To celebrate the 20th anniversary of his first novel, a Penn State alumnus has released his book online with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to the Four Diamonds Fund.
Paul Levine, Class of 1969, released “To Speak for the Dead” again — this time, as an Ebook selling for $2.99 per copy.
The Four Diamonds Fund is supported in part by Penn State’s Interfraternity/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. Both the fund and THON raise money for pediatric cancer patients treated at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pa.
As long as the Ebook is available to customers online, its proceeds will be dedicated toward the Four Diamonds Fund, Levine said.
“I intend for it to be a long-term donation,” he said. “It combines my love for Penn State with the respect I have for what the students are doing for children’s cancer.”
Curran McCready, overall donor and alumni relations chairman for THON 2011, is responsible for reaching out to potential donors year-round on behalf of THON.
Even though the fundraiser has long been established and is now very well known, donations still require effort to collect and are not taken for granted, McCready (senior-finance) said.
“We are really appreciative of Mr. Levine’s donation,” he said. “It’s great to see an alumnus joining the fight against children’s cancer.”
Levine decided to donate to the fund after THON 2010, and said that though THON didn’t exist when he was a student at Penn State, he has been following its coverage in The Daily Collegian since the dance marathon first began.
A former editor-in-chief of the Collegian, Levine has since expanded on his first novel with a seven-part series about Jake Lassiter, a Penn State linebacker-turned-Miami lawyer.
The story of Levine’s fictional protagonist slightly relates to that of the author. Levine went into law himself, covering court cases and lunching with judges and prosecutors, after reporting for The Miami Herald for years. Now a novelist and television writer based in Los Angeles, Ca., Levine incorporates his law background into his legal thriller novels and continues contributing to the field of journalism through his blogs.
Copies of the Ebook are available at Amazon Kindle and the author’s own website, www.paul-levine.com/content/jake-lassiter.asp