Publication Date: April 30, 2023
Everyone says vampires aren’t real. Tommy Lucas isn’t so sure.
Nine-year-old Tommy Lucas needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. But he’s convinced his disease is a curse on his bloodline, that he’s a vampire. His mother’s an oncologist, but Tommy believes only magic can cure him—or the same synthetic blood substitute developed for urban legend Viscount Claudius Fallon.
Tommy is stoked when he discovers a five-part series about Fallon in an online pulp fiction magazine called Philly’s Argosy . Descended from a ruling class of vampires in Cardiff, legend has it that Fallon traveled to Eureka Springs, Arkansas seeking a cure for his own leukemia during WWII.
Tommy’s quest leads him to befriend local artist and gallery owner Callan Masters, who struggles with his growing affection for Tommy’s mom, June—for he is Fallon, cured in 1939 at Norman G. Baker Cure-for-Cancer Hospital.
Dedicated to living off-grid and as a human, Callan must decide whether he will take the risk involved in helping Tommy or falling in love with June. His bite is no longer capable of turning anyone—or so he thinks.
As an oncologist, June Lucas knows all too well how destructive cancer can be. It’s even more so when it strikes your adopted son.
Nine-year-old Tommy Lucas believes the illness is part of a curse on his bloodline. He’s fascinated by stories of Viscount Claudius Fallon, who sought a cure for his own illness during World War II.
AuthorJulie Rogers delivers a new spin on a vampire tale in Falling Stars. The book uses a mixture of past and present to give readers insight into the five-part magazine series that captures Tommy’s attention.
When he strikes up a friendship with a local artist named Callan Masters, Tommy doesn’t realize that he is closer to a cure than he expected.
The story’s premise is certainly interesting, with both June and Tommy serving as solid characters. For me, the backstory was somewhat challenging to read. Perhaps the language used was a bit too formal, which made some of the text awkward without a seamless flow.
Falling Stars connects past and present for a modern vampire story that serves up a determined young boy seeking a cure.
Julie Rogers’s award-winning stories have been featured in self-help, inspirational, and fiction publications, including Coping with Cancer, Daily Meditation, Mocha Memoirs, Anotherealm, Horsethief’s Journal, Images Inscript, Complete Woman, and the annual anthology Writes of Passage: Every Woman has a Story!
She is the author of Falling Stars (urban fantasy), Happy Tails: How Pets Can Help You Survive Divorce (self-help) Simeon: A Greater Reality (spirituality) Hootie (upper elementary fiction), and Seven Shorts (neo-Noir). Julie freelances as a ghostwriter and editor on julierogersbooks.com.
Julie is the 1999 Writer’s Digest Writing Competition Grand Prize Winner for her short story “House Call.”
Other awards include Fade In magazine’s 2005 screenplay Semi-Finalist for the screenplay “Grave Jumper” and the 1998 Writer’s Digest Writing Competition First for the stage play comedy “Garage Sale.”
