title: Racing the Rain: A Novel
author:  John L. Parker Jr. 
description: <b>Praise for <i>Racing the Rain</i>:</b><br /><br />Dreamlike . . . The Florida imagery is as thick as the air is humid . . . The toughness required [to be a world-class runner] shines through in Cassidy in <i>Racing the Rain</i> as it once did in <i>Once a Runner</i>. <b><i>The Philadelphia Inquirer</i></b><br /><br />[A] celebration of the purity of the sport. <b><i>Fort Worth Star-Telegram</i></b><br /><br />For a young man or woman, the twenty-first century onslaught against purity and potential offers very few havens, but John L. Parker, Jr.'s lovely novel, <i>Racing the Rain</i>, reminds us that within amateur sports, especially a good foot race, all of us, athletes and spectators alike, might find what is most valuable in any lifethe spirit to accomplish impossible things.<br /><b>Bob Shacochis, National Book Award winner and author of <i>The Woman Who Lost Her Soul</i></b><br /><br />Much of the intrigue of the book lies in discovering how Cassidy developed into the elite runner he became, when and how his talent revealed itself, and how he came to recognize his extraordinary ability to focus, train, and endure pain with purpose. But <i>Racing the Rain</i> offers myriad other delights, not the least of which is the friendship Cassidy strikes up with a (real life) swamp man named Trapper Nelson . . . [The book is] loaded with elegance and evocative writing. . . . A worthy, compelling, and satisfying conclusion to the Quenton Cassidy trilogy. <i><b>Paste Magazine</b></i><br /><br />In <i>Racing the Rain,</i> John L. Parker, Jr. not only creates the indomitable Quenton Cassidy, but perfectly captures the world that teaches him to be so enduring. From diving the Atlantic deeps to paddling the intracoastal waterways, young Cassidy develops the metabolism of a champion. Parker shows that the wilds of his beloved Loxahatchee River are just as good a cradle for a miler as the Colorado mountains or the Oregon woods. I was with him all the way.<br /><b>Kenny Moore, former Senior Writer, <i>Sports Illustrated</i>, and 1968 and 1972 Olympic Marathoner</b><br /><br />If you, too, are a Quenton Cassidy geek, you must read the prequel to John L. Parker Jr.s classic novel, <i>Once a Runner</i>. Its called <i>Racing the Rain</i> and it evocatively reveals why Cassidy became consumed with The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials. <b>David Wiley, <i>Runners World</i></b><i></i><br /><br />I absolutely loved this bookFilled with vivid descriptions that tingle the senses, <i>Racing the Rain</i> is a story of innocence and coming of age, and of ignoring self-doubt and overcoming limitations imposed by others. John L. Parker, Jr. shows us that with hard work, perseverance, friendships and loyalty, dreams do come true.<br /><b>Marshall Ulrich, extreme endurance athlete and author of <i>Running on Empty: An Ultramarathoners Story of Love, Loss, and a Record-Setting Run Across America</i></b><br /><br /><i>Racing the Rains </i>depiction of the running life and the Florida of an era gone by is wonderfully authentic. Among those who've tried to capture the drama and beauty of the sport, John L. Parker, Jr. is surely the best.<br /><b>Jeff Galloway, U.S. Olympian</b><br /><br /><i>Racing the Rain</i> is a clear explanation of the beauty of our simple sport, and why that beauty is so priceless, and why becoming an athlete, and in particular a runner, and in particular a racer is so special. <i>Racing the Rain </i>is about friendship and struggle and the fun of being a kid who is feeling his way through life. Truly, every runner will say 'I know what you mean, John' when they read this book!<br /><b></b><b>Bill Rodgers, four-time winner of the Boston Marathon</b>
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  Gypsy Raine
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Gypsy Raine
  
  
  
  
  
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  A pure piece of fiction written by
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Michael Gunner
  
  
  
  
  
  This book is dedicated to Mags
  
  
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  My entire extended family
  
  
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  This is a work of pure fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events,
  locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or
  used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
  dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
  
  
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  Prologue
  
  
  
  
  
  The teenage boy sits in the front seat of his father’s grey Dodge DeSoto
  reading a comic book, he has read a dozen times before. It’s his father’s
  company car and his father is outside of the vehicle conducting business in
  amongst a very crammed, Morphettville racetrack’s, carpark. The boy’s father,
  Derrick Raine has entered into a very heated discussion with three other
  gentlemen who are all wearing long grey dust coats. They are arguing over some
  missing union fun