John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

About John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

Providing exceptional writing, editing and publishing services to hundreds of international clients, ranging from nutritional copywriting and long-form ghostwriting to substantive editing, assessment/analysis of academic texts and structural/content editing for bestselling novels.

Review: Timing the Infinite by Nathaniel Schmeling

Timing the Infinite by Nathaniel Schmeling

For those who look or think about the world differently, life can be a minefield of isolation, confusion, despair… and occasionally hedonism, but it also offers the potential for bizarre, one-of-a-kind storytelling. In Timing the Infinite, author Nathaniel Schmeling embarks on a brilliant linguistic roller coaster ride, one packed with import, introducing a myriad of unforgettably weird and profound characters.

Stranger is an apt name for the protagonist, as he seems to represent a massive bundle of “otherness” and embraces the unknown. A brilliant programmer with a multilayered façade of nihilism and perceived freedom, he is actually an existential […]

Arklight: Operation Nightfall by J.M. Myrick

Arklight: Operation Nightfall

Being able to step back in time to change the future is a common theme in science fiction, but author JM Myrick puts a new spin on this old idea with Arklight: Operation Nightfall. This ambitious novel, the first in a trilogy, tells the story of an elite team of soldiers who are mysteriously transported back to 1943 into the dark heart of Germany under Hitler’s control.

Supernatural forces bring them back to this crucial moment in time, and what they discover is something that the world has never known: Germany had a weapon that could have won the […]

Blowout by Xingu Fawcett

Blowout by Xingu Fawcett

Looking at humanity’s most pressing issues head-on can be overwhelming, but in Blowout, author Xingu Fawcett stares down the barrel of global crises, and forces readers to watch.

Some of the most complex problems humans face as a globalized society, and a species, are addressed through the story of three star-crossed lovers in Brazil. The sexual appetites of Fabiola, the inner turmoil of Camilla and the rippling-muscled man mixed between them would make for a great novel alone, but this exploration of sex, greed, and survival has far more interesting overtones.

The decadence of the social elite is explored […]

2018-10-08T06:01:40+02:00February 16th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

The Myth of Love by Randy Niederman

The Myth of Love by Randy Niederman

The Myth of Love by Randy Niederman is a raucous, tongue-in-cheek tale of mysticism, romance, and eternity, threading the lives of gods into the petty existence of humans. In this artfully penned novel, the true nature of gods are revealed, and the folly of humanity is put on brilliant display.

From the very start, readers are plunged into a deeply spiritual story that never takes itself too seriously, balancing on that fine line to the very last page. Packed with allusions to Eastern philosophy and flawed anti-heroes, the novel takes shape slowly, but it is worth the wait.

The […]

2018-02-16T09:46:47+02:00February 15th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Review: Confessions of a Bar Brat by Judith A. Boggess

Confessions of a Bar Brat

Growing up too fast is a reality that many people must face, but for Judith Boggess, the author of Confessions of a Bar Brat: Growing Up in Rosendale, New York, adulthood was forced on her at a particularly young age. Falling asleep to the raucous sounds of a bar beneath you isn’t ideal for the maintenance of childhood innocence, and this memoir tells the visceral, and often disturbing truth of what it was like growing up in that strange place during a tumultuous time.

Boggess is an unflinchingly honest narrator of her own life, depicting the constant challenge of […]

2018-05-09T10:16:33+02:00February 14th, 2018|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: , |

The Hook Files by Charles Deran Wright

The Hook Files by Charles Wright

Not all families are created equal, and in The Hook Files by Charles Deran Wright, readers meet one of the strangest families  imaginable. Skylark, previously known as Kennings, has had his entire life directed towards being a spy – carrying on the family business as a covert operative for the shadowy “Company.” However, when his old friendships end up tangled in his new secrets, things get complicated quickly.

With flashbacks to the past blended with visceral scenes from the present day, readers are given a comprehensive picture of this odd protagonist, making him an immediately sympathetic character. As the mysteries […]

To Be Had by Sava Buncic

To Be Had by Sava Buncic

In a world where it feels as though money rules all, it can be difficult not to lose your way in pursuit of the Almighty Dollar. In To Be Had by Sava Buncic, readers are introduced to Boris, a man with a fierce work ethic and the dream of delivering a better life for his daughter than he experienced. However, dominated by the weight of money – or the lack thereof – he manages to alienate himself from his family. With nothing left to hold dear, he pours his efforts into acquiring wealth in whatever way he can – legal […]

2018-02-21T15:16:35+02:00February 6th, 2018|Categories: New Releases|Tags: |

Review: The Journal by R.D. Stevens

The Journal by R.D. Stevens

Looking up to your siblings is something to which many people can relate, but in The Journal by R.D. Stevens, that sibling connection is particularly powerful and rare. On the cusp of adulthood, Ethan Willis is compelled to discover what happened to his sister, Charlotte, a wild adventurer who was last heard from in the depths of Southeast Asia. Despite his lack of worldliness, Ethan sets out to follow in her footsteps – or at least get on the right continent to begin his search.

In classic Bildungsroman style, Ethan embarks on a journey without a clear goal in sight, […]

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