The novel is the love story of Sam and Sara, who once separated, reunited but lost again. That is unless Sam can change the past.
About the book:
Sam has never gotten over his one true love. He walked away from Sara, amidst racist threats from her bigoted father. Sam and Sara went their separate ways: Sara got married, and Sam threw himself into work, becoming a very successful lawyer for a prestigious law firm. Yet still, Sam cannot fill the Sara-shaped hole in his heart. If he could live that moment all over again, he would have never walked away.
When Love Never Ends intertwines Sam’s existence with the life of a grief-ridden college professor. Dr Jeremiah Ebenezer Pike lost his wife four years ago. Ever since, he has been obsessed with the concept of time travel, labouring over theories and experiments for years. Sam meets up with him now and again, hoping to help him move on and give up his ridiculous fantasies.
Over a decade later, Sam and Sara meet again, as Sara seeks legal help. They spend three whirlwind days together. Their future together starts to look promising, but then Sara’s jealous husband gets in the way, irrevocably separating the two with a single gunshot. Wild with grief, Sam goes to Dr Pike, desperate for some way, any way, to see Sara again. Nothing is too wild for his desperation. Not even time travel.
Though it at first seems the story of an ordinary love under ordinary, if pressing, circumstances, When Love Never Ends soon reveals itself to be an intoxicating mix of romance and science fiction — a combination that promises to be anything but ordinary. Flawlessly documenting the seemingly unrelated worlds of law, love, and loss, When Love Never Ends is as much a narrative of human experience as it is a story of love.
About the author:
J. Alec Keaton is a graduate of Beloit University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. After graduation from the Medical College of Wisconsin, Alec did residency in Family Practice Medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center. Presently, Alec is working for a Medical group in Seattle.
Q&A with J. Alec Keaton:
Can you tell us a little about your book? What books on the market does yours compare to, and how is your book different?
Unlike many romance novels, most of what I have written is a true story. I know there has been many love stories written over the years and if my novel has any similarity to any previously written novels, it is purely coincidental. When Love Never Ends is about the story of my friend, Sam Stephens. While a majority of the book is based on true events, I did add some fiction to add happiness to what was a very tragic situation for Sam. Here is the background on where this story evolved from:
Sam and I grew up in an era, shortly after the war where for those of Japanese ancestry it was an onerous time with racial slurs commonly used. Sam was Eurasian and it was much more distressful for him not being fully accepted by the Japanese or the Caucasian community. Fortunately, he had an English surname and looked more Caucasian than of mixed race, so he could easily pass. Regardless, he was proud of who he was and did not hide the fact that he was of both Japanese and Caucasian ancestry.
Sara was the love of his life, and the day Sam tragically lost her he changed from a kind, generous and amicable man to an angry, self-destructive alcoholic. Our friends and I tried to help him from his drinking and abusive lifestyle, but he refused any interference from any of us, so we were at a loss of what to do.
Since he wouldn’t seek professional help, I decided to write a story about the love he and Sara shared during their youth and again when they met each other thirteen years later. Sara’s bigoted father was the culprit in breaking up their relationship and causing them to go their separate ways. After presenting him with what I had written, I waited for his reaction to it, each time we saw one another. As weeks past into months, he never mentioned anything about it, therefore, I assumed he didn’t even bother to read it. I did, however, start to see some changes in his lifestyle and he was slowly becoming the man he used to be.
One day he came to see me at my office and handed me the dog eared, wrinkled pages of my manuscript. He just said, “Thanks. You’re a good friend” and left. Nothing more was mentioned about what I had written.
On July 24, 1981, my friend, Samuel Harold Stephens passed away. The story I had written for Sam was not intended for publication, but I decided to rewrite it and have it published, so those who read it will know that Sam and Sara were real people and that life truly is a short time, when love never ends.
Can you tell us the story behind your book cover?
In regards to the front cover of my novel, I chose to use flowers that resemble cherry blossoms to reflect the romance in my book, and also add an Asian flavor to the cover, as Sam’s Japanese heritage plays a large role in the novel. I personally wanted to take a different approach with my book cover to attract readers, which is why I avoided any sexual innuendos you see on a lot of romance novels.
Open your book to a random page and tell us what’s happening.
Randomly opening my novel, I’ve come to the chapter where Sara goes to visit Sam, who is now a very successful attorney, for legal help. Despite the fact that they have not seen each other in 13 years, their romance is quickly rekindled. A man never forgets his first love. Is it also true for women?
What is the most rewarding part of writing for you?
The most rewarding thing about writing is introducing real people to my readers. Even those people I knew from childhood who have passed away can live again in my literary work. It gives me joy to remember those who have touched my life from the time I was a small child and through the years as I grew to adulthood. As I write, I can see their faces in my mind’s eye and recollect the sound of their voices. I remember how they made me laugh and the tears I shed when they passed away. My family and friends from my past and the present are the most cherished treasures in my life.
When Love Never Ends by J. Alec Keaton
Two Harbors Press Softcover | $16.00
ISBN: 978-1-62652-320-3
380 pages
Publication date: Oct 15, 2013
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