Alzheimer's research drives novelist:
"The motivations for being a novelist vary. For many, it's the potential fame and possible fortune. For others, it's the love of putting together sentences from the English language. For Woodland author Julie Casper, it's raising money for Alzheimer's research.Casper stayed up late into the night caring for her mother who was suffering from the effects of the Alzheimer's. Feeling powerless while caring for a loved-one with a degenerative disease dejected Casper.'As I started getting into this, I was really frustrated that there was no cure for what my mother had,' Casper said. 'You always feel helpless.'Casper, who holds a doctorate in Earth science, always loved writing. In school she also wrote for the school newspaper. Naturally, her thoughts turned toward prose during the tedious care of her mother. During that time, at 42 years old, she began her first novel.'Writing was almost like an emotional escape from the day to day of having to deal with Alzheimer's and how depressing and frustrating that was,' Casper said. 'Writing allowed me an escape, the same as someone watching a movie. It was kind of respite, therapeutic.... in a way. It was entertainment for me while I could still be close by to her. It kind of eased the stress.'While writing, she also thought of ways to help her mother and others with Alzheimer's. She decided to dedicate the proceeds from her book to Alzheimer's research......"