Why That Title? – Partings.

Titles for works of fiction can cause authors a good deal of soul-searching. Ideally, we want to give potential readers clues about content, theme, style, and storyline. Not easy with only one to maybe a dozen words to play with. Of course, the best titles are revealed as obvious choices once a book’s been read, …

Continue reading Why That Title? – Partings.

Why That Title? – Joinings.

Titles for works of fiction often cause authors a good deal of soul-searching. Ideally, we want to give potential readers clues about content, theme, style, and storyline. Not easy in anything from one to maybe a dozen words. Of course, the best titles are revealed as obvious choices once a book’s been read, so this …

Continue reading Why That Title? – Joinings.

Why That Title? – The Methuselah Strain.

Titles for works of fiction often cause authors a good deal of soul-searching. Ideally, we want to give potential readers clues about content, theme, style, and storyline. Not easy in anything from one to maybe a dozen words. Of course, the best titles are revealed as obvious choices once a book’s been read, so this …

Continue reading Why That Title? – The Methuselah Strain.

Why That Title? – Breaking Faith.

Titles for works of fiction often cause authors a lot of soul-searching. Ideally, we want to give potential readers clues about content, theme, style, and storyline. Not easy in anything from one to, say, a dozen words. Of course, the best titles are revealed as obvious choices once a book’s been read, so this series …

Continue reading Why That Title? – Breaking Faith.

The Reviews Continue to Come In!

Had another couple of reviews of ‘An Excess Of…’ so far this month. As writers and readers will know, reviews are never easy to get, unless you’re willing to spend a fortune on them, but paid for reviews have never struck me as a genuine way to discover the true value of a book.I’ve copied …

Continue reading The Reviews Continue to Come In!

And Another 5-Star Review of ‘An Excess Of…’

5 Star review from Mojgan Azar December 21, 2021 An Excess of … Stuart Aken’s “An Excess of” is a story about human nature and the conflicts we hold within each of us. The journey takes us from the deck of a sinking ship to the sands of a strange shore and deep into the …

Continue reading And Another 5-Star Review of ‘An Excess Of…’

Another Great #Review for An Excess Of… 

Here’s another lovely review for my latest novel, posted to Goodreads. Aithal Aithal's review Jan 08, 2022 really liked it This book is not just a story but a very thought-provoking piece of work. Several times, I found myself nodding in agreement. The subject matter is interwoven as the story progresses. Stuart Aken masterfully makes …

Continue reading Another Great #Review for An Excess Of… 

Another 5 Star Review.             

I came across this review by Joshua Grant while doing a search for my book on Amazon to check on current progress. Despite the fact I entered the title of my book in its exact form, the search returned 75 pages of titles, none of which (apart from mine) had this exact title. In fact, …

Continue reading Another 5 Star Review.             

An Excess of…Loyalty

Loyalty, such a ubiquitous word. But what does it mean? To whom or to what are we loyal? We all, hopefully, understand the value and positivity involved in loyalty to our partner; that’s an essentially personal quality. And, equally hopefully, we recognise the worth of loyalty to a supportive family. But beyond these familial allegiances …

Continue reading An Excess of…Loyalty

Another 5 Stars in Second Review for ‘An Excess Of…’

The second review has come in for my latest novel. As you know, reviews are difficult to come by, so it’s always worth celebrating when they arrive. This one is on Goodreads (some reviewers avoid Amazon these days for many reasons). You can read it by clicking here. But to make it easy, I’ll also …

Continue reading Another 5 Stars in Second Review for ‘An Excess Of…’

First review for ‘An Excess Of…’ Gives 5 Stars

The first review has come in for my latest novel. As most readers and writers know, reviews are difficult to come by, so it’s always worth celebrating when they start to arrive. This one is on Goodreads (many reviewers avoid Amazon these days for many reasons). You can read it by clicking here. But to …

Continue reading First review for ‘An Excess Of…’ Gives 5 Stars

‘An Excess Of…’ Launched Today!

An Excess Of... Last year, I spent most of lockdown researching and writing a new novel. ‘An Excess Of…’ is now available in paperback and digital form, published by Fantastic Books Publishing. Synopsis: Six random strangers escape drowning when their ship is wrecked, only to be dumped on a desert island, hundreds of miles from …

Continue reading ‘An Excess Of…’ Launched Today!

An Excess Of…Gifts.

In just ten weeks millions of gifts will be exchanged around the world. Before that, in less than two weeks, much money will be spent on ephemeral trappings associated with Halloween. More money will be literally sent up in smoke as fireworks a few days later. And, all over the world, regardless of creed, chosen …

Continue reading An Excess Of…Gifts.

An Excess of…Population

A crowd in Rome. One aspect of the modern world that contributed to my urge to write the latest novel was the issue of population. It doesn’t feature much in the story, more of an aside, but was definitely an underlying stimulus to the idea of the book. In common with many people, my major …

Continue reading An Excess of…Population

Researching for the Novel.

When I was first struck by the idea for my latest novel ‘An Excess Of…’, I understood I’d need to do a good deal of research. Most topics touched on in the story were already familiar, but I felt I should deepen my knowledge in as many areas as possible. Underlying subjects explored in the …

Continue reading Researching for the Novel.