Alive Day GIVEAWAY!! CLOSED

This giveaway is now CLOSED! Congratulations to Jayne for winning. Jayne was chosen as the winner via random.org.

Alive Day

A Story of Love and Loyalty

By Tom Sullivan and Betty White

Based in part on a true story, Alive Day is an inspiring, affirming tale about the power of love, loyalty, and living full-out.

A Marine's "Alive Day" celebrates the survival after an almost certain death. It's a time of hope and joy.

But Antwone Carver isn't celebrating. Home from war but not quite whole, Antwone's having trouble dealing with his new physical limitations.

Psychiatrist Brenden McCarthy can relate. He thought he'd lost everything when he was blinded in a mountain climbing accident. But with God's help, he's now living a satisfying life and feels called to help Antwone do the same. Problem is, he's hit one dead end after another trying to reach this bitter young Marine.

Enter Brenden's big-hearted and courageous black Labrador, Nelson. With boundless energy, contagious optimism, and a big heart, Nelson shows them both what it means to live a truly abundant life.

The journey Brenden began in the heartwarming novel Together continues with Alive Day.

- information taken from the Harper Collins website

MY REVIEW

I have not read the prequel to this book and I think that would have been helpful... but overall it didn't effect my understanding of Alive Day. It is an easy read with a very positive message. I enjoyed it.


Q & A with the author...

Tom Sullivan, known to many as an actor, singer, entertainer, author, and producer was born prematurely in 1947 and given too much oxygen while in an incubator. Though it saved his life, it cost him his eyesight. Tom spent the early part of his career pursuing music and eventually gained national prominence with appearances on The Tonight Show, a major recording contract, and a steady stream of gigs in Las Vegas. From there he would head to TV as a special correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America while guest starring in Designing Women, Highway to Heaven, Fame, M.A.S.H, Mork & Mindy, and WKRP In Cincinnati. Tom has been nominated twice for Emmy Awards, is the only living recipient of the Helen Keller Lifetime Achievement Award, has spoken at over three thousand corporations and universities and has written nine books for children, youth, and adults.

Visit the official Tom Sullivan web site here!

Q: What sparked the idea for writing ALIVE DAY?

A: I wanted to place public focus on every American GI that is sacrificing on behalf of this Nation. Also, I wanted Brenden McCarthy to evolve both as a professional, and a person, and I believe we see his growth and maturation in these pages.


 
Q: How did you conduct research for ALIVE DAY, particularly the military angle?

A: First, I talked to public information officers at Marine Corp Bases, and gained access to wounded vets, their stories, and a number of clinical professionals to discuss PTSD. I also am fortunate to have two special friends very involved in VA issues. Senator Max Cleland is a Vietnam amputee who became Administrative Director for the VA, and has been invaluable in my knowledge pursuit. Also, my life was profoundly changed by a relationship with Clebe McClary, the most decorated, living Marine, who lost an eye and an arm while saving a Squad in Vietnam. Along with all of this, my daughter, Blythe, arranged for me to view a number of up-close documentaries on Iraq and Afghanistan wars…painful to watch, but helpful.


Q: How similar are you to Brenden? What are your major differences?

A: The principle difference between Brenden and Tom is that Brenden goes blind as an adult and has to adjust. Tom learned the drill right from the beginning, so it was much easier. Beyond that, Brenden’s personality is largely drawn from my own, especially his love of family, sports, music, and people.


Q: Just as losing his sight has sharpened the rest of Brenden’s senses, it has also brought to him a moral and emotional focus that is absent in characters like the perfectly able, but morally and emotionally shallow Dr. Craig. How much of your work on ALIVE DAY was meant to show the deepening of life through desolation?

A: The only way to find peace and growth as a human being is to have experienced the desolation of loneliness and loss. Very Tolstoy, very Freud. There is no question that Craig and Brenden are clear contrasts in medicine, and I did not back away from making this point because it is central to my feelings about what’s wrong with healthcare. We need Marcus Welby with a touch of Ben Casey. Those names go back a long way, but so do I.


 
Q: ALIVE DAY addresses many of the problems wounded soldiers are facing when returning from the war. Were you worried about covering such a controversial topic in your novel? What solutions do you feel need to be implemented in order to help correct these problems?

A: In writing “Alive Day,” I was very concerned about the credibility of the work. The truth is, how can any of us know what it feels like to go to war, lose friends, or experience being wounded and coming home if you haven’t participated yourself? The principle reason I was able to commit to the writing was because I felt that my knowledge of disability and clinical approach was important enough to let me take a chance and write the novel. Also, thanks to an eminent psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Schwartz, I communicated with him daily as I wrote the course of treatment for Antwone Carver, including all of the drug protocols. A novel is a work of fiction, but scrupulous attention to detail is necessary to maintain credibility, and I’m very proud of this work.


 Q: Antwone Carver replaced the false family of gang life with the Marines, but finds himself abandoned by the government after his injuries. In the end, it’s the people he learns to trust as he adjusts to his new life that become his real family. Was this a theme you worked to consciously develop, or did it grow naturally as you told the story?

A: This question is easy to answer in that I have an abiding faith in the goodness of the American people, and grave concerns when it comes to government intervention. The truth is, large bureaucracies though often well-intentioned, simply don’t work. I guess I’m a Jefferson Republican, and I suppose that bias affected the way I developed the characters and their engagement with the system. Let me hasten to say that I believe we are the most caring Nation on earth, and I treasure my role and my rights as a committed American citizen. So, don’t confuse where I’m coming from.



Q: Brenden explicitly voices his concerns that he might have trouble getting through to Antwone due to their racial differences. Did you have similar concerns about writing characters who came from different backgrounds than your own?

A: In Brenden’s conversation with Bad-news, Barnes in Chapter 9, he is asked by the big man if he is “color-blind.” Of course, he says. In my own case, I have no bias or prejudice, and my blindness allows me to be uniquely objective when writing racial character differences. Also, my life as an artist and an athlete has given me special insight into the nature of African American culture.



Q: Do you have a "Nelson" in your life?

A: His name is Edison, and he’s a 6 year old German Shepherd, but there was a Nelson who was my guide dog and black lab friend for nine years. So the profile of this marvellous dog is perfect.


 
Q: Brenden is honest with himself that he still has a hard time accepting certain aspects of being blind such as being reluctant to counsel disabled people. Did you have similar feelings even though you lost your sight as an infant? What advice would you give to other people who may be struggling with similar emotions?

A: It is very difficult to accept disability and more complicated to engage in supporting other people with the same struggle. The road to independence is difficult and until you come to terms with the idea that none of us are truly independent, but are inter-dependent, can we begin to interact openly on behalf of others with common issues.



Q: Kat and Darla are both strong women who are committed to their husbands, despite the difficulties caused by their husbands' disabilities. Who were your inspirations for these characters?

A: There is only one major inspiration in my life and it’s my wife of over 40 years, Patty. She has Darla’s appreciation of beauty, and Kat’s wit, strength, and sense of humor. Like Robert B. Parker and his wife, all my women are drawn from Patty’s character.



Q: If there is one take home message from ALIVE DAY, what would you want it to be?

A: Through faith, communication with others, and the astounding power of human beings to overcome adversity, any physical trauma or mental anxiety can be overcome by turning our disadvantages into advantages. “Alive Day” makes it clear that nothing can conquer the human spirit.


 
Q: What are you working on now? Would you like to share any details about your upcoming projects?

A: As I write this piece, I’ve begun the third novel in the Brenden series entitled “A Holy Spirit,” and I’m more excited about it than either of the first two works. It’s my greatest challenge as a writer, and the rest is a secret.

(thanks to the publisher for this interview)

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This giveaway will end on August 28 th, 2009. This giveaway is open to readers in Canada and the USA.

Don't forget to enter my other giveaways too:

Win Deadly Intent by Camy Tang HERE.
Win an aden + anais hooded towel set HERE.
Win The Unexpected Gift by Atha & Wagar HERE.
Win ready to eat meals from GoPicnic HERE.