Just Books

Iain Scott Singer Comedian

Iain Scott

Singer / Impersonator / Comedian Extraordinaire

Live at O'Brien's, Barry

Review by Barry Boy

We don't usually stay out late on busy nights of the week, but last Friday night we were talking to friends in O'Brien's bar and eight p.m. came around before we realised it. I looked up when someone started to use the P.A. system to see a thirty-something young man with curly hair, dressed in black at the microphone.

I forget the name of his first number, which was accompanied with overtly gay movements and gestures. Some laughed and some did not. I was uncertain what was going on. I had never heard of the man, and in fact, had not even noticed that there was to be an act.

All I knew was that I had never seen anything like it before. I looked around and could see that most people were enjoying it. When Iain started the second song, it was obvious that he was an accomplished singer with a great voice and that the 'gaiety' had been part of the act.

He had confused me, because his 'gayness' had seemed real but borderline piss-take without being offensive or anti-gay in any way.

Iain sang a variety of songs in different styles each with its own appropriate mannerisms and attitude. The results varied from hilarious to spot-on realistic. For example, Iain looks nothing like Mick Jagger, but when he took him off, he had him down to a 'T' both in voice and mannerisms.

It was uncanny. Iain Scott is as good an impersonator as he is a singer.

Well, we asked the man sitting next to us what time the gig would go on until, and he said that there were usually two sets between eight and ten, so we arranged to stay that long.

However, when we left O'Brien's at ten past ten, Iain was still doing his stuff and people were still loving it. I would go to see Iain Scott again any time, and I have no hesitation in recommending that you give him a chance too.

I have managed to find Ian's UK telephone number, so if you would like to find out where he is currently on tour or if you would like to offer him a spot at your bar or party, give him a ring.

Having lived on the Costa del Sol for a few years, I can imagine him going down a storm with the ex-pats over there. Give him a call!

Iain Scott +44 0740749136

Podcast: Iain Scott - Singer / Impersonator / Comedian Extraordinaire

Ed Benjamin, American author

Ed Benjamin

Hello, Ed Benjamin, could you begin by telling us your name, how we can reach you and where you come from, please?

1 Name: Ed Benjamin

Website: EdBenjaminBooks.com

Blog: http://edbenjaminbooks.com/my-blog/

2 Country: USA

3 Do you prefer to read a particular genre? I read mostly detective mysteries, spy fiction, political thrillers, some adventure books, etc. Occasionally, I like to re-read a classic. For example, I am currently re-reading “War and Peace.”

4 Do you write in the same genre? No, although my writing time is limited, I try to write in different genres.

If not which ones? I have two additional projects in work in the mystery detective genre. I am planning to re-write a science fiction book I self-published in 1997. Following that, I have plans to write another nonfiction book on how to prepare proposals for the federal government.

5 Have you always written and what got you started professionally? When I was a freshmen in college, a classmate and I wrote a chapbook about the painters whose paintings were displayed in the lobby of the administration building. After I retired from the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1990, I started a career as a free-lance technical writer specializing in preparing proposals for companies desiring to get business with the government. I am still pursuing this career.

I still dabble in writing in my spare time. In 1995, I won a regional writing contest for a short story I wrote. I wrote a science fiction book (black comedy) in 1997. Then, I published my nonfiction book on doing business with the government in 1999. I wrote and published my novelette, “Harry’s War,” in 2012 and then in 2018, I published two of my short stories. “Mar: A Harry Miles Redemption Story” and “Melanie: A Tale of Wonder.”

I am a busy technical writer and do not get much time to pursue my fiction more fully now and in the immediate future.

6 How many books have you published? I have published two full length books (one fiction and one nonfiction), one eBook novelette, and two eBook short stores.

7 Which one would you like to tell us about? One I like is “Melanie: A Tale of Wonder.”

8 Why did you write this book and what is it about? I originally wrote the story in 1997. I was thinking about alternative history. What if a famous worldwide singer had not died but was stricken with a mysterious malady, had faked his death, and roamed the countryside doing odd jobs. Then, a freak accident gave him his voice back for a few hours and he used the occasion to befriend a ten-year old girl whose father was dying. This story is the result.

9 Book cover and ISBN/ASIN

Melanie: A Tale of Wonder

Melanie: A Tale of Wonder - ASIN: B07BZ3RGDJ

10 What would you like your next book to be on? I am slowly but surely working on a book called “Redemption.” It features Harry Miles but focuses on the development of his character, his tragic encounter, and his dive into despair, alcohol, oblivion, metamorphosis, tragedy, and his realization life endures.

11 If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why? Antarctica – it is the only continent on this planet I have not visited.

12 Is there anything you can share about yourself or your work that not many people know? Many people ask me the source of the name of my character, Harry Miles. I never knew my paternal grandfather, Harry Miles Benjamin. When my father was around eight or nine, my grandmother died,

Harrys War by Ed Benjamin

Harry's War

by Ed Benjamin

Review by Barry Boy

I was given a copy of Harry's War by Ed Benjamin in exchange for an honest review.

Harry's War is a novelette that spans the genres of fictional biography and realistic fiction > military (or more specifically, air force) drama. It is written in the third-person singular and relates to the final combat mission and the early civilian life of the protagonist, whose name appears in the title.

When Harry's War opens, Harry is flying his F15C Eagle fighter at 35,000 feet above Iraq. The action begins immediately after the scene has been set, and even a landlubber like myself felt transported into the jet fighter with its Eagle Driver, Harry Miles.

A realistic dogfight ensues, involving AWACS assistance, with both sides losing aircraft. However, Harry retires shortly thereafter, and it is only then that his real problems begin, not unlike when many people retire in other walks of life.

Retirement from the F15C Eagle

However, Harry had led a high-powered career, which is way out of the experience - even imagination - of the vast majority of the population and we get to share in his ups and downs.

I found Harry's War gripping and very realistic, which suggests that the author has experience in the field of avionics, military service and retirement. It also shows that he has the writing skill to be able to relate it in a meaningful and understandable manner.

I really enjoyed reading Harry's War. Ed Benjamin tells the story and defines his characters in a no-nonsense, yet fluid and graceful style. The cover and the title are perfectly relevant to the subject matter of this novelette, and only aid in the prediction of its contents, which have been well, although probably not professionally edited.

I thoroughly and unreservedly recommend Harry's War to all readers, but especially to those who enjoy reading military, and particularly, US Air Force, stories.

S. A. Brains Doesn't Brew Any Longer

S. A. Brain Doesn't Brew Any Longer...

Now, that may not mean much to you, but the S. A. Brain's Brewery, which was located in the centre of Cardiff for centuries, used to be the most famous beer in Wales!

Brains Dark was legendary, but disappeared a couple of decades ago as younger people took to lager instead. The company started to produce special ales instead. So, many events special to Wales - like the Rugby World Cup - would have a special, short-term beer brewed specifically for it.

Next, Brains 'tried' replacing Brains Bitter with Brains Smooth, but I, personally, don't think that drinkers took to it and some time during this confusion, their flagship beer, Brains S. A. became more and more difficult to find.

Brains S. A. affectionately known as 'Skull Attack(er)' was only 3.7% (or so) A.B.V. but it had the reputation among drinkers for 'having something else'. I have seen many seasoned drinkers from 'away' feel seriously affected by three or four pints.

However, Brains S. A. is almost impossible to find these days - even more so that forty years ago, when the excuse was that Brains 'didn't travel well'.

Has S. A. Brain Moved On?

Well, it won't be going anywhere now, because Brains has sold all its 'large pubs' now, and Miller is brewing all its beer. That means that I , and most Brain's beer drinkers, won't be drinking the stuff again.

It's a crying shame... I feel that Brains has let its loyal supporters down, and I don't want whatever the Americans think that (Brains) beer should taste like.

So, I'll switch to European lager and British cider and hope that Brains enjoys the money they made from all the generations of Welsh beer drinkers who supported them

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: S. A. Brain Doesn't Brew Any Longer...

Our Visit to the Doctor

Our Visit to the Doctor

For various reasons, but mostly because of travel, I have not had a medical check-up for twenty-four years - since I was forty. My wife is fourteen years younger than me, and she has never had one. So, being back in the UK 'for good' now, I thought that it was about time that I got that sorted out.

We registered with Ravenscourt, a doctor's surgery in Barry, my home town, and were told that it would take six weeks. That was quite a surprise, shock even, but I had heard about the cut-backs, and since we were 'non-essential' and there was nothing obviously wrong with us, we let that go, even though the appointment fell inconveniently on my birthday.

So, we went along, at the also inconvenient time of nine a.m. not knowing what to expect. Friends had suggested that a full medical check-up would take 'about an hour'.

We arrived punctually at the surgery, awaited our turn, which was also on time, and went up together, although only I was actually called. The doctor was surprised, but was all right about it when I explained that I sometimes needed to clarify some terminology for my Thai wife.

That wasn't a problem and the young man took our blood pressure and listened to our breathing. We were both 'A OK'.

'How are you feeling?' he asked.

'OK', we replied. 'However, my back is pretty bad', I said. 'I can't walk a hundred metres without having to sit down'. He gave us forms to go to two separate hospitals for blood tests and heart traces.

'I take these blood pressure tablets', I offered. 'I've been taking them for twenty-four years, are there better ones available now?' I wanted to say that they were effecting me in other ways, but didn't.

'Oh, they are working for you, and they are readily available, so I recommend that you stick with them'.

'I disagree', I countered, 'The last prescription I had for them in Barry, could not be fulfilled by Boots in Barry. I was looking for sixty and they only had twenty-eight...'

His attitude changed visibly - he obviously didn't like being contradicted.

Our interview was over, but my back problem hadn't been mentioned, so I asked him to validate my application for a bus pass (I am sixty-four, and one qualifies at sixty).

'That isn't my job', he replied. I took a deep breath, could see that we weren't going to get anywhere and left with the strange feeling that there was something he wasn't telling me. We had been in there for fifteen to twenty minutes for two check-ups...

Is that what the revered British National Health has been reduced to?

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All the best,

Owen

Footnote: Boots the chemist could not fulfil that order either – they were twelve Atenolol short.

Podcast: Our Visit to the Doctor

A Night in Annwn - a book or story?

Are You Reading A Book Or Story?

For the sake of this article, let's call them 'books', and their contents 'stories'. I say this to silence the pedants from the outset, because there are several other variations and possibilities.

The reason that I started thinking about the subject of a book or story was because the other day, I was talking to someone who said that he was reading my book on his tablet. Being a bit of a pedant myself, I had to stop myself from saying something, not least though because I didn't want to stem his adoration of my work.

However, what he said did get me thinking. Surely, a book is series of pages - a physical thing... something that you can put on a shelf and something you can leave to someone. In short, it can become an heirloom and even a valuable one - whether that be a monetary one, or a treasured family possession.

That is not true of an ebook though, is it? I mean even the best story in the world will never grow in value or sentiment as an ebook, because it can be copied ad infinitum and distributed freely (in most countries).

So, is it time to stop saying: 'I've read your book', when you mean ebook? I, at least, from now on, I will ask where they bought the book and whether it was the paperback or hardback.

Or do you think that that it's nit-picking to talk of a book or story?

As an author, it is fairly valuable information to me, but to a reader, I suppose it seems irrelevant. It might even be embarrassing to reveal, as the ebook is still considered the down-market, even cheap option, although I buy ebooks if I don't know the author, but want to try him or her out.

So, the easiest way out is to say: 'I have read your story about...', or you might just decide not to talk to me (on that subject, or even at all!), but that's up to you, not me and, to be honest, I don't care either way. As a linguist and a writer (and a pedant), I think that people should think more about the way they say things, if not about the things that they say.

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Are You Reading A Book Or Story?

 

O'Brien's - The Community Pub in the Centre of Barry

When we arrived in Barry, my home town, on the thirteenth of June, we were looking for a place to stay - not a hotel, but a lodging of some kind or a flat. However, we had to stay in a hotel for two days in order to have somewhere to leave our bags while we trudged around town looking for somewhere.

So, we went into the neatest pub, a Wetherspoon's, for breakfast and asked about a room. No-one knew anywhere, but I asked a taxi driver too. He named a few pubs that I knew, but as I was walking away, he added: '... but don't bother with O'Brien's in town because it's full of alchi's and druggies!'

We tried all the most likely places, but without any luck, and even tried a few guesthouses, but all in vain. Then, with hours to go before becoming homeless, we were walking in town past O'Brien's when a man who was smoking in the doorway stopped me.

'Owen, isn't it? Remember me?" We went inside and renewed our friendship of fifteen years previously and I told him my woes. 'You can stay with us', he offered.

Eleven weeks later, we are still there, and we have been back to O'Brien's quite often.

I want to say on the record, that we have never found a more friendly pub in the UK, and that the people who frequent the establishment are among the nicest I have ever met. People can see our predicament, they are not stupid or blind, and there isn't a visit there goes by when we are not asked how we're doing, or when someone doesn't offer us a drink or some helpful advice on housing, the NHS or the local authority.

Martin, the landlord, has also always been very welcoming and friendly, just like his staff and customers. It is a crying shame that this true community pub is going to have to close soon. I don't know the ins and outs of why, but the dying town centre and its completely unjustified reputation cannot be helping.

If anyone is listening/reading who has a few bob to invest, come and take a look at the place, it would be a travesty for the local community if O'Brien's has to close.

Please, step in and save the our community pub, some investing Angel!

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: O'Brien's - The Community Pub in the Centre of Barry

A Night In Annwn Audiobook

A Night In Annwn Audiobook

It has taken me most of this year so far to get my first audiobook - A Night In Annwn - read as an audiobook, but the process is now complete and you can listen to the first fifteen minutes below free of charge.

It does take quite a long time, but this is not really anyone's fault. Rather it is a completely different process and the author has to learn the new role of Director.

The Director

The Director, not unlike as you see in film credits, is in charge of setting the guidelines and choosing the producer according to criteria that he sets. This mainly has to do with the voice of the producer (narrator) of the audiobook.

When the Director has shortlisted a few voices, then auditions have to be held, and a final producer selected. From then on the Director has to be available to answer any production queries that arise on the fly.

Eventually, the chapters are ready to be edited, and the Director comes back to the fore, for each chapter has to be listened to and compared with the original text.

Alterations can still be made at this stage, and a cover has to be made. It is the Director's responsibility to get all this done to his satisfaction. When the book has been approved, the audio company's Quality Control takes over. Nevertheless,  the Director may still get the audiobook back for editing.

Quality Control

Once it passes that stage, it goes on to the aggregators ( Amazon, Audible and Apple) to be checked by their Quality Control systems. About a week after that, the audiobook will go live.

A Night In Annwn is one of my favourite books because it is so different, and the wonderful reader, Andrew McGuirk, adds an extra dimension to the words and atmosphere.

AUDIO HERE

A Night In Annwn is available free for some at Amazon, please click the following link:

AMAZON LINK

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and list of audiobooks

Podcast: A Night In Annwn Audiobook

A Night in Annwn - one of the free audiobooks on MPS

When a Book Costs Less Than a Drink...

I will admit it straight from the off! I am a writer with an axe to grind and I cannot understand people who complain that books are too expensive. Most books, in the form of ebooks, cost less than the price of a drink!

My ebooks cost an average of 8p or 10c per 1,600 words, which means that a coffee costing £2.40 is the equivalent of a 48,000-word book! Let's call it 50,000 words... because many writers use that as the norm these days.

Mine are usually 80,000 to 112,000 words long or about the same as a coffee and a slice of cake!

Now, I'm sure that you don't need me to tell you that a coffee and cake is normally consumed in twenty to thirty minutes, but most people would spend a week or two reading a book of 90,000 words!

So, where is the expense?

Not only that, but the coffee will soon be forgotten, but a good book could be remembered forever and even change your outlook on life, something that a coffee, no matter how good it is, will ever do.

People just don't think much any more... their priorities have been skewed the wrong way. It is very sad.

I talk to a lot of people every week about reading and books, and it still saddens me to hear someone announce proudly that they haven't read a book since leaving school... and I hear that several times a week!

The even more depressing problem with this sad state of affairs is that parents who don't read much raise children who don't read either. This has nothing to do with education, or at least, very little. It has to do with parents encouraging their children to fantasise with a good book.

The Baby Boomers are the first generation of working class writers, and their parents were the first generation of working class readers, so that was not all that long ago, but we need to keep the momentum going forward, but I can't help thinking that we are going backwards.

It is very sad to witness and the remedy costs no more than the price of a coffee... with or without cake.

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: When a Book Costs Less Than a Drink...

#FBPE - The Anti-Brexit Twitter Hashtag

#FBPE - The Anti-Brexit Twitter Hashtag

Have you ever heard of #FBPE ? No, I hadn't until recently either, but apparently #FBPE is the anti-Brexit hashtag that is sweeping the country amongst those who can't see the sense in leaving the EU.

Well, to quote the Animals, "And, God, I know, I'm one..."

I have tried and tried, but cannot see any good reason for getting out... I really can't; whether it happens or not. The only plausible argument that I have heard for leaving is 'to return power to Westminster', but I can't see why anyone would want to do that.

For example, did the European Parliament force our home-grown MP's to:

1) Steal from the public purse?

2) Tell lies to cover up the misdeeds of the true ruling class?

3) Forget that they are PUBLIC SERVANTS, and not glory-seekers looking for a knighthood?

4) Demolish the NHS?

5) Ruin our educational system?

6) Abolish legal aid

7) Further impoverish the poor, the sick and the disabled?

8) Create ghettos out of our inner citties and town centres?

9) Bail their banking buddies out?

10) Take away the impartiality of the BBC?

I could go on, but I think that ten are a good start. Did our home-grown politians need any encouragement to do that?

I don't think so...

When they say they want to return power to Westminster, they mean to them, not to us!

Are there things wrong with the European Parliament? I'm sure there are, but why do you care about the name of the thief or person ruining your life and country?

Who cares whether the bastard's name is George, Sjors, or Jorge? Helen, Helene, or Helena?

Europeans should stick together and throw all the self-serving shits out! Whatever class, party or country they're operating in!

We are being divided to make us easier to control... there is strength in unity.

Don't you think that the Spanish, French or Germans (or any of the others) are fed up of getting ripped off too? It's not only us, believe you me.

Get a grip, don't be led, step up to the plate and tell the glory hunters where to get off!

We, the ordinary people, are losing hundreds of millions of allies by abandoning Europe in the way that we are.

It is all very sad.

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All the best,

Owen

PS: Don't forget to use the #hashtag #FBPE to all your Tweets to show solidarity!

Podcast: #FBPE - The Anti-Brexit Twitter Hashtag