Latter Days: A Novel by C. Jay Cox, T. Fabris (Paperback Edition): Bookhills.com

Would you risk being ex-communicated by your church, shunned by your peers, and turned away by your parents, for the one you love? How desperate would you be if you were denied the freedom to love, to be with the person of your dreams? The one person who makes you feel complete. This is portrayed in the all too familiar story of boy meets boy, boy falls in love with boy, and boy has to choose between boy and family. Latter Days the book, written from the screenplay, is a replica of the movie except for a few minor details. C. Jay Cox wrote the screenplay. The book, adapted by T. Fabris, won the Audience Award as the Outstanding First Narrative Feature, Los Angeles Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Aaron Davis (Steve Sandvoss), a 19 year-old Morman, has never been away from home. He is called to serve as a missionary for his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. His assignment is in Hollywood, California where he will spend two years. He makes the pilgrimage from Pocatello, Idaho to California, full of hope and promise that he will make his church and family proud. He studies the Bible and its teachings diligently. He loves the church and the feeling of belonging, but there is one big problem--he is gay. He falls in love with another boy, Christian. His church insists Aaron repent for his sins and forever deny who he is. Living as a homosexual is not an option. The church forces Aaron to choose between Christian and his religion.

Christian Markelli (Wes Ramsey) is a vivacious, gorgeous, party animal. His claim to fame is his ability to get straight boys to have sex with him. He works as a waiter and bus boy at Lila's Restaurant-so does his roommate and best friend, Julie. His other friends are co-workers, Andrew and Traci. When Aaron and three other young Mormons move into Christian and Julie's apartment complex, Andrew, Traci, Julie and Chris make a $50 bet to see if Chris can get one of the missionaries to sleep with him. Chris and Julie bet he could do it; Andrew and Traci bet he could not. Christian had no idea that he was going to fall in love with Aaron, or that Aaron would return his love.

Julie (Rebekah Jordan) is an aspiring singer. Through a connection, she gets Clive Davis to listen to her demo album. Chris and Julie are more than roommates; they support and love one another like family.

Andrew (Khary Payton), the bartender at Lila's, has wisdom beyond his years because he has been HIV positive from a very young age. He convinces Christian to volunteer to help deliver food to housebound AIDS victims. Chris takes him up on his offer after Aaron tells him he is shallow and compares him to a "marshmallow peep"-a perfect analogy. Chris wants to prove to Aaron that he is not just a pretty face who only cares about getting laid.

Traci (Amber Benson) is an aspiring actress whose parents are not too crazy about her career choice.

Lila (Jacqueline Bisset) owns Lila's Restaurant and is the epitome of culture, grace, and poise. She is a mother figure to Christian and Aaron when their own parents are not willing to fulfill their roles. One of her best lines to Aaron is, "Your church doesn't like alcohol or homosexuals. I am definitely not joining." Aaron was there for Lila in her time of need and Lila returns the favor to Aaron. They were each others' angel.

Aaron is kicked out of the missionary program and sent home after getting caught kissing Christian. Christian does not want to let him go that easily and tries to get him back.

The set design is amazing and meaningful, as we see when Aaron returns home. His father is disappointed and his mother is cold. By contrast, the house is colorful and bright; even the kitchen cabinets are cheery. The house was decorated before Aaron shamed his family by admitting he is gay-designed when Aaron showed promise and potential to follow his father's example and become a church leader. The cheerful design makes Aaron's mother seem that much harsher by comparison.

I loved Latter Days, the movie and the book, for many reasons but most of all for the important story it tells and the lesson it teaches. The lesson being that love comes in all forms and no person or church should have the right to condemn love between two people of the same sex. Many tragedies and near disasters could be avoided.

Summary of Latter Days: A Novel

?It?s an all-stops-out heart-tugger for sure . . . its emotional wallop is earned honestly and uncompromisingly.??Kevin Thomas, L.A. Times

Winner of the Outstanding First Narrative Feature Award at OUTFest (the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival), and the Best Gay Male Feature Film Award at the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

Combine a hunky, repressed Mormon missionary and an L.A. party boy, sensual sex and knowing humor, and the result is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser. Christian is a handsome, young man who flits from guy to guy without much of a thought in his pretty little head. So when his roommate Julie discovers that the gorgeous group of young men who moved in next door are Mormon missionaries, they bet on whether Christian can bed one of them. Christian quickly moves in for the kill, identifying Elder Aaron Davis as a repressed homo?and quite a sexy one at that. Their initial encounters have a charged sexual tension, but fear of the devil keeps Aaron?s libido at bay. When the two are alone together, Aaron?s Mormon missionary roommates interrupt, spot their brother as gay and send him back in shame to his Idaho hometown and embarrassed parents. But in a heartfelt conclusion that brought festival audiences to their feet, love wins out over fear.

The feature film version of Latter Days will be released in January 2004, starring Jacqueline Bisset, Mary Kay Place, Wes Ramsey, Steve Sandvoss and Amber Benson.

C. Jay Cox wrote the screenplay for the smash hit film Sweet Home Alabama, starring Reese Witherspoon, and makes his directing debut with Latter Days, for which he also wrote the screenplay.

Latter Days: A Novel