A Change Of Heart

About the Book

Anyone who has ever wondered how Valentine's Day came about and the real man behind it will enjoy this saga of comedic and romantic empathy.  This ravashing tale of heroism, intrigue and sacrifice is an enjoyable stroll down an illuminating path.  This once-forgotten message now echoes through time once more.  Everyone deserves to know the impetus behind the question "Will you be my Valentine?"  Rediscover a lost world in a powerful, captivating story that still gives meaning to life to this very day.     Some comments from professional editors on this work are:       "From the scholarly halls of present-day University of Edinburgh back two thousand years to the glory days of the Roman Empire, the reader is beckoned through a tantalizing maze of provocative ideas and revelations.  The reader is richly rewarded for staying with this challenging novel." -- Marylin Smith, Managing Editor, Rutledge Books, Inc.       "I read this manuscript avidly, and was reminded of other books by Mary Renault as well as GATES OF FIRE by Stephen Pressfield.  I was intrigued  by Valentinus -- you've created a believable character living in a time of history which fascinates modern readers. . . I very much liked this manuscript." -- Claudia Cross, William Morris Agency.     "This is clearly an ambitious and deeply felt novel and one which has been assiduously researched with clarity and respect." -- Barry Malzberg, Editorial Co-Director, Scott Meredith Agency.       “A Change of Heart,” offers a work of historical fiction interweaving elements of fantasy and spiritual themes into a descriptive narrative.  California “Cal” McQueen is an emotionally repressed archeology professor who is losing his girlfriend, Annie.  Desperate to keep her, yet bewildered by the rituals of love, he is heartbroken.  Hoping to solve this the only way his academician’s heart can - he turns romance into a research project.  By investigating traditions of Valentine’s Day and learning how the rich customs associated with February 14th evolved, he hopes to fathom the dance of courtship.        As the story unfolds, Cal is unable to emotionally commit to Annie.  His inner thoughts and reflections on the transformative qualities of love are confused.  Desperately seeking to uncover the real Valentinus behind the myth, he receives an old, mysterious leather bound book of cryptic instructions.  It contains a journal with maps leading to answers solving the penultimate mystery of history.  Thirty Lost Books have been secreted for almost two millennia.  The impact of what he would find there might change his life and the lives of others forever.       The first step requires Cal to journey to Rome.  There, a wild wolf leads him to a hidden cave containing a treasure trove of ancient manuscripts.  In this secreted library, he discovers the Thirty Lost Books of the Mysterians.  He begins to read and is challenged by the contents.  As Cal delves into the delicate texts, he finds the personal diary of the enigmatic hero.  By reading them, he travels back in time to ancient Rome, tracking the interesting life and mission of the fascinating Valentinus.  Along with Cal, we are drawn to the early mystic as the contemporary scholar becomes immersed in the words of history’s greatest champion of love.       Following Valentinus’ life from childhood, wonderful, tantalizing characters abound.  Blending elements from world mythology with scenes relaying forgotten philosophical concepts, the scope and tone of this chronicle is riveting.  Twelve Intuitions must be unearthed.  The journal relates strange and fascinating things.  Angels.  Emperors.  Alchemy.  Astrology.  Black arts. &n

About the Author

Walter Michael Borny is a lawyer, financial planner and securities representative in San Francisco. A graduate of Rutgers University (Magna Cum Laude), he also received his law degree there. A Vietnam Veteran with a Top Secret Crypto Clearance, he won citations for meritorious service including the Presidential Unit Citation, Campaign Ribbons and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. A member of the ABA, NASD and Phi Beta Kappa International Honor Society, he is listed in Who’s Who In the World and Who’s Who Of The Emerging Leaders In America.