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Brain Go BOOM!
Author/Survivor: John Cooper
Chapter 45: You Need to Write a Book, John
S
everal friends and family members told me I needed to write a book and share my story. I
couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea. Me write a book? I didn’t think that my story
differed from other survivors of a traumatic life-changing event. I’d never written a book before
and wouldn’t even know where to start. Why should I throw all of my dirty laundry out for
everyone to read? I shelved the idea and wasn’t particularly interested in writing a book…
…Until M came home from school with a book she had written. The sturdy-bound book
was a collection of short stories she had written throughout the school year. The school binds it
and laminates the cover; it looked professionally put together. I was blown away by with her
talented writing skills and her dramatic, in-depth, detailed stories. Reading her book motivated
me and gave me the incentive I desperately needed to start writing Brain Go BOOM!. Thanks
babe, you are my sunshine!
My goals for this book have changed. My original goal was to only share my story with
my family and friends. Then my goals expanded to wanting to share my story with other
aneurysm victims and their family members to help victims realize that they were saved and
they, too, could be survivors and not live as victims. During my numerous daily rests, I would
see countless commercials for the Wounded Warrior Project. Every Wounded Warrior Project
commercial produced blubbering outbreaks and tears from me. And then all of a sudden it
became obviously clear as to what I wanted and needed to do next.
I don’t have fantasies of Brain Go BOOM! selling a million copies or being on the New
York Times bestseller list, as this is my first self-published book (or will it?). With my limited
funds and inability to keep tabs on publication, sales, tracking and distribution, my mission was
simple: have people donate directly to The Wounded Warrior Project.
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