"No one talks about what happens when you fall in love with the boy next door -- not when you're the boy living beside the boy next door."
Jared has a story to tell and hopes to make a difference.
He and Luke grew up in a small Midwestern town where tradition is unquestioned, and deviation is dangerous. Their bond began over video games and a tree fort, but as childhood faded, they realized what they shared was deeper and must be kept hidden. An abandoned, rusted train car at the edge of a junkyard becomes their refuge.
When the outside world breaches their sanctuary, their lives are forever changed. Faith becomes a weapon, causing fear, isolation, and unanswered questions, forcing them to build lives apart.
After a life-altering homecoming years earlier, urgent news about Luke draws Jared back to the town and the people he once fled, where he must confront buried truths and long-held fears and decide whether first love can endure or whether some love was destined to live only in memory.
Raw, intimate, and unflinching, The View from a Rusty Train Car is an epic coming-of-age novel about first love, survival, and the journey toward self-acceptance. It has been honored with awards from Foreword Reviews, the National Indie Excellence Awards, and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
Think you know the whole story? This Special Edition features an exclusive, never-before-released final chapter.
About the Author :
DeeJay Arens is an award-winning author recognized by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards (LGBTQ category winner), ForeWord Reviews (Silver Award), and as a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards, and was a featured author at the Book Expo of America. A paralegal by training, Arens has also spent decades working in theatre and the independent film industry, where storytelling became his lifelong passion. A film based on his original screenplay, Slip Away, was screened in Los Angeles and later aired on Gay Life Television in Pittsburgh, and is available on YouTube. He is currently working on a new book and has several plays in the final stages of editing. Arens draws constant inspiration from his partner, Mark, and their Goldendoodle, Tysen, as they enjoy life on a small lake in the Northwoods of Minnesota.
Review :
"I ran the gamut of emotions. Everything from adoring sighs to heart-wrenching sobs. I was left with a feeling of completeness but also resolve in my conviction that love is love and there is progress to be made." - Lisa T.
"I very highly recommend the book. The characters, both main and supporting, and the story are very well written. The story instills true emotions of happiness, joy, anger, sadness and acceptance as you're reading the book. I finished reading it last night, but this morning I'm still heavily in book hangover status from this one. I've already added this book to my must re-read list." - Daniel Mitton
"From the very first chapter to the end, DeeJay Arens has you on a wonderfully amazing emotional roller coaster ride." - Angie Jay
"From beginning to end, everything the author expressed on the page came beautifully together to make a great read." - Shirley Quinones
