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Disabled novelist defies the odds

A DISABLED writer from Solihull is inspiring readers far and wide with his first full length novel, written without the use of his hands.
Stuart Reid can barely move at all due to a rare disorder known as Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy.
The dystrophy, also known as DMD, is a severe disorder which attacks the growth of muscle generation. The affliction affects around one in 3,500 men making it the most common of the group of muscular dystrophies.

Speaking to his family this week Observer senior reporter Ben Lindon heard how, two years ago, brave Stuart was struggling through a bad twelve months.
The wannabe novelist had spent the previous three years writing a book which he was struggling to get published.
Despite great acclaim from friends and family, all Stuart was receiving from potential publishers were Dear John letters who had, according to his family, clearly not even made the effort to read his debut book.
The writer had tried several publishing companies but had received no interest and so Stuart started to get downhearted.
"One day," his family explained, "he just decided to stop waiting for someone to notice his novel and published it himself.
"Suddenly he was selling books to strangers and even celebrities such as Mark Strong - actor in films like RocknRolla, The Young Victoria and the latest Sherlock Holmes - and multi-award winning actress of the screen and stage, Dame Judi Dench.
"News of the novel spread by word of mouth and he finally began to receive the acclaim he deserved, he was asked to sell his book in the local Waterstones and he then spent an afternoon talking to his customers."
Proud family members are now cheering Stuart's 'massive achievement' and explained the difficulty behind his muscle disorder.
Duchenne's is a rare form of the muscle wasting condition which affects the whole body and limits the use of Stuart's limbs.
With virtually no hand movement Stuart articulated himself using a head-guided mouse on a screen keyboard along with voice recognition software to type and edit the whole novel on his own.
The virtuoso even designed the book cover himself.
To add to all these achievements, the hard-working Silhillian has not stopped at writing a novel without the use of his hands but is also furthering his education.
Having muscular dystrophy means he is unable to work, but he is studying social sciences with a view to doing a politics degree.
"Stuart has a keen interest in history," his family said, "which comes across in his work. He prides himself on his research and historical accuracy."
They explained his first novel Heart of the Patriot involved him undertaking extensive research, including several trips to the Arnhem area of the Netherlands where the book is primarily set.
Heart of the Patriot is set in the summer of 1944. Main character Johannes Sneijder is just another victim of war forced to flee Nazi persecution he left his family behind and fears them dead.
He joins the British Special Operations Executive, determined to fight for his beleaguered nation, but then comes an assignment that will test him to the limit.
Sneijder is soon plunged into the shadowy world of resistance and the 'moral quagmire of right and wrong'.
"He is a continual inspiration to all that know him and to finally receive such hard-earned praise was outstanding," his family told us.
The Heart of the Patriot by Stuart W. Reid is available through his website www.stuartwreid.com or on amazon.

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  Heart of the Patriot writer Stuart Reid meets a fan of his work, Sherlock Holmes actor Mark Strong.

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  Heart of the Patriot writer Stuart Reid meets a fan of his work, Sherlock Holmes actor Mark Strong.