Five Years to Live

Five Years to Live

Author: Frank Zaccari

Paperback: 254 pages (also available in audio and e-formats)

Publisher: CreateSpace (September, 2012)

Synposis:

It is the phone call every person prays they never receive. There has been an accident and your loved one is paralyzed. A spinal cord injury is the single most devastating and life altering event. Based on a true story, Michael and Donna were young, successful, in love and planning their life together. That life was radically changed by a tragic car accident. Now a wheelchair user as a quadriplegic, with limited movement, constant infections and multiple surgeries, doctors projected Michael’s best case life expectancy to be five years. See how this young couple battles through his injury and spends his five years making a lasting impact on hundreds of people. It will make you realize what can be accomplished when a person does not let circumstances dictate their life.

Frank Zaccari Talks About Writing

Q: Who would you like to meet if you could meet one author (dead or alive)

A: I don’t think I could or would want to limit myself to one author. I love authors who tell great stories. I have read every Sidney Sheldon book. He was an amazing story teller. I enjoy Jeffrey Archer’s ability to create intrigue and the ability that Mitch Albom, Nicholas Sparks and Tim Russert have to touch the reader’s heart.

Q: Why did you decide to take the plunge and write Five Years to Live?

A: This book is very personal to me and my family. My youngest brother Steve was paralyzed in car accident when he was 24 years old. This is an experience I hope and pray no other family endures. Shortly after the accident, my mother gave Steve a cassette recorder and told him to record his thoughts and emotions. Steve’s goal was to write a book from the patient’s perspective. He did record several hours of thoughts, but could never bring himself to write the book. He said reliving those terrible days would be too painful.

After I wrote my third book, Inside the Spaghetti Bowl, Steve said “Let’s give this a try. If it can help one person deal with this tragedy it will be worthwhile.” My parents, brothers and sisters all had our memories and experiences to draw upon, but to make this book as realistic as possible, Steve would have to revisit some very dark times. He listened to his tapes and the horror he thought he had left behind engulfed him. He went back to the moment his car flipped on the New Jersey turnpike. His emotions poured out as he recalled those critical moments where he teetered on the breaking point. Very few people have the courage to live through this experience and then go back and relive it in order to help others.

Q: What is the most difficult thing about writing? The most rewarding?

A: The most difficult thing about writing is to make the decision to start. I am shocked that I actually wrote four books. Like most people I often said, “I should write a book about this”, but never really believed I would find the inspiration, or take the time and effort to actual write a book. Three years ago when I started to write When the Wife Cheats (my first book) I was hooked. I love to tell a story so developing a story line is fairly easy. Weeding through what is and is not relevant for the story is a little more difficult. I have to keep asking myself is this scene or chapter important to the story. I completely despise the constant re-reading and proof reading. It seems I see what I wanted to say, not necessarily what is actually written on the page.

The most rewarding part is the exhilaration of holding the finished version of the book and seeing my name on the cover. Taking an idea, creating a story and seeing it through to completion is very rewarding. Hopefully, people will enjoy my books and I can become a full time author.

Q: Where will you be taking us in your next book?

A: I am not totally sure what will be next. One idea is to write a sequel to When the Wife Cheats. The idea is to revisit the main characters five years later and see how they have faced their demons and what their lives have become. Picking up the pieces and moving forward toward a new and hopefully better life is very difficult. Not everyone succeeds.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my family’s story Five Years to Live with you.

Visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001207722973. You can follow me on twitter at @FZaccari