Tag Archives: k morris samantha ebook

The Importance Of Research

5 Replies

The ability to express what resides in one’s head in a manner which grabs and maintains the interest of the reader is, in my opinion what makes a good author. Many people have interesting things to say but most of those never go on to write anything or, if they do their work remains unpublished.

As pointed out above it is the capacity of the writer to express himself in an interesting manner which makes a good teller of tales. However in many instances the good author is also marked out by his ability to conduct high quality research thereby rendering his books believable.

I set my long short story, Samantha, in the city of my birth, Liverpool, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samantha-K-Morris-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI. Despite my familiarity with Liverpool it was still imperative that I conducted thorough research. For example part of the action is set in a Whetherspoon pub in the city centre. I have visited the place on several occasions but not being able to recall the name of the pub or it’s location I visited JD Whetherspoon’s website to ensure that my portrayal of the place was accurate.

During the course of Samantha Sam is subjected to a rape. In order to ensure her compliance Sam’s drink is spiked with a date rape drug. Knowing nothing about such drugs I spent some considerable time on medical sites and forums (the latter warnn women about the dangers of date rape), in order to ensure that my description of how Sam was drugged and the effects of the drug where accurate.

While research is vital it can be the lazy person’s excuse for failing to express themselves with originality and flair. I recollect downloading a book from Amazon which purported to be an examination of a particular subject. Having downloaded it I found that the work consisted almost entirely of citations from Wikipedia. As you can imagine I was far from impressed and returned the title to Amazon for a full refund! Anyone can quote chunks from Wikipedia, it is the ability to use source material with discrimination which separates the effective researcher/writer from the lazy so and so who just wants to make a quick buck or book!

For my Amazon authors page please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Choice in prostitution?

Leave a reply

In February 2012 I published Samantha which tells the story of a young girl forced into prostitution in the English city of Liverpool by her brutal pimp Barry (see http://newauthoronline.com/my-books/). Samantha is subjected to horrific psychological and physical abuse. It is touch and go as to whether she will survive or end her days in the murky waters of Liverpool’s Albert Docks.

Given my writing of Samantha, I was interested to read that Rachel Moran, a former prostitute has written a book recounting her experiences as a prostitute (see http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Former-Irish-prostitute-calls-on-men-who-buy-sex-to-be-named-and-shamed-in-new-book-203827051.html?page=2). As a homeless 15-year-old living in Ireland Rachel entered prostitution seeing it as a means of survival. She exited sex work at the age of 22 and is full of anger regarding her experiences. The author calls for those who purchase sex to be named and shamed as happens under the Swedish Law on Prostitution.

Not everyone shares Moran’s view that criminalising the purchasers of sex is the answer. It has been argued by opponents of the Swedish model that criminalising sex buyers means that clients who come across a person who is underage or who has been trafficked will be less likely to report the matter to the authorities than is presently the case. (In the UK it is not currently illegal to pay for sex but anyone who purchases services from someone who has been compelled into prostitution is guilty of a crime irrespective of whether he new that the prostitute was being coerced). Were the law to be further tightened buyers would according to this perspective be less inclined than at present to report their suspicions owing to fears of arrest due to paying for sex, potentially leading to more (not less) exploitation.

Another argument advanced against criminalising people who buy sex is that not all sex workers are forced into prostitution. In my story, The First Time we meet Becky a young graduate who enters the world’s oldest profession in order to clear her credit card debts. She fears being made homeless as a consequence of not being able to meet her bills and turns to escorting as a means of making money easily and quickly. Becky feels compelled by circumstances to become a sex worker however there is no brutal pimp, as in Samantha coercing her into sex work. Would it be right to punish men (and women) who purchase sex from escorts like Becky who have entered prostitution voluntarily? In response to that question proponents of the Swedish approach will respond that no one truly chooses to enter prostitution, they feel compelled to do so by circumstances which are often beyond their control. It is in other words a choice in theory only. Others will reply that not all who face the financial difficulties of Becky in The First Time choose to go down the route of selling their body, consequently Becky does, in the final analysis make a decision of her own free will to enter sex work.