Years later, while I was a prosecutor, I once had a news print reporter shove a tape recorder in my face at the end of an argument before the Court. Taking the page from my earlier experience, I decided the smart thing was to simply say, “I explained it all inside the Courthouse, and really have nothing more I can add here.” Damned if I didn’t get misquoted yet again, but this time with some funnier results. It seems that I did all my talking in the “outhouse.” Either the editor missed it, or they believed I was full of excrement. Now that I think about it, and knowing that particular newspaper, the latter was probably their opinion. ~ Michael S. Pauley
“Ripped from the headlines!” One of my favorite phrases during a TV commercial about a “new show or episode.” I love the phrase, mainly because it means that all you will see, hear, or experience from that show, or episode, will be bunk or hogwash. Much like a warning on a pack of cigarettes, it tells me to find something else to watch, since what is to follow will resemble “truth” the same way a blue whale resembles a fruit fly. I recognize that this is as much the old soldier as the lawyer speaking here, but I’ve watched enough of these things to know that any resemblance to the facts is purely coincidental. I recall, while still on active duty, being interviewed about an event by a member of the press. After taking things out of context, and then folding in something to make it more “exciting”, the story was printed. When I read it, I truly wondered if I had been to the same interview. (In all fairness, it had nothing to do with anything serious, but was instead about a “Soldier of the Month” competition.)
Years later, while I was a prosecutor, I once had a news print reporter shove a tape recorder in my face at the end of an argument before the Court. Taking the page from my earlier experience, I decided the smart thing was to simply say, “I explained it all inside the Courthouse, and really have nothing more I can add here.” Damned if I didn’t get misquoted yet again, but this time with some funnier results. It seems that I did all my talking in the “outhouse.” Either the editor missed it, or they believed I was full of excrement. Now that I think about it, and knowing that particular newspaper, the latter was probably their opinion. ~ Michael S. Pauley
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Someone asked me about my military background. On this subject, I am going to deliberately remain vague. I served in all three components of the Army, and each one of those components molded me in some fashion. Yes, I joined the Army as an enlisted man, and rose to Sergeant before being commissioned as an officer. Yes, some of General Patrick’s background can be attributed to me, but not all, and I will not dispel myths or give explanation as to which applies and which doesn’t. I will admit only to having been a rated aviator, and having jumped from a perfectly good airplane while it was in flight. I will also state that all of my airborne jumps were at night, since my eyes were closed, and most of them were also over water, usually because I was whizzing on myself. It is NOT a natural act, and with all candor, I’m terrified of heights. Probably why I deliberately faced those fears and did things like fly and jump. Sound weird? I’ve never denied being one of those guys, but then again, when you’re in the back of a C-130, and everyone else jumps, you don’t want to be the weenie that doesn’t. Besides, people like the jump master take it quite personally when you freeze in the door or on the ramp. You haven’t truly lived until someone shoves your unwilling ass into the night, over strange ground, that is about 500 feet AGL below you.
As for the rest, I will neither admit nor deny, simply because right now I am writing solely in the genre of science fiction, ergo, no governmental agency has approval rights, or a need for approval rights, over a single word that I write. Finally, there is absolutely NOTHING classified in my writing. Any technology mentioned or discussed, or used against the Gomers, comes from open declassified sources as part of my basic research. Anything that should not be out in the public domain isn’t going to be put there by me, since I have zero desire to open that door. I have learned through the years that several of these Agencies have no sense of humor about such things, and I truly do not want to go down that road. I mentioned the other day that I’m an attorney, and this engendered the question. “What kind of attorney?” The simple answer is that I handle the defense of civil cases. We have several insurance carriers that assign cases to our firm. More specifically, our firm defends governmental entities as our clients. Most of these agencies are law enforcement agencies around the state, but we also do defense work for several school districts, and various municipalities around the State of South Carolina. The real plus to the work is that we see government at the state and local levels, and we are exposed to a plethora of different legal issues. Our cases range from little cases that deal with things like a false arrest, all the way up to civil rights accusations, and violations of the United States Constitution. I have had the pleasure of arguing not only in almost every courthouse in the State, but in the United States District Court here in South Carolina. I even have an argument coming up later this month in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia. The work can be rewarding and frustrating, all at the same time. ~ Michael S. Pauley
If you have read my bio, you will see that aside from the military, I’m also an attorney. As a middle-aged lawyer fresh out of law school, with already a number of years of military experience, I was extremely fortunate to work for one of the greatest minds in South Carolina’s legal profession. She has the distinction of being the first woman to ever serve as a Justice on the Supreme Court, and now she is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Carolina. The two years I spent serving as her judicial law clerk were jammed with a lot of hard work and tons of writing and research. The opportunity to work for her was perhaps the best two years I could have ever spent in the profession since, at the end of my tenure, I had a far greater working knowledge of how to practice law than many of my peers. The Honorable Jean H. Toal, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Carolina, is a mentor, scholar, and, most importantly, a friend. I point out this back story mainly because it was an honor and a pleasure to finally get her a signed copy of my book.
I had wanted to get her a copy for several months, but last week two things finally came together. Armed with a brand new copy of my book, I found myself with a few moments to get by the Court and, even though they were holding court in the morning, Chief Justice Toal actually found a few minutes to meet with me that afternoon. Clearly I won’t go into any great detail about our meeting, but suffice it to say, she is a true science fiction fan, and the reaction that I had written such a story was priceless. I was proud and delighted to give her a signed copy of the book, but the most wonderful thing for me was seeing that reaction. It literally was like going home, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. My two years working directly for her gave me an insight into things that have more than a little bearing on my work. She is brilliant, and perhaps the greatest legal mind I have ever seen in action. Her ability to swoop through a mountain of records, files, evidence, briefs, etc., is unsurpassed and her further ability to get to the key details in that mountain of material are absolutely uncanny. Without a doubt, her tenure as our Chief Justice is marked by accomplishment, and I will always be very proud to call her my friend. ~ Michael S. Pauley The Third Book is still moving along, although not at a pace I would prefer. The problem isn’t the story or the ideas, those I’ve got in great quantities. Nope, it is finding the time to sit down unmolested to put those ideas on paper. The last week has been a plethora of distractions and interruptions, all thanks to that pesky “day job”. Still, we are moving it forward, which is a good thing. I’ve always read, usually in an article or memoir written by other authors, that you should devote at least an hour a day to your writing. Right now, I’d be happy to have an hour a day that wasn’t filled with a crisis. Still, out of the ashes of the various disasters that accompany life, more ideas arise. I’m thinking that while it might be busy now, the material and ideas for future books are simply building. ~ Michael S. Pauley
Two steps forward, One step backSequels or subsequent parts of the same tale can be a real challenge. The second book in my “Night” or “Gomer Wars” series was easy to write. The rhythm was seamless, and the work itself came along very quickly. I am now deeply into the throes of writing the third book, and life has conspired against me. Just when I hit a rhythm, something outside (like my day job) will consume just enough time to keep the rhythm just a little harder to maintain. I wind up re-reading the preceding portions to regain the rhythm, which takes more time from the actual writing process. This process then increases the overall amount of time spent working on the actual book. The upside is that I am getting more editing done on the front end, the down side is that it is just taking longer. Still, since the second book isn’t out yet, it would seem that I will have MORE than enough time to get the third one finished.
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AuthorMichael S. Pauley is a Navy brat and an old soldier who served in all three components of the United States Army. Living in Lexington, South Carolina, Michael is now a practicing attorney and member of the United States Naval Institute and the American Legion, Post 154, Tybee Island, Georgia. Archives
June 2021
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