Nazareth, PA — Nazareth author, Ben Miller, who’s 2009 bestseller The First Resort: Fun, Sun, Fire and War in Cape May (Exit Zero Publishing) sold its entire first print run in less than six months, has released a new book via Kickstarter, based on his struggles as a disabled veteran and how a weekend in the Poconos forever changed his perspective on life. The book, Dear Billie – Salvation in the Poconos is set at the Bischwind B&B in Bear Creek Township.
Miller, a 1993 graduate of Nazareth High School, veteran of Naval Intelligence, having served as part of America’s NATO contingent during the Bosnian War. He was assigned to an intelligence reconnaissance squadron with a security clearance three compartments above Top Secret, tasked with monitoring and recording the atrocities of the war, and at times, creating targeting intelligence used by NATO bombers.
In his new book, Miller shares intensely personal aspects of his life, like his struggles with mental illness, life-altering personal experiences from childhood to the present, and his steadfast faith in God. Dear Billie is written in the format of a letter to the innkeeper of the B&B, which serves as the present-day setting for a story filled with flashbacks and introspection.
Miller has chosen to self-publish his newest book after being asked to remove mentions of his religious faith by agents and publishers who felt that God was “not marketable.” Miller refused and is instead, taking his book directly to the public on the crowdfunding side, Kickstarter.
Miller is rated 100% disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs and has spent over two decades struggling with Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, GAD, PTSD, and Depression. Miller gained notoriety in the late 2000s as the creator of an international campaign called “Donate My Weight,” which raised food and monetary donations for food backs around the world and ultimately helped to feed millions of hungry men, women, and children across America.
“My story is one of perseverance and triumph, in the face of constant mental anguish and struggling. I went from putting the barrel of a pistol in my mouth at the lowest point in my life, to finding purpose again, becoming a loving husband and father to five great kids. There will always be aspects to our lives we can’t change. We must either accept them and move forward or allow ourselves to become mired in the pain and remain living in the past.”
