Victor Aquista, physician, author, and fellow Mystery Writers of America member, has a wonderful podcast program called Pdfobler Productions which features selections from various authors’ work. Victor recently chose my medical thriller Silent Survivor, recording the Prologue and First Chapter. Click and take a listen.
Although the voice (Victor’s) is different from the Audiobook’s narrator (Laura Mooney Wills), I think it is a wonderful rendition.
Did you know that up until 1980, vets who served in our two World Wars, Korea and even Vietnam were said to suffer from “shell shock” – a condition that received very little attention.
It too 4 decades before the condition Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was introduced into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). PTSD is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or other anxiety disorders. Typical symptoms include hyper-vigilance, emotional numbness and recurring flashbacks.
According to experts, as many as 30 percent of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have PTSD. Many are reluctant to talk about it. Secrecy and shame have resulted in a virtual epidemic of suicides attributed to the disorder. Hard to believe, but since 2001, more US service members have taken their own lives than have died in combat!!
In 2012, a US Office of Veterans Affairs (VA) study found that on average, 22 US military vets commit suicide everyday. Incredible!!
The Veterans’ Crisis Center in Canandaigua, New York is the only call center in the US serving vets in crisis. Employing 250 responders, 25 percent of whom are veterans themselves, the center receives over 22,000 calls each month.
Because there is such a great need to help the brave men and women who volunteered to fight for our country, every dollar from sales of Silent Survivor will be donated to charities that help veterans with PTSD and their families.