Gone

Crystal Patriarche, BookSparks, $30,000 campaign:
• National print, broadcast, and online media campaign • Local print, broadcast, and online media campaign • Widespread Galley distribution to National, local, and niche markets • Targeted trade media campaign for reviews and spotlights • Digital marketing campaign including blog tour • Branded graphics package including print collateral, social media graphics, email and newsletter banners • Early reviewer promotions on Goodreads option • Strategy to position author as an expert • Book or event tour

When Linda Olson became a triple amputee at twenty-nine, her husband declared, “I didn’t marry your arms and your legs.” This is the inspiring memoir of how they chose not to be victims and went on to succeed in careers as physicians, become parents, and travel the world.Linda Olson and her husband, Dave Hodgens, were young doctors whose story had all the makings of a fairy tale. But then, while they were vacationing in Germany, a train hit their van, shattering their lives—and Linda’s body. When Linda saw Dave for the first time after losing her right arm and both of her legs, she told him she would understand if he left. His response: “I didn’t marry your arms or your legs. If you can do it, I can do it.”

In order to protect their loved ones, they decided to hide the truth about what really happened on those train tracks, and they kept their secret for thirty-five years. As a triple amputee, Linda learned to walk with prostheses and change diapers and insert IVs with one hand. She finished her residency while pregnant and living on her own. And she and Dave went on to pursue their dream careers, raise two children, and travel the world.

Inspiring and deeply moving, Gone asks readers to find not only courage but also laughter in the unexpected challenges we all face. The day of the accident, no one envied Linda and Dave. Today, many do.