Answering my emails

Hi Gardenia! Sure I will write back. I always answer all emails I get. I am glad you liked reading East Side Dreams. In one of my other books, Those Oldies but Goodies I talk more about my kids. I had two boys the first time I was married. My first wife had a very tough childhood staying in foster homes with people who did bad things to her. So she had a lot of problems with everything. She felt she did not love the boys and did not want them. So I had custody of them. One was 6 years old and the other was 8 years old. Then I met my wife Flora and she had three young kids. She had a girl who was 4 years old, a girl who was 8 years old and a son 9. We were married and had five kids. Then we had three more of our own. I did not want my kids to have a hard life like I did, with all the heartache that comes with it. So I used to tell Flora, "We have to work hard with our kids because they are going to grow up and be men and women and are going to remember everything we did!" Well, they did, and they do remember everything. I am sure glad we did it right because all 8 of them grew up to love us very much and now I have 15 grand kids! They all come over to visit at least once or twice a week and people who live by me think I have a lot of parties! I have a good life with my family. But I have a bad life because of my health. When people tell you drugs are bad for you, believe them! I have lung problems now. I had open heart surgery this last May. I am 59 years old now. Plus I have other health problems.
No matter how many health problems I have I still go out and speak at schools at least three or four times a week. It makes me feel good that I could help young people think about their lives and what they need to do. When young people like you read my books, you think that you still have all of your life and there is a lot you can do. Having a little baby boy even more so. You want to take good care of him and teach him how to be happy and be a good person.
When my kids were young, I used to tell them my stories. I remember a friend told me I should not tell them because then they are going to want to do all the things I did. But I told him that no, I was also going to tell him what will happen to them if they do. Now that my children are grown, they appreciate the way I raised them. And now I tell all young people to learn about life though my stories. A person does not have to learn the hard way.
My business, Number "1" Disposal I sold three years ago. I sold it because I could not run it anymore. I was sick but the doctors did not know what was wrong with me. Three months after I sold it I had a heart attack. The put three stents in my heart thinking that was going to fix the problem. Then two years later I had another heart attack and had surgery.
Now I have my own book business, selling books and speaking to kids. I love doing that and that makes life good. Giving my advice to young people is a good feeling and hearing that kids change their lives because of my books really makes me feel good.
I hope you get a chance to read my other books. You will enjoy them just as much. Remember, everything you read in my books is true, nothing is made up.
Gardenia, thank you for writing to me and work hard in school because it is going to pay you back later. Ten years ago when I wrote East Side Dreams the only words I could spell were words like "is" "it" "and". if you were to ask me how to spell words like "there, what, that", I did not know. I learned it all with East Side Dreams.
Take care and work hard as I said.
Your Friend, Art

Hi Rebecca, thank you for your email. Let's see, where do I start. Yes, I am still married to Flora. I do not know if you read Those Oldies but Goodies but in that book I tell our story. And since I started writing life has been mostly good. My life as an author is doing great. My life as far as my health is concerned, is not too hot. I guess it was all the drugs I took when I was young that messed me up now. I had open heart this last May and I deal with bad lungs and a lot of other health problems. But I still am going and working hard with kids. I go to speak at middle and high schools about three or four times a week. I feel really good that because I wrote about my past that it has helped a lot of young people to look at their own lives and want to do better. When I raised all my children I used to tell them my stories and I used to tell them to learn from my life. I told them the things I did but then I told them what comes with it and all the heartache one has to deal with that comes with a life of partying. Now that my kids are grown and doing well, I tell all young people to read my books and learn about life from me.
Just like you, you are young and have all of your life a head of yourself. You said you do not like living with your mother, but it is going to be just for a while. Things change and time heals and before long you will look back and think about the good things in life. I know you want the best for your little girl. I remember when my first son was born. I could not believe that I made that little guy. I wanted him to have a better life than I had so I really worked with my family and did a lot of talking and working with them. When I married Flora I had two young sons, she had three young children and then we had three more. I used to tell her that we have to be careful how we raised these kids because when they grow up they are going to remember the good and bad things we did. Sure enough, the time is here. I am glad we really worked on them. Now I have 15 beautiful grand children. From babies to one as old as my youngest son, 21 and she was just married.
Have you read Forgotten Memories? If you have, the forward is for young people like you. Read it slowly and let it sink in.
I am glad you enjoyed reading East Side Dreams. Keep working hard in life!
Art Rodriguez