Simon Duringer's Blog, page 24

Another vigilante heads for the clink!

It’s an odd subject to write about and one that stirs up the emotions.

Before I begin, let me relay a true story…

I once had the mis-fortune of living next to a convicted criminal. I had left the services and the Royal Air Force had assisted me in finding a house to rent in Devon to be closer to my children. The house looked to be in a nice quiet area, the houses were fairly new and well kept and on seeing the pictures and knowing the area from times past, I jumped at the opportunity of a little two bedroomed semi! In the days that followed I was made in some small way to feel guilty living in said, modest, 2 bed semi on my own whilst he, my next door neighbour, his girlfriend and their eight children were housed by social housing right next door…

His behaviour at best was odd, the cannabis plant that he spent hours working on was openly visible in the back garden and on the rare occasion that I was caught in my own garden and unable to avoid conversing with him, I got an insight into the type of life he led. He was from a broken home and only in his twenties (yup, that’s right, with eight children!) had amassed a brood of children that one can only feel sorry for. I think he was aiming to breed a full cricket team!

Whilst the core subject here is really very serious, sometimes I have to look back and laugh due to the insanity of some of the things he got up to. On one occasion, as I lay in bed looking at the ceiling (for those who don’t know me, I have a major sleep disorder, simply known as “can’t”, or for those with greater vocabularies, insomnia) I was blinded by a light. Now, if I had been one to believe in aliens I might have thought I was about to be abducted. But, actually, since there was no light source outside of my bedroom window, simply our two gardens partitioned from the next road by a wall that stretched across the end to both of them, I thought perhaps I was having a seizure!

I leapt out of bed ran out to the stairs and quickly realised that the light wasn’t some form of early warning of a stroke about to hit me but was indeed a blinding light coming from outside of the bedroom window and intense enough to light up my entire bedroom. I have to say that all sorts of things run through one’s mind when something totally inexplicable that seems to defy logic takes place, and for those who watch horror films and see that stereotypical unfortunate victim allow curiosity to lead them to certain death, and furthermore, shout at the television; “What fool in their right mind would investigate that!”, well, that was me… I headed straight for the curtains… Whilst I should probably be thankful that there wasn’t a band of crazed zombies or aliens waiting for me on the other side of the curtains, I had to rub my eyes several times to ensure I was actually awake as, it appeared that Woodstock was taking place in my back garden. To cut a long story short, he had pinched a full sized projector from somewhere and was honing his projection skills by playing a film about Woodstock from his own bedroom window onto the wall at the end of the garden. It was kind of ingenious, and I don’t mind admitting on that occasion I almost wet myself laughing, but hey ho, it wasn’t always so funny!

He was being treated on a drug called Methadone, for substance abuse, (now there’s a surprise, I hear you sigh!) and he would merrily head off to his Doctor each day for his fix. He saw it as a little more than a freebie, courtesy of us taxpayers. Whilst he was tested on occasion to ensure he wasn’t taking other drugs during his treatment he would borrow people’s urine to hide the fact he was no closer to forgoing his habit and confirming to me that his only motivation for going through the process was free drugs.

Both he and his wife would openly use a ‘bong’ in front of their children, and I suspect cannabis was not the only substance they smoked. Social services seemed completely disinterested in the harm they were doing by allowing these children to passively inhale the drugs. One might suspect even they were also addicted or certainly were being set up to be addicted to those same drugs.

On one occasion, he explained to me that he preferred life in prison, because he would become ‘clean’, only to be turfed out right back into the same social circles, after which he would go full circle and without fail restart his habit.

The last I saw of this unfortunate young man was the evening I was due to head overseas to Turkey for several months. I had become fairly paranoid that on returning my house would have been broken into, trashed, and my belongings sold off to support his habit, but that was not to be. Literally, as I packed for the journey I could hear an incredible ‘din’ from outside and went out to the garden to investigate. The fence between our gardens was fairly inadequate to offer any form of privacy. Not much more than knee high, it was fairly impossible to enjoy a peaceful afternoon without some form of interruption. He had been locked out by his wife and for the first time I saw his ‘other’ side. He was using a plank of wood to batter his way through the double glazed window of his kitchen. More in fear of the fact I was leaving that evening, I attempted to humour him. But, he appeared to be fairly well focussed on the task at hand. He suggested I call the police and I dutifully obliged whilst also watching the plank continually ‘bounce’ off the window although it was bullet proof. His wife and children were not home, and eventually I ran out of time and had to leave him to it. I returned several months later and the house was empty. Unbelievably, it appeared that he eventually succeeded in getting in to his own house as the kitchen window was still broken. I can only presume this was from the evening on which I left. Thankfully, I never saw or heard from him again and was soon myself to move with work to another part of the country… I can only imagine he is currently serving at her majesty’s pleasure somewhere!

I suppose that is the humorous side of the story… Now to the point. At what stage does the phrase “An Englishman’s home is his castle” cease to be true. Indeed was it ever true other than in the middle ages?

We now have legislation, it’s been around for quite a few years actually, which allows a home to be broken into, and whereby, if the Robber, Villain or whatever one would like to refer to them as; trips on the carpet, bangs their head on the door, or electrocutes themselves whilst unplugging the VCR or DVD player with the intent of borrowing it permanently and without permission, the home owner can get sued. Moreover the home-owner will lose the case and have to pay compensation to the criminal… *Hmmm*.

I have to say that, assuming I am woken by the noise of an intruder, whilst I consider myself a very passive individual, I also consider myself to be the last line of defence for my loved ones. So, should I or we be unfortunate enough to be in the house and, should somebody break in, I am going to pick up the closest and heaviest object around and I am going to sneak up behind said intruder and hit them… really, really hard. I am not going to pansy around considering whether or not I might hurt them, that will precisely be my intent, and I will do so with as much force that I can muster with the sole intention of them not getting up again. Why? It seems obvious to me. I don’t know if they are armed, I don’t know their intention and, if they get past me I cannot be sure of the safety of my loved ones. So, I am going to use every trick in the book to plant them on the floor before calling the police…

Unfortunately, one man is reported to have taken this too far recently and on hearing that his son had been robbed of his phone, he sought out said robber, ended up in a fight and more tragically for the father of the victim, ended up killing the robber, who was by all accounts a known criminal and would have been locked up had he simply called the police, who in this case could have traced the robber’s location to within a few meters by the GPS on the phone. Whilst I understand his anger, that is one step beyond rational and sadly for his family he is now spending 6 years behind bars…

But what of other vigilantes, or simply those who seek to protect themselves, their homes, from criminals?

Tamsin McMahon of The Canadian National Post wrote a piece a few years ago and I quote;

Mr. Thomson’s (referring to a man charged with pointing a firearm at individual’s who had thrown at least six Molotov cocktails at his house and was recommended for a jail sentence by the judge) is the latest in a series of high-profile cases in which people have been charged after defending their homes and businesses against criminals. Central Alberta farmer Brian Knight became a local hero after shooting a thief who was trying to steal his ATV. He pleaded guilty to criminal negligence earlier this month. In October, Toronto shopkeeper David Chen was acquitted of forcible confinement charges after he tied up a repeat shoplifter and demanded he stop raiding his grocery store.

Their cases are renewing calls for Canada to introduce a version of the “Castle Doctrine” found in many U.S. states, which allows citizens to defend their property with force.

Do you also remember the case in the UK of Tony Martin who was sent to jail for life for shooting a burglar dead in his own home? Was he supposed to offer them tea and biscuits…

One simply wonders what is wrong with the law today. How is it that criminals can in enjoy, and in some cases look forward to, a trip to jail; 4 square meals a day, a free education, an X-Box and television in their cells and health and nutritionists ensuring their food is of good enough quality. Does anybody else see something wrong with this… Hardly a deterrent methinks!

Whilst I think shotguns may be out of proportion, what if in the act of thumping an intruder over the head, they fail to get up permanently?

But, I refer back to my earlier comment, what is the realistic alternative? Wouldn’t a rational man ‘within’ his own home, feel so threatened as to defend himself… but look what trouble that could get one into!

Just food for thought…

Digging holes and making waves!

I admit some of my greatest passions are likely to bore an individual to a slow and painful death. However, this little story is a big positive, albeit not for the U.K. (yet!) but overseas! One might be excused for thinking that the Middle East is nothing but doom and gloom. But, hey… Folks I have news for you.

YOU ARE WRONG!

Whilst European governments, or was it the bankers, have been screwing up their economy in past years. In other areas of the world, the future couldn’t look brighter in terms of employment and forward thinkers! Structures and architecture that us Europeans could only dream about are being designed and erected. Metropolis’ of gargantuan proportion are being built, the likes of which many of us will never get to see other than on the news or some other form of docu-film called something like “Great Engineering Structures of the century”.

So, what does this have to do with eBooks, paperbacks and the literary world? Other than potentially being incredible places for an author to gain inspiration, probably not a lot! It’s a self indulgent article this one (aren’t they all I hear you cry?), but it’s positive…

I should start by mentioning, for those who don’t know me, that my ‘speciality’ pre-writing, if one may be permitted to call it that, has been in control room operations… Oooohh, I hear you whisper, big brother!?

Well, to be fair there has been an element or two of that side of the business in my earlier career; but these days, or in most recent times, it has all been to do with highways infrastructure and I.T. assets that accompany their smooth operations…

To be frank I miss it! Sitting at the QWERTY is great fun, I have no end of things to say or type, I have a gazillion ideas buzzing around the grey matter that all need to be transferred to paperback, hard cover or kindle. But, at the end of the day it is a solitary profession and I miss aspects of operations that writing simply cannot provide, other than through reminiscing about what challenges have faced me in recent times, such as; cars bobbing up and down flooded roads, sorting out the unfortunate aftermath of mass pile ups, acting as an Incident Commander in liaising with all of the emergency services and during every day operations acting as operational caretaker to those high value assets along the travel routes…

What I am mainly talking about here in terms of assets are Road tunnels and Bridges… OMG! I hear you all scream, he really is going to bore us to death on this one… Come on folks, or at least you drivers out there…Hear me out!

Assuming you live in the United Kingdom, the next time you begin driving through one of our many road tunnels… start by considering this: Are you ‘under’ water? e.g. The Mersey’s Queensway or Kingsway tunnels, perhaps the Dartford tunnel, the tunnel under the river Conwy or, of course, even the Euro tunnel? Where is that Dutch boy who will plug the hole where that water is seeping out of the wall, as in the book The Silver Skates written by Mary Mapes Dodge. (I knew I could get a book reference in here somewhere). Actually, if you see water creeping, rather than seeping from the walls, it doesn’t necessarily mean the walls are about to cave in, but hey ho, err on the side of caution if it concerns you and tell somebody. Not your brother, sister or parents, but somebody who might actually be able to do something to investigate, like the Tunnel Management and/or operator… Well, safety advice over with and without the wish to scaremonger…let’s continue. Where does the carbon monoxide go, why don’t I don’t die from the fumes, how is the carbon build up on the tunnel walls removed, who changes those light bulbs and when? How is everything checked for safety, how often does that happen..?

In a rather long tunnel, consider this; how are you going to escape in the event of an accident, a fire or yes… eek as above, a flood? Have you any idea?

Have you considered whether anybody is watching, looking after your back, so to speak? Cameras in view don’t always mean cameras working… Jon King, author of the book The Cut-Out, which investigates HRH Princess Diana’s death in the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel in Paris, states that several cameras were out of operation during the period of her tragic car accident. Whilst my guess is routine maintenance, or simply poor maintenance, Jon attempts to add this to the weight of the conspiracy theory surrounding the tragic circumstances of her death.

I could go on and ask, who would fight a fire… remember the Mont Blanc tunnel disaster? Firefighters, most part time, entered the tunnel from two different countries, failed to communicate with each other and (I’m not implying it was their fault, but nonetheless…) multiple tragic deaths followed.

Where does smoke go in a tunnel and moreover how does it behave, does it rise to the ceiling or does the airflow push it down onto those attempting to escape, is it the same in every tunnel or does infrastructure play a part in how smoke and fumes ‘behave’. A tunnel that goes under a river or sea is, by its very nature, below sea/water level… (now that’s suck eggs stuff really isn’t it?), but, where does the water go, be it rain water or any other, is it collected in sumps and pumped away or does it pool at the lowest point of the tunnel? Where does it end up and is it polluted, how does it effect tunnel operations and those travelling through a tunnel as the water builds up?

Imagine during an incident, you can’t see a light at either end of the tunnel, which is the quickest way out, which way do you walk, run, or do you attempt to drive out? Which and what is your safest method of exit?

Providing the answers to these questions and many, many more and producing workable solutions to these challenges are some of what I miss about operations. The good news is that there are solutions and in a; well operated, well maintained tunnel or indeed for a bridge, which have their own challenges of comparable consequence, all of these questions and many rather more bizarre, have ordinarily been weighed up, risk assessed and addressed, with solutions and processes for those on the front line to enable every day driver safety. So, whilst you may pose these questions next time you enter a tunnel or begin crossing a bridge, drive out or over the other end smiling, as big brother has been watching. It may be a human, it may be a complex algorithm created to watch your back, but either way there will be a plan in place and people waiting to react like coiled springs should, or usually for when, the unspeakable begins to unfold…

You see… my problem is that passion has taken over this post, but there is a reason… A friend of mine recently sent me a note and a video link. The link shows what to me is one of the most breath-taking projects I have seen in terms of highways design and scale. It is due to be built next year in Qatar, it is the Sharq Crossing in Doha. It is possibly one of the most challenging projects I have seen operationally for a long, long while and I am itching to see who is chosen to manage its operations… I would also love to see the finished product up close and personally, rather than on a docu-film or the design video posted below…

On home soil there is some good news also… I met with a manager from the Highways Agency (HA) last week and the restructuring of the past 4 years is coming to an end with, as far as I can make out, a highly positive result. Legislation is currently being considered that will enable The HA to grow once more, the result being a more customer focussed government run company (one step closer to privatisation?) that will expand its staff by a massive 25%. After four years of cuts and freezes, maybe it’s not simply media hype, perhaps there really is light at the end of the tunnel (excuse the pun!)

I am going to leave this post here and simply say that it is such a shame that us Europeans are unable to produce such engineering fetes as the proposed Qatar’s Sharq crossing on home soil. Our skill sets are vast yet we seem to be limited to contributing to the infrastructures of governments of other countries such as; Qatar, Dubai and Bahrain and the Emirates who are currently amongst the few countries in the world that retain the financial ability, foresight and ambition to take on such incredible projects…

Readers watch this video… It is incredible… I dare you not to be amazed at the structures! Perhaps then consider writing a letter to your MP to ask why our roads have so many pot holes, because my Audi really hates hitting them, and my Bank Manager hates my Audi, or moreover, its driver who seemingly finds each and every one of them, connecting them like a dot to dot puzzle… Perhaps I should start a Facebook game called “Pot-Hole”, I’d be sure to be very good at scoring in it, might even make a few quid!

I hope you’ve all had a great weekend and for U.S. readers, have enjoyed the Labor day festivities!

Good night all…

Aside from a love of all things operations, Simon Duringer is an author and interviewer. Simon’s 10Q Interviews reached the finals of the UK National Blogging Awards 2014 and The Best of Simon’s 10Q Interviews is now available on Kindle, Amazon Prime (For FREE) and in paperback;

The Word Volume I: The Best of Simon’s 10 Q Interviews (Volume 1)

Catriona King

My next guest is a bit of a dark horse really. She is seriously multi-talented, has penned several crime novels, received glowing reviews for them all and also has found time to become involved in Belfast’s dynamic arts scene.

So, who is my latest guest at Simon’s 10 Q Interviews and what other skeletons does she have that we may dig out of her closet…

She is the founder/director of Belfast’s Studio Theatre Company which performed two plays at the MAC Belfast in April and June 2013, ‘Blithe Spirit’ by Noel Coward in June 2014 and is currently taking part in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s project, RSC Open Stages 2014.

Well… I’m going to let the ‘Cat’ out of the bag here *Groan*, (Yup, that’s almost as bad as a Sir Terry Wogan pun!) Catriona King hails from Belfast where she now once again resides. But, that’s not where her career began…

Catriona was a family doctor, community paediatrician and police Forensic Medical Examiner. She is also earned, within her compendium of qualifications and achievements, an MBA graduate. Certainly not somebody I would want to take on at Cluedo as her experience is vast. But if one did want a Saturday night epic against Catriona, I would suggest reading her several crime novels first. It may, just may, give you a chance at saving your blushes, when she announces early on that Mrs Plum strangled the butler in the living room with the curtain tie-backs!

These days she busy’s herself as a Novelist, Commercial Writer and of course managing the Studio Theatre Company in Belfast, but I can well imagine that given her panache, looks and style, that in the past many a patient must have sent out spurious heartbeat and blood pressure signals whilst getting treated for simple cuts and bruises! Perhaps such issues were why she gave up the noble career within medicine for a career with the pen… perhaps we shall find out as she runs the gauntlet of Simon’s 10 Q Interviews.

So, an incredible lady, beauty mixed with intelligence and talent, this makes for an interesting albeit potentially dangerous interview for me… Perhaps, I am the one who needs to remain on guard here! So, come back soon and read how we both get on as Catriona King, author, novelist and lover of the arts comes back to run the gauntlet of Simon’s 10 Q Interviews.

If you would like to stay one step ahead of the game why not pop along to Catriona’s Amazon author page, having first of course, watched the short teaser video for her recent (but not latest) release The Slowest Cut below.

Here’s the author page link:

Catriona King Author Page

If you would like to learn more about Indie author and Blog Awards 2014 finalist Simon Duringer you can also visit his author page using the following link:

Simon Duringer Author Page

Georgia Melaris

My next guest is a debut author, but there is something about this lady, other than sheer determination, that makes me wonder if she could be the next M J Summers or even E L James… Her debut offering is outside of my genre of choice but let’s find out a little more about this guest and why I have agreed to take her on board at Simon’s 10 Q Interviews…

So, who is she…

Georgia Melaris… of Cypriot descent. Well, we all know they make fabulous yoghurt and I for one have found many uses for that over the years! *ahem* But seriously, who is Georgia Melaris?

Georgia is a seasoned business woman, a go-getter, who currently runs a well reviewed public house on the outskirts of London… Oh go on then let’s give it a plug; The Cavalier in Russell Lane, N20. It’s a gastro pub and restaurant and if you pop in for a bite, I am sure you will be supplied with endless amounts of exotic sauce!

Prior to owning and running The Cavalier, Georgia ran a beauty salon out in Cyprus, and that my friends is where the true story of Daniela hails from…

So far, I have seen nothing but 5 star reviews for this book, it is erotic, but not overpowering. Georgia, also an editor, has a clear grasp of the required writing skill to get a reader engrossed. Add in her imagination, the ability to create a full on menu for her customers, and a light sprinkling of the experience of running a beauty parlour for many years, and one does methinks, create a winning recipe…

But the Daniela experience doesn’t start with the text… and this to my knowledge is fairly unique in this day and age…

If one purchases the paperback, and I am old fashioned in the sense I still really prefer reading a paperback over eBooks, don’t expect some boring package to arrive by post! Georgia primes her readers for what is in store and one is delighted at the sheer effort that has gone in to the preparation of this reading experience.

Daniela, I am told, for every reader, is packaged in this manner. As you open the package you are greeted by a waft of high quality scent, an inner red crepe paper wrapping that you would expect to be used by boutiques wrapping a bottle of Chanel Number 5 or something similar. The book is tied in a red bow, and within the front cover your Daniela bookmark is already waiting to assist you in keeping your place. In quality, the cover is no different. Despite being within the erotica genre, it is not trashy, quite the opposite and one feels you could comfortably lay back on a crowded row of sun loungers and read this book effortlessly without receiving adverse attention from your neighbouring sunbathers.

Following such an opening performance, I can assure you that one can’t wait to get to the script… and that my friends is why Georgia Melaris is soon to be running the gauntlet of Simon’s 10 Q Interviews. Come back soon as I am sure we are going to have rather a fun packed interview with a little bit of spice thrown in…

In the meantime you can always visit Georgia’s Amazon Author Page using the following link;

Georgia Melaris

You can also visit Interviewer Simon Duringer’s Amazon Author Page using the following link;

Simon Duringer

Is Amazon Prime Swamped?

Well, one has to wonder, is the book market simply saturated, is Amazon Prime simply not gaining the membership or are my 5 star rated books a pile of sh*te? Lol… Year 5 at St Mary’s School don’t think so, ahhh, but then again these five holding the posters are biased, they got to ask Academy Award Winning Director Paul Demeyer some questions about the Blockbusting Animation film he directed for Nickleodeon “Rugrats in Paris”.

Of course, I am not the only one who allows my books to be borrowed from the Kindle lending library. If I was it would be a huge surprise as authors charging around $2.99 for their books probably earn more by lending books out for free than by charging for them… Seriously, authors did you not know that?

So, I come back to my original question, is Amazon Prime swamped with books, is it simply that people are not aware of this service, which in a recent radio interview, (See Chorley FM Interview on the About Simon page) my interviewer, regardless of being an Amazon Prime paying member, was not…

Perhaps I am simply not active enough on Social Media to get noticed *Phwoooaarr ha ha ha*.

A great marketing tool of the last 24-36 months has been for authors to get recognition, readership and huge new followings by allowing their books to be downloaded for free *Groan*. Whilst I understand that those with huge back catalogues are able to do this (Dan Brown recently allowed The Da Vinci Code be downloaded for a brief period, for free, pre-release of his latest book). What of the little guys, are we being squeezed out, have the big publishers finally sussed out these methods? lol…

I must admit regardless of the potential for huge readership levels overnight, I have not been one to follow the trend openly, although, all three of my books, and probably any future releases are and will remain available to those Amazon Prime members Free of Charge (FOC) for the foreseeable future in the Kindle lending library.

So, help me out here… Why, given a book like The Word: The Best of Simon’s 10Q Interviews, for which I am yet to find anybody who does not find it truly fascinating (openly anyway!); which is filled with 28 award winning, both debut and veteran, bestselling, Indie and Traditionally published authors of differing genres; a book which is full at over 400 pages and tells real stories about these individuals; a book that supports the noble cause of The Royal British Legion; a book that has an awesomely designed cover (Thank you Michael Price), celebrity foreword (Thank you Godmother Josephine Bailey) and bestseller’s endorsements (Thanks to many of you especially Leigh Russell). Why, oh why is it that I cannot even give it away for free? Get yourself a copy… Look Formula 1 Racing Driver and The Original STIG off BBC’s Top Gear appears to be enjoying it (pictured below).

It troubles me, not so much in terms of my own ego, but the fact that eight months of full time graft appears at this stage to be less than worthless and moreover may lead me to dig deep into the depths of my own rapidly emptying piggy bank in order to save my blushes with the charity I am supporting, a charity that I have involved, and are hungry and hopeful of results…

My first book, a record of analysis, a complete ego trip, meant to be nothing more than a historical record of a popularised website which I had to close due to hacking and spam. That first book of analysis; How do I win on a lottery ? hit Number #3 in its genre in the UK again today, Top #10 across three genres and Top #50 in its genre in the USA, despite me publicly (and briefly) announcing on the radio a week or two ago, where I was attempting to promote The Word: The Best of Simon’s 10Q Interviews, exactly what the book was designed for and that readers will not win the lottery tomorrow by purchasing or indeed borrowing it from the Kindle lending library!

*BOOM* How do I win on a lottery ? up go sales…

The Word: The Best of Simon’s 10Q Interviews – Nada!

It reminds me of something the bestselling author Jake Needham said, I think in his interview with me, it may have been on another occasion, that his first big hit The Big Mango, which he considered to be the lesser of all his works, continues to sell fabulously well… as do most of his books anyway as a matter of fact, but you get my drift!

So, who do we look to, is it the readers hype, the amount of attention the booksellers give a book, or simply hitting the right subject at the right time? Given the feedback the web hits, the encouragement I have received along the way, is it conceivable that I have simply been way off the mark all along… or perhaps too many have read each individual interview that a compilation book is not of interest… Either way… It’s frustrating!

So, readers let me say this…

What I do know is regardless of current sales, The Word Volume 2 is coming and 3 will follow, 4, 5 and 6 if I can sway enough authors to come and join the fun! Why? Because if for no other reason than self indulgence. It works for me and it works for the authors: I find prying into the minds of great authors, teasing them out of their comfort zones, making them try and outwit those who have gone before them by delivering more wit, more grit and more ingenious, often hysterical, sometimes tear-jerking responses, to be something worthwhile to all…

If readers come aboard so be it, if not, well perhaps after I am gone, somebody of influence will dust off a copy, read it, laugh out aloud, perhaps even shed a tear and announce to the public, “We missed a trick here readers!”. Perhaps I am simply deluded… Lol… Yeah, I think that’s probably it!

The Word: The Best of Simon’s 10Q Interviews… Don’t confuse it with religion. This is MY Word and that of 28 very accomplished authors… By all means start at Volume 2, but in the meantime Amazon Prime members I say to you all, you are a few quick clicks from helping out a very worthy cause at NO cost to yourselves. What have you got to lose?

In the meantime stop buying How do I win on a lottery ? there are much more worthy books out there for you to read… Lol…

Have a great night and with the weekend drawing in, get on to Amazon in your country or Amazon Prime and look me up! I have arms but I am not dangerous…

There are a few videos below, don’t be shy in watching them and then you could do a lot worse than heading over to the Simon Duringer Amazon Author Page to see what I, as an author have to offer you up for a good weekend read!

Stay safe…

Simon Duringer

p.s. If you’re a lottery player… No no no… Stop it Simon! Don’t encourage them… How do I win on a lottery ? The Top 20 Lotto Systems by Simon Duringer; a book of statistical analysis that as one reviewer said, unless you’re a mathematician you probably won’t understand it anyway, roughly translated – don’t leave home without it! Lol…

Dawn Kopman Whidden

I get extremely excited when interviewing the likes of those movie stars, award winners, and front of store authors. But, Simon’s 10Q Interviews was never supposed to be all about those who have already made it big. So, I am going to be doing a series of middle grade authors. I attempted it with Rambling On… and whilst we had some great interviews it didn’t quite take as well as one might have hoped.

So, we’re going to start with somebody who has put down the pen for a few years. Why did they do that? who knows… Three well received novels in, over 100 5 star reviews… But, it’s a difficult trade, and us authors quite easily become despondent. So, let’s see if we can help my next guest regain her mojo!

Now, don’t be fooled this is no charity interview. Dawn Kopman Whidden is no charity case, indeed she is a damned talented writer… On Simon’s 10 Q Interviews, the questions are challenging, regaining one’s mojo is not done by answering easy questions… Quite the opposite.

Over the years I have learned how to push people’s buttons a little and we are going to make Dawn squirm, but in a good way! We are going to challenge her, make her think, assist her in gaining new inspiration to deliver her fourth baby, a new baby one might say, and ladies you know how much delivering one of those can hurt… (Gents, it’s about as difficult as eating cotton candy in a park on a sunny weekend afternoon… *Muhahaha*)

Hate me yet?

So, Dawn Kopman Whidden author of Stolen, Faceless and A Child Is Torn… will I be murdered in your next novel, I know I am on Claude Bouchard’s hitlist as the most evil of evil interviewers, even though recently he attempted to discredit me by calling me “nice…” He’d make a good and unlikely accomplice don’t you think?

Hmmm… Dawn Hails from New York. Moving to the tranquillity of the countryside, finding love, peace and a stray dog called Casey, perhaps Dawn has forgotten about crime? Well, I hear they leave windows and doors open in those peaceful areas…

Careful now, don’t want to invite unwanted visitors into the house! In fact, what was that noise… Hmmm, I’m not going to take a look, the kitchen adjoins the hall, the knife rack is by the kitchen door, what fool would have put knives there… God, I remember that discussion well, now look where it’s got us!

Nope, I think I’m just going to stay exactly where I am and ride it out. After all I have to go past that damned kitchen to get out…they can can take what they want and leave, unless of course they are after…

Ssshh, not another word, just keep quiet spend a moment watching the video that was developed for A Child Is Torn, then perhaps, if you survive the video, get along to Dawn’s Facebook page. We’ll be back soon with an interview that will blow your mojo to the heavens…

Dawn Kopman Whidden Author Page

Simon Duringer Author Page

The Price of Life

Actually, do I mean the value of life?

I’m sorry to harp on, but having had a health scare recently, largely through my habitual desire to my body through hell to accomplish as much as I can in as short a time frame as possible, I have been paying more attention to the press and especially what’s taking place within the UK National Health Service (NHS)…

So, this blog is not so much a bold statement, as a question… Food for thought!

I am not trying to win any friends with this… It is simply one of those things that vexes me. How does one decide upon the value of a life?

The NHS are apparently allowed to refuse smokers treatment for some ailments, is this true? So, what of the millions of individuals brought up in a time when such habits, now known to be extremely unhealthy and bear a heavy burden on the NHS, were seen to be trendy and became addicted with no wish to give up this habit? What of them, most of whom have paid taxes for 50, 60 maybe 70 years and believed the NHS would always be there for them… Moreover, now the tobacco industry has turned electronic smoking into an unregulated multi billion pound industry AND put out advertisements across the media saying how trendy it is (Oh, yes they have!). What of the youngsters sucked into this harmful habit. Will they be refused treatment next, it seems there is already a crusade to ban this from public places due to the effects of passive inhalation!

That aside, refusal of treatment comes down to price of treatment, let’s be honest! Large drug companies appear to have had the run of the NHS for some time, in fact probably time immemorial. They are charging ‘the government’ for their product and as anybody who has a serious interest in government tenders will appreciate, budgets never ‘seem’ to be held to account, well, at least until those who have blown them have moved on. Even then the scapegoats are usually patsies unable to defend their actions, however honourable or otherwise they may have been, or whether or not they were involved in the first place. In fact I might go as far as saying that many overspends are carefully planned via clever contract manipulation, getting one over on those lesser scholars of the Public Sector (Sorry guys, but public and private sector business is worlds apart). The good news for government is the public enquiry process. On the realisation “Sh*t, we’ve really blown it this time” a good old public enquiry will usually see the wrongdoers through to retirement before a judgement is made.

I have interviewed one or two Doctors whom are writers, authors and ‘good eggs’. I have been out to dinner and socialised with a number of NHS workers on various occasions and the stories I have heard are…well, frankly too worrying to tell my fellow ward members on my recent visit to hospital. It’s a wonder my blood pressure did not go even higher having realised I was being admitted on a weekend, possibly the worst time statistically to spend time in a UK hospital with any major ailment!

So, the good old bosses latest attempt at reducing costs is heading for the drug companies… About time actually, but rather late in the day one might say. After all the NHS has been running since 1946 and the pharmas appear to have been milking the government ever since, so it could be an uphill battle, but one that I for sure would wave a banner for!

Let’s take a quick look at the dreaded ‘C’ word… Terrible as it is, cancer has probably touched each and every one of us. I know of four people in the last three years, in middle age, who have been struck down by some form of it. Two survive and the other two sadly have passed on…

I was reading an interesting piece by Chris Cook, the Policy Editor of BBC’s Newsnight who has suggested that all cancer drug purchases on the NHS will now be subject to a Cost, Benefit Analysis. To those who may not understand or have come across the term previously; this effectively means, when treating an individual, they will be assessed and, presumably, Doctors or NHS Managers will need to defend decisions to treat individuals requiring high cost medicines. A cost benefit analysis would usually be conducted using the argument, “what else can be done with that money?” Roughly translated that means a pencil pusher, or back office suit, is likely to be deciding our fate based upon their financial goals. More worryingly, as with bankers, the financial goals of high end CEO’s in NHS trusts often equate to the bonuses they can receive by running a lean organisation…

Am I wrong?

Chris goes on to explain what the NHS deem a fair amount of money for cancer treatment and I quote…

Drugs such as Kadcyla, which is produced by Roche, are at the centre of the argument. The cancer drug extends life by a little under 6 months on average, and costs £90,000 for a course. It is currently available through the Cancer Drugs Fund. But, were NHS England buying it through its normal process, it would be willing to spend no more than between £10,000 and £25,000 for a drug with that sort of effectiveness.

It is worth a mention that the CDF or cancer drugs fund already enables cancer patients to access additional funding for drugs that fail the Cost Benefit Analysis already in place. They have assisted tens of thousands of cancer patients extend their lives since their launch in 2010.

So, what is the value of life..? It certainly has a price tag attached, and the size of that tag appears to determine the value of a life…

In other countries this is old hat, health is paid for privately, and some readers may wonder what all the fuss is about. After all private healthcare isn’t cheap. But, as I have said before the National Health Service, aside from the State pension (which is also undergoing upheaval) is one of, if not, the last great institutions that really benefits the general public, regardless of the depth of an individual’s wallet.

Of course many people consider that bankers have rather fewer scruples than the majority of us normal folk, but I wonder how healthcare professionals on the front line are going to sleep at night with these decisions ahead, don’t they have enough to contend with already, or in the future are they to be hardened to the financial side of life and death before entering the trade?

In my perfect world, which of course simply exists in the grey matter of my own mind, suggests that treatment is treatment, by all means go head to head with the pharmas over price, I encourage it, but what is the short term cost in terms of life? Will the government switch off treatment to new cases until a fair price is negotiated? What of the families devastated in the meantime? After all, negotiation requires an edge… and it seems to me the pharmas hold all the power (and little brown envelopes).

Almost the end of my rant for today…

There are many great charities out there who bear the burden of assisting those devastated by disease, be it cancer or any other. They rely on public generosity to survive, and whilst I have not yet personally been nominated for such a task it would appear that a bucket of ice water over one’s head is the latest way of raising awareness of cancer?

MacMillan I do believe are leading, some miserable so and so’s say hi-jacking, the ice bucket challenge. If you want to donate to Macmillan here is the link to their website;

MacMillan Homepage

Come on then Cameron, if you haven’t already… drag yourself away from your eighth or ninth holiday this year and get dunked in a bucket of icy water, it might wake you up to what you’re losing in terms of votes in this term! #IceBucketChallenge

Have a nice day.

Morgan St James

A highly successful author and journalist. My next guest has been extremely patient with me although she has been with us before. Last time was part of a group of authors, but this time she’s back to woo us with her sense of humour, dazzle us with her knowledge, and inspire us with her decades of experience.

Having recently turned three score and 15… (I suppose I should really apologise for revealing that!) Any ideas who the next guest of Simon’s 10 Q Interviews might be?

Let’s find out…

Of course I am talking of the wonderful Morgan St James…

Morgan is a frequent panelist, moderator and speaker. She has presented at many writers workshops and is a columnist for the Las Vegas and Los Angeles editions of Examiner.com.

Morgan St James is a USA Best Book Award Winner, for the Crime Caper; A Corpse in the Soup, which is co-authored with her sister Phyllice Bradner and is one of the growing number of publications already available as an audio book! A Corpse in the soup was the first in the award winning Silver Sisters Mysteries.

Morgan’s ‘Examiner‘ column inspired inspired her to write WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE: 39 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ABCs OF WRITING FICTION as an easy, fun-to-read guide for writers and authors at all stages of their careers. Her other most recent titles include: Betrayed and La Bella Mafia which are a departure from the award-winning Silver Sisters Mysteries.

An active contributor to several writers groups, Morgan works and lives in Las Vegas NV. So, come back soon and see how this USA Best Book Award winner, most used to writing collaborative works, gets on under the spotlight and Simon’s 10 Q Interview microscope…

It’s one not to miss, so check back soon, and in the meantime if you want to visit Morgan’s author page, to see what other gems she has been involved with then here is the link;

Morgan St James Books

Morgan will undoubtedly earn a place in one of the upcoming Volumes of Simon’s Duringer’s The Word, a fascinating compilation book of interviews which also supports the charity The Royal British Legion. Why not head across to Amazon and check it out. It’s available to borrow for FREE by Kindle Prime members, otherwise available on Kindle and in paperback.

US Readers – The Word: The Best of Simon’s 10Q Interviews

UK Readers – Simon Duringer Amazon Author Page

Radio Interview at Chorley FM

It doesn't happen often, so I do like to have some fun when it does...

I spent an entire show at Chorley FM recently, speaking about books, authors, traditional and self publishing.

Ok so we bantered a tad too and there are musical interludes, but hey ho... I'll eat my hat if you haven't heard of at least one of the names mentioned!!

Have fun and enjoy... If you like it and have the time look me up on amazon (Simon Duringer)... or visit me at my website

So, here's the radio interview...
Interview at Chorley FM

The Word Volume 1

Well, if you don't know what it's about, you should do by now...

Just needs a tad more exposure to get things moving a little faster, so here's something simple for your entertainment.

Get me on Amazon!

Don't be scared, jump right in!