I joined a friend of mine on a walk one day

According to me, this blog is supposed to be about mystery and thriller, but when you are asked to write something about an old friend and his book how can you say no?

I met Michael Antcliffe a long time ago - I think I was twelve and he eleven – when the powers that be saw to our two grades being stuck together at Whitefish Valley.  Somehow we became friends for that short school year – I’m betting it had something to do with G.I. Joe’s.  I slept over at his house, we played soldier in a tree fort, and got chased by his big brother after shouting off our youthful mouths – we were on bikes and he was walking so I, still to this day, don’t know why we pulled into that bush road and got off our bikes.  After that year we were never in the same class again, but if we saw each other in the halls of elementary school or in the cafeteria at the high school we both went to we still said hi and asked how the other was doing.  I’m pretty sure we played Dungeons and Dragons together sometime, but don’t quote me on that.

So in the spring of 2012 I was surprised to see that Mike was putting out a book.  I had been writing since I was 10 and trying to get books published so at first I went, “what the hell!!  How dare he steal my thunder.”  Then I realised what his book was about.  “Wait, my old friend has cancer?  But he’s younger than I am.”  So then I felt like crap.  Yes, I was an ass.

As far as I know he is my first friend to fight with cancer.  You get to a certain age I guess when you have to look at your life, what you’ve accomplished, and what time you have left.

Mike did the best he could.  He got people on Facebook to join him in talking about his cancer and

pledging to help raise money to fight this disease.  And from those conversations he, and his friend Stacey, came up with a book, You’ll Never Guess Who’s Dying FromCancer.  Hope is my Wingman is the next evolutionary stage of that book.  It’s very inspirational when you can read about how he met the challenge of a lifetime with dignity, grace, a little bit of laughter, and strength.  He touched a lot of people before losing his battle.

It was my old friend who gave me the idea of publishing my novel.  Before seeing his and talking to him about it I hadn’t really heard of epublishing and all that.  I’m more than happy to be part of the blog tour for his book, Hope is my Wingman.

I made the point on this past New Years to look at what he wrote.  I like to read it once in a while to keep my spirits up.  I know it may be strange to quote something from New Years here in July, but it's my blog so I'll do what I want to.

"Happy New Year facebook world.  I hope you are all safe and happily surrounded by friends and family.  All other resolutions aside, this year resolve to be happy, to make priority of family and friends and to fear nothing in this world.  Make 2012 the year you make your own happiness and question what you have taken for granted.  I love you guys and thank you for the courage of walking this path with me.  Peace!"

 It will officially be available on August 19th

Here are your chances to win stuff now.  Through the blog tour you have the chance of winning ebook copies, actual physical copies, and a Kindle Paperwhite.  Good luck.

 

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