Amanda Ranch: Paradise ... or Purgatory? (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781508543725)

Paul Hastings graduated from the University of Illinois as a theater major in 1970. He worked in Washington, DC and Philadelphia as a set designer, director and occasional actor. After a couple of showcases acting jobs in New York (until his unemployment ran out) he found his way into corporate training, as a facilitator and writer for a number of companies including the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) in Chicago. In the 1990's his corporate work and theater background led to video production where he worked as a producer, script writer, on-screen narrator, and editor. Writing was sporadic and slow in coming. In 1970 his first play GOODNIGHT GEORGE; GOODNIGHT GREGORY was produced at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois. In the 1990's he received a grant from the Delaware State Arts Council for his one-act YOUNG GOD. His love of characters and the way they speak and use language to both reveal and hide their intentions and feelings has always been a fascination. Paul is relieved to have found the perfect outlet for that interest - writing. He summarizes his reasons this way: You are limited only by your imagination and energy, you can initiate the work on your own (unlike actors who must be chosen by directors) and you have direct access to the audience/readers. It is also a way to make sense of your life. In 2005, he and his wife moved from Delaware to Arizona where they both taught English as a Second Language for eight years. In 2013, seeking a new adventure, they retired and moved to Costa Rica on the western slope of Poas Volcano. Here they now live with their three dogs, two horses and two new kitties named Umberto (Bert) and Ernestina (Ernie).