Junying Kirk: Amazing Review of The Taba Convention

Hi everyone.
Thanks to all those bloggers and websites that have started to give me 5***** reviews. I am finally starting to get valued awareness for my books out there in Cyberspace!!
Please read Junyings review, for which I thank her very much!!
ENJOY!

Book Review: TABA CONVENTION

Posted on January 11, 2012 by JunyingKirk

Courtesy from Author

Taba Convention, the first of Stephen W Ayers‘s Jordan Kline series set in the Middle East was a fantastic read, from start to finish. I’m glad that I started it on the first day of my holiday when I knew I had plenty of time for reading and not being distracted by other demands in everyday life.

As I sat under the palm trees facing the mighty Atlantic, I indulged in two days of uninterrupted reading, going on an exciting adventure taking in the Red Sea, Dead Sea, Tel Aviv, the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem, in a part of the world which sounded familiar but to which I’ve never been before, with only some vague idea about the huge problems which have been created throughout history, the non-stop conflicts of different cultures and religions, the struggles of different world organisations to bring peace to that region, and the seeming futility of it all.
I was hooked from the very beginning, as the author began with a number of killings in different locations but somehow intrinsically related.  Packed with action, Mr Ayers tells the story with great characters, convincing plots and at a wonderful pace. It has everything I like in a good book, and it is very well written.
The author delivers a great thriller on different levels. I was highly  impressed with his  understanding of the background, geography and history of the Middle East and his insider knowledge of the hotel businesses, which made sure that his characters and their actions are believable, and the plot plausible. There is a great combination of necessary information and the progress of plot which is pivotal in a fast-paced action thriller. As a reader, I willingly followed the protagonists and enjoyed the ride as Jordan Kline dove into intrigue, betrayal, and conspiracy, showing sheer determination to find out the truth and stop the disaster brewing.
I would not hesitate recommending this book. It’s a wonderful read beautifully executed. I would love to follow more of Jordan Kline’s other adventures. Excellent job, Stephen Ayers!

Self publishing and the internet - Stephen W. Ayers The Taba Convention

Hi everyone.
Well, these past days I have discovered that there are many great people who have tried their hand at writing, have gone the whole way and self published.......and that is no mean feat at all!!
Firstly, to have thought up a plot, taken the time to develop it, then actually write the book, is a feat that many do not arrive at in their lives!
They have written to the best of their ability, and are sure, just as I am , that their book is a good book, the cover a good cover and the story great!
Then they edit the manuscript, design the cover, the layout......all done with tender love......and then they post it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Nook and all the others, and sits back to see if it will sell....and sits....and sits...and sits!!
This after they have built a beautiful website, posted Author pages on many other very worthy sites and much more, and still no sales!!!!!
Then along comes the REAL social media and gives them a great boost!
During the past week I have connected Facebook to Twitter, followed so many interesting people on Twitter, got followed by many people and I am on the way!!
I have tweeted, retweeted, and my 'virtual' friends have retweeted me and that is great!!
I have friends who are as interested in making my book a success as I am in helping them!!
Try it and see..........friends will be there all along the way to help get awareness of your book out there.........You just have to reach out and touch them!!!
Thanks to all who have helped, you are great!!!!
I know I am going to succeed!
Cheers,
Stephen Ayers.
http://www.stephenwayers.com/

Exciting news on Taba Convention and The Righteous Within

These past days I have been doing a lot of catching up, posting the prologue and chapters of The Taba Convention and also excerpts of The Righteous Within, which by the way I have finished editing......almost.
I mam excited at joining Wattpad, adding to Goodreads and solidifying Smashwords site!!
Sales of Taba are going well, awareness is growing everyday!
I was interviewed by TCN Talk radio out of Manhattan NYC, and things are looking good!
I invite you all to connect to the following and see what is new!!
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/286098-the-taba-convention-a-jordan-kline-thriller-book-1

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stephenwayers

http://www.wattpad.com/2792692-the-taba-convention-prologue-and-1st-17-pages


All the best as always,
Stephen

A Book Vacation Blog review of The Taba Convention.

Hi everyone.
Shana of A Book Vacation blog sent me her review which she also posted on Amazon, Goodreads and more.
I cannot thank Shana enough for her kind words and praise, it certainly gives you a boost to continue doing better and better.
I would like to share it with you all:

Ayers blew me away in this action packed thriller dealing with the Middle East. I’m not always enamored by novels dealing with terrorism and the peace issues in the Middle East, but Ayers’ beautiful prose and sheer writing abilities thread a very unique and pointed story, making me an instant fan. The vast amount of knowledge Ayers holds, as well as the amount of research he had to do in order to create a convincing piece, is phenomenal, and I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an action packed thriller. — A Book Vacation Blog Review of The Taba Convention

All the best as always, Stephen

Books and Novels to Read Website - Terry Callister

Hi.
I want to share with you the incredible work that Terry is doing to progress authors who self p[ublish their work. He, like many of us, has been down the difficult (if not impossible) road of trying to find an agent/publisher that is even willing to give feedback on our hard work.
Not accepting failure as an option, he founded the website:
http://www.booksandnovelstoread.com/
His reasons he lays out clearly in the 'about BNR' on the website:
http://www.booksandnovelstoread.com/AboutBNR.html
The difference between Terry and most of the rest of us Indies is that he decided to do something about it and founded Books and novels to read, put in a ton of extremely hard work and the results are to be seen on this great website that will snowball into major proportions as a tool for us to get awareness and sell our books.
Terry, thanks so much on behalf of all of us Indies!
Stephen

A life spent waiting......................

OK everybody,
So I've been busy sending out books to bloggers to review, emails to newspapers and magazines, posting articles in the digital media and reaching out to anyone that could be of help in getting awareness for The Taba Convention.
And now.......................I wait. Waiting can drive you mad.
Will someone like the book? Will they post a good review?
Will someone contact me for an interview? Was I right to send the book to all these people?
Thoughts crowd your mind all the time............after all, it's your first book, your baby, and it has to succeed!
......and then you start the rollercoaster ride that takes you to the heights of exhilirating hope and dashes you to the ground of melancholic expectations.
The answer?   PATIENCE..............seldom in a woman and NEVER in a man! And yet I have to sit patiently and wait for results of my outreach, and believe that they will be good, because my baby is good, and deserves to be out there.
All the best,
Stephen
http://www.stephenwayers.com/

My Four Bucks Author interview

Hi everyone,
my author interview on the blogsite My Four Bucks went online yesterday, and I invite you all to read below:

13 September 2011

Interview with Stephen Ayers, author of The Taba Convention

Stephen Ayers

Stephen Ayers is the author of The Taba Convention, which is a fast paced thriller set in the Middle East.  I recently reviewed it giving it 4 stars and I thoroughly recommend it.  Stephen has taken some time out from his writing and busy hotel management career to participate in an interview with My Four Bucks.

Early on in the novel, the main character Jordan Kline listens to the music of Enigma.  I love Enigma, so I have to ask, do you listen to Enigma when you're writing?  

Do you have a favourite Album?

I love the music of Enigma, and listened to it for hours when we lived in Eilat. I love the album MCMXC A.D., amazingly soothing.  By the way, did you know that the wife of the founder of Enigma is a great singer called Sandra?  She also had a few hits way back.  However, when I write I just like to write surrounded by the sounds of everyday life, the street sounds.  When I write I am fortunate in that I am ‘transported’ to the place that I am writing about, so I travel the world on a free ticket while sitting at my desk!

Being in the hotel business yourself, how much of yourself do you draw on when writing the character of Jordan Kline?

Actually quite a lot.  The daily business of running a hotel is described in the book, and taken in large part from my experiences as a general manager.  The anecdotes, including ‘The Eiffel Tower’ story are true and happened in the hotels I managed.  I find that hotel life is fascinating and I wanted to create a ‘different’ kind of hero and convey his new, interesting life in contrast to his violent past.  I wanted to ‘paint’ a passive ‘hotelier’ Jordan opposite the ‘violent’ Jordan reluctantly drawn back into the world he wants so desperately to leave behind. 

How often do you review your work?

When I write I write.  I do not go back and check anything until I am through with the session.  I do not want to interrupt the flow of my thoughts while writing.  However, once I am done I will go over and over the draft text.  I review all of what I have written after each writing session.  I then review the whole book perhaps ten times before manuscript submission for editing, and then again after that a good few times.

Do you believe a peace agreement in the Middle East - like the Taba Convention - is possible?

I have always believed that a peace agreement is possible.  However, it must take into account the acute security interests of Israel.  Look at what is happening in the Arab world these days.  Israel does not want the occupied territories, but the borders must be defensible.  Look what happened after they gave back Gaza.  As one clever politician put it, “If the Arabs put down their arms there will be peace, if Israel puts down its arms there may be no Israel.”

Are you worried about any backlash from political or religious groups in regard to the content of The Taba Convention?  

Not at all. It is purely fiction. I wrote Taba to be purely a thrill action read. I do not think that there is any content that is abusive to any degree at all. It is not a book that is making any political statements.  If readers of Taba are entertained for a few hours, and it takes them away from the stress of daily life for a short while, I will have done my job.

What will Jordan Kline get up to next?

Wow! The next Jordan Kline in the series is The Righteous Within.  It is the story of a Nazi plot, hatched by German Generals long in their grave that threatens to bring annihilation to Israel at the beginning of this century.  The deadly plan was hatched towards the end of The Second World War, when Berlin burned and the Thousand Year Reich was crumbling with the approaching defeat. The plot even frightened me!

I wrote the series so that my readers can follow Jordan as he lives his life. By that I mean that in Taba he lives with Irit his girlfriend, in The Righteous Within he is married to her, and in The Kharta Conspiracy I introduce their young daughter Noah. I think that the ‘progression’ of their lives adds a different angle and lots of interest for those that will read all three, while they are also of course ‘stand alone’ novels too. Irit is very much involved in all three novels.

What are you reading at the moment?

I am reading A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer.  He is a master storyteller, his books amazing, the read keeps you spellbound.  The book is a modern ‘remake’ of The Count of Monte Cristo………I strongly urge everyone to read it! 

Thanks so much for your time Stephen, it's been a pleasure having you on My Four Bucks!