Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Pitching In for a Good Cause. David Farland Needs Your Help.

I have decided that April is the month I finish my Depression book. I've been working on it long enough, and now that my health is returning to me I would like to make a big push to make up for lost time. I'll still post here throughout the month, but the articles will be shorter than usual. I ask for your patience and support. You can follow my progress on Twitter or Path.

Today's post is a departure for me. Somebody I know needs your help, but it's help that might benefit you. An associate of mine, author David Farland, has suffered a family tragedy lately. His son, Ben, had a very severe sports accident that nearly cost him his life. In fact, he is still struggling in the hospital today. Ben's bout with death has generated a hospital bill estimated to be in the millions. As a writer, Dave doesn't have health insurance, so he is turning to his readers for help. He needs them to buy one of two books today. Read on for the details.

I've known Dave for over twenty years. I can't say we're good friends, but I knew him when he was still Dave Wolverton. I remember fondly a conversation with him I once had. I don't recall how I came upon his phone number, but I had both it and ADHD, so I called him up on impulse. I discussed, of all things, a story by Orson Scott Card. I wanted to know what Dave thought of it. We talked about a lot of things, including his time as a security guard at the prison at the point of the mountain here in Utah. He had to wear a beard by order of the warden, but the beard didn't go over well with some of the folks at church. This was the late 80s and beards were taboo in the LDS church then, despite the one on Jesus' face.

I don't know what Dave made of our odd conversation, but it impressed upon me deeply how real and grounded he was as a person. I've kept in touch with him over the years, and when I had a chance to chat with him at a writers conference three years ago, he was just as pleasant and patient—just as grounded. My heart really goes out to him at this time.

To help generate funds, Dave is having a book bomb today. Everyone supporting the book bomb agrees to purchase one of two books by Dave today. This will hopefully launch the books into the top sales rankings where they'll be noticed by other readers, thus generating even more sales.

Please consider pitching in and treating yourself to either Nightingale, a work of contemporary fantasy, or Million Dollar Outlines, a book on the writing craft. You can read more about the books and the book bomb here, or click on the individual links and just buy them. I'll be buying the enhanced iPad edition with soundtrack and animations, along with the book on writing. I've been meaning to get them for some time, so this is a great day to do it. Hopefully, you'll end up with a book you enjoy as well, and help Dave and his family out during this trying time. Thank you for your generosity.