A short story and novel written by Latino writer Oscar Hijuelos before dying will hit bookstores in the fall of 2015.

On Wednesday, Grand Central Publisher announced that it acquired the rights to "Another Spaniard in the Works," a short story about a musician meeting The Beatles member John Lennon in 1980, the year of his murder, The Associated Press reported.

The company also bought the rights to "Twain and Stanley Enter Paradise." According to The New York Times, Hijuelos spent almost 12 years writing the novel until he passed on Oct. 12, 2013. The book is reportedly 859-pages worth of historical fiction centered on the friendship between author Mark Twain and Henry Morton Stanley, an explorer from Wales. Hijuelos' wife, Lori Carlson-Hijuelos, said that her husband was interested in the 37-year-long friendship for decades. He even traveled to Wales, England and Belgium, filling six boxes with documents on the men.

Hijuelos finished the book in October 2013. He told Jennifer Lyons, his literary agent, that he wanted to send the book to publishers, but two days before the manuscript was sent out, Hijuelos had a heart attack.

Carlson-Hijuelos said the writer's sudden death (he was just 62-years-old), left her too grief-stricken to think about publishing the book, but she couldn't let Hijuelos' years of hard work go to waste.

"I was in such pain that I couldn't even think of that," Carlson-Hijuelos said. "Oscar worked on this novel up until the day before he died, but it was complete. I realized it would be better to have it published sooner rather than later."

Hijuelos was born in Manhattan to Cuban immigrant parents. His most famous work is his 1989 novel "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love." The book earned a movie adaptation and a Pulitzer Prize, making Hijuelos the first Latino writer to receive the honor.

"He's alive in the manuscript, and we can still share his words with his fans," said Gretchen Young, vice president and executive editor of Grand Central Publishing.

Before his death, Hijuelos also wrote a 700-page novel about two archaeologists in love.

"I may never seek its publication," Carlson-Hijuelos said. "I see 'Twain and Stanley' as Oscar's crowning achievement."
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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