Volume 6- Issue 9, September 2007
Published by
Llumina Press
Jason McElwain inspires writer to publish manuscript
In the fall of 2006, Donch began toying with the idea of writing. “When I was a boy,” Donch recalls, “I loved reading books. Back then, there just wasn’t much to do in the way of entertainment. We had a TV, but only a couple of channels to choose from—nothing like the variety of today. So, I read books. My favorite genres were sci-fi and thrillers. When I was eleven or twelve, I wanted to try writing my own thrillers, and secretly began writing a vampire story in a notebook, which I kept hidden under my bed. I didn’t want anyone in my family to know about my work, and became quite embarrassed when my mother discovered and read it. Even though she expressed her support for what I was doing, I was still embarrassed, and immediately discontinued my writing efforts.”
It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that Donch attempted writing again. “I had become very bored and discontent with my job, and hadn’t had much success in getting my small businesses off the ground. I was looking for something new to try, when it occurred to me I should try writing, just for the heck of it”.
But what should he write about? The answer came quickly and easily. Donch’s own autistic son, Nathaniel, whose youth league baseball career had been the center of his attention and the source of great pride and hope for his son’s future, was destined to become the subject of his first work as a writer. His wife, Johanna, was all for it. Two months later, Dave completed his manuscript.
What happened next is a story in itself, and portrays the challenges faced by many first time authors. Dave wasn’t sure that his son’s story would be one that many people would want to read. He decided to submit the idea to some literary agents and publishers for their opinion. Nobody was interested, except some publishers who will print anything, for a fee. He thought for sure that some autism specialty publishers would love the story. For weeks, he anxiously awaited a reply from Jessica Kingsley Publishers after submitting his book’s storyline, only to be informed that “We aren’t accepting any more parents’ accounts at this time”.
The manuscript sat dormant for a while, and Dave had decided there was probably no strong interest in a story such as this. He doubted it was even worth publishing. He’d considered self-publishing, but the costs were prohibitive. The family was already struggling financially, not having recovered from Johanna’s recent battle with thyroid cancer.
Then it happened. When the footage of Jason McElwain hit the news, David was excited over the overwhelming support and recognition for this young man, and began to realize the possibilities for his own son’s future, if only the strong community support for Jason could be made to come alive for the rest of our children on the autism spectrum. David, more than anything, desires for Nathaniel to be taken seriously as a student and an athlete, and to get whatever help necessary in order that his son might someday graduate from high school and take to the baseball field at the college and perhaps even the professional level.
Donch’s novel, “Beast” http://www.BeastTheNovel.com, was published by Llumina Press; a selective self-publishing company. It’s the product of his desire to raise public awareness and support for individuals with autism. There is much work to do in improving the outlook for individuals with autism. Dave hopes that success stories like those of Jason and Nathaniel will compel society to work harder at getting it done.