Paul Stanley Archives - Paul Stanley

Book Preview: Chapter 7 – Deceit & Delivery

Editors Note: This is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, The Extortion of Forgiveness. The text messages contained in this chapter were taken from evidence the TBI obtained from cellular phone records and were given to the District Attorney's office for evidence. The individuals below are myself, Paul Stanley, McKensie Morrison, the intern who was assigned to my office and Joel Watts, her boyfriend at the time who later plea guilty to an extortion felony charge. TBI Director Mark Gwyn and Agent Doug Long are also referenced. Chapter 7 - Deceit & Delivery It was time to move this process along and Agent Long and his team were waiting for me. Director Gwyn and I said good-bye and I thanked him for his help. Knowing this would most likely see the front page of a paper; I felt some sense of relief in realizing my options were clearly defined. Agent Long met me as I walked out of the director’s office and led me back to the same conference room we were in the day before. It was business as usual for the agents – just another sting operation that would likely result in an arrest and conviction. [...]

By Paul Stanley|2017-02-16T11:11:43-06:00February 16th, 2017|My Blog Post|Comments Off

Chapter 2 – The Perfect Couple

Below are excerpts from my upcoming book, The Extortion of Forgiveness: "August twenty-second of 1998 was a perfect day for a perfect couple. I stood with my closest family and friends, about to make Kristi my wife—not far from the cramped, campaign office in "Old Germantown" where we'd first met. We were about to exchange vows—in sickness and in health—for better or for worse. I knew what better meant, but worse – that I could not imagine. Not that day. Yet the vows we made before God ended up making us face the ultimate test, when “worse” would be defined years later." "Where exactly did our ball of yarn - our marriage begin to unwind? That’s hard to say, but my lack of patience and inflated expectations of how our life should have been scarred and wounded both of us. Instead of light scratches, our injuries turned into deeper wounds, the kind that are hard to heal and easy to reopen and inflict greater damage each time. Maybe it was my constant pursuit to build a perfect life on an imperfect foundation, with imperfect materials, all handled by imperfect people."

By Paul Stanley|2016-06-21T11:11:52-05:00June 21st, 2016|My Blog Post|Comments Off

The Extortion of Forgiveness – Chapter 1 – Political Seeds

Author's Note: If you haven't done so already, read the prologue to the story here. The entire book will be released soon but because so many have asked, here is another chapter. Chapter 1 - Political Seeds I’m not sure who first coined the well-known phrase, “You can’t take the politics out of politics,” but I’ve repeated it thousands of times. Like it or not, politics plays a pivotal role in our daily lives, and for those of us who choose to be involved, it’s a lifestyle — not an occupation. My immediate family was always politically engaged despite the fact neither of my parents held elected office or were involved in day-to-day political activities. My paternal great-grandfather, W.D. Jopling, nicknamed “The Old Red Fox,” held multiple offices in McNairy County, Tenn., concurrently in the mid to late 1800s, serving as Constable and Justice of the Peace. He was the Brigadier General of the local confederate militia from 1860-1862, however, after the battle of Shiloh, Union troops occupied most of Tennessee for the remainder of the war. Blessed to be born and raised in the South, I originate from a long line of what were commonly known as “Dixiecrats,” [...]

By Paul Stanley|2016-05-26T17:21:33-05:00May 26th, 2016|My Blog Post|1 Comment

The Extortion of Forgiveness: Prologue – The Beginning of the End

Authors Note: This is the Prologue of my book, The Extortion of Forgiveness. As the chapter title explains, it was a beginning in many senses, as well as an end. It's been over six and a half years since I typed the first word but now I believe I've found a stopping point - not an end - but a place to stop and rest. I hope you enjoy and feel free to share the link to my website. I'll have the following chapters out soon. *** The Tennessee state capitol sits at the highest elevation point in downtown Nashville. Its strategic location used by Union soldiers during the War Between the States remains the center of political power in Tennessee. Its commanding structure boasts stone columns and ornate marble floors—something its architect, William Strickland, was so enamored with he insisted on being buried within its walls upon his death. I dreamed of serving in the capitol for many years; its historic sense of wonder was never lost on me even as I made the weekly 200-mile drive from Memphis to Nashville. I still got goose bumps whenever it came into view. In April 2009, I was in the middle [...]

By Paul Stanley|2016-05-24T08:23:04-05:00May 24th, 2016|My Blog Post|Comments Off

Lessons Learned From February 17th

February 17 has turned out to be a significant day in my life. It doesn’t rate as high as the birth of Jesus my birthday or the birth of my children, but through the years much happened on this particular cold and dreary day that has helped shape my life. Below are some of the significant events and the lessons from this day I’ve learned. Events: February 17, 1898 – my maternal grandmother, Pearl Roan, was born in Eva, Alabama. She passed away of cancer when I was 12 and from her I inherited my black hair (now salt & pepper) a desire to open presents early only to expect another on the actual present-giving day and the desire to pinch pieces of chocolate to see what’s inside before eating one. February 17, 1980 – one of my best friends during our senior year in high school, Michael Franks, died in a tragic accident when his truck hit a tree on his way home. We had been hanging out at a friend’s house and unlike most of us, he had not had a single beer, as was our routine on a small town Saturday night. However, it was me who [...]

By Paul Stanley|2016-02-18T11:41:28-06:00February 18th, 2016|My Blog Post|Comments Off