A Personal Appeal to my Readers: Help Fund Mikey’s Biography

To me, Mikey was Yara’s baby brother. He was that blonde seven year-old with a missing tooth or two, always talking in French and expressing the cutest of concerns such as what genre of DVD we could watch when I would come over.

To those of you who knew Mikey too, or anyone from his family, you need no introduction and I’m sure you want to see Mikey’s story published. For those of you who never had the fortune to meet Mikey in his seven years with us, then let me tell you a bit more about the “Little Prince” as Yara calls him, and the purpose behind this post.

Mikey passed away unexpectedly at just seven years old. That might seem like a very short time, but in that one-tenth of an average human lifespan, Mikey had done more impact than most octogenarians. His sudden and unclear passing was devastating to many and his absence is felt everyday for those closest to him. However, the many memories we all have with him are what I choose to hold on to.

I don’t know what cause his death, and I don’t know or care what happens to him after death. What I do know and care about is the memories he has left with his friends and family and even strangers who had met him only once.

These memories have been beautifully immortalized in written form by Yara. I had the privilege of reading the 39 short stories and I loved them. I usually hate reading other people’s work (confession time) and often obsess about mistakes in grammar, vocabulary and the overall logical reasoning. Biography of a Little Prince though, was the most enjoyable and rewarding read of my life, by someone very dear to my heart about some else also very dear to my heart.

These stories were not over-saturated with raw emotion. They weren’t written by a distraught, grieving older sister. They weren’t the cliche phrases you’re supposed to say and repeat in Facebook statuses. They were simply worded and eloquently fluid. They were intimate and specific, yet universally relatable to. You could read them with ease and they’d roll off your hypothetical tongue and soon enough you’ll find yourself reading the last sentence when you thought you were just warming up. You’ll get to know Mikey like no one else could have, from the most mediocre of moments to the ones that really stuck.

My review might be biased, but I am sure all of you will agree with me when you read the book too. Yara wants to publish this book and immortalize Mikey’s life. It’s not for fame, not for fortune, but to tell a story that has changed the life of so many, and can change the lives of many more. Amazon.com is letting us do that for just 2000USD and up till now, we’ve gather 1522USD from 34 generous backers. We have till April 27th to get to 2oooUSD and if we do, here’s what the 2000USD will pay for:

The design of the interior of the book, and the creation of a theme by which to integrate 30 illustrations with the text.
Comprehensive copy-editing.
The design of a unique cover for the book.
Customized formatting of the interior and cover of the book, to make it fit to print.
Online distribution and expanded exposure and media attention for the project.
Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) assignment, to make the book accessible to libraries.
Availability of an e-copy of the book for Kindle.