About
Robert Hays has been a newspaperreporter, public relations writer, magazine editor, and university professorand administrator. A native of Illinois, hetaught in Texas and Missouriand retired in 2008 from a long journalism teaching career at the University of Illinois. He has spent a great deal oftime in South Carolina,the home state of his wife, Mary, and is a member of the South Carolina WritersWorkshop. His publications include academic journal and popular periodicalarticles and several non-fiction books. His novels include The BabyRiver Angel, Circles in the Water and TheLife and Death of Lizzie Morris, all published by Vanilla Heart. Robert andMary live in Champaign, Illinois. They have two sons and a grandsonand share (long story!) a cat named Eddie with the family next door.
Story Behind The Book
I read a newspaper story about a drug deal that led to a shootout in which a police officer shot a pusher to death, and it turned out to be his best friend from childhood. I wanted to write a book about childhood friends--and particularly childhood sweethearts--whose lives take different directions and show how behavior in our youth can affect our adult lives.
