KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Courage is a pair of brown eyes.

They belong to Michelle Melland, a 50-year-old wife and mom of twin teenage girls who, since she began typing away last spring as a book reviewer, is all but certain to rank as special among writers.

Six years ago, Melland's eyes flashed with anger as she sat, stunned, to hear a Kansas City doctor deliver a diagnosis that typically is a two- to five-year death sentence. It was amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the incurable and progressively paralyzing disease known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Its cause is unknown, popping up generally...