Ed McNeill thought his life was over in 1979 when a neurologist said his slurring and limb weakness indicated ALS, a progressive disease with a prognosis of two to three years to live. But that couldn't be: He had a happy marriage, three young daughters, and his whole life in front of him.Ed's main ambition has always been to write "The Great American Novel." But along the way, something always took precedence--the Marine Corps, marriage, a family, work. When he lived beyond three years after his diagnosis, then five, then ten, the indications were strong he was going to be around awhile. He and his wife decided to move from New Jersey to California, where the warm weather and wheelchair accessibility would better accommodate their needs. Armed with a new computer, he made a decision to get serious about writing. With limited use of his limbs and able to utilize only his index fingers, he began to type. These books are one result.At present he is thirty years beyond his predicted death has finished four novels and is currently working on his autobiography. He is almost to the tragic death of his mother from cancer at 32 which caused he and his younger brother and sister to be put in an orphanage.