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Title: Autumn Soul By: Ben Fordham Have you ever yearned to have a second chance to change that one critical decision in your life you have regretted making every day since? Autumn Soul is the story of Danny O'Donnell's secret quest to reverse his greatest regret and reunite with the son he abandoned at birth twenty years before. Call it The Natural meets Field of Dreams. Danny is the only child of Jack O’Donnell, a widower and tough working class Irishman. They share a strong bond, cemented by a mutual love of football and Irish poetry. At a party celebrating Danny’s football scholarship to Ohio State University, Jack is killed in a bar room brawl and Danny retaliates, accidentally killing Jack’s killer. Danny soon learns his sixteen year old girlfriend is pregnant and when he’s wrongfully convicted of second degree murder, he has to give up his infant son, Jason, for adoption. Danny is forced to agree never to try to contact Jason. In a short time Danny loses his father, his son, his future and his freedom. Twenty years later Danny is paroled and yearns to find Jason. With the help of Anthony, his childhood friend and Jason’s uncle, Danny locates Jason living a sheltered life on a middle Tennessee horse farm. Danny hires on as a part time stable hand with Amelia, Jason’s divorced adoptive mother. Amelia is engaged to Atkins, a professor at the local college where she teaches. Jason is handsome and talented. He is also egotistical, self absorbed and spoiled. Danny figures Jason is heading for a life of trouble and decides he must become involved in Jason’s life. Hence his dilemma, how to become a father figure without Jason or Amelia knowing who he really is? Danny enrolls in the local college and he takes classes from Amelia. Danny renews his sports career (he had stayed in shape playing for the warden’s showcase prison football team). Danny chooses the one tool available to him, he competes against Jason to be the team’s quarterback, a forty year old Freshman quarterback. Amelia falls for Danny, the mysterious poet/drifter. Jason is protective of his mother and bristles at Danny’s invasion into Jason’s domain. Jason and Danny repeatedly clash, both on and off the football field. Over time Jason comes to begrudgingly respect, then even admire, Danny. However, Danny’s dreams are dashed once again when Atkins discovers Danny’s true identity and blackmails him into leaving. Danny retreats without telling Jason or Amelia the truth. Jason is convinced his original suspicions have been proven true. After soul-searching reflection, Danny decides he must fight for the love of his son. With Anthony’s help, Danny returns, leads the team to triumph in the championship game and battles for the love of both Jason and Amelia.