The runner, p.1
The Runner, page 1
Table of Contents
Books by Thom Collins
Title Page
Legal Page
Book Description
Trademark Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
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Pride Publishing books by Thom Collins
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Anthem of the Dark
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THE RUNNER
THOM COLLINS
The Runner
ISBN # 978-1-83943-170-8
©Copyright Thom Collins 2022
Cover Art by Erin Dameron-Hill ©Copyright January 2022
Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz
Pride Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2022 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.
Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book”.
Book three in the Success series
An Olympic hero faces his longest run—to make up for the past.
Alex Schaefer is a sports journalist and commentator at the top of his game. He hosts a successful weekly podcast and has just written the biography of a world-class football player. With his career on an upward trajectory, Alex has never been busier. There is no time in his life for love or romance.
Ethan Bower was used to success. As a British sprinter, he has won a host of silver and gold medals at the Olympics, European and Commonwealth champion-ships and has spent over a decade at the top, but persistent injuries have brought Ethan’s career to an abrupt halt in his mid-thirties. Now he has to start over again and trying to get his foot in the door of athletics’ commentary and presenting isn’t easy.
Ethan and Alex have history. Eight years ago, at the height of Ethan’s success, Alex was chosen to ghostwrite his autobiography, and it was an experience they would both rather forget. Ethan hated what Alex wrote about him—a fact he has made very public. When Ethan attends the launch of Alex’s latest book, they meet again for the first time in years, and something becomes apparent to them both. They have each improved with age, and now in their thirties, they are older and more mature.
Can they put the past and their ambitions for the future behind them now to take a chance on each other?
Trademark Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation
Olympics: United States Olympic Committee
The One Show: BBC
Mercedes: Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft Corporation
Grey Goose: Bacardi and Company Ltd.
Strictly Come Dancing: BBC Studios
OK!: Reach PLC
Diet Coke: Coca-Cola Company Inc.
YouTube: Google Inc.
The Big Issue: The Big Issue Company Limited
Celebrity Best Home Cook: BBC One
Netflix: Netflix Inc.
MasterChef: Banijay
Audi: Audi Aktiengesellschaft Corporation
James Bond: Ian Fleming
BBC Two: BBC
Bluetooth: Bluetooth SIG Inc.
Fifty Shades of Grey: E.L. James
The Sunday Times: News UK
Zoom: Zoom Video Communications Inc.
Lycra: Invista North America S.A.R.L. Corporation
Coke: Coca-Cola Company Inc.
Bacardi: Bacardi and Company Ltd.
Chapter One
After a few minutes of light-hearted banter with his co-host Lanita, Alex Shaefer brought his weekly podcast to a close. There were never enough hours in the day for Alex to achieve all the things he wanted, and with today’s recording running half an hour over, time was getting tight.
“Nice one,” Lanita said, reaching across the desk to give him a high-five.
“Is that everything?” Alex asked their producer Naz. “Have we got enough?”
Naz gave a thumbs-up through the studio window. “All good.”
Alex let out a long exhalation and took off his headphones.
The Long Run was Alex’s baby. The podcast was coming to the end of a second successful year that had seen it move from being an independent broadcast in its first seven months onto the wider platform of the BBC. The original concept had been to focus on British athletics, but they had widened their remit to cover all aspects of sport. Lanita Khan, a well-known football pundit, had joined the team when the show expanded, taking it to even greater triumphs.
With success came more work. The show took longer than ever to put together—booking guests, researching subjects and covering all the latest sports news and gossip. It was a relentless cycle each week. As a sideline, it had almost become a full-time job in itself. At least the move to the BBC had saved him from having to chase the sponsorship and funding deals that had been essential for them as an indie. Because podcasts were free to listen to and so many kids were doing them for fun from their bedrooms, a lot of people were surprised to learn how expensive it was to put a professional-sounding show together and get it on the air.
It was done—for today, at least. Tomorrow the work would start all over on next week’s production.
Alex ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, pushing it back from his forehead in thick waves.
“Relax,” Lanita said, obviously noticing his tension.
“I can’t help it. You know how much I hate having to do the front and centre promotion. That stuff kills me.”
Lanita grinned. “Babe, I don’t want to sound rude, but you’ve got nothing to worry about. Sure, you wrote the book, but no one will pay you much attention. You know that, right? All eyes will be on Fernando.”
“I hope that’s true,” he said, unconvinced.
Tonight was the launch of Playing with Pride, the official autobiography of Fernando Inglesias. Fernando had made headlines late in the past year when he’d become the first premiership footballer to come out as gay. It was sensational news, which had caused headlines around the world. Everybody had wanted his story. At the time, Alex had dedicated an entire episode of the podcast to the issue of homophobia, not just in football but in sport in general. It was one of his most streamed shows and had resulted in him being asked to speak on several TV programmes.
It had been a huge shock to receive a call three weeks later, asking if he’d like to write Fernando’s story for a book. Alex had ghostwritten three other sporting biographies, and the experience had been far from fulfilling. The majority of the subjects for those biographies were people who had no interest in books or even reading, beyond the advance they were offered from the publishers. Sitting down with a writer to flesh out the details of their life and career was often the last thing any of the sporting icons wanted to do. It had been a dismal experience working with those people.
“Things will be different this time.” That was what he’d been promised. He’d have unrestricted access to Fernando for the period of research and full credit for having written the book, not just a mention in the acknowledgement section.
Despite his reservations about writing another sports bio, the offer had been too good for him to refuse, and against all expectations, Fernando had come through and acknowledged Alex as his co-writer on Playing with Pride. It was a bold step and one which he was grateful for, even when that meant accompanying Fernando on the publicity ci rcuit.
They’d already given joint interviews to several media outlets. No big deal. That was part of Alex’s business. After completing an MA in sports journalism in his early twenties and gaining his first job at BBC Radio, he’d been in the profession sixteen years and knew how to handle the press.
However, all the other aspects of promotion were a struggle.
To celebrate the book, there would be a huge party in central Manchester. A year after his ground-breaking announcement, Fernando Inglesias was still big news…huge. The pre-sales on Playing with Pride were massive. All eyes would be on him, and as his collaborator, Fernando wanted Alex by his side.
“Why don’t you tell him you’re uncomfortable with this?” Lanita asked.
“I don’t want to hurt his feelings. Besides, I’ve got my name on the cover rather than a ghostwriting credit, so I owe him,” Alex said.
“I’m sure he’d understand.”
“The trouble is, I think Fernando is nervous too. You know what a big deal this is. He’s still the only openly gay player we have. There are plenty of other gay footballers, but no one has followed his lead and come out after him. The guy needs all the support he can get.”
She nodded. “And you’ll be perfect at it. You always are. Why do you get so nervous? You’re a natural at what you do.”
“Behind the camera,” he said. “Radio, podcasting, writing… There’s a reason I haven’t gone up for any TV presenting jobs. I hate having a camera pointed at me and being the centre of attention.”
Lanita rolled her eyes. “You being so unattractive and all.”
Alex gave a shy laugh. It wasn’t his looks that bothered him about being on camera. He knew he was photogenic, with his strong bone structure and dark hair. Even if he weren’t, he didn’t care what people thought of him. He just didn’t want the attention or adulation that came from appearing on screen or in print—the letters, the emails and IMs that came in the thousands whenever he appeared on TV. There was always a mix of good and bad comments, and they were an unwanted distraction. Alex didn’t need any of that to do his job.
As a journalist or reporter, the best asset anyone could have was the ability to walk around unnoticed.
Something inside him clammed up when he was on camera. He could sit in the podcast studio and talk for hours, but the few times he’d been dragged onto TV shows, he’d found himself unable to articulate or express any of the points he needed to make.
He was in a minority. Plenty of other journalists sought fame and attention from TV and social media, and they were welcome to every bit of it.
Alex didn’t need or want it.
Lanita gathered her things together, stuffing them inside a huge red leather bag. “C’mon. Let’s go. I’m taking you for a drink.”
Alex shook his head. “I can’t. I have to go home to get ready for the party.”
“Bitch, please. What are you going to do? Take a shower and change your shirt? You can do that in fifteen minutes. I know what you’re like when you go out, and you don’t need two hours to achieve it. C’mon. We’re going—me, you and Naz. You know we can’t make this evening, and we want to celebrate the book too. I’m buying, so you’d better take advantage of that while you can.”
They recorded the podcast at a studio in Media City close to Salford Quays and an array of trendy bars and restaurants. Ten minutes later, they were settled in a comfortable booth with a bottle of champagne on the table.
“To Alex and Fernando,” Lanita said, raising a toast.
They clinked glasses.
“When are we gonna get him on the show?” Naz asked. “Fernando, I mean. If anyone can pull a few strings, it’s got to be you. We should be all over this book release.”
Naz was a good ten years younger than Alex and Lanita but knew more about broadcast technology and recording than the two of them combined. He was a talented kid and had been with the show since the beginning. Alex had picked well when he’d hired him.
“It doesn’t feel right, using privilege like that,” Alex said. “Besides, there’s also the BBC policy about advertising. I can’t plug my own book on the show.”
“Bullshit,” Naz and Lanita said in unison.
“You don’t have to mention the book at all,” Naz continued. “We just want an interview with Fernando. You know what he would do for our listening figures. Ask him about it tonight.”
“No,” Alex said firmly. “I’m not going to exploit our friendship for listeners.”
“I would,” Lanita said. “If I was going to the launch, I wouldn’t hesitate. And he would say yes. I’m sure of it.”
“How come you’re not going?” Naz asked.
“I’m presenting a feature on The One Show. Can’t get out of it,” she said, taking a sip of champagne. “It’s bound to be some party. I heard the pre-sales are the biggest in years for a football book. They expect it to be bigger than Beckham’s. Your publisher will have money to burn. There are bound to be some big names around tonight.”
“Oh, please don’t say that,” Alex protested. “I feel nervous enough as it is.”
“There’s are players and managers going from Liverpool and Manchester,” she continued undeterred. “Soap stars, musicians, athletes. Ethan Bower, Rory Evans, Moses Adebayo… They’re all going.”
Alex froze, backtracking on what she had just said—one name in particular.
“Ethan Bower?” he said. “He’s going?”
“Sure. All of them are.”
Naz grinned at Alex across the table. “Doesn’t he, like, hate you?”
Alex grimaced. “I have no idea.”
Naz laughed. “I think you do.”
“What’s this?” Lanita perked up, a huge smile on her face as she put down her glass. “What have I missed?”
“Nothing,” Alex said.
“Alex and Ethan Bower have history,” Naz chuckled.
Lanita turned to Alex, her pretty eyes sparkling. “OMG. You haven’t shagged him, have you? Tell me you didn’t.”
“I didn’t,” he protested. “It’s nothing like that.”
She groaned. “Pity. Then what? Come on. Spill the story? And how come I don’t know this already?”
“It’s no big secret,” Alex said, shooting Naz a dirty look. “I ghostwrote Ethan’s autobiography, which came out about eight years ago.”
“You did? I don’t even remember him having a book out.”
“With good reason. It was a busy time with a lot of big-name biographies vying for the Christmas market. His book kind of got lost in the crowd. It didn’t really bother me. As a ghostwriter, they paid me a flat fee. Whether the book was a success or bombed, I got paid just the same.”
“So, what’s the big deal? Does he think it’s your fault his book flopped? I mean, how old was he, anyway? In his twenties? He can’t have had much of a story to tell at that age.”
Naz cleared his throat theatrically and read aloud from the screen of his phone. “Quote… ‘The man who wrote my book didn’t do his research and was poorly informed. He seemed like a nice enough guy when we sat down for the interviews, but when he wrote it up, he did a real hatchet job on me. What’s written in that book are not my words. He made it up so I would sound like a shallow, egotistical arsehole. I tried to get him fired and hire someone new, but it was too late. The book had to be in the shops by a certain date, and there just wasn’t time to start over. I’m glad it didn’t do well in the end, so less people got to read that bullshit. Jesus, that guy was a prick.’ End quote.” Naz put down the phone, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“A hatchet job,” Lanita said. “Classy.”
Alex sighed and swallowed some champagne. It tasted bitter all of a sudden. “That’s Ethan’s version of what happened.”
“And how does your version differ?” she asked. “Dramatically, no doubt.”
“The part about him being a shallow, egotistical arsehole… I didn’t make that up. It was all there to begin with. All I did was put his personality on the page.”
“I’ve always found him quite charming,” she said.
“You know him?”
