K. Morris's Blog, page 840

Samantha Part 12

Below is part 12 of my story Samantha. For part 11 which links back to previous chapters please visit http://newauthoronline.com/2013/01/20/samantha-part-11/

Sam and Peter reached the County Court pub in Woolton Village just as the clock in the local church chimed for 5 pm. “There they are” Peter said gesturing towards a young couple sitting at a table close to the bar. Hand in hand they walked across to where Mark and Lisa sat. “Good to see you Mark. How’s the head?” Peter said with a grin. “I don’t know what you mean. I was drinking fruit juice all Friday evening”, Mark replied smiling in return. Peter turned to Lisa. “Lovely to see you Lisa. I guess that you too where awash with fruit juice on Friday?” “What are you implying? Of course I was drinking orange juice all evening” Lisa said trying not to laugh. “This is my girlfriend Samantha” Peter said placing his arm around Sam’s waist. Mark shook Sam’s hand while Lisa gave her a kiss on the cheek. “What are you drinking?” Peter asked. “I’ll have a glass of the house white please” Lisa said. “A Fosters for me please. I’ll help you get the drinks” Mark replied. “I’ll have a glass of white wine as well please darling” Sam said squeezing Peter’s hand.

The men went to the crowded bar leaving the two ladies alone. “You are lovely Lisa. I can understand why Mark fell for you” Sam said gazing admiringly at Lisa’s light brown skin and long black hair. “Thanks I guess you are wondering about where I’m from?” “Actually I was” Sam said looking embarrassed. “My dad’s from Jamaica and my mum’s English that’s why I look Mediterranean. Lots of people think I’m Spanish” Lisa said a warm smile lighting up her face. “What about you Sam? I don’t think you are from Liverpool. You speak what my mum calls the queen’s English”. “I grew up in Oxfordshire on a country estate and I went to a girl’s boarding school” Sam said her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She felt that Lisa might regard her as a stuck up girl from a privileged background. As though reading her mind Lisa said “None of us can help our background Sam. I grew up in Toxteth which is still remembered for the riots there in the 1980’s. It is the person that matters not their skin colour or their background”. “You are so right” Sam said starting to relax and warm to Lisa, “I came to Liverpool to get away from the horsey set. I wanted to live my life away from people who can only talk about horses, the price of their children’s education and how much money they have in the bank”. “So what do you do Sam? Are you a student?” “I work as a nurse mainly looking after elderly people. I’m on call with a nursing agency”. “Really! What a coincidence. I work as a nurse in the Royal Liverpool Hospital”. “Well, actually I’m not a nurse I’m a carer” Sam said. Sam’s cheeks where burning. Surely Lisa could sense her discomfort she thought. “There is no shame in being a carer. It’s a very important job. It’s a shame that governments don’t value it more highly. Did you read the latest report from the CQC?” Sam looked blank. “The CQC?” she said the panic rising in her. “The Care Quality Commission. The organisation that regulates the caring profession!” “Oh of course, silly me. No I’ve been so busy I haven’t had the time to turn on the television let alone read a newspaper recently” Sam replied. “When I said recent I meant the report that came out about 3 weeks ago. You must have heard of it. The Commission blasted the standard of care provided to elderly and disabled people in some of the countries leading care homes” Lisa said looking straight into Sam’s eyes. Sam couldn’t hold her gaze and looked away. “As I say I’m not a great follower of world events” she mumbled. “Not even of events which directly impact on your field of work it seems” Lisa said. There was an edge to Lisa’s voice which Sam found disconcerting. “Excuse me I need the toilet” Sam said. She needed time to think, to collect her thoughts. “I’ll come with you. The heat in this place has made my make up run. I need a mirror” Lisa said following Sam into the toilets.

Once the toilet door had closed behind them Lisa put a hand on Sam’s shoulder and turned Sam so that the two girls stood facing one another only inches apart. “Matilda told such dreadful lies, it made one gasp and stretch one’s eyes” Do you remember that one Sam? Its funny how fragments of poetry pop into one’s head unexpectedly isn’t it?” Lisa said. “Let me go Lisa” Sam gasped. Lisa released her hold on Sam. “Sam you can run away now but you can’t hide forever. Whatever it is that is eating you up inside will come out sooner or later. Peter’s a lovely guy. Mark and Peter have been friends since they met at university. I’m not having my boyfriend’s best friend lied to and treated like a fool. I won’t stand by and let that happen Sam”. Sam took Lisa’s hands in her’s. “Please Lisa. Please don’t say anything” she pleaded. “Sam I want to help you but I can’t unless you trust me. Tell me what’s eating you up inside. Behind that smile you aren’t a happy lady are you?” Lisa said. Her voice had lost it’s harshness and Sam could see compassion in Lisa’s face. “I’m a prostitute” Sam whispered. Sam buried her head against Lisa’s chest and sobbed like a child. Lisa said nothing. For several minutes she gently stroked Sam’s face until at last Sam’s crying subsided. “It wasn’t a choice” Lisa said. It was a   statement not a question. Sam nodded. “Yes I was/I am being blackmailed”. In a few sentences Sam told Lisa about how she had been drugged and forced into prostitution. Looking into Sam’s eyes Lisa could see only pain. The deep hurt in her face told Lisa that Sam was speaking the plain unvarnished truth.

“You must go to the police Sam. You know that don’t you. It isn’t just about you. Barry is exploiting other young girls and if you don’t report him you will have that on your conscience.”  Lisa said hugging Sam close. Sam nodded numbly. “But first you need to tell Peter. He has a right to know”. “I can’t!” Sam gasped. “Yes you can. I believe in you Sam. I’ll be there for you but you have to talk to Peter. He has a right to know”. Sam nodded her head almost imperceptibly. “Do you have money for a cab? I’ll tell Peter and Mark that you didn’t feel well and that you had to go home. You can have time to compose yourself. Christ I am sorry I know that you can’t compose yourself, what a bloody stupid thing for me to say but you will have time to be alone and think how best to talk to Peter about the terrible situation you are in”. I’ll go back to my flat. I don’t have a key to Peter’s flat”, Sam said. “Do you need money for a taxi?” “No I’ll walk, I need the fresh air. Thanks Lisa” Sam said giving her new found friend a kiss on the cheek. “See you later Sam. Are you sure that you will be OK going back to your flat alone?” “Yes Barry hasn’t been opening the agency for the past few days so I’m sure I’m OK, he won’t be calling me tonight”. With a final squeeze of Lisa’s hand Sam exited the ladies and left the pub unobserved by the two men who had just returned to their table from the crowded bar.

Going to hell in a hand cart

On occasions I feel that I’m caught up in a technological maelstrom from which it is impossible to escape. On the positive side of the coin Twitter and Facebook offer the opportunity to promote my writing, however social media and technology more generally can suck us into a world in which deep thought is replaced by constant (and often unthinking) clicking on links which happen to take our fancy at a particular moment in time. Who among us has not gone online meaning to quickly check their emails only to find themselves an hour or so later browsing the internet?

One of my happiest recollections as a child revolves around sitting in the school library reading. Sometimes I’d randomly take down a book from the shelves and find myself captivated by Andrew Lang’s rendering of the Greek myths. On other occasions I would pick up the Oxford Book of English Verse and read old favourites such as Wordsworth’s Solitary Reaper. I could sit there for hours or at least until one of the staff chased me out into the great outdoors to play! In my school days I lacked the distraction of the internet and of mobile technology. Not so today. In 2013 I, like so many others face the temptation of constantly checking my mobile to see who that text who’s beeping disturbed my concentration came from and, of course to reply to the sender. If it isn’t texts or browsing the internet then I’m tempted to check to see if my friend has responded to my email asking whether he is free for a drink on Friday.

A year or so ago I took the decision to go without using the internet for 5 days. To clarify I still had to use the internet in connection with my full time job, however I didn’t go online for personal browsing during those 5 days either on my computer or my mobile. During that time I read a lot and also enjoyed walking in the local park. It was a good experiment and I’d recommend it to my readers. See how much more you read and do other things when access to the internet is prohibited (by yourself) for a week or so.

People have been saying for centuries that the world is going to hell in a hand cart so isn’t my concern about modern society’s obsession with technology merely a manifestation of this old and frequently overblown fear? Of course technology offers many positive benefits. As a blind person I embrace the freedom which the text to speech facility on my Kindle gives me to enjoy ebooks. Again blogging is a wonderful way of connecting with like minded people and of sharing ideas. Technology is neither good nor bad it is how we employ it which is the issue. Is the internet going to remain our servant or will it become our master? I don’t know the answer to that question but what I do know is that we need quiet time for reflection and reading. If we lose that then we will all become poorer.

 

(Note: while writing this I heard a text being delivered. I am in the spare room and my mobile is sitting on the bedside cabinet. I made a decision not to check my mobile and as of now the text remains unread).

Avoiding computer nasties

Over the last week or so I had been periodically receiving the following message while using my Windows 7 laptop “warning, potentially harmful software detected. Click here to review and take action”. I have the free versions of Avast anti-virus and Zone Alarm on my computer and as the message was not generated by either of these products I began to wonder whether my PC was infected with malware and/or a virus. A system scan with Avast detected and successfully removed a number of threats, however the above message continued to plague me. My next step was to download the free version of Spybot Search and Destroy. The scan took about 40 minutes and lead to the detection of several nasties lurking in the depths of my PC. I’ve now successfully deleted the offending malware and my computer is running much faster and just (if not more importantly) I’m no longer concerned about unauthorised persons poking about in my PC and stealing data!

I like the company who provide Spybot Search and Destroy. Unlike many companies who offer free anti-virus or malware deletion products, the manufacturer of the software provide a prominent link to the free version of Spybot Search and Destroy on their site so no digging around for the free version or accidentally downloading the paid for product. For Spybot Search and Destroy please visit http://www.safer-networking.org/.

 

(Kevin Morris is the author of The First Time. For his collection of short stories please visit the Amazon Kindle store).

Book Review: The First Time by Kevin Morris

A review of my collection of short stories, The First Time on goodreads.com http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/521282881

The Costs Of Self Publishing

One of the decisions which one faces as a self published author is whether to use the services of a self publishing company or, alternatively to do everything (or most things) oneself. I am currently mulling over this question. My collection of short stories, The First Time was published using the services of a self publishing company. For a little under £400 the company formatted my manuscript, sent the book to various ebook retailers and designed a book cover.

Using the services of the company relieved me of the chore of having to format the book for the various retailers which would, I imagine have taken up a considerable chunk of my time. Again I lack the necessary expertise to design a book cover. However £400 is a considerable chunk of money especially when one considers that it is possible to format your own manuscript and send it to ebook retailers completely free of charge. I am in the process of writing another book, Samantha and I’m considering doing the formatting and distribution myself this time around. I know that this will entail formatting the manuscript to comply with the requirements of the various retailers, however so far as I have been able to ascertain most distributors provide their titles in epub format and Amazon does, for example format the manuscript on the author’s behalf (this does not relieve the writer of the obligation to check for typographical errors etc prior to submitting their work).

If I go down the do-it-yourself route for Samantha I’m still left with the issue of whether to pay someone to design a cover. Amazon and other ebook retailers will provide a generic cover for your book (if you don’t supply your own) and this would mean that my book could be published free of charge. However although you should not judge a book by it’s cover the fact is that an eye catching cover can assist in attracting the attention of purchasers so, on this basis I may pay for the design of a cover.

I would be interested to hear your views.

Photographs

I have been a little remiss in failing to upload a photograph of myself. I do intend to add a picture to my profile, however in the meantime you may wish to take a look at the below link which shows photographs (including of yours truly) taken during a visit to the New Forest http://kevin-morris.co.uk/2012/07/15/photographs-my-visit-to-the-new-forest/

New Blog

I have launched a new blog to promote my forthcoming book Samantha. As those of you who follow this blog (newauthoronline.com)will be aware Samantha tells the story of a young girl forced into prostitution in Liverpool, a city in the north-west of England. For my new blog please visit http://samanthabooks.wordpress.com/about/

The First Time by Kevin Morris can be bought on Amazon for £0,77

My collection of short stories, The First Time is available from Amazon for £0,77 (it usually retails on Amazon at a cost of £1,53). In this collection of short stories I explore why young women enter the world of prostitution while other stories look at what happens when the worlds of sex and technology collide.

In “The First Time”, the first story in this collection, we meet Becky a young graduate who enters the world of prostitution in order to clear her debts. The story looks at the effects of prostitution on Becky and her fellow escort and friend Julie. In “The Pain Behind the Smile” Issie presents her friend, Peter with a birthday cake, however things are not what they seem.

In “Lucy” the acquaintances of a crusty old bachelor speculate how he could attract and retain the affections of a beautiful young woman. As with “The Pain Behind the Smile” things are far from what they seem.

“Hemlock” explores what happens when machines attain the capacity to appreciate high culture. The story is both humorous and deeply serious.

For The First Time by Kevin Morris please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-First-Time-ebook/dp/B00AIK0DD6/ref=dp_return_2?ie=UTF8&n=341677031&s=digital-text

 

Are UK Indie Authors at a Disadvantage?

Reblogged from Amanda S John:

In theory, the world of digital publishing has levelled the playing field for independent authors, all over the world. But, compared to the selling power of the US, are UK writers at a disadvantage?

I'm tempted to say yes. With Amazon geared towards American sales and promotion, we are lacking in opportunties to use the site fully. The Kindle indie author page is available in the US only, and UK-based members of Amazon Prime only last month gained access to the only 'library' of books.

Read more… 372 more words

As a UK-based writer I was very interested to come across this post. Prior to reading it I had no idea just how Amazon can work to the disadvantage of writers in the United Kingdom.

Samantha Part 11

Below is part 11 of my story Samantha. For part 10 which links back to previous chapters please visit http://newauthoronline.com/2013/01/05/samantha-part-10/

 

Sam awoke to the smell of egg and bacon wafting through the closed bedroom door. Her stomach rumbled, gosh she was hungry. Climbing out of bed Sam pulled on her clothes and wandered through into the large lounge. The delicious scent of cooking came from a closed door at the far end of the room. Sam padded towards it on bare feet. Opening it softly she saw Peter with his back to her standing at the kitchen sink. Sam stood up on tiptoe and kissed the back of Peter’s neck. “I love you” she whispered nuzzling against him. “I love you to my beautiful Sam” Peter said turning round and gently pulling Sam to him. “How did you sleep?” “OK” Sam replied not wishing to lie (god she was lying about so much so why did she feel the need to tell the truth about how she had spent the night)? “Oh was the bed uncomfortable? The matress is very old and I’ve been meaning to buy a new one for ages. Perhaps we can choose it together”. Sam’s heart filled with joy at Peter’s use of “we”, he obviously regarded them as an item but how could she think like that, her life was an unholy stinking mess. She was hardly fit to look after a cat let alone enter into a committed relationship with this sweet gentle man who was obviously head over heels in love with her. “Peter there is something I need”. Sam stopped in mid sentence. How could she tell Peter about the hell which constituted her daily existence. He wouldn’t understand and even if he did he would feel disgust perhaps mixed with compassion. In any event he wouldn’t want to have anything further to do with Samantha Parker-Jones. “You where going to say something?” Peter said his hand caressing Sam’s face. “Oh .. I was going to say that I need a shower”. “There is a fresh towel in the airing cupboard, on the top shelf just inside the cupboard door. Breakfast will be ready in 10 minutes or so”. “Thanks. It smells wonderful” Sam said, “I’ll only be a few minutes”.

 

—

 

Sam walked into the lounge to see Peter emerging from the kitchen carrying a plate laden high with eggs, bacon and toast. “This is yours. Do you want tea or coffee?” “Coffee please. What about your breakfast, I’m not starting mine until you have yours”. Peter smiled. “Never fear I’ll bring mine through in a moment”. Peter went into the kitchen and quickly returned with a tray containing his breakfast together with two steaming mugs of coffee. “Help yourself to sugar and milk”. “Thanks. I like my coffee black with no sugar so this is fine” Sam replied tucking into her eggs and bacon. “This is delicious. Much nicer than anything I’ve had for a long time”. “I get most of my food from farmer’s markets. It just tastes so much better” Peter responded. “While you where in the bathroom my friend Mark called. He invited me to join him and Lisa for drinks in Woolton at 5 this evening. Would you like to go Sam? I’m working tomorrow so it would only be for a couple of hours. I can’t have the kids laughing at me for falling asleep at my desk in the morning!” “Yes I’d love to meet your friends. Are Mark and Lisa the ones I almost met on Friday evening?” “Yes well remembered. Friday was Mark’s birthday. I think that he has only just recovered from the effects of Friday today”. Peter said with a laugh. “What shall we do for the next few hours?” Sam said her hand massaging Peter’s thigh. Peter took Sam by the hand and lead her into the bedroom. “Surely you aren’t going to leave those dirty dishes?” Sam said with a wicked smile. “They’ll wait” Peter replied pulling at Sam’s clothes.

There love making was long and tender. Afterwards as they lay together with Sam’s head resting on Peter’s shoulder he became aware that Sam’s face was wet with tears. “What is it Sam? Did I hurt you my darling?” He said pulling her close. “No, no it was beautiful. I wanted it to go on forever” Sam replied sobs convulsing her body. “Sam could see the concern in Peter’s eyes. “Sometimes something is so beautiful and special that you cry. I’m crying with joy not because I’m unhappy. Please don’t think I’m sad. You make me so very, very happy my darling man”. After the loveless couplings with clients, the faking of orgasms, to be held and truly cherished and loved opened the flood gates. Sam wept for the loss of her innocence, out of gratitude for the love of Peter but most of all she cried because she was a liar. She was deceiving a good and decent man, how could she do that. Horrible hateful girl she told herself.