JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Sally Hunter, author of You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down
(Lulu)
Geoff was a senior bank manager when he was laid low by Parkinson’s Disease. In desperation, he turned to brain surgery, Deep Brain Stimulation, even though this meant staying awake during the operation. The surgery turned his life around.
The story commences in Geoff’s childhood and contains many humorous anecdotes. It also includes medical information and a chapter about a possible role for arsenic based sheep dip in causing Geoff’s Parkinson’s.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down”?
Sally Hunter: I met Geoff at a support group for people who had undergone Deep Brain Stimulation. I also care for someone in that category, so I understood what he had been through, both with Parkinson’s and with the surgery.
JP: What sets “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down” apart from other books in the same genre?
SH: “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down” has brief but accurate, cutting edge information about the causes and mechanisms of Parkinson’s. It also mentions possible new treatments and preventative strategies.
My book also has quotations, with permission, from Oliver Sacks’ book “Awakenings”. These give further personal insights into the experience of Parkinson’s.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down” getting out to the public?
SH: I have support groups for people with Parkinson’s. I have also appeared in the press and on radio talking about “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down”. I also have a strong presence in a number of different kinds of social media.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down”?
SH: During writing of “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down”, Geoff was living in a remote, outback town in Australia, known as Coober Pedy. This is a place where most people live underground to escape the extreme heat, and people of many nationalities mine opals.
He came to the city once a month, which is when I interviewed him. In between visits, I wrote up the interviews and conducted research. It took 2-3 years to write “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down”.
JP: What’s next for Sally Hunter?
SH: My next book called “Sea Love” will be a surreal story of the relationship between two women who live in the ocean. The plants, fish and animals of all the different aspects of the ocean will feature strongly in the story.
http://www.facebook.com/SallyHunterspage
http://www.facebook.com/sally.hunter75685
Deep Brain Stimulation is helpful for several conditions besides Parkinson’s. These include tremor, dystonia, chronic pain, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and possibly epilepsy.
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