Behind The Scenes

All About: All You Could Ask For, Mike Greenberg’s debut novel (Volume 4, Release Day)

Greenberg's debut novel is released today and available through your favorite purveyor of books
Greenberg’s debut novel is released today and available through your favorite purveyor of books

Today marks the culmination a six week series on Front Row that has brought fans between the covers of Mike & Mike in the Morning co-host Mike Greenberg’s debut novel, All You Could Ask For.

The novel is released today and Greenberg kicks off his Book Tour with a 12:30 p.m. ET signing in Manhattan and a 7 p.m. event in Westport, Conn.

In this final All About installment, Greenberg discusses the emotions he’s feeling and the memories he has of his dear friend, Heidi Armitage. (More information, including an excerpt and purchase information, is available here.)

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Find out more about All You Could Ask For:


General:
• Book website
• Excerpt
• Q&A audio clip
• Video
• Morrow’s Pinterest page
• V Foundation’s Pinterest page for book
• V Foundation Facebook page

Previously on Front Row:
• Podcast
• Video of Mike’s on-air announcement:
• Volume 1: Mike’s approach to writing the book
• Volume 2: Mike & Stacy on the characters
Volume 3: Mike on his literary inspirations/influences

Social:
Book’s hashtag: #allyoucouldaskfor
Mike Greenberg: @Espngreeny
Stacy Greenberg: @StacyGSG
Mike and Mike show: @MikeandMike
William Morrow books: @Wmmorrowbks
V Foundation: @TheVFoundation
ESPN Front Row: @ESPNFrontRow

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I can’t believe this day is really here.

It feels as though it has been a lifetime in the making. I sold this book in February of 2012. I began writing it in July of 2010. Heidi died in September of 2009. For the book today is the beginning but for me, in many ways, it feels more like an ending.

I have never wanted anything quite the way I wanted this to happen. I am a sportscaster, and I love my job, but when you work as a sportscaster the one thing you understand is that, at the end of the day, you sure aren’t saving the world with your work. You aren’t, to use the common expression, curing cancer.

Well, I’m still not. But at least I’ve done something.

It began when I was sitting at Heidi’s memorial service. A row behind her husband, her son, her daughter. Angry in a way I’ve never been before. Motivated to do something, not knowing exactly what but knowing I had to do something. Because what had happened was just too unjust to bear. Heidi Armitage, 43 years old, beautiful, healthy, funny. Gone. Just like that. Breast cancer. Impossible to comprehend.

So I wrote the book to honor her. And now, for me, comes the completion of the journey. Every penny of the author’s proceeds will be donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research in Heidi’s name. So my final task is to try to sell as many books, and thus raise as much money, as I possibly can. I will be all over the country this month, promoting and signing “All You Could Ask For.”

I hope to see some of you along the way. I thank you for the countless letters and emails and tweets and calls of support I have received, mostly from people I’ve never met, many from cancer patients, or their loved ones. All I can say to all of you is that I am going to try as hard as I can. For you, and for Heidi.

I cannot express in words my appreciation to the people I work with and work for at ESPN for the support they have shown this project. From day one they have understood how much it matters to me and have enabled and inspired me to take it as far as I can. I hope they are as proud of whatever we accomplish as I am, as I could not have done it without them.

So, thanks everybody, for taking the time to read this. Again, I hope I will see you in the coming weeks. And if not, if you can I hope you will pick up a copy of the book. All I can say is, if you knew the woman it was written for, you’d know it was the very least I could do.

For more on “All You Could Ask for,” visit www.AllYouCouldAskFor.com and follow Mike Greenberg on Twitter (@ESPNGreeny); Stacy Greenberg (@StacyGSG) and William Morrow Books (@WmMorrowBks). For a 30-minute interview with Mike Greenberg where he discusses the book in detail, click here. All of the author’s proceeds from AYCAF will go to The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

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