Richard Gardner's Blog, page 3

Certain religious denominations are responsible for tearing families apart. If a follower of the Exclusive Brethren or Jehovah's Witnesses are considered to have transgressed, it is possible that they will be shunned by the rest of the church. Friends and relatives who remain within the church will be instructed to have no further contact with the person or persons who have been excluded.
At my book launch of 'Righteous Release' I invited a former follower of the Exclusive Brethren who had been shunned in this way. Sadly she had not seen certain of her relatives for over twenty years. Understandable this had caused her great distress.
In my two novels 'Righteous Release' and 'Iniquitous Lives' I have written about a young man who was born and raised in a religious sect loosely based on the Exclusive Brethren. Having been shunned, the story is about how he tried to come to terms with a world that is way beyond his comfort zone. See link below.
http://bookviral.com/righteous-releas...

Recently I have done a great deal of research on Spiritualism, which is the theme of my next novel soon to be published. Having attended a number of meetings and read several books on the subject, I am still keeping an open mind as to whether the dead really can be contacted.
If the spirit world doesn't exist then clearer those mediums are hallucinating. However, those in the congregation who receive messages from supposedly the other side, mostly seem impressed by what they hear.
I would be very interested to hear what others think on the matter.
Also hope you will check out my latest novel 'Deadly Partnership' when it is published in the very near future.

2 signed copies of 'Iniquitous Lives' has already created a great deal of response on Goodreads. This novel has a current rating of 4.77 and has excellent reviews. The link to enter is below.
Sequel to the very popular 'Righteous Release' it picks up on the life of David Chambers eight years on. He is now a history teacher in a secondary school, but is still haunted by his strict religious upbringing.
He is happily married to Alison until beautiful Sophie Duncan enters his life. Suddenly David's world is thrown into confusion when his loyalty to his wife is severely tested.
Alison's ex-partner also has problems. Deep in debt he is forced into hiding to escape two ruthless loan sharks.
This is a novel that is entertaining, at times exciting, yet also thought provoking.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

My novel 'Iniquitous Lives' is entertaining, at times exciting, yet also thought provoking.

Sequel to best selling novel 'Righteous Release', 'Iniquitous Lives' picks up on the life of David Chambers eight years on. He is now a History teacher in a secondary school, but is still haunted by his strict religious upbringing.
He is happily married to Alison until beautiful Sophie Duncan enters his life. Suddenly David's world is thrown into confusion when his loyalty to his wife is severely tested.
Alison's ex-partner also has problems. Deep in debt he is forced into hiding to escape two ruthless loan sharks.

To win a signed copy of 'Iniquitous Lives' just enter the below Goodreads Giveaway.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

I was wondering how much readers are influenced by the reviews and ratings of books.
Is it perhaps the hype, cover or title that is more important to them? I would be very interested to hear from both authors and readers on this subject.

For many years Spiritualism has intrigued me. Are those mediums who are supposedly giving out messages from the dead merely hallucinating or are they really able to contact the deceased?
Having done much research in this area, including attending spiritualist meetings, I decided to write about the subject in my next novel 'Deadly Partnership' which is to be published soon. I would be interested to receive the comments of others on Spiritualism. Let me know what you think.

Yet another excellent review of my novel 'Righteous Release' on Amazon. Writing can be a struggle at times so it is satisfying to know that all that hard work is appreciated. I'm sure all those authors among you will agree.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-...

There are a number of religious denominations such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, Exclusive Brethren and Scientology who will disassociate
themselves from followers who have failed in some way, to abide by the teachings of the church. In the case of the Exclusive Brethren, exclusion might be caused by simply owning a television set. Cutting a follower adrift could mean a total separation from both family and close friends. This will naturally cause great distress to the individual and can even result in suicide. I have written about such a young man who has been disassociated in my debut novel 'Righteous Release' and the sequel 'Iniquitous Lives'.
I would be interested to learn what your feelings are about such practices carried out by these religions.

1965 people entered to win a signed copy of my novel 'Righteous Release'. Just over half an hour ago the winners were announced by Goodreads. For those that were unsuccessful, please note that you can read 'Righteous Release' through Kindle Unlimited. See the below link.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Righteous-Re...

2 signed copies of 'Righteous Release' are to be sent to the winners in this giveaway. There are many good reviews on both Amazon & Goodreads. Only a few hours left to enter so do it straight away. See the below link to take part.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...