A twelve-year-old named Drew Patchin sold more than 2,000 copies of his first book in four months, in all fifty states.
He wrote it while fighting brain cancer for the fifth time. Marshmallow Can Do Hard Things is about a narwhal who’s scared of hard things and learns to make a plan—which is exactly what Drew did, with his mom’s help, to get through IVs and brain surgeries. He did author visits. He gave every dollar away to a St. Louis pediatric cancer nonprofit he picked himself.
Drew was diagnosed with anaplastic ependymoma at six and a half. He fought it five times over six and a half years. He died on January 1st of this year, at twelve.
I’ve been writing thrillers for a few years now. I don’t think I’ve done anything with a book that Drew didn’t do better, faster, and with more at stake.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. My second novel, Beyond Control, releases December 10th, and I’ve partnered with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to make this launch about more than selling books. Drew is the child I’m honoring.
Here’s the commitment. For every preorder of Beyond Control placed between September 1 and December 10, I’ll personally donate $2 to St. Baldrick’s for childhood cancer research—twice what I expect to earn in royalties on each copy. I’m committing at least $5,000 of my own money regardless of how preorders go. My pledge caps at $25,000, though the fundraiser itself has no limit. Our campaign goal is $10,000.
And if you only do one thing after reading this, buy Drew’s book instead of mine. It’s $15, it’s written for kids 4 to 8, and the proceeds still go to the cause he chose. https://www.amazon.com/Marshmallow-Can-Do-Hard-Things/dp/1633087689
Preorder Beyond Control: https://brandonkellerbooks.com/books/beyond-control/
Donate to our St. Baldrick’s fundraiser above.
The reason I’m doing this is simple: research needs to move faster so that fewer families lose a child to cancer. That’s what the money is for.
#DrewsCrew #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth #StBaldricks #BeyondControl
