ZoomText Helps Author Compose His Novels
As a child growing up in the wilds of the Northern Canadian Rockies, Hunter Silvastorm and his family needed independence, drive and determination to prosper in a difficult environment. His father, whom Hunter refers to as simply “a free thinker”, moved Hunter’s family from Montreal to Alberta when Hunter was still an infant. Hunter became a free thinker and voracious reader, devouring book after book, oblivious to the rare eye disease that would eventually steal his sight.
Hunter’s thirst for knowledge and the site of his upbringing led to a natural attraction to the life sciences. He earned a degree in biology that was intellectually satisfying, but he longed to return to his first love of books and writing. Whenever he had the chance, he wrote articles for his own personal pleasure or on assignment for newspapers and magazines, all the while working on his own novel.
Hunter’s favorite subjects became two very current issues, loss of privacy and security for individuals. He explores these in detail in his book “A Matter of Privacy”, available from amazon.com. (go to http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401090915).
Even though Hunter was born with his condition, he lost his eyesight very gradually and it was almost unnoticed by his family. It wasn’t until he was a teenager that a proper diagnosis was made of his condition.
So how does a blind writer get his work done? Hunter tells us that with ZoomText Magnifier/Reader he is able to type 100 words per minute. Using ZoomText’s typing echo feature, he receives immediate feedback on any mistakes that he might have made. Once an article is drafted, Hunter relies on ZoomText’s AppReader and DocReader as his proofreading helpers. With these tools, what Hunter has written is read back to him in clear human-sounding voices, provided by the new NeoSpeech synthesizers in ZoomText 9.
So what’s Hunter up to these days? Well, as stated on his website, http://www.huntersilvastorm.com:
Hunter’s second novel, another captivatingly suspenseful thriller titled “The Coffee Bug”, will be coming out in the beginning of 2006. It’s a tale about a corporation that specializes in genetically engineering new life forms for the purpose of solving environmental problems. One critic wrote, “Mr. Silvastorm has created a cast of characters that almost jump off the page, and a plot that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.” A third novel is also in the works.
In addition to writing lengthy novels, Hunter is also in demand as a motivational speaker at businesses, clubs, organizations and schools. He can also be found on various cruise ships giving lectures on a wide range of topics, from humorous anecdotes of being “the blind writer” to lectures revolving around his scientific background. As if all this wasn’t enough, Hunter is also converting his book “A Matter of Privacy” into a screenplay with the hope of seeing his work on the big screen.
