Thomas W. Devine's Blog, page 7

Critic's Choice?

A book reviewer and another reader of my latest novel, “Political Secret” have challenged an aspect of my plot. I won’t argue with them but I would welcome second opinions.

As one of the critics puts it: “In this digital age, being on the run with a thumb-drive tucked in a wallet is not the way to protect oneself from those hell bent on recovery.”

The thumb-drive has information that the villains (Russian agents) want very badly from the lead character/protagonist, Lee St John.

Now, those two critics say that St John (who has no vested personal interest in the information he has come into possession of by accident) should have got rid of it, not kept it. They see that as a plot flaw.

The character is conflicted over his options, the story makes clear. But he decides to keep the thumb-drive in case the villains catch up with him and use torture to try and determine its whereabouts if he doesn’t have it on him. It’s his insurance to avoid that kind of harm.

If you’ve seen the just released movie, “Red Sparrow”, or something like it, then I’m sure you’ll sympathise with his motive for holding on to the thumb-drive. I thought fear of torture would be quite convincing.

What would you do in St John’s situation?

In the story, the two critics also fault as “gratuitous” the scene in the plot where St John (while on the run) rescues a stranger from a shark attack. I put it in because:
• Going on the run at the start makes the character look unheroic; facing a shark helps reveal his bravery ahead of the final showdown.
• It links with a revealed event in his past.
• It delays the character, giving the villains time to catch up.
• During the rescue, the thumb-drive is damaged by seawater with probable loss of the information on it.

Aren’t those enough reasons to justify the scene?

If you want to check for yourself, go to www.createspace.com/7761719

Well, got that off my chest.

An Alien Biological Function

The more I read about the pro-life/pro-abortion standpoints, the more I realise that the beliefs which surround them will never find common ground. Each side is locked in its own certainty of holding the correct view.

Take a recent letter to the editor (The Dominion Post, February 23, 2018) under the heading “A Woman’s Decision” from one Blake Overs.

He wrote: “The decision to have an abortion should be made by the woman and by the woman alone.” He claims: “What a woman does with her vagina (presumably he means uterus)” should not be “somehow the business of other people supposedly advocating for human rights but conveniently forgetting hers.”

He dismisses an unborn child as “a collection of cells that cannot even be defined as human”.

This contrary opinion from Dianne N. Irving, M.A., Ph.D. of Princeton University:
“To begin with, scientifically something very radical occurs between the processes of gametogenesis and fertilization the change from a simple part of one human being (i.e., a sperm) and a simple part of another human being (i.e., an oocyte usually referred to as an "ovum" or "egg"), which simply possess "human life", to a new, genetically unique, newly existing, individual, whole living human being (a single-cell embryonic human zygote). That is, upon fertilization, parts of human beings have actually been transformed into something very different from what they were before; they have been changed into a single, whole human being. During the process of fertilization, the sperm and the oocyte cease to exist as such, and a new human being is produced.”

Surely that is a more informed opinion about human life in the womb than the one trotted out by Mr Overs and many others who, in support of abortion as a so called “woman’s right”, tritely deny that humanity begins at conception.

What I would advocate is stopping the false belief that pregnancy is so onerous on women that men should have no say about a decision to kill their unborn child. That should be a “parental right”, shared equally.

Today some people make pregnancy sound like an alien biological function.

Abolish “Women’s Rights”

Some topics send me off into angry thinking, but not usually the claim of rights for women. The last straw was a letter to the editor (The Dominion Post, February 23, 2018) under the heading “A Woman’s Decision” from one Blake Overs.

In the letter he uses the words “women’s rights issue”.

Now, I’ve spent the 50 or so years of my adult life listening to woman’s increasingly strident pleas for equality. So, what the hell are “women’s rights”? Why aren’t human rights all they need to be equal?

Wikipedia says women’s rights “differ from broader notions of human rights through claims of an inherent historical and traditional bias against the exercise of rights by women and girls, in favo[u]r of men and boys.”

Which is another way of saying women want the exact same access to human rights as men.

So, let’s stop speaking in semantics and simply say that women are human and therefore entitled to all human rights. Let’s stop the antagonism over this, between men and women, and make it a level playing field of ensuring women just get equal rights.

Let’s abolish the use of the term “women’s rights” – they are really just human rights.

Hurrying Death

A euthanasia Bill currently before the New Zealand Parliament is another step towards pandering to the darker side of human nature. Our Parliament has already authorised the killing of unwanted, unborn children of irresponsible men and women.

The latter law (with good intentions or not) allowed the medical profession a lot of wriggle room in deciding, in each case of requested abortion, whether the welfare of the pregnant woman or the child should come first. It is no secret that the law became liberally interpreted in favour of the woman on the flimsiest of grounds. Now there is lobbying for legalised abortion on demand.

The same will happen with euthanasia, in an increasingly selfish society, unless legislators see fit to reject this dangerous Private Member’s Bill.
Existing palliative care for the seriously sick or dying in New Zealand is sufficient to relieve their physical pain. We need better health care for the mentally ill rather than taking the easy way out of assisting them to die prematurely. Nor should the pressures of euthanasia legislation fall (whether intended or not) on the elderly or disabled.

Extract from NZSA New Books Bulletin February 2018

Political Secret by
Thomas W Devine
An exciting story about two young people on the run from Russian secret police. Usually this kind of thing happens in Europe, but the original feature of this story is that it mostly takes place in New Zealand’s amazing scenic areas. "A story with loads of strong elements – it’s a pursuit story, a spy story, and almost accidentally a kind of love story" - Tina Shaw.

Available: Amazon.com & other outlets in paperback or eBook. Createspace ISBN 13 978 - 1979382717 RRP $25

Author Bio: Thomas W Devine was born in Blenheim and educated at Marlborough College and Waikato University. After a career which included working for the New Zealand Department of Conservation, he retired early to write full-time.

Have Written – Reflections

Today, I read an article about New Zealand author Felicity Price [Your Weekend, The Dominion Post, February 10, 2018].

In her writing career, she won a publishing deal with Random House for 4 novels then self-published 3 further novels. Two of her books were top bestsellers in NZ for three months but she couldn’t make a living from it. Exhausted by trying to sell her work in larger numbers she has decided to give up “her passion”.

That is so sad, especially as she acknowledges that “it’s not the promise of money, but the very act of writing that hooks us authors”.

So often we equate success with money. We overlook the achievement of creating and publishing a novel. That too is something to be proud of. I am proud of my 11 novels and Felicity should be proud of her output.

Here, in order of production, with a snapshot of praise from various critics, is my output of thrillers after I retired from fulltime employment:

Reversal Point (two editions)

“Action from the beginning” – Amazon top reviewer.
“I love the idea of the main protagonist starting in the South of France and then forsaking all to go to the rescue of an heiress in distress” – Phil Rowan, novelist.

Tortolona

“The characters are complex and interesting, the setting familiar enough to engage and unfamiliar enough to be intriguing” – Andrew Wright, novelist.
“I admire Devine’s ability to concoct and then carry off these plots and action” – Andrew J Killick, freelance editor.

Relinquished

“A riveting story when the thriller element kicks in” – Tina Shaw, novelist.
“Exciting, intriguing, absorbing – a great read” – Andrew J Killick, freelance editor.

Island of Regrets

“You’ll be kept guessing right to the end” – Tim Jones, writer.
“The fantastic characters really drew me into the story... Maybe it would have been better served over three books, not one” – Judge, 21st Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.

A Halo of Strawberries

“This is a powerful book... An accessible read” – Andrew J Killick, freelance editor.
“Reminiscent of Maurice Gee’s books” – Tina Shaw, novelist.

Green Expectations

“Exposes the strength of passions on both side of the ‘green’ argument” – Mike Britton, conservationist.
“A rich story salted with scenes that challenge the characters and the readers... Peppered with New Zealand culture” – Judge, 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.


Green Machinations (sequel)

“A truly important novel for thoughtful people who care [about the environment] – which should be anyone!” – Judge, 23rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.
“New Zealand writing in the best sense of the term” – Tina Shaw, novelist.

Hillsend

“Right away, I was drawn into this story... I kept turning pages, wanting to know what would happen. A great read. Recommended” – Judge, 23rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.
“Set against a backdrop of adventure and upheaval that Devine does so well” – Andrew J Killick, freelance editor.

Losing & Winning

“Devine grows in leaps and bounds as an author” – Tina Shaw, novelist.
“A fast-paced storyline that weaves its way around the globe from its New Zealand setting” – Andrew J Killick, freelance editor.

Political Secret

“An exciting pursuit story and an engaging read” – Tina Shaw, novelist.
“One of my favourite books by Devine and an exciting international spy thriller” – Andrew J Killick, freelance editor.

All books available from Amazon.com and other outlets. For details about the books, go to the author’s website – www.thomaswdevine.com.

Sharing Over Dementia

The following is a quote from the writings of Cynthia Kraak –

“You might sit next to a charming senior couple at a restaurant. The husband is so gentle, helping his wife settle in her chair, ordering for both of them. He does most of the talking during the meal, frequently touching her arm. You sneak a closer look at the two of them, her somewhat vacant eyes send a chill down your spine. The essence of this woman is disappearing into some form of dementia.”

Convert the verbal to an image and it could be a “selfie” of my wife and I. I guess that all husband-caregivers of dementia sufferers share a lot in common.

It’s a tragic circumstance but more and more people are having to cope with it as best they can.

Humaneness

In Richard North Paterson’s novel “Race” a character who is a US presidential candidate says:

“A humane society, some would say, knows that a fetus is a life and values it too much to play God.”

Those same people might say that, given the rate of abortions across the world, we are a long way from having a humane society. I am in their camp.

#MeToo

While, in principle, I support the core of what the #MeToo movement is about it has disturbed me as a male with divisively treating mild harassment as if it is rape.

I thought that men of letters, more qualified than me, might speak out but the void remained unfilled.
It took French icon, Catherine Deneuve and 100 other French women, to question the #MeToo excesses.

It is important, I believe, that women can say “no” to unwanted male attention that crosses a reasonable line of acceptability and that they be free to resist men of power without harm to their careers.

On the other hand, I would not condemn a woman who chooses to use sex (as I am sure some women have) to further their careers, even though they might regret it in hindsight.

That regret does not entitle them to cry wolf after they have let the wolf into their bed or under their skirt or allowed any other favour in return for benefit. No sexual bribery should exist on either side if there is to be equality.

So, sexual consent should rule, but flirting should not be considered a crime to be reviled.

Bits & Pieces that Make One Think

In a recent novel that I read, a character talks about a baby “escaping from the womb”.

It made me think about how, in social terms, the womb has gone from a place of absolute sanctuary to a place a baby might want to escape from before it is aborted – now the fate of millions.