Ray Paul hits a home run with his newest novel. The story chronicles Todd Mueller's journey through the complexities of love, the world of business and his ambition to parlay his hopping fastball into a major league career. Unfortunately, life conspires against the young man and Todd is beset with many problems, some of his own making. Despite his weaknesses, Todd is a man we can cheer for. The author's writing style is down to earth. He imparts life lessons without a hint of preaching and displays a firm grasp of human nature. Todd's triumphs and failures are cleverly woven into a storyline that is not only entertaining, but a mosaic of universal, recognizable and all-too-human traits. Ray Paul has mastered the art of storytelling.
About the Author: Ray Paul has been a resident of Rockford, Illinois since he was four. At West Rockford High School he was a top student, three sport star and an All-State football player. Attending the University of Wisconsin, he majored in Insurance and Finance and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Immediately following graduation in 1958, he passed up an opportunity to play minor league baseball in the Dodger farm system choosing instead to marry his college sweetheart and begin a career with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Fifty-three years later, he is still smitten with Jo Marie and proud of his ongoing relationship with Mass Mutual. Ray's writing career had its genesis in college where he eschewed his business electives for writing classes. Though this period primed his heart for creative writing, fighting for a toehold in the financial services industry and being a good father to three daughters precluded any serious involvement. His hiatus from fiction writing lasted almost forty years. Fifteen years ago Ray finally reached a comfortable stage where the demands on his time and energy diminished. Their older daughters had moved away and started families of their own, and he and Jo Marie had weather the crisis of losing their youngest daughter to meningitis. With his golf scores soaring and time on his hands, he needed a new challenge. Two college course and a couple of workshops later, he had found a new avocation. With the first click of the keyboard, he began writing himself toward retirement. In the past eight years, Ray has written CABBAGE REQUIEM, BETWEEN THE ROWS, and A NEW SEASON, the three novels that make up the George Konert trilogy. In addition, he has published SHARDS an eclectic collection of his best short stories, some of which were priviously published in various journals and magazines. With the completion of HEAVEN LIES BETWEEN THE FOUL LINES, he has chronicled the life of a young man through the complexities of love, the business world and starring as a major league pitcher.