I began life in the Southern California city of San Gabriel in the late 1940’s. I was the oldest of two sons. My father and mother lived through the depression of the 1930s, married during World War II, and then built their lives together when the war ended. After establishing themselves in their work fields, my father became the head of a paint shop, while my mother was the payroll manager of a machine shop during the mid-1950s.

Our family was part of a greater Hispanic community. I grew up as part of a large extended family who enjoyed spending time together. Our parents taught us a variety of types of games we could play with each other. As I grew older, my father taught me card games, checkers, chess and backgammon, for example. My love of playing cards carried over into my adult life.

After finishing college, I worked at various jobs for Los Angeles County that involved using statistics in human resources, anti-poverty programs, and in health research work. My love of numbers and puzzles helped me in my work. While at home, I learned from some friends how to play new card games including that of hearts.

My wife and I liked to tell stories to our two children. This led to both of us deciding to write a book . After I retired from the State of California, I took an interest in writing another book about new strategies I developed for playing the game of Hearts. I hope you gain from reading this book at least as much as I did from writing it.

My wife and I currently live in Sacramento, California