Today I’m happy to welcome the author of Miracle Man, William R. Leibowitz, to my blog. You may have read the excerpt from his book I posted last month.
The Story Behind Miracle Man
by William R. Liebowitz
What inspired me to write Miracle Man? Three things, really.
Firstly, I wanted to tell a story about a real hero—not a celebrity, but a person who treasures and acts on important human values. A person who, in fact, is an anti-celebrity, in the sense that he pursues his selfless goals in virtual isolation. I think such a person would be inspirational in the times we live in –where baseless fame has seemingly become the chief goal of so many. The protagonist in Miracle Man, Robert James Austin, uses his extraordinary gifts selflessly to cure diseases. He doesn’t want adulation. He doesn’t want his picture to be on magazine covers and T-Shirts.
In my opinion, too much time and attention is heaped upon meritless celebrities who contribute nothing to society and have no talent other than the ability to garner media attention. I believe that this undermines the fabric of our society and sets a terrible example for today’s young people. We need a real modern day believable super- hero, who can be inspirational—and Robert James Austin is that guy.
Secondly, Miracle Man is a vehicle for me to convey, in an entertainment context, a humanistic message that’s very important to me –i.e., the sanctity of each individual human life and how the loss of just one person can have extraordinary ramifications. Throughout history —including current times, so many people have died needlessly. The world proceeds as if these casualties are just “numbers”. But I believe that the person who would have cured cancer was exterminated in a Concentration Camp during World War II. And what about the millions of Asians who were slaughtered in Cambodia and the millions of Africans in Uganda, Rwanda and the Sudan? —aside from the tragedy, I believe that some of these people would have made a contribution that changed the world. That’s why Miracle Man begins with the ancient quote from scriptures: “To destroy one life is to destroy an entire world and to save one life is to save an entire world.” When you read Miracle Man, the relevance of this quote will become very clear.
Thirdly, I wanted to get people thinking about a serious problem that affects us all. Just like Miracle Man’s Robert James Austin –I find it incomprehensible that virtually no major disease has been cured in over 50 years. How can that be the case when so much money has been spent over the decades on research? Simply put, there’s a lot more money to be made in treating symptoms than there is in curing diseases. Austin realized that Big Pharma has no interest in curing diseases. It just wants to keep selling expensive symptom treatments –and as we know, many people are on ‘medication maintenance programs’ for years. Austin wanted to change all of that –and that’s why be became Big Pharma’s worst nightmare in Miracle Man. I think people need to start asking questions. Big Pharma’s shenanigans are in the newspapers every day and it’s clear that they have scores of politicians in their pockets. Miracle Man, in an entertainment context, explores these issues.
About Miracle Man
REVERED REVILED REMARKABLE
The victim of an unspeakable crime, an infant rises to become a new type of superhero.
Unlike any that have come before him, he is not a fanciful creation of animators, he is real.
So begins the saga of Robert James Austin, the greatest genius in human history. But where did his extraordinary intelligence come from?
As agents of corporate greed vie with rabid anti-Western radicals to destroy him, an obsessive government leader launches a bizarre covert mission to exploit his intellect. Yet Austin’s greatest fear is not of this world.
Aided by two exceptional women, one of whom will become his unlikely lover, Austin struggles against abandonment and betrayal. But the forces that oppose him are more powerful than even he can understand.
About William R. Leibowitz
William R. Leibowitz has been practicing entertainment/media law in New York City for a number of years. He has represented numerous renowned recording artists, songwriters, producers and many of the leading record companies, talent managers, merchandisers and other notable entertainment businesses. At one point, he was the Chief Operating Officer/General Counsel for the Sanctuary Group of Companies, a U.K. public company that was the largest ‘indie’ music company in the world (prior to its acquisition by the Universal Music Group).
William has a Bachelor of Science degree from New York University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and a law degree from Columbia University. He lives in the village of Quogue, New York with his wife, Alexandria, and dog, George.
William wrote Miracle Man because of its humanistic and spiritual messages and because he feels that in our current times – when meritless celebrity has eclipsed accomplishment and the only heroes are those based on comic books, the world needs a real hero –and that, of course, is Robert James Austin, the protagonist in Miracle Man. Miracle Man won Best Thriller in the National Pacific Book Awards.
Very very interesting!
I didn’t think this book would be one I’d like until I read the authors thoughts, now I’m adding it to my list.