August 9th

WARNING: THIS IS NOT THE TYPICAL LOVE STORY. Imagine it's August 9th, 1969. You're Dan Brewster, an 18 year old UCLA student, with your girlfriend Maggie, in Anaheim, CA, about to witness a rock concert for the ages as Jethro Tull opens for Led Zeppelin. Near the end of Zeppelin's encore something remarkably unexpected occurs. Twice, for a few seconds each time, a girl in the row in front of you turns around and your eyes magically connect with an intense attraction and breathtaking feeling you've never felt before. No words are exchanged and you leave the arena with only her hypnotic image, firmly etched in your mind. Months pass and, despite being in love with Maggie, you're obsessed by the ever present image of the girl from the concert. You assume what is probably infatuation, elevated by the euphoria of the evening, will pass with time. Then in March, a series of clues unexpectedly unravel that fortuitously lead you to the girl's identity. Tess Davis is a student at the University of California Santa Barbara and, like Maggie, a Delta Gamma. Contacting the DG house in Santa Barbara, your convincing, fabricated story readily provides an address for Tess. Conflicted, you're not sure what to do-if anything. Do you search for more information about Tess, call her or even surprise her with a visit? You don't want to cheat or jeopardize your relationship with Maggie but the image of the girl now has a name, a college, a sorority and an address. Further complicating your decision the snapshot of Tess embedded in your consciousness keeps growing stronger. "Have you ever locked eyes with someone and been overwhelmed by instant attraction?" Success follows you wherever you go. After graduation from UCLA your MBA from Stanford deftly prepares you for the exploding high-tech and venture capital worlds of Silicon Valley. Marriage, family and a financial fortune follow but with a huge price. Your journey under the backdrop of the Baby Boomer generation spans more than four decades, and how you deal with unlimited opportunities, formidable challenges, horrific tragedy, character flaws and addiction define your compelling life. "Do you have a "what if question" that haunts you?" August 9th breaks all preconceived ideas of how a love story should be told. Once you start reading you won't want to stop and after you finish the last page the story will continue to echo within you. You'll talk, debate and personalize August 9th because almost everyone can relate to the fundamental theme. A first time novelist, Stu Schreiber, reveals an understanding of life and love that is extraordinary and comparisons between Nicholas Sparks' first novel, The Notebook and August 9th are inevitable.