Soul Destruction: Unforgivable is free to download on Kindle from Friday 24 – Monday 27 May.
Download from Amazon UK here.
Download from Amazon US here.
If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download free Kindle apps for PCs, tablets and smartphones from Amazon UK here and from Amazon US here.
Also available in e-book from Caffeine Nights (£1.95), and in paperback from Caffeine Nights (£6.99), Amazon UK (£8.99) and Amazon US ($12.21).
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Enter the bleak existence of a call girl haunted by the atrocities of her childhood. In the spring of 1997, Shelley Hansard is a drug addict with a heroin habit and crack psychosis. Her desirability as a top London call girl is waning.
When her client dies in a suite at The Lanesborough Hotel, Shelley’s complex double-life is blasted deeper into chaos. In her psychotic state, the skills required to keep up her multiple personas are weakening. Amidst her few friends, and what remains of her broken family, she struggles to maintain her wall of lies.
During this tumultuous time, she is presented with an opportunity to take revenge on a client who raped her and her friends. But in her unbalanced state of mind, can she stop a serial rapist?
On The Dock: Extract from Soul Destruction: Unforgivable – Chapter 1 ‘The Dead John’
Featured writer for May 2013 on The Dock:
“There’s only one kind of dead, the not moving and the not breathing kind, and that’s the kind of dead he is.” Despite her hysteria, Shelley Hansard tried to whisper on the phone from The Lanesborough.
“Not necessarily.” Marianne’s voice squeaked down the line. “Just because things seem a certain way, it doesn’t mean they are.”
“Sometimes it does. Sometimes things are exactly as they seem – and right now, this is one of those fucking times.” Shelley sat rocking on the edge of the bed in the Regency-styled suite. “I’m telling you, he fucking died on me.”
“You’re not a doctor. You can’t go around pronouncing people dead.”
“If you don’t believe me, get off the line and I’ll call someone else.”
“Don’t you dare. You don’t tell anyone. Do you understand? You come straight here.” Marianne grunted. “Have you got the money?”
“What the fuck does that matter now?” A hot tear landed on Shelley’s thigh.
“Get a grip, Kiki. Start acting like a professional.”
Fighting the urge to look at the motionless body spread-eagled next to her, Shelley pushed herself up from the bed. Her neatly folded suit lay by her feet. She stood, staring down, burrowing her toes into the plush carpet. She knew she should get dressed, but clean clothes didn’t belong on skin that felt unclean.
Taking a step towards the bathroom, she felt unbalanced. Her legs shuddered and her backside hit the floor. Reunited with her brown, pinstripe suit, she reached for her skirt. With trembling hands, she dragged it towards her. Shuffling on her back, she shimmied into it. Her fingers grappled with the hook and eye. Making a hasty exit was important, but making an exception to her rule was impossible. She couldn’t do it.
She managed to stand but, stepping out of her skirt, she collapsed again. Pressing down on the carpet with her palms, she tried to lever herself back up. Her jolting arms gave way. The last limbs to surrender to the convulsionary rhythm that had overtaken the rest of her.
She didn’t have control over her body. Instead, she had a helpless feeling of being completely powerless. The rush to leave the hotel and the corpse was over. As a periodic convulsionist, she knew the beat could monopolise her for hours. She just had to wait. She knew what to expect. Soon she’d be gone… To continue reading through to the end of The Dead John click here.
Soul Destruction: Unforgivable Book Launch, May 2nd.
After Nyne Associate Ruth Jacobs launched her debut novel, Soul Destruction: Unforgivable, last night at the Magdala in Hampstead.
The novel is gaining momentum every day, with positive reviews and plaudits pouring in from all quarters. Ruth gave a series of readings from the book to a packed room. The atmosphere, combined with Ruth's passion for her subject, was intoxicating.
I am delighted to announce that literary agency, Raimondi & Campbell, will be representing the translation rights for Soul Destruction: Unforgivable.
Cry for the Merseyside Model: Crimes Against People in Prostitution/Sex Workers Must Be Treated As Hate Crimes UK Wide
These very real women photographed above are dead. They were murdered, and most of their cases remain unsolved. Women in prostitution suffer higher rates of murder , higher rates of rape , and higher rates of physical violence . And when they are made to disappear, most of society does not care.
In 2006, Merseyside police declared crimes against sex workers* hate crimes.
Crimes against people in prostitution are not only hate crimes when they occur in Merseyside, they are hate crimes wherever they occur. The Merseyside model must be made UK wide.
In the Booth with Ruth - Shelly Stoops, Interim Manager, SAFE Place Merseyside (Adult sexual assault referral centre-SARC), Liverpool Community Health, and Former Specialist ISVA for Sex Workers, Armistead Street Project, Liverpool Community Health
How do you feel about the police?
I greatly respect Merseyside Police for the way they have taken a pragmatic, human rights approach to sex workers and prioritise their safety.
How do you think people in the sex trade feel about the police?
The women I have worked with here in Merseyside now have a great level of trust in Merseyside Police.
"Merseyside Police see sex workers as members of our community, sisters, mothers, brothers etc. who are as deserving of protection as we all are. Their priority is their protection." - Shelly Stoops, who was instrumental in the Merseyside hate crime model for crimes committed against people in the sex trade, shares her unique experience in this interview.
For a Limited Time ‘Soul Destruction: Unforgivable’ is 77p / 99c on Kindle
For a limited time only:
Click here to download from Amazon UK for 77p.
Click here to download from Amazon US for 99c.
If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download free Kindle apps for PCs, tablets and smartphones from Amazon UK here and from Amazon US here.
Soul Destruction: Unforgivable is also available in e-book from Caffeine Nights (£1.95), and in paperback from Caffeine Nights (£6.99), Amazon UK (£8.99) and Amazon US ($12.21).
———————————————
Enter the bleak existence of a call girl haunted by the atrocities of her childhood. In the spring of 1997, Shelley Hansard is a drug addict with a heroin habit and crack psychosis. Her desirability as a top London call girl is waning.
When her client dies in a suite at The Lanesborough Hotel, Shelley’s complex double-life is blasted deeper into chaos. In her psychotic state, the skills required to keep up her multiple personas are weakening. Amidst her few friends, and what remains of her broken family, she struggles to maintain her wall of lies.
During this tumultuous time, she is presented with an opportunity to take revenge on a client who raped her and her friends. But in her unbalanced state of mind, can she stop a serial rapist?
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From the Madness and Hell of Life as a Heroin and Crack Addict with Countless Failed Overdoses, This is My Story on Getting My Life Back on Track
My interview in the second edition of Robin Barratt’s Tough Talk Magazine is the most personal interview I have ever given. My interview can be read and downloaded here: From the Madness and Hell of Life as a Heroin and Crack Addict with Countless Failed Overdoses, This is My Story on Getting My Life Back on Track.
To read and download the full edition of Robin Barratt’s Tough Talk Magazine click here.
Guest blog post for crime writer, Graham Smith.
In the late 1990s, I undertook a dissertation on prostitution. I had been studying criminology, and within that, I was examining female criminal activity, and noticed the lack of females in certain types of crime and their prevalence in prostitution, which in most societies is not a crime, but classed as ‘deviant’ behaviour in sociological terms. I knew the importance of firsthand accounts when undertaking such a project and, being somewhat wayward and spending time in London’s underworld, I had friends who worked as call girls… Read the full article here.
