Louis Kowalski

ANNOUNCING!

The Versions of Us

A Debut Novel from Louis Kowalski

Felix Stevens spent most of his life sharpening the skills he needed to become a distinguished physicist. A genius, but socially withdrawn, he develops a theory he believes could transform our understanding of reality. Felix is impatient to proclaim his theories and rushes them into the public forum at a scientific seminar.Among those listening is Elara Thorne, a brilliant neuroscientist whose own work is ground-breaking in her field. In many ways, she and Felix are opposites, but despite the differences, their lives are intertwined. She believes in Felix and his theories – but warns that extraordinary claims require more than mere conviction.Felix doesn’t wait. The fallout alters the course of both their lives and puts a relationship at risk.Elara becomes a celebrated scientist and public figure. Years later, Felix returns to the work he abandoned. What he discovers suggests that reality may be far stranger than even he imagined: worlds where different choices, different lives, and different versions of himself and others exist.Together, Felix and Elara are forced to confront questions that neither science nor reason can easily answer. If different choices create different lives…what makes any version of us the real one?

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Profile

Louis Kowalski

Louis Kowalski began his career in Public Relations in the health care industry. He left his PR role to fulfill his dream of becoming a sports writer. During his time as a sports writer, he covered live events, interviewed athletes from all levels of sports, and wrote a regular column. Kowalski transitioned to an internal publications writer for a major USA corporation after his time in sports journalism. The balance of Kowalski's professional career was spent in a Human Resources Manager role. While immersed in his professional career, Kowalski won a national poetry contest conducted by USA Today's Baseball Weekly publication. As part of that honor, the work was displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. He’s had a lifelong fascination with both science and fiction writing, which inspires storytelling. The Versions of Us is his debut novel. He lives in Upstate New York.

writing

The idea for this book sprouted over three years ago. I began to wonder about the time between dreaming and waking; that time when the unconscious runs the show and then slowly gives way to conscious awareness. Both systems are at work, but the interlude passes quickly. Many refer to this as lucid dreaming, and there’s good evidence for that position. But what if it’s something different, something we haven’t even thought to understand yet. These were the reflections that gave birth to The Versions of Us.The process began with research. Scientific discoveries poured onto the pages of my notebook, but the story remained a cloud-covered peak I could not find a path to climb. I set the research and the blurry vision of this tale aside for months. I moved on to other writings that were more fully formed. But The Versions of Us would not let me forget its call.Despite not knowing exactly where I was headed, I just began; a good lesson for me. Soon the story presented itself. I plugged in characters, and like the young beings they were, I managed their early lives. As they matured, they asserted their will and began directing me in equal measure. The ideas started to flow. They became too numerous to keep them all only in my head. I storyboarded the ideas, moving them around and connecting them. For 11 months, the writing process was never far from my imagination. On the rare occasions I went two or three days without writing or thinking about the story, the characters stepped in. Their voices reminded me I needed to finish this chapter of their lives. I owe much to their perseverance in infusing me with energy when I was tired.When the first write-through was complete, the editing and tweaking began. It was a five-month process in its own right. Finally, The Versions of Us was ready for eyes other than mine and my editor’s. If you choose to read this book, I will be grateful. If you choose to pass it by, that’s alright; I understand. But read something; there are so many extraordinary works in the world. I'm sure you’ll find something that will touch you, as The Versions of Us touched me in writing it.