Writing The Words
Books, Music and More...
About
Born Robert Santee, aka Spiritsoul, aka R. Blair Sands, aka R.L. Sanderson, all pen names of Robert Santee.
I have no special criteria for using my pen names, just as the mood strikes me, and the content of the story happens to ask for that name. So there you have it. The big mystery is solved for those who have asked.
I was born in Grants Pass, Oregon in 1935 on the second floor of a residence on 2nd street. A Mid-wife helped with my birth. It was a humble start and I have moved on from there to the present, where I have been a pilot, a musician (still am, of sorts), A Senior Operations Controller in the Satellite industry, and a Mission Controller also in the Satellite industry. I have participated in many space operations including shuttle operations.
I've been all over the world several times on work assignments either for the military or civilian firms contracting with the military. It has all been very interesting.
In 1973, while on assignment in Thule Greenland there was little to do in the way of entertainment except drink at the officers club. I didn't want to come out of Greenland as an alcoholic as I had seen several do, and I didn't care about drinking all that much anyway, so I started writing a space extravaganza. I spent the entire fourteen months of my tour there, writing on that novel. As I look back, having learned at least a little about writing, that early manuscript was a poor excuse for a novel. Factually speaking, it stunk - badly. I've never seen such a badly written novel. But by then the writing bug had bit me and I've been writing ever since. It's one of my big joys.
Hopefully, I have improved enough so that least I like my work, and I seem to be joined in that liking by a growing number of people. Perhaps, you will be one of those if you should choose to read some of my later works. Don't worry, that first novel was never published, and it never will be.
Aside from writing, I've always been involved in music, in one way or another, starting with my first public performance at the age of five. I've been at it ever since.
As a soloist, I've sang in the San Francisco civic center to a crowd of over fifty thousand people, the Fresno, Ca. War Memorial auditorium, the Portland, Or. War Memorial Auditorium plus a few more places. I was the Bass Soloist for the Walla Walla College presentation of the entire "Handel's Messiah." All the solos had to be memorized, of course, as were all my other singing presentations. At one point I organized and conducted a forty voice choir, had two different music combo's in which I played the string bass, organized a Karaoke Extravaganza in Gold Hill, Or., which had a standing room only crowd and people had to be turned away at the door because it was full. After all the musical fanfare faded from the scene, I still had music in me to share, so continued doing Karaoke and still do to this day. It's fun and I can still contribute in that way. It is a fulfilling hobby that keeps me involved in my music. My Significant Other is also an accomplished Soloist as well as a great duet partner, so we both have fun together on Friday nights at the Medford Elks Lodge and on Saturday nights at the Gold Hill, Oregon Moose Lodge. Come join us sometime. It's a lot of fun and we have some of the best singers in the valley.
I have no special criteria for using my pen names, just as the mood strikes me, and the content of the story happens to ask for that name. So there you have it. The big mystery is solved for those who have asked.
I was born in Grants Pass, Oregon in 1935 on the second floor of a residence on 2nd street. A Mid-wife helped with my birth. It was a humble start and I have moved on from there to the present, where I have been a pilot, a musician (still am, of sorts), A Senior Operations Controller in the Satellite industry, and a Mission Controller also in the Satellite industry. I have participated in many space operations including shuttle operations.
I've been all over the world several times on work assignments either for the military or civilian firms contracting with the military. It has all been very interesting.
In 1973, while on assignment in Thule Greenland there was little to do in the way of entertainment except drink at the officers club. I didn't want to come out of Greenland as an alcoholic as I had seen several do, and I didn't care about drinking all that much anyway, so I started writing a space extravaganza. I spent the entire fourteen months of my tour there, writing on that novel. As I look back, having learned at least a little about writing, that early manuscript was a poor excuse for a novel. Factually speaking, it stunk - badly. I've never seen such a badly written novel. But by then the writing bug had bit me and I've been writing ever since. It's one of my big joys.
Hopefully, I have improved enough so that least I like my work, and I seem to be joined in that liking by a growing number of people. Perhaps, you will be one of those if you should choose to read some of my later works. Don't worry, that first novel was never published, and it never will be.
Aside from writing, I've always been involved in music, in one way or another, starting with my first public performance at the age of five. I've been at it ever since.
As a soloist, I've sang in the San Francisco civic center to a crowd of over fifty thousand people, the Fresno, Ca. War Memorial auditorium, the Portland, Or. War Memorial Auditorium plus a few more places. I was the Bass Soloist for the Walla Walla College presentation of the entire "Handel's Messiah." All the solos had to be memorized, of course, as were all my other singing presentations. At one point I organized and conducted a forty voice choir, had two different music combo's in which I played the string bass, organized a Karaoke Extravaganza in Gold Hill, Or., which had a standing room only crowd and people had to be turned away at the door because it was full. After all the musical fanfare faded from the scene, I still had music in me to share, so continued doing Karaoke and still do to this day. It's fun and I can still contribute in that way. It is a fulfilling hobby that keeps me involved in my music. My Significant Other is also an accomplished Soloist as well as a great duet partner, so we both have fun together on Friday nights at the Medford Elks Lodge and on Saturday nights at the Gold Hill, Oregon Moose Lodge. Come join us sometime. It's a lot of fun and we have some of the best singers in the valley.
Writing The Words