Hi, welcome to the website of Stuart Aken, writer. Relax, enjoy, maybe even find something useful or interesting.
Click here to visit MY BLOG, where you will find interviews with published authors, some book reviews, writing contest details, and topics of interest to both readers and writers.
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On the Stories Page are details of my anthologies and some published and prize- winning stories to enjoy for free.
The 'For Writers' page has over 300 links to websites of interest to writers. Some of these I've reviewed on my blog, to give more detail. Follow the links for more information.
Please come in and browse.
Freado provides the software that produced the widget, above, which allows you to read part of my book. They have a great ‘covers’ game that gives prizes, including a Kindle. Definitely worth a little trip, even if just for fun.
There's an excerpt from my romantic thriller, Breaking Faith, which you can access by either clicking on the amazing widget above or on the book cover to the left.
Below are some reviews of the novel and information about 2 anthologies of short stories:
By S. D. Mace "Shirley Mace" (High Bentham)
(Real name)
After several years of not having the time or making time to read novels I could not believe how determined this book was to make me read it and was surprised how quickly I read it and how much I enjoyed reading it.
"Breaking Faith" is about a young naive, innocent girl, set in the summer of 1976, it details Faith's journey from one of isolation, deprivation and abuse where she is bullied by Heacham, acting as his skivvy and financial support and also nursemaid to her brain damaged sister, to enlightenment and self-knowledge in which she slowly falls in love with Leighton and overcomes all the obstacles that are put in her way. Writing from alternating perspectives (Faith and Leighton) adds detail, richness, interest and understanding of the characters. A shocking but captivating story that is definitely worth reading.
By Michelle Mccabe (Gateshead, North East England) (Real name)
I thought this was a really original story with an intriguing hero and an even more intriguing eponymous heroine. I also felt an intense dislike for some of the other characters meaning Stuart Aken's characterisations were really well done and the denouement tied all of the plots up to a surprising conclusion. Switching the first person narrative from one to the other and looking at the same events from both sets of eyes was a wonderful means of seeing the reasoning behind both of their actions. The story compelled me to read and read and read (a habit that, with an eight year old son, I confess, I have lost recently).
I would recommend it to anyone and look forward to reading Stuart's next novel!
Ten Tales for Tomorrow is a collection of my speculative fiction. Most, though not all, of the stories are dark. Some have won prizes, others have been published in small press magazines, but most appear here for the first time. You can sample or purchase this anthology from Smashwords as an eBook for any platform here.
Or, if you have a Kindle, buy direct from Amazon UK here
Or, from Amazon .com here
Of course, if you don't have an eReader, you can read the books on your PC or Mac by installing the free software available for pdf docs through Adobe. 
Or you can install Kindle for PC free for your computer - there are similar links to Macs, Androids, iPhones, and iPads on the same site.
Review by: Penny Grubb on Jan. 27, 2011:
This is vintage Aken. He is a master of the short story and can get inside the hearts of minds of an incredible array of characters - not always human. Each story draws you into its world and compels you to stay to the end, even if some of these worlds are not so nice. The writing style is both rich and lean. Not a word to spare but everything said.
This anthology, compiled from contributions made by members of my writing club, Hornsea Writers, demonstrates the breadth of talent on show at the East Riding's premier professional writing group. There are stories for all tastes here and what links them is the great quality of the writing. I edited the book and it contains one of my stories. I also designed and produced the cover. You can buy it through Smashwords as an eBook for any platform here.
Alternatively, you can purchase it direct for your Kindle from Amazon UK here
Or from Amazon .com here
Of course, if you don't have an eReader, you can read the books on your PC or Mac by installing the free software available for pdf docs through Adobe.
Or you can install Kindle for PC free for your computer - there are similar links to Macs, Androids, iPhones, and iPads on the same site.