Coming Soon!
The Boy Next Door
My coming-of-age novel The Boy Next Door will be released by Atmosphere Press in the next several months. In a nutshell, the story is about a young man named Don Hathaway who hopes his father will be proud of him in two ways. His father has died a premature death when Don is 17, and Don hoped his father was proud of him when he was alive. Then Don hopes his father would have been proud of him if he lived long enough to see him as an adult.
One subplot centers around Don’s relationship with Alice Roland. Roland, seven years older and Don’s best friend’s sister, has also suffered a personal loss. She connects with Don in a deep way as their grief binds them. Their relationship is viewed as inappropriate, so inappropriate she loses her job as a high school teacher.
Don meets the red-haired Karen Monroe in grade school and is his first crush. In contrast to Don’s complex relationship with Alice Roland, his relationship with Karen has a playful aspect stemming from a young time when they didn’t fully understand their tender feelings for each other.
The book shows how tough it is to grow up but also demonstrates that one can live a happy life if he navigates the strange ways of coming-of-age.
The Boy Next Door is my first published novel. I have published eight non-fiction books and three short stories. I am now attempting to publish a fantasy novel entitled Partners and Ghosts.
You can read more about The Boy Next Door in the Current Projects section.
Author Dan Helpingstine
Bringing history, mystery, and imagination to life—one story at a time.
Storytelling has been at the heart of my life for more than 50 years. From my earliest days writing about sandlot baseball games to working as a reporter and publishing short stories, writing has always been my calling. Along the way, I discovered a passion for chronicling the history of the Chicago White Sox, resulting in six books—including my latest release White Sox Redemption – The Road to the World Series Victory in 2005, which celebrates the team’s long-awaited championship season.
Beyond baseball, I love creating stories that entertain and surprise. I’ve published mysteries and am currently developing new novels, including the coming-of-age tale The Boy Next Door and Partners and Ghosts, a unique blend of science fiction and human drama with a sequel already in the works. Whether I’m exploring the legacy of America’s pastime or crafting suspenseful fiction, my goal is to bring readers stories that stay with them long after the last page.
