The Lamb at Nettlesham

Now published as an ebook.

2011-12-07T11:51:00.000+01:00

The Lamb at Nettlesham is now available as an ebook on Amazon.
Follow the story of the Manchester City supporting publican as he seeks happiness in the beautiful Saigh Valley.

Please click on the link below for more details.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nettlesham-Tales-Saigh-Valley-ebook/dp/B004ZMBMPG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323254921&sr=1-1

Rewrite update 2

2011-10-03T15:44:00.002+02:00

Yet another rewrite completed today. It's certainly hard work and I am constantly amazed to keep finding mistakes.
I shall scan through it again before uploading it

Video synopsis of the 'Lamb'.

2011-06-23T14:35:00.000+02:00

Click on the link below to see Kevill's talk about his novel, 'The Lamb at Nettlesham' now published as an ebook on Amazon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJjuuPfoBAo

Brawl at Ascot

2011-06-17T15:53:00.001+02:00

There was a brawl at Royal Ascot yesterday. How appropriate after the ebook publication of the 'Lamb' which portrays a brawl as the regulars of the 'Lamb' take offence with the 'townies' from the 'George'.

I watched Andrew Marr 's programme on megacities. It reminded me that the transport policy outlined in the 'Lamb' could be the answer. Read my book to find out more or click on the link below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1stDFA-IOzEwgWSPWZ6ns2K9zN7qAwIsJtZNAf0OOlTg/edit?hl=en#

The Lamb as ebook

2011-05-09T12:57:00.001+02:00

The Lamb at Nettlesham has now been published as an ebook.

Click on the Amazon link for details:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lamb-Nettlesham-Tales-Saigh-Valley/dp/B004ZMBMPG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3TVV12T0I6NSM&qid=1304931534&sr=1-1

OR

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ZMBMPG

Ebooks

2011-05-06T10:38:00.000+02:00

I have, today, submitted my much edited novel for publication as an ebook. It has taken much time but no matter how many times I reviewed it there were always more adjustments to be made including some really basic errors. I presume this is the reason why professional editing is so expensive, but if you can't afford it one really has to do the best one can.
Formatting the novel to appear on the kindle was also something best left to the professional. The uploading itself wasn't too difficult but the first pages were not correctly aligned with some large font sizes and if I could have afforded it I would have liked somebody with html experience to finish the job.
That said, I am now committed to this style of publishing. I shall no longer go to the trouble and expense of submitting scripts to Agencies. It is a shame but their preoccupation with known names and celebrities has clouded the literary world and made it more difficult for newcomers to break into the industry. Not only that, but also ebooks seem to me to be the future. Amazon recently announced that in a month, for the first time, more ebook titles were sold than conventional books. When readers around the world see the advantages of an electronic book reader and cast aside the nostalgia for paper, I believe the trend will take off and when that happens I want my works, the four completed and the one, half written, to be available.
Let me be quite clear here. I do not believe I'm a natural writer. I cannot, like Dickens, write a beautifully story at the first attempt, in time for a tight deadline. I do believe, however, that I have good stories to tell and that readers will be entertained by them. With the present situation, the story doesn't proceed past first base because some reviewer casts it aside because he or she sees a cliché in the first chapter. In some ways I can't blame him or her because there is an enormous 'slush' pile to get through and is actively seeking any reason to abandon the folio and start a new one without ever knowing what the rest of the script held. This, of course, means that many really good works never reach a publisher. With ebooks, if a work appeals to the public, word of mouth and recommendation will do the job whilst poor works languish. Popular books are automatically highlighted.

There are other possibilities, too. My novel contains scenes of sexual content and swear words. I intend to submit a second novel with these screened out, giving prospective customers the choice. It makes sense when you consider that some countries and cultures do not approve of sex and swearing in their literature.

Kindle

2011-03-13T10:29:00.000+01:00

Since I rewrote the 'Lamb' I've had another look at the story with an eye to making it 'Kindle' compatable and am amazed at the number of improvements I am making. It is absolutely true that when you write a story, the need to reread and reread the piece before seeking publication cannot be over emphasised .
How Dickens managed when he had to have his work ready in time for a fixed publication date in a newspaper, I do not know. He must have had the ability to write his stories, chapter by chapter, perfectly once.

Following the disappointment of rejection by agents I am seriously thinking of publishing my stories on Amazon's Kindle as an ebook. The latest deal is that an author receives 70% of the book cover cost which the author himself sets.
Each publication allows a prospective buyer to download three or more chapters to preview before purchase. This allows the buyer to assess whether the book has sufficient merit to warrant purchase.
This safeguard goes some way to alleviate the worry that the uploaded work is not up to standard without some sort of peer appraisal. If it's no good, it won't sell and books that do sell become their own best advertisement.

Createspace/Penguin competition

2011-01-17T11:08:00.000+01:00

This year's createspace/Penguin competition entry date is the 24th Jan, starting at 12.01 Standard Eastern Time, US. The first 5000 entries will be considered and I have decided to go with the revised 'Lamb'.

Last year my entry, 'The Green Man at Buddleigh', never got off the ground because my pitch was rubbish, full of spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. This year I hope I'm better prepared although reading the pitches of last year's entries makes me wonder if they have read the promoter's own guidelines to the pitch. To read my pitch go to: http://sites.google.com/site/kevilldavies/Home/writings/the-lamb-at-nettlesham

The recent submission to a publisher ended in disappointment when they asked for over £2200 contribution to publishing costs, despite saying that both the 'Lamb' and the 'Green Man' were of merit and likely to be enjoyed by the public. Although I've brushed aside the disappointment I can sense that my confidence is slightly dented and I need a little while before I begin again. I need to take a few weeks away from creative writing to regenerate what I know is inside, since despite the feeling that it's really too much effort to achieve recognition, I'm too old anyway and other negative thoughts, I do believe that my stories are worth telling, the characters are interesting and the plots satisfying.

Breakthrough? Who knows?

2010-09-09T21:29:00.001+02:00

I have had a positive response to my latest promotion. Hoorah!!

I have two novels to promote as part of my Saigh Valley Series and I have submitted extracts of both to publishers and agents, along with my pitch. I'm delighted to say that my submission has persuaded one recipient to ask to see the two manuscripts in full. It's what I wanted, because I've always felt confident that there was an entertaining story in there; for an independent someone to read them in full and make a judgement. The real test of whether or not they are to commercial standard. Let's face it, if my stories can make them money, they'll be interested; if not, then I'll know the truth, if their judgement can be trusted.
Last week, I tried to read what would be called a 'Chick Lit' novel and had to give up after the first chapter. I can't comment on its quality only that I couldn't read it. Apparently, most novel readers these days are women and therefore most new works pander to this market which makes it yet more difficult for men to find something to entertain them. I hoped to step into the breach with stories that would appeal to both sexes. Stories with a good plots, interesting characters and a satisfying ending. No science fiction, no mysogynistic psychopaths and definitely no bloody elves or fairies. Just a jolly good story, tinged with humour, coloured with a tragedy and told with feeling untrammeled with excessive verbiage.

So I must make a hard copy of each of the stories, which with both together amounting to 800 printed A4 sheets will cost, both in paper and printer ink, a prety penny. The postage from Spain will be in the order of 30 to 50 Euros depending on the mood of the postmaster. It's not cheap to make a full submission but I have a feeling that it's going to be worth while. The feeling that the daily writing, the struggling to bring the plots into line, turning mere words into something that gives pleasure is the best feeling that an author can have.

Promo 1 Update

2010-08-11T13:43:00.001+02:00

Well I've received two refusals by email and an acknowledgement of receipt from a publisher I contacted directly. One of the refusals was so quick it left no time for proper scrutiny. I shall not submit to them again.

It's always hard to receive refusals, particularly as these letters intimated that they were not sufficiently excited by the proposal.

It's impossible to know if my proposal was flawed, the synopsis, was poorly conceived for instance, or whether the standard of writing in the submitted chapters 'didn't light their fires'.

I constantly receive emails from people who want to give me advice on submissions in exchange for a fee. It seems the way the industry is going. Once upon a time there were publishers. Then along came Agencies who filtered the submitted work sent to the publishers. Now we have the firms that review and amend all work submitted to the agencies, all the time adding to the list of people taking a cut of any royalties.
The rewards can be good and many people are writing in the hope of attracting a publisher but its hard to get a foot in the door when celebrities seem to be the first priority. I heard yesterday that Carol Vorderman, her of 'Countdown' fame, is publishing a book tomorrow. It's surely easy for a publisher to promote her book because she's an established name, compared with an unknown. I can't blame Carol, who I've briefly met on the 'Countdown' set, but it sure makes it difficult for unknowns, some of whom are undoubtedly talented, to break into the industry.

Why branding?

2010-07-13T11:06:00.000+02:00

With the rewriting of my two 'Saigh Valley' novels completed, I must now consider how to 'sell' them to the agencies.
Normally, I imagine that an author submits a single folio, or part of it, for review, but I'm minded on this occasion to submit a concept based on my two novels with the promise of more to come.
In other words, I want to try and persuade an agency that my books will sell better as a series rather than as a stand alone story. This idea is founded in what I consider to be the way the public decides what to read and what to buy. Recent history has shown the popularity of series with the JK Rowling series of books about Harry Potter. Other characters that have attracted a following are Biggles, Billy Bunter, from my younger days, to Tolkien and the Angelique books of Anne and Serge Golon.
It is not only Characters who draw reader loyalty; authors too have a following. These days readers avidly pick up the latest James Patterson story, knowing that it is unlikely to have been penned by the famous author. This idea is mirrored in the art world where the value of a painting can rise if it can be ascribed to a particular and notable 'school' of artists.
This association of the buying public with a product or its manufacturer is the essence of 'branding' and it is this that I hope to create.

How strong is my brand name?

'Tales from the Saigh Valley', I believe, conjures up an image of bucolic peacefulness. The word 'Saigh' with its similarity to the word 'shag' would provoke interest because of it being synonymous with sex.
(The word 'Saigh' is derived from Celtic and Greek roots and means 'arrow' eg. Sagittarius, the archer). It should be on the front cover of each book.

How strong is the Brand theme: English pubs and inns?

The main strength is my knowledge of the workings and life of the trade. The characters I have met and to some extent shared my life with. It can be a rich source of stories, allowing much opportunity for human interaction and the full gamut of emotional interplay.

Are my two current stories strong enough?

They are two contrasting stories, but both having intricate plots with surprises at the end. The first story, The 'Lamb', has at the centre, two different types of pub and two different lead characters who's personality matches their respective businesses. Henry, solid and dependable has the 'George' whilst Jackie secretly buys the 'Lamb' and turns it into a high class brothel.The story follows their very different paths to find happiness. A lady friend of mine has read the story and it reminded her a little of a Jackie Collins novel.
The second, the 'Green Man' is a ghost story that forms the backdrop to a story about banking greed. Since the story is based on a real life experience, I believe many readers will empathise with the story. A reader has described this story as 'quirky'.
Both stories have the benefit of a 'feel good' endings, which I find encourages most readers to read other books by the same author.

What next?

The 'Red Lion at Nippley'. A story about the Fäht-Winkler family. Murder and witchcraft lie at the heart of this story. It should be finished in 2011.

Rewrite Complete

2010-07-05T11:58:00.001+02:00

I've now completed a total revision of the story. It has meant a completely new Chapter 1 and re-arranging the first three chapters into chronological order.
At the same time, the whole work has been edited for grammatical and punctuation errors and whole passages altered where necessary for clearer understanding of the plot.

I'd felt for some time that the core relationship between the two main characters, Henry and Jackie Bagshot, was almost too incredible to be true. I've changed certain passages whilst trying to balance the emotions, particularly felt by Henry, on the sharp edge of incredulity that they conveyed.

I now feel better about the work; it seems to have a better balance. I publish some passages from the new Chapter below.

CHAPTER 1. The Lamb at Nettlesham

The Company was doing well. After a period of unprecedented growth, Martin Dwyer reflected on what had happened to the company since he was introduced to a Middle Eastern Sheik at a chance meeting at Epsom on Derby day.
The Sheik’s horse, Ramses, had finished a close second in the big race and Martin, a friend of the winning owner, was a guest in the winner’s enclosure when he spotted Commander James Horner of Scotland Yard. On the last and only previous occasion he had seen Horner, the policeman worked for the Royal Protection team and Dwyer wondered if he was on duty that afternoon to keep a watchful eye on Her Majesty the Queen.
Dwyer and Horner had first met in the rooms of courtesan Margaret Baxter, a woman who groomed young royal and aristocratic men in the erotic arts, preparing them for a life of lust and lovemaking. Margaret was invariably their first real taste of carnal pleasure and on the occasion of their first meeting Horner was escorting one of the Royal Princes on his second visit. Martin was in town and had, at the last minute, decided to pay Margaret a visit on what she called her ‘top-up’ service for men she had groomed from the start and wished to continue their education in later life.
While he’d waited that day, Martin had talked with Horner in the well appointed reception room in Belgravia and with the latter unable to discuss his reason for being there, the talk turned to Dwyer’s work. Martin was surprised to hear that Horner had heard of the Company, founded by his father, Peregrine, called Dwyer Industries which consisted of a string of car dealerships, some of them abroad, and other, related businesses, of which some were legal and dealt in such commodities as car parts. ...

... Dwyer’s meeting with Faisal was held at his luxurious house next to the Guards Polo Ground near Ascot. Initial talks centred on those safe areas of trade; shipping, motor dealerships, distribution and refining of oil, barely touching on other areas of possible co-operation. Talks were delicate at the start because both parties needed to establish trust before moving on to the real agenda. In this respect, the Prince had a trump card because he’d asked Horner to discover from police files any information they had on Dwyer Industries that could be useful. To his surprise he found that the Police had quite a large file on the Company, listing pages of unproven allegations of wrongdoing including the importation of pornographic publications and drugs. However, whenever the police had searched warehouses or ships belonging to or chartered by the Company, they had found nothing to incriminate the firm. Faisal was impressed with the company’s obvious carefulness, but he needed more evidence of Dwyer’s trustworthiness before he’d commit himself to an alliance.
He didn’t have long to wait. He picked up the Times newspaper one day to see the headlines.
‘DERBY WINNER FOUND DEAD IN STALL’.
Reading further he discovered that the horse’s head had been severed with a chain saw. Two hours later, Martin Dwyer had telephoned to say that Ramses would have no meaningful opposition in the ‘Arc’, referring to the Arc de Triomphe, the Longchamps race in Paris where the two horses would have next been in competition. What impressed Faisal most was that Dwyer was a friend of the horse’s owner. Clearly business was business, a sentiment which accorded with the Sheik’s own. Faisal felt that he’d found his allies.
Within a week, he met Martin and his father, Peregrine, to finalise areas where they could co-operate; drugs, people trafficking, arms and pornography. To build up his power base, the Prince was keen to establish a hold over people of influence in the UK corridors of power and to this end his chief and favourite tool was blackmail and his favoured method was entrapment.
All that remained to be done was find a suitable property for the project. It had to be accessible from London, but somewhere quiet, out of the way, in the country. Matthew Dyer promised to find the perfect location and bought a house in the Saigh Valley village of Nettlesham from which to base his search.
Yes, Martin Dwyer had reason to believe that all was going to plan, but that was before fate brought him head to head with landlady, Jackie Bagshot and all the trouble he would ever need in the world.

Copyright© Kevill Davies 2010

Rewrite 2

2010-06-21T15:43:00.000+02:00

I've printed the whole of the novel as I find it easier read from paper than the computer screen.
This done I've read the whole thing through from start to finish to ensure that the story is correct; there are no inconsistancies and parts that do no tally with the picture I'm trying to convey are altered or removed. For instance I have a scene in which characters attend a 'shoot' on an estate on a Sunday. This is against the law and therefore could not occur and had to be changed. In addition there are references to characters in another story I've written, where the names do not agree.

Having written the 'Lamb' two years ago and having read it many times, I am amazed by the amount of correction work that has to be undertaken. Not pernickety detail but basic facts. I am ashamed, now, to have sent this work to agencies for adoption, when it was clearly a work so substandard it was no where near good enough. With the story now corrected, I will read the work again paying attention to detail and improving the script, rewriting whole sections where necessary.

I have to say I do not enjoy this retrospective work, but I can see how important it is. I wish I knew how other authors feel about this aspect of their work. I know it's stopping me from writing my fifth novel; the real creative part of the art of story telling, but I know I cannot move on until I have made that which is already written as good as I can make it.

I read a short story by Jeffrey Archer this morning, reminding me yet again why he is such a good story teller. I have to aspire to be as good but in my own way. There are other good novelists, using their own styles to tell their story. I believe I am getting better and will develope a style which I hope will produce stories that people will want to read. That's the plan. Let's do it.

Rewrite

2010-06-05T09:40:00.001+02:00

Following a talk with my Oxford friend about the 'Green man' I have decided that the 'Lamb' also needs further work. I shouldn't be surprised because for some time something about the story or the story telling has bothered me. I had an idea what it was but wasn't sure what I needed to do to change matters without losing the essence of the tale, or to be more specific, losing the vitality of one of the characters.
It wasn't all bad. The basic story seems to me to be sound; it was the way I was telling it that needed amendment and to some extent the structure of the novel.
My aim is to produce two novels of the Saigh Valley tales which will be of sufficient quality to interest Literary Agents.

Update

2010-04-27T13:31:00.000+02:00

Following the critical review of my work, I have started a page by page overhaul of the 'Green Man'. It will be followed by a similar overhaul of the the 'Lamb'. All work on other projects including Apsaras III will stop until this work is done. It is imperative that if my work is ever to be published it must be better than at present. It is not good enough to simply put 115,000 words together and expect it to work. It won't; there is too much good work in the market place.

Name Change

2009-12-10T15:21:00.000+01:00

The Green Man at Buddleigh was originally called 'The Yeoman', for no better reason than it was the first name that came into my head.
While I was away in Thailand, thinking about promoting my work, I realised I had a chance to build a brand. This was the second of my 'Tales from the Saigh Valley' series and the third will be completed by Autumn of 2010. The name, 'The Yeoman' had nothing to do with my story, but 'The Green Man' did, especially after I designed the cover, and bearing in mind the esoteric nature of the story. Naming the book after the name of the inn seemed the natural move and furthermore if I renamed the first book after the pub, it would make even more sense. Hence 'Henry Bagshot' became 'The Lamb at Nettlesham' and the third story will be called 'The Red Lion at Nippley'.

Selected Passages from THE LAMB AT NETTLESHAM

2009-09-01T13:12:00.000+02:00

If the Chairman and old family member, Ulysses Illingworth had any doubts about who to appoint to the ‘Lamb’, after meeting and talking to Jackie Bagshot, he had none. She beguiled him to such an extent that the following morning he instructed the agents to contact the Bagshots and install them as soon as possible.

Jackie had this effect on the men she met. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, a natural blonde with large blue eyes and a doll like face forever smiling. She was tall at about five foot nine with a perfectly proportioned body, long legs set off by the mini skirts she always wore and ample breasts uplifted and squeezed to achieve the maximum cleavage that her ‘Wonderbra’ could create.

Norman Bates was telling everyone who would listen that somebody had been shovelling up his horse shit in the dead of night, but they had clearly left some as Norman’s pumpkin was itself of commendable size. He had a feeling that Betty’s husband, John, was responsible but in the end his entry didn’t match up to the finalists.
The winner was Doris, the church organist, whose entry had to be brought in the verger’s wheelbarrow. A magnificent specimen she had grown in complete secrecy in her small cottage next to the cemetery. “Its roots must have been feeding from your ancestors,” she told everyone.

Under the proposals we shall be introducing a ban on free wheel driving across Britain in 40 years time and replacing it with an automated track system, driven by clean electricity; a so called ‘Punch & Go’ system. Punch in the Post Code or address of your destination and sit back to be automatically transported there at high speed.”

Charles paused to take a sip of water, aware that he had already caused a stir with the audience. He was aware of the people’s love affair with the automobile and anything that stopped them from using their vehicles was going to be controversial. Various measures had been tried to reduce overcrowding on the roads such as bus only lanes and vehicle sharing but people didn’t respond in the numbers needed. They didn’t want to share because in the first place it could be inconvenient if travel plans were altered in the course of the day, but also the British, by and large, are a reserved lot who appreciated their own space.

Then there was the Major; every pub has one. By custom, over years of patronage, he had his own seat and woe betide anyone who occupied it. A military man, he never saw combat, working in the quartermaster’s stores, he was taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese on the surrender of Singapore. Although he survived his internment, his brother didn’t, giving rise to an enduring hatred of the Japanese that spilled over to include all those of far eastern origin. If Henry noticed such customers enter the ‘George’, he had to politely insist that the Major keep his mouth shut for fear of offending, not only the Asians, but their colleagues or business partners as well.

He was an entertaining guest who delighted the girls with his many stories of his adventures around the world including his tale of the Arab woman in Cairo who kept a scorpion up her fanny.

“It was one of the very pale, almost white varieties you normally find under rocks,” he said. “It was small and liked to live where it was warm, moist and dark,” he continued relishing the surprise it gave to his listeners.
“Anyway, what a perfect home it had found. In return, if any men folk tried to rape her they would get a nasty surprise.” The Prince always laughed at this juncture and all his followers did so as well although they’d heard the story a million times as well as the punch line.

“I don’t know why she bothered as she was an ugly cow and nobody, except a blind man, would want to rape her,” the Prince continued slapping his thigh, tears rolling down his face.

She approached Henry, still seated and supported at each arm by a paramedic.
“May I ask to whom am speaking?” she addressed him with warmth.
“My name, your Majesty, is Bagshot, Henry Bagshot. Forgive me for not jumping to my feet…”
“That’s quite alright Mr Bagshot. Please remain seated and recover your strength,” she said, motioning with her hands that he should remain on the ground. “I wish to thank you for your brave deed this day. I believe you may have saved my life along with the others in the carriage. It was an act of completely selfless heroism, and I am extremely grateful.”

“What shall I tell them?” enquired the BBC man.
To say nothing would make it more intriguing and lead to more probing and yet she didn’t want anybody to know how she spent the day; least of all her husband.
“Jackie. Jackie Bagshot and I am a guest of the Prince; that’s all you need say,” she said finally.

“What’s ACP?” she asked, amazed with his knowledge.
“It’s a powerful sedative and analgesic, with a cunning attribute; it is very difficult to detect from a routine urine test; one normally needs a blood test which is obviously more complicated. It works on a similar principal to methadone but ACP is normally only used in the animal sector. Vets use it for calming animals before an operation, say, or dog handlers give it to their charges before exhibiting at a show. I might have some out the back. Deirdre, I’m sure, had some for one of her yapping dogs; the vet slipped her some, on the quiet; you know; a sample. I don’t need it now; I don’t need anything now,” he said rather sadly, the brandy finally dulling his brain.

“I’ve got ten, for you. They’re called ‘Yellow Tails’ and they come from North Africa. I couldn’t get the ‘Deathstalker’ variety, you asked for, but these are still very venomous. They are in a tin and I kept them in the fridge overnight, to keep their activity down; slow them down.”

“Buenas tardes. This is my good friend Tara Hawkins,” he said, introducing the blushing Tara. How could he, without letting her know beforehand, she thought; it wasn’t as if she was his wife.
“Encantado” replied the Mayor of Pueblo Blanco, never taking his eyes off Tara. “May I say how beautiful you are?”

The day seemed like a dream come true for Margaret. She had, of course, reservations about her step son particularly after he demolished a table in the marquee but she was as happy as she could remember ever being. She had scrubbed Harvey and sent his suit to be dry cleaned; so that he was as near perfect as she could make him. For his part, Harvey opened the purse strings and laid on a lavish wedding inviting all the villagers to the reception.

The Lamb at Nettlesham: Synopsis

2009-08-31T10:37:00.000+02:00

The Lamb at Nettlesham

SYNOPSIS

The story, set in the late eighties, traces how childhood sweethearts marry for convenience, seperate for necessity and follow spectacularly different paths to find happiness in the beautiful Saigh Valley.

Henry Bagshot lives for his sport, particularly football. As a Manchester City supporter for as long as he can remember he is used to disappointments, but none more so than when his attractive girl friend, later to be his wife, Jackie, has plans to make them some money; firstly, at university, hiring him out as a male escort and then persuading him to become a publican. The machinations of his resourceful partner result in their becoming tenants of a small traditional thatched inn in a pretty Saigh Valley village where their impact is immediate as he instigates various functions, such as the boat trip and pumpkin show. However her eclectic tastes and ambition lead her to diversify her interests and when the brewery announces the closure of their pub, she is quick to seize a business opportunity.
They move a few miles down the road and take over a town pub where the clientele present new challenges.

It is not long before Jackie, now running a high class brothel, is lured into the world of high society, finds herself struggling to maintain a relationship with her more mundane husband and leaves him after being exposed on television on Gold Cup day at Royal Ascot.
However, Jackie discovers that sometimes wealth is not always all it seems and she becomes enmeshed in a world of arms and people smuggling, kidnap and pornography.
The problems start when her brothel is used by a ruthless businessman, Martin Dwyer, acting on behalf of a motor manufacturing consortium, to kidnap the Minister of Transport and take compromising photographs in a bid to get him to change policies. The police investigation leads to her and her business associate Arthur Dennison, a man of dubious background and even more dubious sexual proclivities.
This places Jackie in an awkward situation and she becomes a threat, not only to Dwyer but to another of his associates, an Arab Prince, who after inviting Jackie to Royal Ascot, badly mistreats her.
She decides to follow a route of revenge and retribution, a course of action so fraught with danger her life is soon imperilled after she hatches two plans.

Kevill Davies

Copyright © Kevill Davies 2008