The Face Transplant
by R.
Arundel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Dr.
Matthew MacAulay is a Facial Transplant Surgeon at a prestigious New York
hospital. His friend and mentor, Tom Grabowski, dies under mysterious
circumstances. Matthew is forced to investigate. He uncovers his friend’s
secret. A new technique that allows perfect facial transplants. No incisions,
no scars. The surgeon is able to transplant one person’s face to another with
the perfect result. Tom was able to accomplish this monumental feat with the
help of Alice, a supercomputer robot with almost human abilities. While trying
to find the people responsible for murdering his friend Tom, Matthew realizes
he is the prime suspect. Matthew must flee for his life with the help of Dr.
Sarah Larsson, a colleague and reluctant helper who has a secret of her own.
Alice helps them make sense of a baffling series of seemingly unrelated events.
Matthew is forced to undergo a facial transplant to hide his identity and help
to uncover the truth. The clues carry Matthew and Sarah around the world.
Matthew stumbles onto a sinister plot of monumental proportions, the real
reason Tom was murdered. This discovery leads Matthew all the way to The White
House with a dramatic conclusion. Matthew never wavers in his quest for the
truth and perseveres against all the odds. He must race to stop a major
catastrophe, ratcheting up the excitement until the thrilling conclusion. The
Face Transplant is a powerful medical suspense thriller of the first order. The
novel was written by a surgeon. The novel has a realism that only a surgeon can
bring. The plot weaves politics, medicine and espionage into a tightly paced,
intelligent thriller. The novel crescendos page by page to a totally unexpected
conclusion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
1. The poem The Beautiful Life
The Beautiful
Life
Time and
space are infinite. There is no beginning and no end.
Many have
come before you and many will come after. You are lucky to be here.
Enjoy this
moment; take pleasure.
Match your
expectations to reality, if you don't, someone will be disappointed. Be willing
to learn, it is the only thing that will keep you young. Take pleasure in
life's endless beats, if you listen hard enough you will hear the beautiful
rhythm.
Laugh always
and laugh loud.
Life is full
of irony, laugh when it occurs. Sometimes you will have to laugh at yourself to
avoid crying. Laugh loud, laugh often.
Be satisfied
with your accomplishments, your life, your career. They are yours and yours
alone. No one could have done better given your circumstances, your challenges,
your gifts. Be grateful. But remember, no one could have done worse given your
circumstances, your challenges, your gifts. So do not become conceited. Be
modest.
Understand
and accept that not all people live congruently. Some are violent, treacherous,
and deceitful. Pity them, they have not yet learned to live with grace. But be
careful and avoid them if you can. You have every right to happiness, peace and
love.
Take time to
Love. Be ready for love anywhere, anytime. In the end only love endures. It
cannot be diminished. Accept love wherever you find it.
Love endures.
Always be
cautious of those who are too friendly or those who profess no vices. For those
who seem the best friend may turn out the opposite.
Those who proclaim no vices may be the most vile.
Maintain and
nurture a spiritual life.
It will
sustain you when all else departs. Hold it gently, but firmly. Let each person
come to their own place, in their own time, on their own terms.
Remember one
day it will all come to an end. When it does, what really matters?
That you
lived. That you loved. That you tried.
Above all
else never forget, life is a gift.
When you
receive a gift, especially an unexpected gift, you must take it gently, cherish
it dearly, and use it fearlessly.
And never
forget to say thanks.
R. Arundel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Robert was
born in London, United Kingdom. His
early formative years were spent in Toronto Canada. Robert attended the University of Toronto
Medical School. After obtaining his
Doctor of Medicine degree he completed surgical training in Otolaryngology-Head
and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto and obtained certification from
the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Robert Mounsey
practices surgery in private practice in Toronto.
R. Arundel
studied Film Studies at Ryerson University, after this he began writing
screenplays and novels. The Face Transplant is his debut novel.
R. Arundel is
married and lives in Toronto, Canada. When not writing or practicing surgery
Robert can be found cycling.
Interview:
1. Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?
No. Never have. Maybe when I was a kid I wanted to be invisible.
No. Never have. Maybe when I was a kid I wanted to be invisible.
2. What did you do on your last birthday?
Went out for a nice dinner.
3. Do you have any tattoos? Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?
No.
4. What are you working on right now?
A story about a young boy who is transported to a completely different universe and is trying to get home. It is a very interesting story since I have to create this new world. I have to determine what they eat, drink, wear. What do the buildings look like? What are the customs that govern social order? It is a very large task.
@TheFaceTranspla
i enjoyed the short interview :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting. The poem "The Beautiful Life" was written when I finished the book. I just sat down and wrote the poem. I think it is an excellent choice to include here. I'd be interested on how others feels about this "Guide to how to live your life." All comments welcome.
ReplyDeletethe author interview. I really enjoy hearing about the author :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting to learn about the author. You can see why a person writes about the things they do. Often people will point out things about my writing style or choices I make in a story that are probably rooted in my background. Your background often informs your characters.
ReplyDeleteThe premise of the novel
ReplyDeleteThe premise of the novel starts with a basic question. What will happen when technology advances to the stage where one person's face can be transplanted onto another persons. At first I thought wow, this will be great, trauma victims can get a new face and be rehabilitated. Then I began to think of how this technology could be used to create a network of spies and doppelgangers. You could transplant the face of a government official onto a spy and gain access to all the secrets of that country. Who would control this technology? how would it be used.?
ReplyDeleteI liked the blurb. The story sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThe story has many twists and turns. The plot moves from the university, to The White House to the mountains. The story builds block by block. The readers tell me they most enjoy the unpredictable twists
ReplyDeleteit sounds like a really good book with a great deal of suspence, and a very good story line, thank you
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the interview.
ReplyDeleteI love the excerpt. I always love getting glimpses of the book and this one looks intriguing!
ReplyDeletei enjoyed the interview
ReplyDelete