Today the spotlight is on Stars Fall by Louis J Harris. I love this genre, and the beautiful cover, and intriguing blurb hooked me.
Louis is celebrating this release with a giveaway.
Leave a comment or a question for a chance to win an ebook copy of Stars Fall. The contest
will run until next Sunday – December 7, 2014 midnight EST.
I know you're anxious to hear more about the book, but first let's meet Louis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello Everyone!
My POD novel
“Revival” was published by the South African Short Story Publishing Association
in 2006 and in 2009 I won the Marion Scher Floating Trophy for pushing the
boundaries of writing. I have several
stories showcased around the world, in Skive Magazine, Australia, and 34th
Parallel in California. A short Story has been published in a compendium of
stories by South African authors entitled, Tales from Africa. I have had several pieces published in the
magazine of Writers 2000 in South Africa.
I live with my
husband in Germiston, not too far from Johannesburg. We have been married for
two years but we’ve known each other for 17 years. Both our names are Louis, and his son’s name
is Louis; that’s just something quirky in my life. Brings a smile. That’s what I want from my stories. The lean;
where less is more.
Author Web site:
Stars Fall FB page:
BLURB
Keegan Mansfield is a loner.
A bilateral amputee athlete.
With only one goal; to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games. Every move he makes is towards this dream,
and even though there are forces trying to stop him, he moves forward because
there's too much at stake. Although he
has the determination and the will to succeed,
he is dependent on others and there
are ingredients missing from his life that he so desperately needs.
Truth, love and happiness.
When team mate Conrad Smith saves him from a violent incident, both
embark on a journey of love that would lead to the truth about Keegan's past
and a happiness that will last for only a moment, and a tragedy that will bring
them closer, as one, for neither can live without the other. And, just as things seemed as bad as they
could get, Keegan learns an important lesson, that trust is not a game, trust
is as real as day and night, as real as the wind. He learns, through tragedy,
that Rio comes with the sacrifice of his dependency on others. He learns that
true love thrives on togetherness.
EXCERPT
Not many people invited
Keegan out. There was the time that
Patrick invited him to play ten pin bowling and the time that he and Jean went
to movies at Sandton City. It was difficult
for him to get around. Not having a car
inhibited his movements. He would dearly
love to go out more often but it was no fault of his that he did not have
transport. He couldn’t afford it on his
bursary.
Having to rely on others for
transport meant that he would have to schedule lifts to and from varsity, to
and from practice, to and from competitions.
It wasn’t easy. It felt as if he
owed the whole world favours.
The first thing that surprised him was that Conrad opened the car door
for him. Nice touch. Gentlemanly.
From that moment Keegan held a new respect for him. It felt like he was being courted.
‘Hey handsome, you're looking good. How’s the elbow?’ Conrad said.
‘I washed it properly in the bath and applied more disinfectant. Hurts a little but otherwise it’s just fine.
You look different.’
‘Must be the hair.’
'Actually, brush-cut suits you. Brings
out your brown eyes. You look like an
American Marine.’
‘My hairdresser was surprised when I told her I wanted a brush cut. You know what she said?’
‘Tell me.’
‘She said that such a change means that something drastic had happened
in my life.’
‘She said that?’
‘Yup. I told her I don’t really
think the word is drastic as much as fantastic.’
‘You said that? So what did you
mean?’
‘I meant you. I never once thought you and I would be
friends. I think that’s fantastic.’
Keegan’s face burned from the compliment. ‘Well, that’s…that’s…thank
you. The feeling is mutual,’ he said.
Conrad shut the passenger
door and climbed into the driver's side of the vehicle. ‘Your chest still
hurting?’
“A little. Not much.’
‘I wish it was me that Marx
beat on.’
That statement was enough
to send Keegan’s mind into overdrive.
Guy friends didn’t say that to each other. Well, they did, especially if there’s caring
involved. And then Conrad said something
even stranger.
‘It hurts me to see you in
pain, bro.’
‘Believe me, you don’t want
to be on the receiving end of Marx’s punches. Not cool. So where are we going? What do you have in mind?’
‘A quiet supper. Just the two of us.’
‘Sounds cool.’
‘You don’t mind me taking
you out for supper?’
‘It’s not like we’re on a
date, right? I mean, we’re just two guys
enjoying supper, right?’
‘Yes. On both counts. Just two guys enjoying good food. Guy bonding.
Bronding. Nothing more.’ Conrad laughed at the word he had just coined.
‘Then why would you ask if
I mind?’
Keegan found out very
quickly why Conrad had asked him that question
The restaurant, settled in
a neat suburb just off the main highway, was dressed in warmth and the smell of
Italian cooking from the kitchen. Their
small booth had been set with a candle lit table and a violinist played Moon River
for them as they entered. Keegan smiled
at the maître d’ as he invited them to be seated.
'I’ll leave you for a few moments,
Conrad,’ the maître d’ said.
‘Thank you, Simon.’
As Keegan sat down, he
said, ‘You’ve been here before?’
‘My favourite restaurant
would you guess?’
‘Never have guessed.’
Keegan laughed.
‘Simon is my aunt's
husband. They own this place.’
‘I guess it’s always better
to have a connection in the restaurant business. This is nice, Conrad. Too nice.
I can’t afford to eat in a place like this.’
‘Who said anything about
paying?’
‘I can’t expect you to pay
for this, bro.’
‘I asked you out. It’s on me.
All I want is for you to enjoy.’
Keegan smiled at him with a
softness in his eyes. An appreciation.
‘Next time it’s on me.’
‘Yup. And I don’t mind KFC.’
Both of them laughed and
from that moment the evening turned into one filled with music, wine and good
Italian cuisine.
Getting to know a person is
always like finding a new product. That
may sound beaten and clichéd but it’s true.
As the evening wore on, they spoke about life and the universe, and
special friends and what friendship meant to them.
‘Do you have a special
lady?’ Keegan asked.
‘A special lady, you mean
as in girlfriend?’
‘Yes.'
‘No. Nothing like that. I can’t afford a girl. That’s not to say that I haven’t ever had a
girlfriend. I have. Didn’t turn out well at all.’
‘Sorry. I’m prying here.’
‘Not at all. We had a so-so relationship right from the
start. My brother asked us to babysit
for him once. That night we had sex. Embarrassing for me, but not for her
apparently. I was a virgin. Had no idea what to do. I know I didn’t cum inside her. So when she told my family that she was
pregnant, I almost married her. She
didn’t tell me first. She ran to my mom and
told her instead and before I knew it I was hauled over the coals by
everyone. But my mom insisted that she
be tested before I committed. Thankfully
the test came back negative. I wasn’t
ready for a family. Damn, at 18, who is?
Anyway, we went on a last date. It was then I told her that we weren’t ready
for each other. She asked why and I told
her the truth.’
‘What did you tell her?’
‘I told her I had feelings
for guys. I simply wanted to sleep with
her to see if I could sleep with a woman.’
‘You said that? Selfish,
don’t you think.’
‘No. I knew I would never marry her. But at the same time I felt as though she
tried to trap me.’
‘What did she say when you
told her you're gay?’
‘She cried, she said all of
her boyfriends had told her that they were gay.’
‘You’re not serious.’
‘In a way it was so
funny. In another it was damned sad, but
that ended our relationship. Now, what
about you? Tell me about Jean.’
‘She looks after me,
there’s no doubt about that. Helps me
whenever she can. Transport that kind of
thing.’
'You have any special
feelings for her?'
'You mean is she my
girlfriend?'
'I could have asked if you
sleep with her.'
'I do not sleep with
Jean. We don't have that kind of
relationship. It's platonic. All
platonic.'
'Maybe from your side, but
from what I've seen, I think she wants more than just a friendship.'
'It's not going to happen.'
‘And what do you think of
me?’
Keegan sipped at his wine.
‘I think you’re amazing. And this….all this…is very special. You care. You’re a
fine guy, Mr Smith, and I’m happy that you and I are friends.’
Conrad responded by turning away from Keegan's
gaze. The sadness in his face caught in
the light.
‘Wanna tell me about what
you’re thinking?’ Keegan asked.
‘I…I was kind of hoping
that….I don’t know, I’m being very unreasonable…’
‘Hoping what?’
‘That you…that you were
attracted to me in some way. I’ve
watched you since you were a freshman and always been too scared to approach
you. Now that we’re finally friends,
I’ve gone and fucked it up.’
Keegan held his glass to
his lips for a moment while Conrad's brown eyes searched for an honest answer. Keegan had observed his directness earlier
that day; he had displayed humility, subtlety and tact. Coming to Keegan's rescue earlier required an
impulsive, positive and self-confident nature.
Keegan was attracted to that.
Keegan reached for Conrad's
hand and held it gently. ‘No…no… don’t think like that Conrad. I just have to discover what it is that’s
stopping me from having a relationship. It’s bugged me for years.’
Conrad held his hand
tighter. ‘I'm hitting on you and I don't want to scare you and if you think I'm
coming on too strong, just say so and I'll back off. Can I be perfectly honest with you?'
'I wouldn't expect it any
other way.'
'I looked at you today in the
locker room when I helped you fit your prosthetics, and I noticed that…'
'What did you notice?'
'I could have sworn you had
a semi hard-on.'
A moment of silence
followed.
'I did?' Keegan knew he had
had a semi hard on. He played it coy.
'I would like to think that
I can make you feel that way again.'
'I need time for this to
register, I had no idea you felt this way about me.'
'Then time I will give you.
But, I'm not going to stop thinking about you, and I'm not going to stop
touching you.' Conrad said, his hand slid over Keegan's gently, and when Simon
approached to take their order, he didn't remove it.
'I think I can handle
that.' Keegan said breathlessly, his heart throbbing. The fullness of his cock wanting escape.
