Cold Air Return: (Harmony Fiction)

"This tale of twelve-year-old Eugene Ahern's evolution from boyhood to manhood in rural Pennsylvania in 1960 is a lush story of time and place, entwined with an engrossing plot that reveals just enough. O'Keeffe's adroit use of rich, descriptive prose and attention to detail draw us deeply into the era and location, yet its message and appeal are universal. Though it is tempting to read the novel quickly to find out what happens to Eugene and his friends, take the time to savor the beauty and elegance of O�Keeffe�s use of language. These passages are sure to touch a place in your soul, as does the tale. Enjoy!" �Donna M. Lueke, author and former editor of The Beacon

About the Author :
Patrick Lawrence O�Keeffe was born in Towanda, Pennsylvania, where he attended Saint Agnes School through the eighth grade. Raised on a dairy farm three miles west of Ulster, he was one of nine children in a family that also included three orphaned cousins. When he was a teenager, his parents sold their farm and relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area. O�Keeffe studied for the priesthood under the Holy Cross Fathers at the University of Notre Dame, where he received frequent encouragement from his teachers to become a writer. Later embarking on a career in industrial fabrication, he lived in Indiana and Michigan, and finally settled near Akron, Ohio, where he and his wife, Karen, raised five children. They now reside close to Lake Erie, in Port Clinton. O�Keeffe participates in activities of the Firelands Writing Center, and reads his work at the Center�s monthly readings at Mr. Smith�s Coffee House in Sandusky, Ohio. Along with poetry that has appeared in various journals, he has also contributed humorous essays to the South Bend Tribune, as well as book reviews for the Morrow County Sentinel. In 2016, he authored and co-edited History of Ottawa County, The 1st 175 Years, a comprehensive work that tells the story, in photos and narrative, about the settling of one of the final frontiers in Ohio, which largely arose from the Great Black Swamp and the Lake Erie Islands. He is also the editor and publisher of the Scribbler, a monthly historical and literary paper for Ottawa County readers. Cold Air Return is O�Keeffe�s first novel. He is currently at work on a second.

Review :
"Cold Air Return is a coming-of-age story that rings true from its first words. It is the summer of 1960 in north central Pennsylvania and twelve-year-old Eugene and his friends are on the cusp of adolescence. Cigarettes are smoked. Innocence collides with responsibility. The bonds of boyhood are tested by the dimly understood forces of race and class and religion. The first twinges of love are shadowed by an adult world where evil is real. O�Keeffe builds his story deftly, each character drawn with knowledge and care. The climax is at once foreshadowed and unexpected, leaving our humanity exposed. I could not put this book down." �Kurt Landefeld, author of Jack�s Memoirs: Off the Road