Simon J. Townley

Blood Read: Publish And Be Dead

Blood Read: Publish And Be Dead
Title: Blood Read: Publish And Be Dead
ASIN: B01M34XDT7
Publisher:
Published: November 18, 2016
Author's Twitter: @simonjtownley
When investigative journalist Tom Capgras finds his literary agent hanging from an oak beam in her West End office, an immaculately tied noose around her neck, his dreams of a non-fiction book deal appear dead in the water. Joanne Leatherby’s death looks like suicide but Capgras suspects murder. Nonsense, say police, who dismiss him as a conspiracy crackpot. Capgras uncovers links to a string of untimely deaths – editors, publishers, reviewers, even book bloggers, killed for an unkind word. All the evidence points to one man – a mid-list author of detective tales with a career on the skids. Cast adrift by agents and publishers alike, his dreams thwarted, Arthur Middleton has gone to the dark side and embraced self-publishing. He may be crazed with ambition, but how mad would a man have to be to kill for publicity, for book sales? Mad enough to admit everything on the pages of his latest blockbuster? As the body count mounts, and the police refuse to take him seriously, Capgras must act alone, defy his critics and get to the truth fast – before the killer gets to him.

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The Dry Lands

The Dry Lands
Title: The Dry Lands
ASIN: B00838H478
Publisher:
Published: May 13, 2012
Author's Twitter: @simonjtownley
3,000 years BCE, in Africa’s Rift Valley: isolated by a changing climate, hemmed in by arid wasteland, a prehistoric tribe fights for survival. A prehistoric tribe fights for survival Isolated by a changing climate, hemmed in by arid wasteland, a band of prehistoric humans faces extinction. There are too many mouths to feed – the tribes have grown too large, they’ve hunted too fiercely and the animals are gone. The waterholes are dry, the rains don’t come. Their world has changed, and they need a way out. As the young men of the Koriba go in search of a new home, Temfe, the chief’s son, must learn to lead his clansmen before they betray him. To survive in a harsh world, surrounded by enemies he must gather new allies, discover new weapons and learn new ways of seeing the world. In the African rift valley, 43,000 years BCE, a spark of consciousness flares into life. The dawn of human culture, the fire that will reshape the world.

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Awesome Allshorts: Last Days, Lost Ways

Awesome Allshorts: Last Days, Lost Ways
This superbly written short story anthology showcases talented Awesome Indie authors from around the globe. Though from a variety of genres, the stories are all entertaining, contemporary and thought-provoking.   Indulge your taste for good fiction with this short story anthology by authors with bold new voices. Though from diverse genres, the stories share a contemporary and contemplative feel that will linger long after the reader has read the last one. Awesome Allshorts showcases talented authors from around the globe, many whose novels have received multiple honors, including Awesome Indies approved status. Stories selected by Tahlia Newland, Dixiane Hallaj and Richard Bunning.

Assessed for Awesome Indies

 

Lost In Thought

Lost In Thought
A journey into the perils and pitfalls of the subconscious mind – to save a life, solve a crime and recover an algorithm that could change the world. A secret that could change the world is lost inside Richard Trescerrick’s comatose mind. The only hope is the Brainscape device, an experimental mind-link technology and doorway to the subconscious. To save his life and recover the formula, a team of police and doctors use the Brainscape to enter Richard’s unconscious mind. Along for the ride is estranged son Luke who must risk his life and sanity on a mission to wake his father, unmask a killer and expose a conspiracy that threatens the world. But when the Brainscape device is sabotaged the team is scattered and trapped in the subconscious unable to escape. If they die in here, they die for real and there are dangers everywhere – because in the labyrinth of the Brainscape, enemies lurk behind every memory. Secrets spawn riddles wrapped in metaphor. Stories come alive. And monsters are made flesh.

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Ball Machine

Ball Machine
Title: Ball Machine
Publisher:
Published: August 12, 2012
Author's Twitter: @simonjtownley
Can an android win Wimbledon? Or the soccer World Cup? What about the heart of a beautiful woman? When the beautiful bio-robotics prodigy Rosa Rodriguez joins an elite science project in the Arizona desert there’s only one thing missing from her life: a decent tennis partner. So she persuades the guys to build her an android – Vitas, the robot who plays to win. Whether it’s tennis, football, or making love to beautiful Russian starlets, Vitas is a true ‘ball machine’ – relentless, untiring, and highly skilled. But when Vitas decides to turn pro, the world of tennis will never be quite the same again. A tale of androids, intrigue, tennis champions, criminal conspiracies, the world’s worst football team… and the ultimate, non-binary meaning of life.

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DOGUAR AND THE BABOONS OF WAR

Doguar and the Baboons of War
Title: Doguar and the Baboons of War
ASIN: B008IF0L7Q
Tag:
Publisher:
Published: July 6, 2012
Author's Twitter: @simonjtownley
At a top secret science project deep in the English countryside, boffins have found a way to enhance animal brainpower. But the scatter-brained professor behind the research is unaware of a sinister plan - to use his upgraded baboons as weapons of war. Luckily, his pet project, two Airedale Terriers with near-human intelligence, have a nose for danger.

Assessed for Awesome Indies