attractive, sweet, highly intelligent ( Yes I know. Then why in the hell did she marry me. Good question! If I ever figure it out I will let you know. ) The marriage lasted exactly 8 years and 5 months to the day. We got divorced in August of 1980.
About 8 years later I met and married my second wife. We have now been married going on 33 years. She was a practicing Ophthalmologist in the Philippines. Both of the women that I have been married to are extremely intelligent. They just have lousy taste in men. Judy graduated as the valedictorian of her high school graduation class of 923. My second wife was the valedictorian of her medical school graduation class. I do not marry dumb women. Our daughter is just as intelligent as Mom. She also has an enormous amount of plain old fashion common sense. ( I keep wondering about who her father might be because a kid like that cannot possibly be mine.)
For the next twenty seven years I was self employed. I owned a residential maintenance business. When I was sixty four I started writing. Since then I have written three books, and more articles than I can even remember that have been published in other peoples books, magazines, Newspapers, ( I was an Op-ed columnist for The Dallas Morning News for about a year. ) and online than I can even remember.
This will give you a very good idea of what kind of life I have lived. My complete autobiography is currently for sale on Amazon. It is titled “Consistently Persistent, Living with the Tourette Trifecta.” It has been anything but dull. Trying as hell maybe, but never boring.
So , that’s all. I hope you enjoy reading about your average run of the mill John Doe.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“My Do’s and Don’t’s for Raising a Bully-Proof Child” I grew up in one of the roughest parts of Dallas, Texas. I had been born with Tourettes Syndrome, OCD, and ADHD. I had a last name that lent itself to more cruel jokes than I can even remember. I was bullied almost on a daily basis. Even my father bullied me. He was a violent drunk. My mother was an addict, and my brother was both. I was bullied in almost every way possible. This is why I have decided to try to help as many children as possible to hopefully keep them from being bullied.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have been told several times that I write in a very easy to read conversationally manner. Basically, I write exactly the way I talk.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
None that I can think of.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a series of children’s books. The tentative title for right now is “Little Bit, the Black Belt Kitty and Bella visit…. ” Each book will have a dual purpose. First, I will try to teach the reader something about a different country that they might not be familiar with. 2) Each book will be written in such a way as to teach the reader a particular trait like Courtesy, manners, Respect, Responsibility, Honesty, and on and on.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far my website has been my best tool. I am also in the process of getting setup with Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and a few others.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
PERSISTENCE!!! Just believe in yourself. Learn how to accept being told “NO” without taking it personally.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Learn how to become as proficient in using Social Media as you can.
What are you reading now?
Nothing
What’s next for you as a writer?
Already stated above.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I will have to think about that one for awhile.
Author Websites and Profiles
Markus Horner Website
Markus Horner Amazon Profile
Markus Horner Author Profile on Smashwords
Markus Horner’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account