My collection of short stories, An Act Of Mercy And Other Stories, is free in the Kindle store from 21 February to 25 February. To download An Act Of Mercy free please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/An-act-mercy-other-stories-ebook/dp/B00EHS74CS (for the UK), or http://www.amazon.com/An-act-mercy-other-stories-ebook/dp/B00EHS74CS (for the USA). If you download An Act Of Mercy or any of my other books I would appreciate it if you would please consider leaving a review.
Kevin
I have published two previous posts containing interviews with characters from my story, Samantha, http://newauthoronline.com/2014/02/14/have-you-ever-interviewed-one-of-your-characters/. Today I am interviewing the leading character from my story the First Time, a young graduate named Becky who enters the world of prostitution in order to clear her debts.
Interview
Me: “What is your earliest recollection?”
Becky: “Collecting bluebells with my grandfather. I remember the sun was shining, the birds singing and I was so happy to be with my grandfather. Those memories are incredibly precious”.
Me: “It sounds as though you had a happy childhood?”
“Becky: “Yes, I was surrounded by people who loved me. Mummy and daddy doted on me. Both of them read to me, I grew up in a house full of books which is why, I guess I ended up reading English literature at university”.
Me: “much of the research into why people enter into prostitution appears to indicate that they suffered childhood abuse or some other trauma. From what you have told me about your childhood it doesn’t appear that you fit in with this stereotype”.
Becky: “You mean what is a nice middle class girl like me doing working as a prostitute?”
Me: “Not to put to fine a point on it, yes”.
Becky: “I ran up a huge credit card debt. There was no way, as a part-time barmaid I would ever be able to clear it. One of my friends, Julie worked as an escort and, in desperation I asked her to help me to enter the sex industry, as a prostitute which she did by introducing me to one of her clients, Mike”.
Me: “Didn’t you consider turning to your family for help?”
Becky: “No, mummy and daddy would have been so disappointed in me. They brought me up to live within my means, not to borrow accept for a mortgage. If you can’t afford it then you should save up for it or do without. That is there philosophy. I would have died of shame if they had found out about my debts”.
Me: “What do you think their reaction would be if they found out that their daughter was working as a prostitute?”
Becky: “they would be horrified! Christ I would die of shame if they found out, that will never happen though. I live in London and mummy and Daddy live in York”.
Me: “Do you feel that you have a choice in prostitution?
Becky: “If I haden’t entered sex work I would have had a huge credit card debt and it would have been impossible for me to live as all my money would have gone in paying off my card. I wasn’t physically compelled to become an escort but I had no other choice given the state of the jobs market”.
“Me: “do you enjoy your work?”
Becky: “What kind of a question is that?! I hate being treated like a piece of meat. Some men are nice and, of course it’s easier if the man is polite and converses with you rather than grabbing you as soon as you come through the door, doing the deed and then throwing you out in 30 minutes or so, but no I don’t enjoy being treated as a sex object”.
Me: “Can you see yourself giving up working as an escort?”
Becky: “I’d like to but, although I hate the work I like the money. You can make thousands a month if you work as an independent escort as you don’t have to give a percentage to the escort agency. I’ve seen girls who hate the work but love the money. I’m afraid that I may end up like one of them”.
Me: “Many thanks for talking to me Becky”.
—
For a review of The First Time please visit https://cupitonians.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/the-first-time-book-review/
A great post. Maths has never been my strong point, however the article contains some interesting statistics regarding how authors can best promote their work. My brain felt rather like mush having analysed all those stats but useful none the less!
Via Flickr Creative commons, courtesy of Tax Credits.
My degree is in Political Science with an emphasis on Political Economy. To earn this degree, I had to study a lot of statistics *UGH* and to be blunt? I agree with Mark Twain, “There are lies, damn lies and statistics.” Surveys and statistics are a science: number of participants, number of questions, phrasing of the questions, nature of the sample group, geography, etc.
Yada, yada, yada.
But somewhere in the numbers is some truth, which is why I asked one of our WANA instructors, Jami Gold, to do this guest post for me (and yes, she will be presenting at WANACon).
Sure we love to write, but I assume all of us are asking the BIG questions: Is there MONEY in writing? How do we make a GOOD living as writers? Money seems to be the taboo and we don’t want…
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Several months ago I published a post about trolling, http://newauthoronline.com/2013/12/09/trolling-along/, (no not those mythical creatures which inhabit the Lord Of The Rings but people who lurk, on the internet spewing bile for the sheer sake of doing so).
Yesterday I came across an article in The Daily Mail entitled “Online Trolls Really Are Horrible People”, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2559860/Online-trolls-really-ARE-horrible-people-researchers-Narcissistic-Machiavellian-psychopathic-sadistic.html. According to this insightful piece (if you detect sarcasm it is, of course purely a figment of your imagination) trolls exhibit sadistic, psychopathic and other unpleasant character traits. Well blow me down with a feather I always thought that they where much maligned individuals who, at bottom are possessed of hearts of gold. Thank you Daily Mail for enhancing my understanding of trolling. I am now a wiser and sadder person for this astounding new knowledge.
Of course for any authors (or, indeed anyone who has been subjected to trolling) it is no laughing matter. Trolls lurk on Goodreads among other places and goad authors by posting deliberately inflammatory reviews and comments so as to provoke a reaction from the unfortunate author. Don’t respond, treat the trolls with the contempt they deserve, They are sad people with no life who, with a little luck will crawl back under which ever rock they have emerged from.
I have just updated my ‘Reviews of my books’ page to include yet another review for Samantha and also the recent review I received for The First Time.
For the reviews page please visit: http://newauthoronline.com/reviews-of-my-books/
My latest collection of short stories, ‘Streetwalker and other stories’ will be free to download on Amazon from the 21st February until the 1st March.
Get ‘Streetwalker and other stories’ here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Walker-other-stories-Morris-ebook/dp/B00HLRNDP4 for the UK and here http://www.amazon.com/Street-Walker-other-stories-Morris-ebook/dp/B00HLRNDP4 for the US
Starting from Friday 21st until Tuesday 25th February, my collection of short stories ‘An Act of mercy and other stories’ will be free to download from the Kindle store.
Get ‘An Act of Mercy and other stories’ here now: http://www.amazon.co.uk/An-act-mercy-other-stories-ebook/dp/B00EHS74CS for the UK and http://www.amazon.com/An-act-mercy-other-stories-ebook/dp/B00EHS74CS for the US
Thank you to Jade Reyner of Jade’s Jungle for hosting me on her blog. Please do check out the other posts on Jade’s Jungle together with her book, “12 Days the Beginning” and the forthcoming sequel.
Many thanks to Cupitonians for reviewing my collection of short stories, The First Time. Should you purchase The First Time or any other of my books I would appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review either on your own site or Amazon. As mentioned by Cupitonians, a free copy of The First Time was provided in return for an honest review. No money or other incentives where provided.
Torchlight, the playground deserted save for the solitary wanderer. The boy, alone or lonely? Traverses the track, his shoes the only sound disturbing the silence which wraps around him. Sometimes the silence is like an old friend, a comforter shielding him from banal chatter and the stupidity of crowds. On other occasions it is a thick blanket, suffocating, killing, stifling breath.
Entwined in darkness he goes his lonely light dimly illumines the darkness. Night is his realm, an escape from the banality of day but, sometimes the darkness oppresses, and, hurrying towards the lit windows he seeks sanctuary of a sort.
