I have always loved reading and am rarely without a book at hand to read during my idle time. As a  writer myself I find it essential to read as much as possible. I read almost anything, from chic-lit, good chic-lit, to historical fiction and non-fiction history. I also enjoy short stories. If I'm in a 2nd hand book store I'm a sucker for anthologies of short stories and novels by famous authors. Reading the works of Steinbeck, Hemingway, Dickens, Evelyn Waugh, Mark Twain and others is very educational, if not indispensable, for an aspiring writer. I have also read George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut, Isaac Asimov and other sci-fi writers, but I really don't enjoy the world of sci-fi. Franz Kafka and Edgar Allan Poe are dark and depressing. I read J.D. Salinger's 'Catcher in the Rye' at school and subsequently, but I remember very little of the story. Joseph Heller's 'Catch-22' is of course iconic - one of the few book titles to have become a catch phrase! The short stories of Evelyn Waugh, who was widely travelled and an agent of British military intelligence, are excellent and his short story 'The Verger' is my favourite short story of all time. 
This leads me to Saul Bellow. Bellow, a Nobel Prize Laureate, is a very Jewish writer although he baulked at the description. He wrote what he knew and he knew the world of North-American Jews, especially that of Chicago where he grew up, although he was born in Montreal, Canada. 
I have recently finished reading an anthology of Bellow's short stories 'Him With His Foot In His Mouth and other stories' - Pocket Books New York, October 1985. The stories are interesting, but I was mostly struck by the convoluted journey Bellow makes throughout his stories. He never gets to the point, but leads his readers on the scenic route in telling his story. The basic story could be told in about one-tenth of the words Bellow employs. However the readers cannot complain as Bellow's writing is so colourful and descriptive that the road leading to the final destination of his story is paved with gilded words used as building blocks for golden sentences. On every page there was a sentence so well constructed and so descriptive that I marvelled at Bellow's skill.
I find the same joy in reading most great authors. it is not necessarily the story but the way it is woven together that makes it memorable.
Perhaps this little blog will inspire, you, my reader, to explore the great writers of English literature - although of course Kafka wrote in German. But then, as I wrote, I found Kafka dark and depressing.  

I messed up. Every month that has a Friday the 13th I republish the short story 'Friday the 13th' from my book of short stories 'Just for Fun'. You can find the story on this website. 
https://www.henrytobias.com/friday-the-13th.html 
I was busy selling so many books, both 'Just for Fun' and 'Regan - a Love Story' that it just slipped my mind. 
My e-books are on sale from both Smashwords and Amazon links for which are on the front page of this website.
In May and June we spent a few weeks in Berlin and London where our children and granddaughter live. I was looking forward to a bit of sunshine but I was bitterly disappointed. Not only was the weather cold most of the time but it often rained.
The best weather we had was one Saturday when we took our granddaughter to see 'Horrible Histories'. Anyone who has children and lives in the UK will know what I'm talking about. For those of you who live elsewhere the show is a very humorous look at history, mainly British, and the barbaric way of life that was normal for the times - not that we have improved much since.
In the 20th century we had Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, the Russian Revolution and Stalin, the Cultural Revolution in Communist China which took thousands of lives and of course the war in Vietnam in which some 50,000 American soldiers were killed, not to mention the many more Vietnamese, Cambodians etc., who were killed and maimed or suffered the after effects of chemical warfare - the use of Agent Orange being the most widely used.
In the 21st century we got off to a bad start with the terror attack on the twin towers in New York and the subsequent invasion of both Afghanistan and Iraq by the Americans - a conflict still unresolved. We have numerous smaller conflicts in Africa - Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Europe there is an ongoing skirmish between Russia and Ukraine, with President Putin annexing the Crimea back to Russia a move more reminiscent of the 18th century than the 21st. We also had the 2008 mini war between Russia and Georgia. It didn't last long due to Russia's greater military might, but it cost lives as well.
Living in Israel we are still dealing with the Palestinian/Israel conflict. This unresolved dispute has been going on since the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948 and perhaps for 50 years before. As an Israeli and a Zionist my views are well known, so I won't get into the politics of the situation.
I think this is a good point to end my blog for today.
I would be happy to receive comments from my readers. 
Finally, I hope you all passed a good lucky Friday the 13th and didn't come a cropper as did the protagonist in my story.  
​ 

​As an author, people pay to read my books, the best way to get inspiration for writing, in my opinion, is to read other authors. My main reading interest has always been history, history of Europe from the causes of WWI, the interwar period, WWII and the Holocaust and of course the Middle East, or is it the Muddle East? where I now live. I was born in England but spent the 1st 33 years of my life in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 1979 I immigrated to Israel, referred to as aliyah – ascension – because wherever a Jew is in the world, going to the Land of Israel is a spiritually uplifting journey.
Recently, however, I’ve been reading fiction including chic-lit – well-written chic-lit, Sophie Kinsella, Jojo Moyes, and Jane Austen. Yes, Jane Austen wrote chic-lit back at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. These books have wit, humour, self-depreciation, a love interest and also look at the mores of society. You may disagree with me, but modern chic-lit it is as much a commentary on our society as Jane Austen (1775 – 1817) and the Bronte sisters Charlotte (1816–1855), Emily (1818–1848), and Anne (1820–1849) was an account of their times.
I’ve published two books under my own name, Just for Fun – an eclectic anthology of short stories and Regan – a Love Story. Just for Fun is also available in paperback from Amazon.    
I also write erotic literature using the nom de plume Andy Carpenter and have published Andy’s Irish Adventure. Whilst I do research for all my writing checking even the smallest detail, I feel less pressure for accuracy when writing my erotic stories which are mostly, but not always, light-hearted and humorous. I do not make light of serious situations. I am writing a sequel to Andy’s Irish Adventure, Aideen, which has a serious side. I hope to complete and publish Aideen as an e-book before the end of 2018.
To get back to my reading, I have recently read Chelsea Handler’s My Horizontal Life and Tourism by Nirpal Dhaliwal Singh. While I found both these books entertaining I thought the reviews, some by notable publications, were highly exaggerated. Both books are explicitly sexy, but Tourism is pornographic. I am near the end of Popco by Scarlett Thomas which I have found interesting but exceptionally long-winded in parts. I don't know if all the explanations and the history of codes and code-breaking are necessary, I'm not mathematically inclined, so I skimmed a lot of the detail. The ending of the book seems hurried with only a single mention of the protagonist's boyfriend and no mention of any of her new friends and potential future co-conspirators. The book could have been cut by at least one third, an observation with which some of the Amazon reviews agree. 
When reading reviews of books on the covers, I often wonder whether the reviewer, some from esteemed publications both in Britain and the US, is being totally honest or they are friends or relatives of the author. Amazon has tried to put a stop to biased or paid-for reviews, punishing authors who cheat, but perhaps some traditional publishers are not so ethical. It might also be that reviews are highly edited, with the negative words being redacted or the word order changed, so the review ‘a great book to kindle a fire’ may be reworked to read ‘a great book to read on your Kindle Fire’.
In posting this article I am also asking those of you who have read my books or wish to read them to post honest reviews. If you buy my books, please buy them from Smashwords, because they pay better and more promptly than Amazon and the other e-book retailers.
Feedback to this post whether you agree or disagree would be great.
https://www.henrytobias.com
https://andysirishadventure.weebly.com
 
 

I’ve loved history ever since I was a schoolboy way back in the 60s. I should have studied history or perhaps journalism at university but I took a different route.
Most of the books, books are among my most prized possessions, in my quite extensive library are non-fiction and historical. My children were always allowed to buy books and I never considered the price – within reason of course. There is no price one can put on knowledge.  Reading, even fiction, is knowledge.
One of my favourite historical personalities is Winston S Churchill, Britain’s wartime prime minister.
I have read his 6 volume series The Second World War published in 1951. Much new information has come to light since he wrote the book because like all authors he was limited by the Official Secrets Acts 1911-1989. Although the war had been over for 6 years he could not reveal all. A possibility of a resurgence of hostilities was ever-present and the Cold War was still in its infancy. The Berlin airlift of 1948 had been a warning to the Western allies of possible Soviet aggression. 
In the dangerous days of the spring of 1940s with the German army about to conquer the whole of Western Europe and Britain facing invasion by the Nazis it is amazing that anyone would want the daunting task of being prime minister. Yet there are those who are destined to lead in times of danger and Churchill was literally a godsend.
In his youth he had served in the British army in various parts of the British Empire. He had been in battle and was taken as a prisoner of war by the Boers during the Anglo-Boer War – which Afrikaners also called Second War of Independence, fought from October 11, 1899 to May 31, 1902. It was this service which gave him the moral authority to send young men into battle and possible death.
There are many biographies of Churchill, but his official biographer was the late Sir Martin Gilbert.
I urge all of you who are interested in Winston Churchill and this very exciting period of world history to read more, for the Second World War was truly international having been fought in Europe,  Hawaii, China, Japan, Burma on the borders of India as well as most of South East Asia. Even Australia was the scene of fighting with the Japanese bombing Darwin in the north.
One of the books I recommend is The Second World War by Antony Beevor a truly comprehensive book covering all theatres of the conflict.
At the moment I am writing two historical novels which I hope to publish before the end of 2019.
Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother is the working title of my 1st novel, a story of the Kindertransport and the Holocaust.
Out of the House of Bondage, is the working title of the 2nd novel, in which I deal with the concept of the Jews reaching the Land of Freedom as well as the issue slavery. The novel is about the very early emigration of Jews from Eastern Europe to North America before the American Civil War which was fought from April 1861 to May 1865.
https://www.henrytobias.com
 
 
 

This is a reply to Newsweek's Marc Schulman (https://www.newsweek.com/tel-aviv-diary-opinion-1045590)
Israel has been at war constantly for the past 70 years and another 70 before that as Jews living in the Land of Israel.
If the civilized world had allowed us to do what they themselves would do, i.e.destroy their enemies decisively, then we could live in peace, but we are denied the right to defend ourselves by the UN, the US under most presidents and the antisemitic EU. We are surrounded on all sides by enemies and are only allowed to use enough force to hold them at bay. Hence no peace for Israel. And Marc Schulman is looking for normalcy! I don't agree with the Nation State law, it should be scrapped, but it is the constant threat from our enemies and the lack of support from our 'friends' which has caused many of our citizens to lean towards this hard-line approach.

Friday the 13th

​I know you won’t agree. You’ll say I’m talking rubbish, nonsense—old wives tales. But Friday the 13th is bad luck. How do I know? Experience, that’s how! I was born prematurely on September 13th, 1946—a Friday – and apparently the midwife had to give me a really good slap on the bum before I yelled. I spent three months in the incubator. That was my introduction to Friday 13th. On July 13th 1951, another bloody Friday, I was nearly five years old when my baby sister was born—poor kid. She didn’t get a much better start than I did. I was ignored by my mother and father who spent day and night, or as much time as they were allowed, at the hospital, looking after my sister. I was palmed off onto various relatives, as my parents were too exhausted to pay any attention to me. I didn’t sleep for months and started wetting my bed again. August 13th 1965, another bloody Friday, I was to take my driving test. I tried to get the day changed. I begged the examiner, “Please, please any other day, not Friday, it’s the 13th; something bad will happen, I know it.” “Nonsense,” he answered. “Bunkum! Don’t be a bloody fool.” “OK, on your head be it.” He just laughed—his last laugh. We stopped to get a Coke on the way back from the testing circuit. He was driving—I of course still didn’t have my licence—and he opened the door without looking. Without an arm, leg or neck to find a pulse, the paramedics pronounced him dead on the spot. I warned him, he wouldn’t believe I was bad luck. I didn’t get my licence either, although the examiner told me I’d passed. He put the test-sheet in his pocket when he got out the car; it was scraped off the road with the examiner. Next, I’m about to get married. My fiancée, arranges the wedding for June 13th 1969, another Friday. “Don’t worry,” she says,” giving me a very sexy kiss, “I know how you feel about Friday 13th, but I promise you, your luck will change.” “No,” I replied. “You don’t understand! I have nothing but bad luck on Friday 13th, no matter what I do. I usually spend the day in bed.” “Don’t worry about that,” she replied with a naughty smile. “You’ll definitely get to spend the day in bed. I’ll make sure of that. I don’t want you to be anywhere else.” Coming down the church steps, I tripped on my new bride’s long wedding gown. It was ripped right off and she was standing there in nothing but her bra and panties. But that wasn’t the worst. I fell down the stairs and broke both my ankles and crushed my right knee. I spent the day in bed all right—a hospital bed. Our honeymoon was delayed for six weeks. The bad start to the marriage continued. After two short years we couldn’t stand each other any more. We agreed to an amicable divorce. The decree nisi was granted on August 13th 1971, a Friday. “I told you that Friday 13th isn’t my lucky day,” I said to her, on the phone, when it came through. “Well for you it may be bad luck, but it’s good luck for me. I’m pleased our marriage is over. We weren’t really compatible. You’re very sweet, but you’re a bit crazy.” “I don’t want to say ‘I told you so’, but we shouldn’t have got married on Friday 13th. That’s what ruined the marriage.” I have since met a very lovely girl. No, she doesn’t mind me calling her ‘a girl’. She says that she’s happy and proud to be my ‘girl’. I now feel very lucky. I never do anything ever on a Friday 13th. She lets me spend the day in bed. Alone! ​

​The summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un has been widely welcomed, especially by those nations which have the most to lose should military force be used in the Korean Peninsula and the Sea of Japan.
Both South Korea and Japan, long-time allies of the U.S. have much to lose in a war with North Korea. Seoul, the capital of South Korea is not more than a stone’s throw – only 35 miles – from the border with North Korea. Japan’s main island Honshu is only about an hour’s jetliner flight from the Demilitarized Zone on the border between North and South Korea. A ballistic missile, the fastest of which reportedly fly at 7 km/sec will reach Japan in about 71 seconds. Slower ICBM’s would only take about 90 seconds.
I’m a history enthusiast and consider myself fairly well informed about world history since the 1st World War. I admit this mainly covers Europe, but as Europe was imperialistic most other parts of the globe were affected by happenings within Europe. Deals between European powers to divvy up the colonies they conquered in the name of spreading ‘Christian Civilization’ were made at regular intervals. Britain and France eventually became the main imperial powers, but The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and even Italy had imperial ambitions. Germany’s colonies were given over to other powers after WW I. The Netherlands, Spain and Portugal had famous mariners who explored the seven seas as long as 500 and more years ago.
Back to the Trump/Kim summit.
The Korean Peninsula was occupied by Japan at the beginning of the 20th century and its people were subjected to particular cruelty. Only in 1945, with the defeat of the Japanese were the Korean people freed from the tyranny. Like Germany, the Korean Peninsula was occupied by the Russians in the north and the Americans in the south, but eventually both occupiers left. The Korean Peninsula is attached at its northern end to China. When the Communists took over in China after 1949 they wanted to spread their tentacles. The United Nations, led by the US, resisted and between June 1950 and July 1953 the Korean War was fought, resulting in an armistice, not peace. Resentments between Japan and Korea continue to this day.
The North Korean Kim dynasty was founded by Kim Il-sung. The regime was communist and relied heavily on Communist China for support. In the early years North Korea was highly industrialized and South Korea was poor and backward. With time as the North became more repressive their standard of living dropped. With US help the South became a giant of industry with name like Samsung, LG Electronics and Hyundai.
Japan modernised in the early part of the 20th century, borrowing ideas and technology from the US and the Europeans and as an island nation concentrated major resources on building a very modern strong navy.
The communist North Korean regime became a closed secret society, whose leaders built their images as infallible cult icons. Over the years the North Korean leader became more than somewhat paranoid fearing that the US which has troops stationed on the demilitarized zone was seeking the destruction of the North Korean State. As North Korea became more repressive more citizens were imprisoned in gulags and the standard of living dropped. A series of droughts didn’t help. To secure the future of their nepotistic dynasty the North Koreans decided that only nuclear weapons would ensure their continued survival. Even the US with its huge nuclear arsenal would never attack in fear that reprisal by North Korea would annihilate their South Korean and Japanese allies.
The nuclearization of North Korea began under the rule of Kim Jong-il the son of the founder and father of the present leader who inherited the mantle at the young age of 26.
Within hours of Donald Trump announcing his intention to meet with Kim Jong-un the pro-Trump media in the US, mainly Fox News, were hailing him as a hero and an innovator in diplomacy while the anti-Trump media, nearly every other outlet in the US and the wider world including the BBC and other national news organizations such as France 24 calling him naïve, unprepared and ill-informed.
When President Trump’s vice president and other advisors gave media interviews the North Koreans started an anti-Trump campaign. Trump called off the meeting, only, according to reports to have Kim Jong-un beg for the summit to be reinstated.
Since the day Trump was nominated by the Republican Party to be its candidate for president, the media in the US and most countries has been derogatory. Even some of his own party, like John McCain and Mitt Romney have been less than complimentary, perhaps jealous because their own runs for the White House failed miserably.
I’m not an American, but America is still the only super-power, even though Vladimir Putin may disagree with me. China is getting to super-power status, but will never be a true power as long as it continues with its repressive human rights regime. Only free thinking and true capitalism can succeed. Stifling thought and freedom of action and trade limits real progress.
Now that the summit is over the anti-Trump cadre of world media is analysing the results and the four point statement signed by the two leaders, ignoring the fact that even Trump himself is cautious. True he has tweeted optimistic tweets, but then what politician, and he has become a politician, isn’t filled with the sense of his own importance. Trump has always had an enormous ego which has been further inflated by being the most powerful leader in the world.
Only time will tell if the meeting in Singapore bears fruit, but I’m prepared to give peace and Donald Trump a chance and the benefit of the doubt. According to Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State we should know the results by 2020, which is only 18 months away.
If North Korea does as it has apparently promised the world may slowly become a safer place.  
As a history lover I’m in the process of writing two historical novels in addition to the two books I already have for sale. My 1st book is ‘Just for Fun’, an eclectic anthology of short stories, and for Valentine’s Day in February I published my novella, ‘Regan – a Love Story’ with the cover illustration by my good friend and well-known South African artist Shirley Israel.
The 1st book with the working title ‘Out of The House of Bondage’ traces the emigration of Shmuel and Tova from their birthplace of Myszyniec, Poland (the town of my own ancestors) to Charleston, South Carolina before the American Civil War. I’m working on the 2nd draft.
The 2nd book, of which I’ve already completed two drafts, is ‘Honour Thy Father and Thy Mother’ is the story of the Kindertransport, the 2nd World war and the Holocaust.
The titles are both taken from the Ten Commandments and I’ve got other books in mind which will follow this theme.
I’m hoping to complete both books within the next year, but as I always try to publish the best book possible, I cannot set myself a deadline.  
In contrast to my love of history, my friend Andy Carpenter enjoys writing erotica. If you like erotica go to www.andysirishadventure.weebly.com and get details of how to purchase ‘When Irish Eyes are Smiling’ Andy’s erotic interracial romance.
 

​Many years ago, when I was about 18, I entered a competition to write a play for the commercial radio station in South Africa where I lived at the time. Nothing came of it, because I didn’t know where to start.
I subconsciously put writing on hold for another 50 or so years, although I do remember writing letters to the editors of our local newspapers in Johannesburg.
 
When I retired in 2007 I found a group of English speaking writers in Jerusalem where I have lived since moving to Israel in 1979.
I continue to write with the same group mentor to this day although other members of the group have changed over the years staying for shorter or longer periods.
Initially we met at the house of an elderly lady who was 91 at the time. Unfortunately she died about two years later.
We then alternated between another elderly lady and an American couple. Eventually after 17 years living in Jerusalem the American couple decided to return to the US where their 3 children live. This was a great loss to the group as both the husband, a Holocaust survivor, and wife were interesting and charming people.
We continued to meet every two weeks at the home of the other elderly lady, a lady who had been born in Israel, when it was still under the British Mandate. Her family went to Australia when she was a young girl but she returned to Israel in 1949, met a very influential man several years her senior married him and raised 4 children. She has decided to give up being a member of our group due to advanced age and recent poor health, but we still consider her part of our group.
Over the years I met some interesting people, some of whom I liked but others of whom I was less fond.
One lady, most of our members have been women, didn’t like my critiquing. She left the group but not before complaining to our mentor about me. I only remember telling her that she had repeated herself three times in the same paragraph.
Another member, this time one of the few men, an attorney by profession, drew constant criticism for his lack of explanation and necessary detail – a serious defect for someone who writes legal documents for a living.
Some members thought that it was enough to put pen to paper to become writers. One or two of them had good stories, but when the other members of the group didn’t rave about their contributions, they became frustrated and left.
Another lady, religious by conviction, objected to any sex or reference to sex or sexuality in our writing. During her tenure, which only lasted a few meetings, I wrote a story which you can read on my website about my trip as a young man to Rhodesia, known since December 1979 as Zimbabwe. During this trip I saw my first striptease show. This was a revelation as striptease was illegal in South Africa at the time. It was very tame as the young lady remained in a G-string and nipple cups with tassels on her breasts – very much like a bikini one sees today on any beach. She left the group just in time as a few weeks later one of our members wrote a piece about lesbians, which raised a certain amount of mirth among our attendees.  
When I started writing the revolution in independent publishing was just beginning. I wrote then, as I write now, for pleasure. I decided to publish my first book Just for Fun because I had written the stories and I liked the idea of having a book on the Internet – not to make money, but if I made money it would be a bonus. My next book Regan – a Love Story is a novella. I asked my long-time friend and well-known South African artist Shirley Israel to design the cover. She’s done a great job. Both books have been well received, but neither has yet reached best-seller status.
I continue to write, my current book is about the earliest Jews to make their way from Eastern Europe to America before the civil war. The book takes us from Myszyniec, Poland to Charleston, South Carolina. The couple Shmuel and Tova have many adventures and hardships on the way. My working title is Out of the House of Bondage, referencing the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. I checked out this title on Amazon and there are at least two other books with the same title, but they deal with slavery in America.     

​We may not all want to admit to having a voyeuristic streak, but most of us do. The most surfed websites are those allowing us to view pornography. Perhaps the viewers are mainly men, but it has been noted that many women also get aroused watching the sex act. As far back as 1857 voyeurs paid large sums to watch customers have sex with prostitutes through peepholes in Paris brothels.
Live shows like the Folies Bergère, Le Lido and the Moulin Rouge in Paris have been titillating their audiences’ libido by having their female dancers expose their voluptuous breasts since November 1881, when Rodolphe Salis created what was initially called Le Cabaret Artistique, in Paris’s Montmartre district – the city’s bohemian centre. Today in some American and European cities like Las Vegas and Amsterdam, as well as many locations around the world it is possible to watch performers having sex live in front of an audience. From a review I read online this is a pretty daunting experience and not for the faint-hearted. 
Old time fun arcades have had peepshow machines where the viewer or voyeur, have been able to turn a handle and watch young ladies undress. The early machines were probably circumspect in that they didn’t show much bare flesh, let alone full nudity. The peep show goes back to 15th century Italy, but pornographic peep shows are a relatively recent phenomenon from the late 19th century, likely due to the advances made in photography.
Prehistoric porn has been found in cave paintings in Australia dating back 28,000 years. Nudity in Western art, mainly the female form, has always been acceptable and goes back to the 4th century B.C. Michelangelo's 'David' has an uncovered penis, although unfortunately for the female voyeur it does not have an erection. From the earliest days of photography, pornography was a major genre.
Literature has from the first also titillated our sexual desires over the years. There are many novels with and without illustrations from the 18th and 19th centuries. John Cleland first published 'Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure', popularly known as 'Fanny Hill', an anglicisation of the Latin 'mons veneris', the mound of Venus, in London in 1748. In 1960 Britain had a sensational trial about whether or not to ban 'Lady Chatterley’s Lover' by D.H. Lawrence as it was considered obscene in many circles. 
More recently, 'Fifty Shades of Grey' by E. L. James has aroused some controversy and with sales of 110 million copies and film rights have made the author, formerly a London housewife, a very wealthy woman. 
I’m assuming that Ms James was only putting her fantasies into print when she penned her now famous novel.
The literary reviews of the book were anything but enthusiastic, but this in no prevented the book from becoming a best seller. According to Wikipedia, Salman Rushdie, no stranger to writing erotica himself, said “I’ve never read anything so badly written that got published. It made 'Twilight' look like 'War and Peace'. Maureen Dowd described the book in The New York Times as being written “like a Bronte devoid of talent” and said it was “dull and poorly written.”  Others were no less unkind, but condemnation was not universal. British author Jenny Colgan in The Guardian wrote "It is jolly, eminently readable and as sweet and safe as BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism) erotica can be without contravening the trade descriptions act” and also praised the book for being "more enjoyable" than other "literary erotic books". Ms James is, of course, laughing all the way to the bank.
I recently read 'When Irish Eyes are Smiling' subtitled 'The Erotic Adventures of a Young Man' by Andy Carpenter.
The plot is not complicated but there are many surprises in the story with an Agatha Christie-like twist. All the participants are consenting adults.
The book may not be great literature but it has humour and is fun and very easy reading in the manner of chick-lit novels of Jojo Moyes, Sophie Kinsella and Danielle Steel. 
The action, with lots of sex, takes place mainly in Ireland where the author pursues the delights of Irish women as well as enjoying gourmet food, wine and beer, including the world-famous Guinness beer. 
All in all, this is a delightful book although I must warn the reader that the sex scenes are extremely graphic.
If you don’t mind a spade being called a shovel when it comes to sex and you enjoy letting your sexual fantasies run a little wild you’ll enjoy this quite erotic but very romantic novel.
'When Irish Eyes are Smiling – The Erotic Adventures of a Young Man' is available as an e-book from Smashwords, Amazon and other e-book retailers for only $4.99.
For a glimpse into the book and selected extracts go to Andy’s website at www.andysirishadventure.weebly.com
 

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th, so beware! Be very, very careful what you do and where you go. Drive carefully! Look left, right and then left again when crossing the street! Check carefully that you've turned off the oven and the hob on your stove after cooking. If it's winter where you live, make sure you turn off the heating before leaving the house.
Have you heard the story of the man who never left home and stayed in bed on Friday the 13th? One year he decided that no harm could come from spending the day relaxing by his swimming pool in his own garden. He placed a chaise-lounge in the shade away from too much sun, fetched himself a few beers in a cooler and his book and lay down to read. Suddenly a big spider came dangling down from the tree. The man took fright, jumped up off his chaise-lounge, tripped over his cooler and fell into the swimming pool hitting his head on the side of the pool on the way in. He would have drowned had a neighbour not been pruning a fruit tree which spanned their mutual fence.
The neighbour jumped over the fence, calling to his wife to phone for an ambulance, this was the days before mobile phones, ran to the drowning man who was too heavy to get out the pool but managed to hold his head out of the water until the ambulance arrived. 

See my story Friday the 13th, on this website. For this and other stories buy and read my book, Just for Fun, available from Smashwords and other e-book retailers for only $3.99.
While you're ordering Just for Fun, you can order my novella Regan - a Love Story for just $0.99 a story of eternal, undying love.  

In a recent post on LinkedIn, it came to my attention that my books were being pirated. My sales are consistently good but I was of course hoping for more. Now I know why. My books, Just for Fun and Regan - a Love Story were available FREE from multiple sites across the Internet. 
I knew this was a problem for Hollywood, Bollywood and other major film studios and perhaps for J.K. Rowling the author of Harry Potter, Dan Brown the author of The Da Vinci Code and other best-selling authors, but I never guessed that an unknown author like myself would be subject to piracy. How wrong I was! 
The LinkedIn post directed me to an app called Blasty, which would remove my books from pirate sites. I subscribed, and every few days, after the initial free service which they gave me, I get an email with a list at least a dozen new pirate sites offering my books for FREE!
This post is an appeal to all of you who may have downloaded and read my books for FREE to PLEASE go into your legitimate e-book retail accounts and give me a good review. You read my book for FREE, now do me a good turn and tell other potential readers how good my books really are and it's worth spending a small amount to read some cracking good stories. 

Just for Fun is only $3.99 as an e-book and $7.99 from CreateSpace, if you want a print book to hold in your hand.
Regan - a Love Story is available only as an e-book but only costs $0.99. 

Amazon uses their market dominance to force authors to sell exclusively through KDP Select. All other retailers pay authors about 60 - 70% but Amazon only pays authors 35% unless they sign exclusively. This is totally unfair. Also, they only pay out when an author has accumulated $100 or £100 or whatever their policy is in a certain currency. Other retailers pay monthly at least via Paypal. Holding the monies of millions of small authors nets millions of dollars for Amazon, which I'm sure they invest, making even more money. I'm not an American so I can't ask a congressman/woman to help and I certainly can't take Amazon to court. 
I've written to Jeff Bezos, but only today, so I have of course not had an answer.
Amazon has, I think, about 85% of the market on ebooks, so as small self-publishing authors, most of whom earn very small amounts, if at all, are, I believe being taken advantage of.
I'd like your views on the subject.

www.henrytobias.com

And remember to be careful in April on Friday the 13th. Read the story in my book 'Just for Fun' available as an e-book for just $3.99 and in print from CreateSpace (an Amazon company) for $7.99.

Dear Henry,
I was so touched by Regan - a Love Story. My mother and father were so much in love that we, their children, felt enveloped and safe in their love. When my parents were together everyone could feel the spark of their love.
Even now in their 70s my parents are devoted to each other and kiss and hug each other often, sometimes to our embarrassment.
Your story cemented my belief that everlasting, undying love does exist.
Regards,
Rivka,
London.