Revival
I'm so excited to welcome that wonderful bald guy with whom I share virtual DNA...
My cyber-brother, Mark Koopmans, is here today!
Like, any good cyber-sister, I HAVE very embarrassing pictures of Mark I could share with the world.
But, as a good friend, I won't post them today.
I'll post them Friday, but not today. Today is Mark's big day!
He gets to share his wonderful book with the world.
Revival is a wonderful book. Donald's story interesting, uplifting, and inspiring. Mark's story telling is energetic and entertaining with large doses of humor and plenty of profound, poignant thought (that must have been Donald's influence).
Now, here's Mark!!
Aloha,
So who exactly is
Donald Braswell?
When I first met Donald (via a phone call) it was 2008,
and I worked as a staff writer for a San Antonio-area newspaper. Truth be told,
my only thought about chatting with Donald was hey, he’s on America’s Got Talent—and that should
make for an interesting feature.
We chatted for about twenty minutes, but after I switched
off the recorder, we spoke for another 45 minutes longer, which is something I never did before, and have never done
since. (I had daily deadlines in those days, and time was precious!)
However, as Donald shared the background to his story,
I instinctively knew that I wanted to write more about this man and share his
amazing inspirational story with others.
The rest, as they say, is history, or in this case, his story.
REVIVAL has grown from a germ of an idea to a labor of
love that I hope will inspire so many others to “follow that dream,” as Donald
always says.
Donald has a short bio below, but I hope you’ll read the
book and learn so much more about the man, the husband and the father behind
the voice that thrilled millions. You won’t be bored, I promise.
Thanks
again to Liz, for letting me stop by, and to everyone who’s supported me over
these last couple of years.
Has anyone inspired you to Follow That Dream?
Tomorrow is Insecure Writers’ Support Day, so I’ll be
over at the small, quiet blog run by the one and only Alex J. Cavanaugh.
Blurb:
From Juilliard to
jumper cables; from wasting all the talent in the world to America's Got
Talent, REVIVAL—The
Donald Braswell Story is a memoir about the "Texas
Tenor" who lost his voice in a random accident, but finds his calling
through faith—and a musical miracle.
###
Buy
Links:
###
Bios:
Donald Braswell II
is an American actor, classical crossover tenor and composer. Braswell was on a
fast track to become an internationally acclaimed opera singer when he suffered
a car accident in 1995 that made him unable to speak for almost two years.
After that, he lived a quiet life outside of the spotlight until his appearance
on the 2008 season of America’s Got Talent where he was a Top 5 finalist, which
gave him another chance at a career in entertainment. Since then, he has
entertained audiences both internationally as well as shore to shore in the
United States in concerts, television appearances, inspirational speaking and
radio. Donald has recorded four studio albums and has an international fan club
with followers in more than 25 countries.
Donald is a testament to
the powers of the human spirit in difficult times and he inspires all who come
to know him.
Learn more about Donald’s story via this 6-min YouTube clip
showing his awe-inspiring first audition on America’s
Got Talent.
###
Mark Koopmans
is originally from Ireland. After working in Holland, Spain, France and
England, he won his U.S. “Green Card” in 1994, and is an American by choice
since 2003. Koopmans began his writing career with a feature for a regional
magazine in California. Since then, he’s worked as a staff writer for
newspapers in Florida and Texas. Koopmans is also a proficient blogger and is
working on his next book, a novel. Koopmans lives in Virginia and is a married,
stay-at-home dad to three active boys under the age of nine. He writes at
night.
Find Mark’s blog at MarkKoopmans.blogspot.com
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