“Flesh & Bones” a bestselling Jake Lassiter thriller, is now an e-book priced at 99 cents for a short time. Author Paul Levine explains why he has pledged all royalties to childhood cancer treatment.
Paul Levine:
In the United States today, one in 300 children will be diagnosed with some form of cancer. All of us have friends or family members who have fought that grueling battle. These days, with great advances in medicine, there’s a increasing chance the fight has been successful.
Yet, progress seems excruciatingly slow for those on the front lines.
A few years ago, one of my dearest friends, the godfather of my son, lost his daughter Margaux to Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare but vicious bone cancer. Another friend, a well-known author, has lost both a child and a grandchild to the disease. The survival rate for Ewing’s sarcoma that metastasizes is a disheartening 10 per cent.
Ten per cent!
In this age of medical miracles, how can that be?
After Margaux’s death at age 14, I dedicated a book to her. Such a feeble gesture. I wanted to do more. Still do. Here’s how.
“Flesh & Bones,” a legal thriller in which Jake Lassiter falls for his client, a woman who may have murdered her own father, was published internationally to wide acclaim in 1997. Out of print for many years, it’s now a 99-cent e-book, with all proceeds going to the Four Diamonds Fund, a charity that pays for treatment of pediatric cancer patients at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.
This is my second venture into publishing for charity. Last summer, my first novel, “To Speak for the Dead,” was brought out of retirement as an e-book and produced thousands of dollars for the Four Diamonds Fund. That book introduced the world to Jake Lassiter, a linebacker-turned-lawyer who searches for justice but seldom finds it.
Penn State students have adopted the Four Diamonds Fund as their cause and have contributed an astonishing $78 million through their annual dance marathon, which goes by the slogan: “For the Kids.” This year’s event raised more than $9 million alone.
One more thing. If each of us can contribute – just a bit – we may help do something everlasting “for the kids” by conquering childhood cancer.
“Flesh & Bones,” priced at 99 cents for a short time, is available on Kindle, Nook, and at Smashwords. More information on Paul Levine’s Website.
1 comment:
I would just like to personally thank you for your contribution to the Four Diamonds Fund. I am currently involved with Penn State's THON and when I see individuals making even the smallest contributions, it reassures my belief that someday, pediatric cancer will be gone.
If you ever want to see a lifechanging event, consider attending THON which will be held February 17-19, 2012. Thank you again for your help.
For The Kids!
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