My featured author this week is Bev Allen author of Jabin.

 In the spirit of all of us that love the written word, all of us who have generosity in their nature and a genuine fondness for their like minded friends; I will be happily promoting the works of  any of my Taylor Street colleagues who have now released their books again. It matters not if they are traditionally published or self-published. I have read and reviewed, or will read and review each book and author I promote.

So ... let us begin.

I am delighted to feature author Bev Allen and her Young Adult Novel "Jabin" newly published by Thorstruck Press.

BEV ALLEN.

 Book Description

Publication Date: June 11, 2014

The space colony is rife with religious and political rivalry, and prey to the vicious maraudings of pirates whose cruelty is savage. In New Wales the pirate attacks are relentless and merciless. Having lost both his parents Jabin is adopted by malicious relatives.
Jabin altruistically surrenders to a raiding gang, he does so believing nothing can be worse than his current suffering. He discovers circumstance does worsen when megalomaniacs rule. When the King of New Wales is assassinated the colony threatens to collapse into total anarchy, leaving the pirates free reign to mutilate, kill, and profit. Earth's law enforcement are ready for retaliation. Jabin has a vital role in the ensuing war, if he can survive the current mayhem.
Interstellar espionage is visceral in this masterpiece of cosmic suspense.

 My Review of Jabin

 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A novel that will appeal to more than just the YA market!.

By 

Soooz Burke - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jabin

Bev Allen's Jabin  is labelled YA...I am far from that age bracket and yet this book captured me and held me a willing captive from the first page till the last.

Author Allen has crafted a character that readers of any age will empathise with. Jabin is endearing, strong, and wise well beyond his years. He has to be as he is thrust into a world of enmity, a world that makes him an outcast, a world peopled by those who believe that theirs is the only `true' belief system. Bev Allen's `Jabin' will drag you into his world...a world where he feels constantly disconnected, unloved...and unnecessary.

Many Young Adults in our harsh world will identify with these facets of Jabin's character, many of us older folks that have experienced that feeling will want so very badly for Jabin to find a place he belongs.

This book hits me on so many levels ... It is an Adventure, Science Fiction and a moving and at times violent expose of all that is wrong in the world. Although set in space, Bev Allen has crafted a piece of fine work that could be set anyplace ...anytime. Jabin is a universal character for the 21st century.

I can't recommend this work highly enough, to all those who enjoy writing that comes from the heart, and to those that simply love a damned fine read.

 Another great review

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

Excellent read!!,

By 

ToBeRed. Love it!!!!

Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jabin  (Kindle Edition)

I am an avid Young Adult reader and take pleasure in reading most books in this genre, but I have to say, I've discovered a new favourite.
Jabin would have to be one of the most endearing characters that I've connected with in a long time. The life he has endured makes him a victim,
but its the way the narrative describes his existence and how he never feels he belongs to anyone or with anyone, and doesn't understand why,that
puts him one step closer to the reader. He's a character to sympathise and to empathise with, and throughout each of the trials he has to face you feel closer and closer to him.

The backdrop to Jabin's hardships is a new world of Space Pirates and corrupt parties eager to overthrow the crown, who are in power to see that peace is kept between the two religeous sects.
I loved the shift in perspective, from Jabin to the soldiers on the other side of the battle. Having the story from two opposing sides, made the pacing brilliant. I couldn't stop reading,
eager to see how all would turn out for Jabin and those who suffered along with him.

This is such a great read, the prose is excellent and the reader is never left wondering about the settings or the characters. All is made crystal clear, and although sometimes brutal in its content, the plot weaves along as all the pieces of the puzzle come together in the end.
I can't recommend this read enough, I really, really loved it.

LINKS

http://www.bevallenauthor.com/Bev's home page.
http://thorstruckpress.weebly.com/bev-allen.htmlBev's page on Thorstruck Press
Amazon page.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Jabin+by+Bev+Allen


A note to any of my TS Friends...if you would like your work featured here on my little blog please email me at suzieb4burke@hotmail.com send me your links and I'll do the rest.

Book Review: "House of Silver Magic." By John Booth

Book review: “House of Silver Magic.” …Book One of The Magic series   By John Booth

Book Blurb

The House of Silver Magic is the first in a series about a mysterious entity called The Source and those who choose to serve and protect it.

The Source may have been around forever, but since the 1920’s it has resided in a house in the suburb of a small town outside London. Gold, Silver and precious stones are imbued with magic power if they spend any time near it. In the hands of a human, such objects grant them power to do what they really want. Some use that power for good and some for evil.

Mandy, William and Jenny aren’t as human as they think they are. When their father dies in an apparent accident, they find the world has turned against them. Hounded from their home by the courts and bailiffs, they find themselves in a strange house that shows every sign of being haunted.

Worse, the enemies of The Source are gathering. Those who seek its power for nothing more that personal gain and the control over others its power can bring.

How can a bunch of kids save The Source from adults who kill for pleasure and without conscience?

The House of Silver Magic will be on sale in all eBook formats and paperback from the 11th of November.

Book review: “House of Silver Magic.” …Book One of The Magic series   By John Booth

John Booth has been a favorite author of mine for a while now, and I am so delighted to have the opportunity to review his soon to be released “House Of Silver Magic” the first in a brand new Magic series.

Meet the Grange family. Mandy the eldest at fifteen, followed by William and twelve year old Jenny. With the mother Eleanor ever present to keep a watchful if disbelieving eye on her 3 children.

The relationship between the siblings is crafted with a sure knowledge of young people and their interactions.
The dialogue is marvelously accurate.

When husband and father James Grange dies in mysterious circumstance the powers that be appear to turn on the shocked and bereaved family, forcing them out of their home without a place to turn and no money.

Until their solicitor arrives with strange instructions and a cheque for 30,000 pounds.

His instructions make no sense to the family, how is it possible that they could win at auction a millionaires home for such a paltry sum. But win the house they do, and their adventure into the world of magic and mystery begins.

The three youngsters each have strange instances of seeing what can’t possibly be there.…Or can it?

Meet the Dees. The beautifully described magical protectors of the home. They are there to defend the occupants that are of “the blood’.

The relationship develops between the three Grange children and the protectors of the 'Source'

What follows is a young adult reader’s delight, and older readers me included will enjoy Author John Booth’s marvelous powers of description and clever, well delivered dialogue.

Evil doers intent on murdering the Grange family…carrying magic silver from the mysterious 'Source’ Mrs. Constance and her psychopathic son are the very epitome of evil, characterizations so well drawn that the reader can despise them without effort.

What follows is reading pleasure as good versus evil. With enough twists and turns to keep readers satisfied and interested.

The retaliation of the Dees against the murderous Mrs. Constance and her deranged son will have young readers satisfied that justice prevailed.

The pacing is masterful. The plot line just terrific…and the intricate weaving of these things and that x factor  all  authors crave make this a must read for not only young adults, but for all readers that remain young at heart.

I look forward with pleasure to the remainder of the series.

Highly recommended. This book would make a wonderful Christmas gift for young and old alike.

Soooz says 5 stars.

Topic: The Relevance of Sex In Literature in 2011" My Guest today is author Maxwell Cynn

Topic: "The Relevance of Sex In Literature in 2011."

Please welcome my Guest Today...

Maxwell Cynn

MaxwellCynn.com

Follow me on Twitter @maxwellcynn

Should Books Have Parental Warning Labels?

Thank you, Soooz for letting me come on your blog and rant a bit.

Censorship is ever a contentious issue in art. We bring it on ourselves: pushing the limits, trying to be hip, begging attention by being controversial. "It's art!" is the general cry--when someone pisses in a glass or takes a picture of something in their arse. When Hemingway, and those of his generation, fought with publishers it was about the odd curse word. Hemingway wanted his dialog and prose to be real--the way people actually speak. When romance writers battled against the censors they wanted to show the sensual side of romance. But those battles were over long ago.

Today I can drop the f-bomb in a book or on my blog without anyone batting an eye. I can describe scenes that would make a nun wet or a hooker blush without fear of being arrested. But still some people push the limits. When I first started writing romance my wife accused me of writing porn. But current YA romance makes what I write seem quaint and almost prudish, and teenagers are reading it without blushing. So writers and artists go to unbelievable extremes to be controversial, and then people scream for censorship.

There will always be those who wish to draw a line and keep everyone behind it. The line itself is arbitrary and changes with generations. And there will always be those who seem compelled to step over that line if only because it is there. But there is a difference between being true to our art and being controversial simply for the sake of controversy. Hemingway wanted characters to speak as men speak (he actually had a battle over the word "swell" because it was slang--not proper English) and romantics wanted to portray love as couples truly loved, without resorting to euphemism and purple prose.

The only good censorship is that which we impose on ourselves, for the truth of our art, not that which we impose on others. I often write fairly provocative erotic romance. In the context of those stories I feel it is beautiful and expressive. I enjoy fine erotic art for the same reasons. But I also write hard science fiction, fantasy, and romance, among other things. There is a different standard, a different feel in mainstream fiction.

In a recent manuscript set in the 1920s the dialog I wrote contained virtually no cursing. That fit the sensibilities of the period, the characters, and the setting. I threw the f-bomb into a scene that was very intense and violent. It fit, and added powerful emotion to the scene. The hero and heroine never kiss, until the scene where he proposes to her, and not even the professional girls venture beyond a 'PG' rating in their flirtatious behavior. Yet the story is at times highly romantic, the heroine is extremely sensual, and the villains are harsh and violent. It is an adult novel.

When we use sex, language, or violence simply to shock and stir controversy it lessens our art. It also lessens the impact of our words. When a villain in the above novel says, "I'm gonna stomp your ass and fuck your girlfriend," it's a shock to the reader. When the hero drops the f-bomb in the midst of an intense and violent scene the reader feels that intensity along with the hero's fear and frustration. The words have power because they are rare and unexpected.

In the same way, less is more when it comes to sex in literature. If the romantic lead goes down on the heroine in the first few pages what is left for the remainder? Sexual tension is best achieved by no sex at all--the desire, the need, the longing, restricted and contained at every turn. Anticipation builds to a long awaited and often denied climax, yet if that climax becomes common place, mundane, there is no anticipation, but only rote predictable outcomes. His tongue slips over her clit yet again, yada, yada, yawn--let's move on with the story.

And so we are left with only the most graphic, deviant, kinky scenes with which to titillate our readers, and the would-be censors scream foul. Sex has lost its power and our words are left limp and impotent. Sex in literature is like anything else we write--too much lessens the value of all. The same happens with violence, blood, and gore. Readers become desensitized, writers ramp it up to new levels, and censors try to establish new lines of defense.

I never want to see Parental Advisory labels slapped on the cover of books, nor publishers attempt to censor Free Speech, but writers do bear responsibility for their words whether they wish to admit it or not. With YA, and even Middle Grade fiction taking on ever more mature tone, Adult and Erotic fiction push the extremes to compensate. Writers are why the sensibilities of censors are inflamed. When teen heroes are slinging f-bombs and teen heroines are playing the slut it's hard to blame parents for being upset with contemporary fiction.

Writers need to understand that by flooding literature with more sex, more graphic language, more violence, and more controversy we dilute the power of our own words. We must censor ourselves or be censored by others. Throwing our characters in bed is cheap and easy, while not letting them quite get that far may be more difficult it is far more powerful and often more erotic. Mama used to say that people curse because they have a weak vocabulary. I implore my fellow writers to use your words. Set limits on your characters and make them strain against the bonds.

I'm interested in what you think, dear reader. Is there too much sex in literature? Should books be rated and labeled? Post a comment.

Disclaimer: Of course none of this has anything to do with Literary Erotica, which is all about the sex. The above diatribe concerns mainstream fiction. Erotica is by definition pure eroticism--the triple X of the literary world. I write that too, and enjoy reading it as well. But as purely adult entertainment, different standards apply. Erotica is already branded as Adult Only and often resigned to a child proof section in book stores. Should all books with sexual content be likewise branded?

Book Review: SKULLS by TIM MARQUITZ

BOOK REVIEW:

SKULLS by TIM MARQUITZ

Genre: Young Adult Horror.

Published: Damnation Books April 2011.

Amazon description: “Life held little interest for Jacob...until he found death. Abused and neglected, Jacob's only solace comes when he is alone in the woods or in the arms of his new girlfriend. But when he stumbles across a hidden bunker filled with human skulls, he learns what true suffering is. Drawn to examine the skulls, he finds there is more than just empty blackness behind their lifeless stares.

Through their eyes, he watches them die. With every glance, he witnesses another murder, the memories of the dead playing out inside his mind until reality becomes a blur. A primal cruelty awakening, Jacob returns to the morbid comfort of the skulls, over and over again. But when he happens upon a fresh skull, a victim tortured and slain for his amusement alone, he knows his time has come. Face to face with death, Jacob must choose whether to resist the darkness that dwells inside or condemn himself forever, murdering his innocence on the edge of an axe.”

***

I am a lover of a good horror story, when well told it is the most enveloping of genres bringing to the surface hidden fears in our subconscious that at time are uncomfortable to deal with.

When horror is well done, when the plot and characterizations take you deep into the dark psyche then no other genre works quite as well.

Author Tim Marquitz has not only written a well-done horror story, he has gifted us with something that is of itself original and in this reader’s opinion quite brilliant.

His characterization of Jacob our young hero is utterly real. Jacob is damaged but will refuse to show it, lonely and yet not a character that seeks sympathy at any time. He has resolved himself to a less than perfect life, accepting that the human failings of his parents are an integral part of his world, he doesn’t whine about the lack of connection or love; he simply gets on with life…until that day when he finds the Skulls. He is obsessed and possessed by the horror connected with them, privy to the visions of the way each of them died.

Author Marquitz doesn’t hold back in his descriptions, thankfully his talent is such that in spite of clenching my teeth and holding my breath I wanted to read on, in fact I needed to read on. That is the mark of an artist with the written word; Tim Marquitz holds you in his clever hands and takes you precisely where he wants you to be. The twists in the plot are intricately drawn; the obsession harrowing, the fear of what may happen next is palpable.

I will not spoil this for others; the story is simply too damned good to do that to you.

If you love a damned fine read, if you appreciate your characters beautifully drawn, if you love the delicious fear of wonderfully written horror, this book is for you.

A must read 5/5. Now I am off to bed with all the lights on.

********

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1615723544/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img