I was pleased to receive the following recent review of my short story, “Samantha” on Goodreads:
“A powerful and well-written story”.
You can find the above review here, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1260963716?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1.
To read more reviews of “Samantha” or to purchase my book, please visit, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BL3CNHI/.
The free promotion of my book, “Samantha” ends on Friday 12 June 2015.
Samantha tells the story of a young woman forced into prostitution in the city of Liverpool. Can Sam survive the brutality of her pimp, Barry or will she end her troubled existence in the murky waters of Liverpool’s Albert Dock. To download “Samantha” free please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samantha-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI.
If you read “Samantha” or any of my other works I would very much appreciate it if you would please consider leaving a review.
Many thanks,
Kevin
On 14 February I interviewed Barry O’Connor, the pimp in my story, Samantha who is responsible for forcing Sam into prostitution, http://newauthoronline.com/2014/02/14/have-you-ever-interviewed-one-of-your-characters/. Today I am interviewing Samantha.
Interview
Me: “What are your feelings towards Barry O’Connor, the man who forced you into prostitution?”
Samantha: “He is the devil incarnate. I never hated anyone until I met Barry. I disliked people, of course I did but I’ve never felt such intense loathing and fear. Barry’s a monster, he doesn’t possess a single redeeming feature. Scum that is what he is, pure scum”.
Me: “How do you feel when having sex with clients?”
Samantha: “I try not to feel. I mean I shut down. Of course I am aware that I’m being pawed and screwed by punters but I go to another place. I try to think about Peter, the man I love or about daddy and the lovely walks we took around the estate. When its all over I spend ages in the shower but however long I take washing myself I never feel clean. Barry calls me “a dirty whore” and that is how I feel, like a dirty whore”, (Sam breaks down sobbing quietly and the interview is suspended).
The Interview Recommences
Me: “Are you OK?”
Sam: “No I’m not OK but I think its important for people to know what I and other ladies have gone through (and are still enduring) so please go on with the interview”.
Me: “Thank you Sam. What do you think of the men you are forced to have sex with?”
Sam: “Sometimes I hate them. I think they are sad losers who can’t find a partner, they have no life so resort to seeing working girls. At other times I feel like a hypocrite condemning punters because I, also have no life. I’m a sex machine servicing men. I sometimes wonder whether the men I see know that I am not working of my own free will. Some of the clients are kind and, if they new that I was being forced they would be horrified. Many others wouldn’t care, they are only interested in having sex, I’m just a sex object to them. Of course I prefer to see men who are kind but all punters, whether they are kind or otherwise want the same thing, sex. I’m not a sex object, I hate my job (if you can call it that)”.
Me; “Thank you so much for talking to me Sam”.
I was delighted to receive the below 4 star review of my story Samantha
“Samantha is the first book that I have read by this author but I can assure you that it won’t be the last. From the first page he had me captivated as I
followed the journey of Samantha, a troubled girl from a privileged background who finds herself out on the streets through no fault of her own. The author’s
attention to detail throughout the book is excellent and the characters were all easy to identify with.
Although Samantha is a short book, it is nonetheless a very satisfying read and I very much look forward to more works by this author.”
For the review please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1I8EMOV3SFDLM/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00BL3CNHI&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=341677031&store=digital-text
I have just updated my blog on Goodreads. You can find my latest post here http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/3988776-the-first-review-of-samantha-is-here
A theme running through my story, Samantha is that of evil. Barry (a pimp who owns an escort agency) drugs and rapes Sam. When she wakes he shows her pictures of the sexual abuse and threatens to send the photographs to Sam’s father unless Samantha agrees to work for him as a prostitute. Not wishing to induce another heart attack (Sam’s father has just undergone a heart operation) she agrees to work for Barry and enters a world of physical and mental abuse.
On discussing Barry’s personality with a close friend he remarked that I should consider endowing him with one redeeming feature or including in my narrative one act of kindness by Barry. I thought long and hard as to whether I should follow my friend’s advice, however Barry possesses no saving graces and I decided to portray him as the unfeeling psychopath that he undoubtedly is.
Barry possesses many of the classic traits exhibited by psychopaths. He is superficially charming (it is his charm which convinces Sam to accept a drink from him which unbeknown to her contains the date rape drug GHB). Barry has no conscience, he beats one of his girls, Tanya because she is unable to work due to being high on Crack and in the final chapter Barry attempts to kill Sam because she has had the temerity to tell him to “Go fuck yourself”. Barry is egotistical. In his world it is only Barry O’Connor who matters, the prostitutes he controls are mere means to his profit. Barry does not acknowledge that anyone other than him possesses feelings or if he does accept this, he shows no sign of caring about them.
To acknowledge that Barry is a psychopath with no redeeming features is not the same as saying that we can feel no empathy for him. In chapter 7 (http://newauthoronline.com/2012/12/18/samantha-part-7/) Barry has a nightmare in which he is, as a six-year-old thrown into a dark cupboard under the stairs by his mother. He bangs his head on the gas meter and is left bleeding there while his mother watches television. The terrible abuse which Barry has suffered as a child warps his view of women “they are all bitches and deserve everything that men do to them”. We rightly abhore and condemn Barry’s view of women and the abusive behaviour which flows from it. We can however understand (but in no way excuse) why Barry behaves as he does.
Barry is at bottom a thoroughly nasty piece of work. We can shed few tears when he meets his grizly end However had Barry experienced a loving childhood rather than one filled with abuse, would he have turned out as the cold hearted pimp he is trawling the streets of Liverpool for girls to entrap into prostitution? .
My forthcoming novel, Samantha is set in the city of Liverpool and tells the story of a young girl, Samantha who is forced into prostitution by her brutal pimp Barry.
Having been born and brought up in the city of Liverpool I can vouch for the fact that Liverpudlians are a warm and friendly lot. Unlike London and other large cities the inhabitants of Liverpool say good morning to strangers a trait which raises eyebrows among visitors who are unfamiliar with the people of the North-West of England. However Samantha is not about the warmth and generosity of the people of Liverpool, it deals with the brutal reality of a young woman compelled to work as a prostitute in that city.
Can Samantha escape the world of sex slavery or will she end her life in the cold and murky waters of Liverpool’s Albert Dock? Perhaps her love for Peter (a teacher she meets in a night club) will save her, perhaps not.
Currently Samantha exists in partial draft form on my blog (http://newauthoronline.com/2013/02/02/samantha-part-12/). Once completed Samantha will be published as an ebook and, possibly in good old fashioned hard copy as well! For part 12 of Samantha which links back to previous chapters please visit the above link.
K Morris - Poet 