Ross A. McCoubrey - November 11, 2012

[Kaje]

Ross A. McCoubrey was born and raised in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. After finishing college, and beginning his full time job, he bought a home on the Bay of Fundy shore where he continues to reside. When not working he enjoys writing, camping, hiking, target shooting, and working on his truck. One Boy’s Shadow is his first novel.

Ross is donating his profits from the sales of One Boy’s Shadow to the Youth Project which supports LGBTQ youth.
Website: http://www.youthproject.ns.ca/
Twitter: @YouthProject_NS,
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheYouthProje...

Featured Book Info :One Boy's Shadow



Blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Caleb Mackenzie doesn't put up a fight when his father announces the family is moving to Stapeton, Nova Scotia. In fact, Caleb looks forward to a fresh start in the scenic little area. Their new home, Wakefield House, sports large rooms, a big barn where Caleb can work on cars, and acres of forested land for privacy. But it also has a troubling past. In 1943, a boy who lived in the home vanished.

Caleb hears the stories about what may have occurred so many years ago, but he passes them off as folklore until one day he's alone in the woods and hears the faintest whisper. Did someone in the distance just call his name? And what about his discovery in the hayloft? Could there be something to those old stories after all?

The initial need to dismiss everything as coincidence becomes a soul-searching journey into the past where Caleb is determined to uncover the truth about what really happened to the missing boy. And in the process, he learns even more about himself and what's really important.

Places to buy One Boy’s Shadow:
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/One-Boys-Shadow-...

Chapters: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/home/bo...

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/One-Boys-Shadow...

IUniverse: http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Produc...

SuperBookShop: http://www.superbookshop.net/index.ph...

Powells: http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-9781...

Foyles: http://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/childre...

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-b...

Booktopia: http://www.booktopia.com.au/one-boy-s...

[Kaje]

Excerpt

One Boy’s Shadow by: Ross A. McCoubrey ©2012

Scene Setting: Main Character – Caleb MacKenzie and new friend – Shane Radnor go for a walk together in the forested area behind Caleb’s new home at the end of Wakefield Road, an area where, 60 years earlier, a teen-age boy disappeared. The scene begins on page 101 of the book.


“Sure is peaceful in here,” Shane said as we walked along the old
trail. The air was heavy with the scent of pine trees and trapped pollen
in the branches of the spruce. A pileated woodpecker, looking almost
prehistoric, pounded away at a dead birch tree. The air in the woods was
humid, and we were both sweating almost instantly. The trees blocked
out most of the light from overhead, but enough filtered through to
allow occasional boxes of sunlight to form on the ground in random
patterns like pixels on a computer screen. I cursed myself for wearing
sandals, as pine needles kept collecting on and between my toes. Shane
was having the same issue, but neither of us mentioned it.

As we were walking, I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder, stopping
me in my tracks. Shane pulled me over to him and pointed off to the
side of the trail. A deer was walking through the deeper woods. We
watched in silence until it was gone from sight. Shane’s hand was still
on my shoulder.

“Oh, hey. Sorry,” he laughed awkwardly.

“Good eyes to spot the deer.”

“Lucky.”

We continued walking until we reached a steep slope. Carefully
navigating our way down, holding on to tree trunks and roots as we
went, we reached the bottom and heard a trickling sound. Ahead of
us was a small clearing and a waterfall. We sat down on a fallen tree
that appeared as though it had been there forever for the exact purpose
of being a bench, but had somehow managed to not rot. We ate some
granola bars and drank some water.

“It’s really nice down here,” I said.

“Yeah. I’m glad we kept going.”

“Me too.”

“I’d like to paint this.”

“Yeah, you should, man.”

“I dunno. It’s just a thought. I have lots of ’em. Most I don’t know
what to do with.”

“I hear ya. I’m trying to take Blake’s advice and stop thinking so
much—just do stuff. You know, take more risks.”

“Easier said than done.”

“That’s for sure.”

Shane picked up a stone from the ground and played with it, keeping
his focus solely on it. I wanted him to talk to me, but I didn’t know
what to say.

“Shane?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for hanging out with me and stuff.” I looked over at
him, trying to get his eyes on me for a moment. I was pleased that it
worked.

He turned his head and replied, “You don’t have to thank me for
that. I like you, Caleb. Like you a lot. You’re a really cool guy. I knew
that from the first time we talked.”

“It’s funny. When I first met you, I never figured we’d be friends. I
thought you were way too cool to hang out with me.”

Shane shook his head. “You’re so hard on yourself, man. What gives?
I mean, the gang all likes you, your family all obviously love you so, I
mean, why don’t you think more of yourself?”

I shrugged. “I dunno. Guess I’m still trying to answer that
myself.”

His expression turned to a genuine smile. “We’ll keep working on
it then.”

I grinned.

Shane headed over to the waterfall and caught some water in his
cupped hands. He splashed it over his face and called me over. “It’s
really warm!”

I stood by him and leaned my head into the waterfall, getting my
hair wet and shaking my head as I stood up straight, spraying him with
the moisture that came off my hair. He put his hands up defensively
and laughed. His white T-shirt and beige cargo shorts were now covered
in a splattering of rain. His wet eyelashes caused his eyes to sparkle.
His smile showed his white teeth. He was so beautiful. I went with
my instincts and leaned in, kissing him on the lips. They were soft and
moist and sweet.

Surprising myself by what I had done, I stepped back quickly.
Shane looked at me, stunned. “You kissed me.”

“Yeah. Shit. Sorry. That was dumb. I don’t know why I did that.
Please … forget it, okay?” I pleaded as nonchalantly as possible, even
though my heart was pounding so hard I was sure it had to be visible.

“I can’t forget it happened, Caleb.” Shane’s voice was serious, and
it frightened me a bit. I knew I had just lost the best friend I had ever
had.

I felt sick to my stomach. All sorts of scenarios raced through my
mind—none of them good. “Please. I’m so sorry.” I felt myself on the
verge of crying; my limbs started to shake from panic.

“Caleb,” Shane looked me deep in the eyes as he spoke, stepping
toward me.
For a moment I thought he was going to hit me, but he took
my face in his hands instead. “I don’t want to forget it. Not ever.” Shane
slid one hand down to the small of my back, and the other moved to
the back of my neck as he leaned in and kissed me. Softly. Passionately.
Slowly. When our lips finally parted, he was smiling. “You’re never
supposed to forget your first kiss,” he said gently.

Having been given the courage to do what I had yearned to do for
so long, I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly against
me. We stayed in the clearing for some time, watching the water for a
while as the stream ran over the shiny stones and snaked its way out of
the forest and into the field.

As we walked back along the trail toward the house, we held hands.
The sensation of feeling Shane’s hand in mine is one I’ll never forget.
In such a simple gesture, I knew so much about him, and even more
about myself. We began to talk openly, on a level where I had never
conversed before.

“So, when did you know you’re gay?” Shane asked me.
At this point, we were walking side by side, no longer holding
hands, but still close—there may have been daylight between us, I can’t
be sure.

I considered his question before answering. “Well, I guess I’ve
known for a coupla years now, but I kept giving myself excuses like
telling myself that when I saw a guy I thought was hot, I was really
just jealous and wished I looked like him, right? Like, I wish I had his
build, instead of, I wish I had him on top of me.” I laughed at myself
and shook my head. “God, it seems so dumb when I say it, but in my
mind it always made sense.”

“I know exactly what you mean. Hell, I voted for Jaydee Bixby
over two hundred times to win ‘Canadian Idol’—and I don’t even like
country music.” Shane chuckled. “But that boy is so cute.”

I smiled and scuffed at some pine needles. “So, I guess, really, I’ve
always known. I mean, I’ve always liked guys. Girls are cool as friends,
but I don’t want to, umm, you know, be with them. All my crushes have
been on guys, but I always made excuses, like I said, and suppressed my
thoughts. It’s been making me miserable.”

“Yeah. I get ya. It’s so stupid, too. I mean, there’s nothing any
different about us—we just dig guys when the majority of guys dig
girls.”

“Exactly. So, when did you know?”

“Kinda like you, I’ve always known I was different. I mean, I did the
whole making-excuses thing too, but I got to a point when I just said,
‘Screw it. I like guys, and that’s cool.’ But it’s one thing to tell yourself
that; it’s a whole new ball game when you tell other people.”