Here it is... RED GROUND: The Forgotten Conflict
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Book Cover Designed by Eeva Lancaster, The Book Khaleesi
Edited by Eeva Lancaster
Edited by Eeva Lancaster
Massacres in Sierra Leone on RED GROUND: The Forgotten Conflict
RED GROUND is different than my other thrillers. While it cannot be called a true account of actual events, there's a thin line between the truth and fiction. This book is raw and bloody and relates the often forgotten plight of the people of Sierra Leone.
The Writing of THE LAZARUS SUCCESSION, an Epic Historical Thriller
Free to read on Kindle Unlimited
There were many aspects that came into focus when I first thought about writing ‘Lazarus.’
Who can deny that it is one of the best-known episodes from the Bible? It has everything a writer could wish for... Life, death, mystery, suspense and drama.
Good enough reasons to consider writing a story, you might think. You would be correct. However, I had other reasons for writing it.
We live in the twenty-first century and our mindsets are different to those in Galilee two thousand years ago. There are those who believe it happened and those who don’t. The fact I chose to write a story that employs both good and evil aspects of human behaviour, wrapped in a degree of supernatural occurrences that surrounded the raising of Lazarus, might give you a clue as to what I was thinking. In one way, I was saying it could be true but good needs evil for it to have any definition, to have any meaning. In our lives, meaning is necessary, for many.
An Excerpt from THE LAZARUS SUCCESSION
A LEGEND to SLAUGHTER FOR
A TRUTH to DIE FOR
PROLOGUE
Bethany, Nr. Jerusalem
The Tomb of Lazarus
The crowd pressed in tight behind me, so much so that I could not turn around. The pressure of the people pushing and jostling, trying to see, caused consternation and anger amongst those caught hard in the middle of the pack. I was fortunate to be in the front rank.
They had come to see the man called Jesus. It was said he was a magician, a holy man, a prophet. I’ve heard stories, but whatever he was, it was known that he had performed astounding acts; like curing lepers and causing the blind to see.
His followers had linked arms and formed a ring, preventing the crowd from overwhelming him.
Rumour had it that a friend of his, named Lazarus, had died four days ago, and was now entombed behind the large stone in front of the cave. His friends and relatives were sobbing and talking to Jesus; some looked sad, others sounded angry. The man, this Jesus, asked for the stone to be rolled away. It was, and he walked to the entrance.
Why I Chose to Self Publish The Lazarus Succession & a Cover Reveal
*** Update as of October 2018:
Since I self-published Lazarus in 2016, it has won 5 awards and has been a #1 Religious Mystery Bestseller on Amazon UK since July of 2017. It may slip when a new book is on sale or newly published, but it will go back to the top. I still cannot believe everything that had transpired in two years.
A few years ago...
There are many of you out there, a while back, who may have read my book, a semi-supernatural thriller. It spans time, from the original event of Lazarus being raised from the dead. A witness paints the miracle. His work echoes with mysteries, spanning the centuries up until the present time. It is a thriller deeply entrenched in ancient legends, and has been compared to novels of Dan Brown. I could say it is my best work to date.
As such, I failed to understand why it languished in a lowly spot on Amazon’s rankings. I examined it in detail.
Vanity or Independent Publishers: Not the best deal
Vanity or Independent Publishers: Not the best deal
The main reason for its sad performance was that I chose a vanity publisher, (authors may call them independent publishers), who had a mass of titles on its list, and a staff to carry out all the requirements of publishing. I was attracted to the hype attached to its name, supposedly one of the biggest in the UK.
Vanity Publishers or Self Publish? My Writing Journey
When I first contemplated the idea of attempting to write a book the first thing I did was ask myself … why?
The answer to that was that I had always enjoyed books. I collect modern 1st signed editions, and vainly imagined myself benignly autographing my own to an adoring audience. I was in for a rude shock.
My first move was to buy a range of ‘How to Write’ books written by authors most of whom hadn’t ever written a novel. I have a stack of them, and they are good for standing on to reach the top shelf of my library…
I next purchased a copy of ‘The Writers and Artists Yearbook.’ This much-flaunted tome has pages and pages devoted to Literary Agents, Publishers and advice on how to approach agents, what and what not to do or say.
The Writing of The Brodsky Affair
When I worked in the publishing sector I became very much involved in the world of fine art and antiques. It was a delightful way in which to earn a living. Much of my time would be spent in art galleries and exhibitions in the UK, Italy, France and the USA. Subsequently I accumulated a good understanding of what made the market tick not just nationally but internationally.
I formed my own company, which revolved around the same business but restricted to a much smaller target audience. I eventually sold this out and began to think about academic studies to bolster my understanding of the cultural world. In the midst of this, the art market was falling prey to trends and a huge amount of fakes and dubious provenances, particularly in the Russian sector.
I made a small joint investment with a colleague of mine, in a Russian painting located in a provincial auction house. We hit the jackpot. It sold at a Sotheby’s Russian art auction for a world record price. That began the germs of a writing idea based on the life of the artist concerned.
The Writing of Suicide Seeds
Hardly a week passes somewhere in the world that there isn’t a debate on the issue of genetically modified crops.
The pros and cons of both sides are equally compelling. It has always been an issue that has fascinated me. That fascination coalesced with my frequent stays in Africa.
West Africa has seen a drop in its annual rainfall over the last twenty years of thirty per cent. Clearly, that presents an agricultural dilemma. It is clear to see when countries whose main crops are rice, peanuts and bananas are compelled to begin importing these items to satisfy local demands. Previously that wasn’t a problem.
What disturbed not only me, but activists around the globe, was what certain biotech companies were up to, as they began to promote their drought resistant and health giving varieties of seeds as the elixir of the human race. To further these ends, massive amounts of corporate corruption took root and flourished and contravened all conventions and were downright criminal. Huge international court cases followed and companies named and shamed.
Why I Chose to be an Indie Author
The reasons are not difficult to define.
Firstly, as most writers will have discovered, traditional publishing is a difficult, almost impossible area to penetrate unless you are really lucky. It is largely controlled by a network of literary agents who supply publishers with their recommendations. They act as 'gatekeepers' and are the subjective judges of what writing they consider good or bad.
It is a tight and charmed circle that few are allowed to enter. As having worked in publishing I am able to to understand that several rejected authors went on to make a success of their work by stepping outside of traditional contracts. They, in many cases, far outsell books that can languish on a booksellers shelf for ages.
It is a tight and charmed circle that few are allowed to enter. As having worked in publishing I am able to to understand that several rejected authors went on to make a success of their work by stepping outside of traditional contracts. They, in many cases, far outsell books that can languish on a booksellers shelf for ages.
5 Star Review of The Brodsky Affair by Reader's Favorite
The Brodsky Affair: Murder is a Dying Art by Ken Fry is a thriller fiction novel that takes place across Australia, the United Kingdom, Russia, and France. The Brodsky Affair will appeal to both young adults and adults who enjoy murder mysteries in the art world. Jack Manton is an art dealer that ends up the target of an assassination plot, along with his partner, Tamsin Greene, when they begin their journey to track down the lost paintings of Mikhail Brodsky. The lost paintings are worth millions to the right buyer, and that level of heat takes the partners into a world of danger, assassinations, and intrigue that they were not prepared for. Berezin is a Russian criminal who has committed both murders and thefts throughout his criminal past. He has been set on the trail of Jack Manton by an ex-Soviet agent to steal the lost paintings of Mikhail Brodsky, no matter what it takes.movies in the way the main characters are trying to track down a piece that is worth millions when they run into more danger than they could possibly have predicted. The Brodsky Affair is a very fast paced novel with a riveting story line that pulls the reader in further and further with each turn of the page. The Brodsky Affair obviously took Ken Fry a good deal of time and effort to write, yet that effort clearly pays off with how the characters are all well written and the plot flows together without any plot holes.
The Brodsky Affair is a book that I hope will have a sequel.
