Ah, Ryne O'Casey...do I ever love the main character of this my first novel . The Healing of Ryne O'Casey has a special place in my heart. It is the story of a little boy with AIDS in search of the Christ among us who was not—and is not—afraid to touch and be touched by the most "dangerous" among us.

Writing this book took a century. I began working on it in 1991 during my first year as a doc student at the University of Georgia. It was therapy for me. Reared in a solid evangelical home, my world was rocked when word came in 1986 that my two older brothers had been diagnosed with HIV. At the time I was a second-year student at a distinguished theological seminary in the northeast. During the course of their illness, my family and I experienced heartache and grief but also grace and humor and hope beyond measure! I tried to capture this in the story of Ryne O'Casey.... I hope you love Ryne a fraction as much as I do.

ISBN: 1932902422 Paperback, 272 pp.

Praise for ... The Healing of Ryne O'Casey "Stewart's writing is clear, provocative and believable, the true mark of craftsmanship.... The main character, Ryne O’Casey, is much like the kid next door. He has the same desires and dreams of most children, yet he lives with the knowledge that he probably will not live to adulthood, that he will never experience first love, high school sports, college, marriage and being a father to his own children. Ryne fights with valiant effort not to allow his disease to rob him of the simple pleasures of childhood. This brave young boy is far wiser than many of the adults which people this book. He sees straight through the hypocrisies of the self-righteous twits who clothe their prejudices in the robe of Christianity. He forgives them, for they do not know how cruel they really are being. The main force of this book is faith, pure and simple. Even in the face of the harshest of realities, Ryne’s faith carries the day. This book is too good not to write about. I highly recommend it for its laughter- and tear-invoking truths." —Beth Alston Americus Times-Recorder "Scott Philip Stewart's first novel reminds me of books by Clyde Edgerton, with its quirky characters and dedication to getting not just to the roots of matters, but into the dirt that surrounds them. When Esther Jean O'Casey throttles the living daylights out of a mean fellow who desperately needs it, I found myself wanting to shout 'Amen, Sister.' As for Ryne, his is a tale of suffering told with a wit beyond his years and a depth that will break the most cynical heart. A soulful tale of faith lost and renewed through trials, this book is a gem." — Linda Dorrell, author of The Trees of Eden and True Believers