#Blogtour Watching the Wheels by Stephen Anthony Brotherton

 It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Watching the Wheels by Stephen Anthony Brotherton.

About the Author

Stephen Anthony Brotherton now lives in Shropshire but grew up in the West Midlands. A social worker for nearly thirty years, he currently works for the NHS and is a member of the Bridgnorth Writers’ Group and the Shrewsbury Writers’ Lab. His first book, Fractures, Dreams and Second Chances, was released by the Book Guild in 2021. Watching the Wheels is his first collection of short stories.

About the book

A collection of short stories – a killer created from abuse, a teenager in search of answers from his older brother who committed suicide ten years earlier, a woman trapped in a persistent vegetative state, a ghost hunter afraid of ghosts, a bullied police officer, a man in a care home wanting a great adventure, and other fractured human beings looking for answers, trying to survive. What would you do in their place?

Review

This is novella length with a variety of short stories to tempt all kinds of readers.

The stories are gritty, sometimes crude, but designed to capture the moments in life that remain hidden or are overlooked. The short interactions, the briefest of moments that stay with us because they are poignant - they can mean the difference between one or the other taken.

Tales of guilt, questioning choices made, accepting lives lived and coming to terms with the invisibility of age. Each story will evoke a different reaction depending on the reader. I think the first one is a perfect example of that - I can imagine small joys sought will be seen as something slightly salacious.

The stories that speak directly to the vulnerability of age and the lack of support and understanding people in care homes tend to receive, especially when it comes to friends and family who suddenly act as if they can't make a connection between the person they knew and the person in front of them now.

It's a read that will give food for thought.

Buy Watching the Wheels at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher‏: ‎The Book Guild pub date 23 Feb. 2023. Buy at Amazon com

#BlogBlitz One Last Shot by Stephen Anthony Brotherton

Today it's my turn on the Blog Blitz One Last Shot by Stephen Anthony Brotherton.

About the Author
I was born in Walsall, grew up in the West Midlands and now live in Telford with my two cats, Boris and Tai.

After working in the health and social care sector for over thirty years, I have now written the trilogy that has been rooted in my head for most of my life.

The Shots trilogy is based on a first love relationship I had as a teenager. It tells the story of Freddie and Jo-Jo, who are reunited in a coffee shop three decades after the end of their teenage romance. How they originally met, why they parted, what happens in their lives apart, and what happens when they reunite is all told through a series of first person vignettes.

Getting these stories down on paper has been a cathartic process. I hope you enjoy them.

Follow @FreddieJoJo1 on Twitter, on Instagram, on Amazon, Buy One Last Shot

About the book
Can first love ever be reignited?
One Last Shot concludes the trilogy of Freddie and Jo-Jo, which has moved through time in a series of flashbacks, showing how the couple fell in love as teenagers, why they drifted apart, what happened in their lives away from each other, and what happens when they meet up again over three decades later. At the end of the second book, An Extra Shot, Jo-Jo tells Freddie about her dark secret. Confused, vulnerable and in a state of shock, he says he needs time to think about what to do next. Jo-Jo’s right to be worried. Freddie doesn’t react well...

Review

This is the last book in the trilogy - the story of Freddie and Jo-Jo. I wouldn't say it's necessary to read the others per se, because this can be read as a standalone novella, but if you want the entire gist of their story I would advise reading Another Shot and An Extra Shot too.

In the account of their relationship this book deals with the fallout of a dark secret Jo-Jo decides to reveal to Freddie, which has unexpected consequences for both of them.

Taking into account that the author says this is semi-autobiographical I hope the reactions to Freddie and his attempt to deal with his pain aren't based on real conversations, because they are uninformed, insensitive and ignorant.

Lack of understanding is the last thing Freddie needs when his emotional turmoil drives him to most extreme thing he can think of. Pull yourself together - get over it - it will be fine - those just aren't the right things to say or the best way to deal with him. Find more informed help, and if you read this and are in a similar situation or are having thoughts like Freddie this absolutely isn't the response you should expect or deserve.

I found the bouncing back and forth into different timelines and experiencing the memories of Freddie and Jo-Jo a little disjointed in a sense that it was often difficult to comprehend the connection the author was trying to make from one memory or experience to the other, and how it related to the present.

It's very much as Brotherton says himself, a cathartic process. A rush or waterfall of emotions being pushed forth into the atmosphere.

Buy One Last Shot at Amazon Uk. Publisher: Book Guild Publishing Ltd; pub date 28 Feb. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. At Waterstones. At Blackwells.