BEST SELLING AUTHOR MITCHAL
BUTCH IS DOING HIS PART TO.
RELEASING CHAPTERS EACH WEEK.
IT'S DESIGNED TO RAISE MONEY
FOR DETROIT.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH
THE IDEA FOR HUMAN TOUCH?
WELL, YOU KNOW, IN DETROIT
WHERE I LIVE WE'VE BEEN VERY
HARD HIT BY COVID-19.
I RUN SOME CHARITIES IN THE
CITY AND HAVE FOR A LONG TIME.
AND I TRIED TO FIGURE OUT HOW I
COULD GIVE A BIG BOOST AT
FIGHTING THE DISEASE.
I WHERE BOOKS AND SELL BOOKS.
MAYBE THERE'S A WAY TO WRITE A
BOOK AND TAKE MONEY THAT WOULD
OTHERWISE BE EARNED AND JUST
GIVE IT TO THE CITY.
AND THE FASTEST WAY TO DO THAT
IS DO IT ONLINE.
AND I BEGAN WRITING HUMAN TOUCH
WHICH IS A SMALL BOOK SET IN
TODAY'S TIME.
IT'S A FICTIONAL STORY.
AND IT COMES OUT EVERY FRIDAY.
AND PEOPLE CAN DOWNLOAD IT FOR
FREE OR DOWNLOAD THE AUDIBLE
VERSION.
AND IF THEY ARE SO INCLINED,
THEY CAN MAKE A DONATION TO
HELP OUR CITY.
REALLY INCREDIBLE.
WHAT IS IT LIKE WRITING A BOOK
IN REALTIME?
IT'S AWFUL.
IT'S SO HARD.
I MEAN, YOU HAVE TO BE DONE
WITH IT BY THE END OF THE WEEK.
YOU GET THAT CHAPTER AND TURN
IT IN.
AND THAT'S NOT HOW I USUALLY
WRITE MY BOOKS.
TUESDAY WAS MOREY, I TOOK MY
TIME AND WENT OVER EVERY WORD.
AND HERE YOU GET SIX DAYS AND
THAT CHAPTER HAS TO GO IN AND
YOU CAN'T GET IT BACK.
I SET IT IN MICHIGAN WITH FOUR
FAMILIES.
SO IT'S SET IN THE WORLD WHERE
I CAN KIND OF MOVE THINGS
AROUND AND CHANGE AS THE TIME
IS GOING TO GIVE MYSELF A
LITTLE FLEXIBILITY.
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS TO
ANYBODY AS A REGULAR WAY OF
DOING THINGS.
UNUSUAL TIMES CALL FOR UNUSUAL
MEASURES.
ONE OF THE CHARACTERS IS
BASED ON A REAL PERSON.
YEAH, SO I OPERATE AN
ORPHANAGE IN HAITI AND AN 8-
YEAR-OLD CAME UP FOR THERAPY IN
FEBRUARY AND GOT CAUGHT IN THE
BORDER SHUTDOWNS AND HE'S BEEN
HERE EVER SINCE.
HE'S BEEN LIVING WITH US AND
SUDDENLY, WE'RE PARENTS TO AN 8-
YEAR-OLD CHILD.
AND HE'S BEEN DELIGHTFUL.
AND HE SHOWS HOW A CHILD CAN
LIGHTEN UP THE DARKNESS OF A
MOMENT.
AND I WROTE THE BOOK ON A
CHARACTER NAMED LITTLE MOSES.
AND HE'S GOING TO SAVE THE
WORLD BY THE TIME IS BOOK IS
OVER.
HE SITS ON MY LAP AND WHEN IT
COMES TO HIS LINES, HE RECORDS
THEM.
HE'S GOING TO ASK FOR AN AGENT
PRETTY SOON.
IT'S PART OF THE JOY OF DOING
IT.
AND PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN TO HIS
CHARACTER.
I HAVE TO ASK.
THERE'S EIGHT CHAPTERS AND JUST
A FEW MORE TO GO.
DO YOU KNOW THE ENDING?
NOT REALLY.
I USUALLY WORK ABOUT A WEEK
AHEAD.
I DON'T KNOW THE FINAL ENDING,
I'M ROUNDING AROUND THE BEND.
I'M SORT OF DISCOVERING IT AS
THE READERS ARE WHICH IS KIND
OF FUN.
THAT WAS GOOD, SEVEN DAYS
BEFORE THE FINAL PAGE I DIDN'T
KNOW THE ENDING.
HOPEFULLY, IT WILL BE A
SATISFYING AND UPLIFTING ONE.
SO FAR THE BOOK HAS RAISED
$300,000, AND THE FUNDS HAVE
PROVIDED FOR A SECOND MOBILE
TESTING SITE IN DETROIT.
AND IT HELPS SENIORS WITH
FOODS, KIDS WITH ACADEMICS.