Prologue of Breaking Faith.
A little over 3 years ago,
I published my first novel, Breaking Faith, as a paperback, through YouWriteOn,
an Arts Council sponsored publisher. On 24 October 2010 I published it as an
ebook through Smashwords.
Those who've read the book
have enjoyed it: read some of their comments below. I'd like more people to
read the book. That is, after all, why I write; to be read.
So, I'm offering the
chance for everyone to read it free, here on the blog. I'll post a section of
the book each Friday until the whole novel has appeared. Here's the first part,
the Prologue. Read, enjoy, tell your friends. The more who read, the happier we'll
be.
What others
have said about
Breaking
Faith
...I could
not believe how determined this book was to make me read it...set in the summer
of 1976, it details Faith’s journey from isolation, deprivation and abuse...to
enlightenment...A shocking but captivating story...’ Shirley Mace
I read this
book in one sitting, unwilling to put it down, immersed in Faith’s journey from
darkness to self-knowledge. The characters drawn with a fine brush...The
denouement is sudden, violent and completely satisfying. Mr P. F. Field
...a story
of triumphant human spirit. The novel simmers with heat, lust, decadence and
sexuality...Stuart Aken is indeed a writer to watch. Karen Wolfe, author.
Prologue
I had to wait when I went
to collect bread and milk from our village store. The owner was serving the man
that Father called ‘the Devil’s Henchman’. He said some really dreadful things
to her but she laughed as I had never heard her laugh before. When he left the
shop, she frowned at me.
‘What d’you want, girl?’
‘Father says Leighton Longshaw is evil, Mrs
Greenhough. But he was making you laugh.’
She twisted her mouth into an ugly shape and
sighed. ‘Your good-for-nothing father’s a hypocritical fool, girl. And you’re
just a fool; plain and simple.’ She smiled as if she thought she had said
something clever. ‘What do you want?’
‘Father says I’m to tell you I start work at the
Dairy next week and can he have a bit of credit until I get my first wages,
please? We’ve run out of sugar for his tea, you see.’
She almost threw a bag of sugar at me. ‘You’ll pay
as soon as you’ve got your wages, girl. Though, God knows what sort of job an
idiot like you’s going to get.’
I bowed my head, as Father had taught me, and took
the bag back home. On the way, I passed a cottage with the door open. There was
a thing I had never seen before in the far corner of the room. It had moving
pictures on it and I was so surprised to see this that I actually stopped and
watched to see if it was true. It was only a few seconds before the man who
lived there saw me.
‘Bugger off, cretin.’ He started to shut the door.
His wife came and peered at me. She frowned. ‘Oh,
it’s only that Heacham girl. She can’t help it, George; probably never seen a
telly before, livin’ with that ne’er-do-well father of hers. Shouldn’t yell at
her; she’s simple.’ She turned to me, her face firm but not unkind. ‘Off you
go, Faith, there’s a good girl. It’s not nice to peer into people’s houses, you
know.’
As I moved away, Leighton Longshaw walked past me
in the street. He was a tall man with the happiest eyes I have ever seen, a mop
of dark hair and a beard. And he smiled at me. Smiled. I remember because no
one ever smiled at me; people generally scowled. Because I was schooled at
home, by Father, and lived outside the village in an isolated cottage, I had no
friends I could ask about why this bad man should smile at me so nicely. When I
got home, I mentioned it to Father but he warned me to have nothing to do with
him.
‘Keep well away from him, girl! Evil beyond your
worst nightmares. That man’s trouble through and through. You better not have
done owt to encourage him or I’ll have to scourge you, girl.’
‘I just passed him in the street, Father.’
‘Make sure that’s all you ever do with Leighton
Longshaw, girl. Now get my tea.’
I never argued with Father, of course. But I did
think the man’s smile had been kind and friendly. It was such an unusual event
for me and it left me feeling the sort of joy I only knew when I was up at the
tarn; swimming or watching the birds flying. I very much wanted to experience
it again.
Now, of course, whilst I
want people to read the book, it would be even better if they were to buy it.
So, if you can't wait until next week's instalment, check the links below,
which will take you to a place you can make your purchase, either as a
paperback or an ebook, depending on your preference.
Sample or buy as Ebook: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stuartaken
Barnes & Noble - Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Breaking-Faith/Stuart-Aken/e/2940011126079
Barnes & Noble - Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Breaking-Faith/Stuart-Aken/e/2940011126079
Amazon paperback or Kindle To buy from USA Amazon
Amazon paperback or Kindle To buy from UK Amazon
Apple idevice:
United Kingdom: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/isbn9781849233149
Czech Republic: http://itunes.apple.com/cz/book/isbn9781849233149
Netherlands: http://itunes.apple.com/nl/book/isbn9781849233149
Switzerland: http://itunes.apple.com/ch/book/isbn9781849233149
Tweet with me: http://twitter.com/@stuartaken
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StuartAken
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