Author for Life - A Reminder

So, my 9-year-old daughter and I found some ancient history the other day. A stack of my old works. These range from when I was 10-years-old through 14-years-old. That’s early to mid 80’s folks. Some are close to disintegrating, but she has begun to read them - carefully. It’s kind of awesome listening to your kid read something you wrote.

Just as I was doubting myself, as I do, we pulled out the old briefcase from its storage place under her bed. It has travelled with me for many years from house to house, left wholly untouched. I've had it since I was a young man. It was in this worn leather briefcase we found many of my old sketches and - Holy S*%t - books! We excitedly pulled them out of the briefcase and I reviewed the dates. These weren't antiques by any stretch, but they were up to 37-years-old! Vintage? LOL. Maybe just to me.

This treasure chest of old books from my childhood instilled a sense of wonder in my daughter and nostalgia in me. But not just glassy-eyed nostalgia for the past, but rather hope for the future. My future. That I've been writing stories and physically creating books since I was ten offers tangible proof that I was meant to do this. Have I met my 10,000 hours doing what I love yet? God, I hope so!

Upon further investigation into the magical briefcase, aside from the books, we realize I have literally dozens of comic books with multiple superheroes and villains running through advanced storylines I created from age 12 to 17. I also wrote screenplays for my brothers and our friends, many of which were realized through my father's video camera and friend's surprising editing abilities. To say I've been creative my whole life is a truth I often forget during my 9-5 day job.  Perhaps my daughter will enjoy the comics as well. She loves graphic novels...

My Grandfather too was a writer, hopeful to emerge from his management role in an utterly unrelated industry. He was a playwright mostly. I'm told community theatres and churches worked with my grandfather to produce his plays. How fitting my books sat in his briefcase all these years. I think I'll look for his scripts next. Maybe they're in the briefcase...

Author of The Judas Syndrome wants to scare your children

Author of the Post-Apocalyptic trilogy; The Judas Syndrome wants to scare your children into change with a new picture book.

“The guns reminded me this was just an attempt to punch holes in the darkness that enveloped us now.” This quote was taken from book one of Michael Poeltl’s dystopian trilogy, The Judas Syndrome. It’s easy to recognize the dark themes which accompany many of his fictional works once you’ve read more than one. In book three of the series, another candid notion leaks into the storyline suggesting; “Life is a gift, and should be cherished, lived and experienced. Though experience often reveals itself as pain in this world, it is still purposeful, it still has its place in the evolution of our spirit.” In another, stand-alone book from the author: Her Past’s Present, this quote appears: “In such a person, sadness breeds purpose; finding inspiration in the darkness and oftentimes, I believe, they will impress a hell onto their own lives in order to re-create it, that others might suffer the experience from the comfort of their armchairs.”

Poeltl has a way of getting into your head with his novels and, as a trained illustrator, has taken a shot at a children’s book in the same genre as his popular Judas Syndrome trilogy: Post-Apocalyptic / Dystopian fiction.

“There needs to be more awareness focused on our environmental crisis,” Poeltl says, “and though my own daughter is learning about what she can do in school to prevent an end to our way of life, she isn’t being shown that end.”

So, Poeltl decided to show her, and every other kid out there just how bleak the world will become if they don’t take action now. “We all have a favourite book from when we were kids which held a hard lesson. I remember mine.” Poeltl explains. “With this book, I wanted to revisit that classic fairy-tale type ending where things don’t go right. Trauma, I’ve found, is an excellent trigger for change.”

The story, entitled An Angry Earth, has been treated as a children’s book with pen and ink illustrations gracing every page. Poeltl admits it is his favourite medium to work in when illustrating. Images of sea turtles being speared and their shells drilled to produce an inky black liquid allowed Poeltl to use his learned interpretive illustration techniques while getting his point across with some straightforward text.

The book is dedicated to his daughter and nieces who – Poeltl says – will experience the negative effects of global climate change the rest of their lives if nothing is done to stop it. Then, a short, yet enticing history of the world turtle begins the book. Poeltl interprets the world turtle as a metaphor,  indicating the world is alive. The overwhelming message is that there are consequences for your actions, as well as your inactions as explained through an 11-year-old boy who is tasked to write down each terrible plight upon the world as it happens.

Pick up the book, and if you’d rather not, pick up some garbage. Poeltl hopes An Angry Earth sparks engagement with his audience. “Some evenings and lunch hours I will take a few bags and walk the shoreline or a park or forest picking up trash of all manner,” Poeltl says. “It’s not enough to count on others to do what needs to be done. We all have to pitch in. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be an example for your children. It’s the most serious topic of our time. I’m not a cynic, I’m a realist employing a pessimist’s lesson to encourage positive action.”

An Angry Earth is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.

Find Michael Poeltl’s Author Profile showcasing all of his books, a blog and photos from previous works.

Connect with Poeltl on Facebook and Youtube to see his latest MEMEs, videos and book trailers.

Teaching Reincarnation Through Story Telling.

We all want to accomplish something of worth in our lives, right? Something more than just making money. I want to help my audience change their world. Enlighten you to your inner truth. 

Reincarnation is that for me. I know it’s that for you too. That’s who I write for. You. Whether you recognize it or not, you’re curious. In my opinion, there is nothing more reassuring in this life than knowing everything I do will affect my next life.

I’ve seen what the Catholic church and every division of that church offers as I was baptised and congregated in the Lutheran faith. It’s all fear-based. Fear of going to Hell. Guilt for being human. It’s not a good place to start. Since leaving that idea of one life to live behind, I found new reasons to get excited through living rather than worrying about dying. So many more faiths believe in an immortal soul that revisits the human experience to learn and love and live in peace. We rarely have the opportunity to live like that the first, second or even third time here. So we are given limitless opportunities to learn and better ourselves and those we interact with through actively living our experiences and then graduating to a higher level.

I have included reincarnation into many of my books as a theme because I feel it is my purpose to share information about it through story. It took me until my 20’s to truly branch out and find my voice and the voice that spoke to me.  I’ve always been a spiritual person, but the Christian faith crumbles quickly when you begin to question it. Reincarnation, however, just makes sense. I believe we’re spiritual beings having a human experience. I’ve connected with energy and know that I am energy and that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. That’s science. Put science and spirituality together and you come out the other end with reincarnation. Our energy is our consciousness and vice versa.

So, why am I telling you all this? I’m connecting to you, my reader or potential reader. We share a common belief. Whether reincarnation is the main theme or an underlying theme to my stories, it is often included to further embed this reality. The Judas Syndrome trilogy sees reincarnation in action in a post-apocalyptic setting. The A.I. Insurrection sci-fi series deals with reincarnation in intelligent androids. Her Past’s Present takes a young woman’s trauma to realize reincarnation when she meets a man claiming to know her from another life. Each of these books deals with the theme in different ways, but the end result always offers proof.

I know if you haven’t already read one of these, that you will enjoy the experience. Each reinforces the truth of reincarnation in their own way. We believe what we believe because we are compelled to believe it. That for me offers much of what makes it real for me. That and I’ve spent three hours with a past life therapist and lived three lives through the experience. It was all at once upsetting, yet enlightening. Since then I have read and researched the subject and written many books.  So, if you’re looking for some relatable reads, you’ll find them in my library.

Happy reading.