Priest-Turned Author Explores Faith, Moral Formation, and Identity in “The Air That We Breathe—Book One”

In “The Air That We Breathe—Book One: Leicester,” debut novelist Simon M. Zayas presents a reflective, semi-autobiographical work that examines religious vocation, personal identity, and moral awakening. Drawing directly from lived experiences, the novel will be featured at the London Book Fair 2026 from March 10–12, through The Maple Staple, Stand 6A100.

The narrative follows Simon, a devout young man who, at seventeen, enters a remote monastery in the mountains of Pennsylvania to pursue his lifelong goal of becoming a Roman Catholic priest. Immersed in study, ritual, and discipline, he initially embraces monastic life with certainty and idealism. An unexpected sexual awakening, however, unsettles his spiritual assumptions and compels him to confront dimensions of his identity he neither anticipated nor fully understood.

As Simon navigates this internal conflict, the novel’s tension deepens when a powerful visitor invites him to Rome—an opportunity marked by promise and prestige, yet shadowed by unseen consequences. What unfolds is a compelling meditation on faith under pressure, the costs of denial, and the courage required to face one’s authentic self.

Simon M. Zayas writes with experiential authority. Born in Tampa, Florida, with ancestral roots in northern Spain, he entered a monastery at seventeen, earned a bachelor’s degree, completed a Master of Divinity in Toronto, and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1984. His twelve years of service in Vatican administration in Rome, followed by pastoral work in New York City, Texas, and Mexico City, inform the novel with institutional insight and emotional credibility.

Now retired, Zayas presents “The Air That We Breathe—Book One: Leicester” as the first volume of a planned trilogy. Written with clarity, restraint, and reflective depth, the novel invites readers to consider enduring questions of faith, self-knowledge, and moral formation—asking how individuals are shaped by the environments they inhabit and the truths they are willing, or unwilling, to confront. The book is available on Amazon and other leading online bookstores.

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At The Maple Staple, books come alive beyond mere pages. It’s more than a bookstore—it’s a community hub for book enthusiasts and budding authors. Celebrating diversity, they curate books from up-and-coming independent writers, and offer a platform to underrepresented voices. With captivating events and book clubs in the heart of Toronto, they foster a vibrant literary community, igniting inspiration and transformation through the enchanting power of words.

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