Four Minute Warning by M J Tolley
The book follows a 14 year old boy who suddenly suffers a massive brain haemorrhage and collapses, going from a healthy teenage boy without a care in the world to almost dying on the kitchen floor in just four minutes.

The story follows his initial fight for survival; slowly regaining his memory and awareness of his surroundings, relearning how to communicate and overcoming the paralysis to be able to walk and use his hands again (so that he can play his computer games again mainly!), while dealing with the trials and tribulations of teenage life too.

Think "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" meets "Secret Diary of Adrian Mole" and you get the sort of gist of it.

I guess it's the book I am most familiar with, and has had the most impact on my life. Mainly because I wrote it, and that boy was me.

I've written articles and things for stroke magazines and newspapers, but I was always forced to heavily edit what I wanted to say into a few column inches. I wanted to write my story in full and while I never planned to write a whole novel, one day I wrote a sample chapter (the bit where I describe the four minutes), then showing it to some friends and my sister who encouraged me to keep writing. It ended up taking three years but was released in 2010 and has had a fair bit of positive feedback. It's sold dozens of copies so far and has got me on BBC radio, in newspapers and guest speaker appearances which hopefully helps raise the profile of young stroke survivors.

I know it'll never be a best seller of course but I'm still looking for a proper publisher who might give it a go. In the meantime it's available via Lulu at the moment in paperback, PDF and on the iBookstore if anyone's interested. I'm donating 20% of my royalties Different Strokes and The Stroke Association so it's going to help other stroke survivors.

www.lulu.com/product/paperback/four-minute-warning/14020890 (link to paperback version)

itunes.apple.com/us/book/four-minute-warning/id443928547?mt=11

Sorry for the spam, but it'd be rude not to mention it in this week's QOTW...

PS: If anyone here is thinking about writing a book, just get on and write it - even if it only gets self published. The feeling you get when you see your words in print is awesome!
( h3donist tryin' to play me out as if my name is Sega.., Fri 6 Jan 2012, 11:44, 3 replies)

I'd like to post
some sneery comment, here, but I can't.

Good work, fella!

Come to think of it:
play his computer games wank, furiously
Well, you were 14.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 11:49, closed)

Are you sure rehab was JUST to play computer games?
Seriously though, more power to your elbow (fnarr). How's the physical functioning now? Your cognitive skills are obviously all the way back.

^
(all my scars face forward possesses 2.5% of a hyperalloy combat chassis, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 11:53, closed)

Apart from some balance issues and I drag my right foot quite a bit, I'm fine now, cheers
I've been very lucky to make a lot of progress with my recovery, especially compared to other survivors I know. I'm not very good with precision finger work with stuff like carpentry but I'm able to drive and press buttons on a gamepad which is enough for me :)
( h3donist tryin' to play me out as if my name is Sega.., Fri 6 Jan 2012, 11:59, closed)