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| SCOTT GULLEDGE / Scroll |
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| Steve Andersen, Adaptive Activities department faculty member, published his first book, October Moons, in September 2004. |
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Anyone who has ever tried to write a book, and get it published, knows the challenge that it can be. Steve Andersen, Adaptive Activities Department specialist, knows exactly what it’s like; in September 2004 he published his first book, October Moons.
But unlike other authors, Andersen has cerebral palsy, a condition that causes involuntary movement and tightness of the muscles on one or both sides of the body, according to www.webmd.com,. It is caused by a brain injury that can take place anywhere from the fetal stage to two or three years old.
Because of this disability, Andersen had to use a special keyboard while writing his book that only allowed him to press one key at a time.
Andersen spent about 10 years writing short stories that he would eventually group together to form his book. All of the stories take place in and around the Upper Snake River Valley and many are based on true events. Andersen elaborates on areas he has taken creative license in brief author’s notes at the end of each story.
When the time came to send the finished manuscript into the publishers, Andersen said he made a bargain with himself. “I would send it in to seven different publishers and see if anything came from it. It was the sixth publisher that accepted it.”
“Writing is difficult,” he said. “[But] every now and then, I feel the Spirit take over.”
One such occasion was while writing one of his short stories, “Getting Back on the Horse.”
The story depicts an experience of Andersen’s when one of his horses threw him and he was forced to get back into the saddle, despite the extreme pain he was going through at the time.
“[It’s] one story I am very proud of. I started writing it and suddenly the Holy Ghost took over,” Andersen said. “That story is really special to me.”
Despite the fact that writing was never his first career choice, and only undertook the task because of his mother’s wish for a writer in the family, Andersen said he has enjoyed the experience.
October Moons is available at www.publishamerica.com, Barnes and Noble and the David O. McKay Library.
