j-views is a small publishing operation headquartered in Japan. It provides technical writing, editing and publishing services, using the power of new technology to enable quick and efficient methods of publication.

Just published: Red Wheels Turning, the latest novel by Hugh Ashton

Website: http://www.j-views.biz
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Blog: http://www.beneathgrayskies.com

• A little note on my Holmes stories
• A Scandal in Belgravia
• Happy dance time
• Cézanne and writing
• Another interview

http://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Gray-Skies-Hugh-Ashton/dp/0557060532/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262487922&sr=8-1

Hugh Ashton

1920s    adventure action    airship    airships    alternate history    alternative history    confederacy    espionage    nazi    nazis    nazism    steampunk    zeppelin   

Hugh Ashton
Latest book: Tales Of Old Japanese. Published on April 17, 2012.
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• I Am Jesus on Jan. 10, 2010
  
  I've given this piece of writing one star, because to give it none would imply that I hadn't bothered to flag it. Quite apart from the absurdity and arrogance of the writer's claim that he is the only one to tell "the complete truth about life and the hereafter" in one of his other pieces of writing, he manages to cram more factual errors into 762 words than I would have believed possible. For example, he makes a mistake in the name and title of the man who was responsible for the translation work that resulted in the Authorized King James Version of the Bible, and claims that James was responsible for assembling the authorized corpus of the Bible (ignoring the previous 1200 years of history). Not only that, but he gets James's religion wrong as well (a mistake you would hardly credit in someone who is writing about religion). He gets the date of the Roman occupation of Judea wrong, differs from all other authorities on the date of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, and ignores several sources that he claims do not exist (Josephus, Midrash, etc.). Whether or not you agree with Mr. Whittman's conclusions, such as "Charity is not practical. God helps those who deserve it," he makes a very poor case indeed for his lack of belief in a historical Jesus.
  
• 20 No-Cost Marketing Ideas on Jan. 10, 2010
  
  I found nothing stunningly original here that I haven't considered before - but everything is well-explained without being over-wordy or pompous (a common fault with many of these business strategy books). As "me" pointed out, some of these things will require time and effort - but hey - if good marketing was easy, we'd all be doing it. I'm keeping this list of ideas close at hand to remind me what I should be doing.
  
• I Am Jesus on Jan. 11, 2010
  
  Since Mr. Whittman has taken the trouble to revise his book, probably at least in part as a result of my criticism, I feel honor-bound to revise my criticism. I consider myself to be a reasonably talented author of alternate historical fiction, whereby the history described in the writing is one which has taken a different turn from that we all know. However, I think I have met my match in Mr. Whittman. His account of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible and surrounding events makes for very entertaining reading, and is an interesting variation on history as we know it. Likewise, his revised account of Saul of Tarsus gives some interesting twists to known historical facts, and makes for a different (if somewhat unoriginal) timeline. Congratulations to Mr. Whittman on his success in this new genre of alternate history. Now, if he could only cut out the trite philosophizing... What's that? He's serious? You mean he believes that pseudo-historical nonsense he wrote about the KJV Bible? Well if he does, why doesn't he quote his sources? No, it's fiction. Got to be.
  
• Bingo Games – best of breed on Jan. 12, 2010
  
  What is this? A pathetic attempt at SEO? This is not a book. Not a story. Not creative writing. Not non-fiction. Just a mass of random words.
  
• The Paris of the West on Jan. 12, 2010
  
  Unreadable for me as epub or mobi format. When I opened the RTF, I think I know why. All the 5600 words of the story are in one enormous paragraph, which makes it extremely difficult to read. Some very strange choices of word: "ravished" rather than "ravaged", for example, and some oddities of grammar (as well as a few mistakes). For my taste, too much detail. It's not necessary to describe every little movement and nuance - the reader is left with nothing to do, and no gaps where he or she can use imagination.
  
• A Letter To Justin Bieber's Hair on Dec. 26, 2010
  
  Not living in the USA, I am happy to say I have never seen half of these "celebrities" and I have hardly heard of many of them (some are actually totally unknown to me). This book should have been heavily edited before publication - I say no more.
  
• Sherlock Holmes Investigates. The Free Trade Consortium. on Jan. 18, 2012
  
  Highly enjoyable for all those who love Sherlock Holmes and his world and are disappointed by the fact that Arthur Conan Doyle stopped the writing the Holmes stories when he did. Some interesting "steampunk" treatment here of the famous sleuth and his sidekick, which still manages to keep the spirit of the original very much alive.
  
• Moonlight, Murder and Machinery on Jan. 22, 2012
  
  This is really a 4.5 star review, as I have a couple of reservations regarding the final half-star. But first, the good news... This is a book full of imagination. A very different Nova Albion that combines elements of the early 19th century with - what? A wonderful world of all kinds of mysterious elements and paranormal powers, released through the stone legacy left to us Britons by our forebears (or so we believe!). This is a world that needs words to describe it - a movie would be too short. It's possible that this world could come alive in a 13-part TV series, but this is a story that, in my opinion, needs the power of words. And these words are assured and fluid - the style and the writing never slip, and carry the reader along the twisted byways of the plot to a very satisfactory conclusion. Why would I remove 1/2 a star? First, the description is wrong, I think. This is not a YA novel - there is more sophistication to the book than most YAs can cope with and the protagonists cannot not easily be identified with by YAs (I think - I stopped being a YA some time back). Next, the book is full of wonderful literary jokes and allusions. These are beyond the comprehension of many readers (I am sure, despite describing myself as literate, that many of them went over my head) and will possibly annoy and confuse those who don't recognise the references. This may limit the book's appeal. Having said all this - this book is well worth the read, and highly recommended. How could there be a sequel, though?