Richard Bunning

Biography

I am currently a writer of speculative Science Fiction.
Thank you to all who read my books.
I review other peoples works in many genres, specialising in helping promote self published and small publishers authors. My main reviews site is at http://richardbunningbooksandreviews.weebly.com

Smashwords Interview

What motivated you to become an indie author?
My biggest motivation to become an indie author was that I could become an indie author. Technology has freed us all to write if we so wish and to then go out and market to the world. The best is that we don't even have to leave our kitchen table, garden lounger, the bus stop, or wherever we happen to be. We are all free to publish when we want and with a few constraints, what we want.
I did try with traditional publishers, for a short while, but they found me to be trying and I found them to be indifferent and arrogant. I eventually became seriously concerned about the health of agents and publishing juniors having to murder so many "rubbish" manuscripts every tedious day. Opinionated seniors only ever seemed prepared to read the work of writers who were in their golf clubs, their own families or already in the public eye. Things are changing now, as the traditional publishers try to catch up with the new technological world, but at the time I was trying to get a deal the industry was basically closed to new writers and new ideas.
Will I, will others, continue to seek traditional deals? Yes of course, and traditional publishing will reinvent itself where necessary. Personally, I like the freedom of self- publishing. One still has to be disciplined, listening to advice and particularly to our editors, but as self-publishers we are free to write whatever we wish to, when we wish to, however we wish to, and we keep control right into our readers hands.
My view is that readers benefit. There are now more books, so more choices, than there have ever been. A percentage are good and a percentage are bad, according to whatever criteria we chose to apply. This has always been the case, and always will be.
I do what I can to help readers find indie books of a good standard, by reviewing for various organizations and according to my own volition. Obviously, my reviews are biased towards the sort of books I like, though, I do try a review across genres and between them. Even if you chose not to read my own writing I hope that you will seek out some of the authors I have reviewed on Smashwords and elsewhere.
If I have reviewed a book it will in my opinion be good. I am only arrogant enough to say that what I like is good, not that what I don't is bad. I don't like liquorice, that doesn't mean it isn't nice.
Who are your favorite authors?
Nearly all my reading is directed at my support for self-published and independent authors. My main web site is dedicated to promoting my reading discoveries, as much as it is to shouting out about myself.
http://richardbunningbooksandreviews.weebly.com

My favourite author is usually the one whose book I am currently reading. A good book draws one too deep into the moment to have outside views. This may sound trite, but it is true.
Read more of this interview.

Books

Saints & Heathens: An International Anthology
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 66,510. Language: English. Published: April 11, 2017 by S & H Publishing, Inc.. Categories: Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - multi-author
Stories of good and evil from the distant past or distant galaxies blend with tales from right around the corner. Mythology, fantasy, humor, history, and might-have-been are side-by-side in as stark a contrast as that of good and evil itself.
Fifty More Egg Timer Short Stories
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 44,910. Language: English. Published: August 24, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Literature » Literary
Fifty more short stories of between 600 and 1200 words. This is collection of work from Richard Bunning, which while leaning towards speculative fiction has diversity enough for a wide spectrum of readers.
Spiderworld
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 100,060. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: June 19, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure
Spiderworld, spidernauts, and other sentient creatures including humans, or yeng as others know them, all struggle to prosper in the Lush Star System. We are harvested across our generations from the abundant Earth. There after, mankind is set to work as slaves and farmed as meat. There is plenty of love, hate and adventure, all developing dynamically from this speculative plot. We are warned!
Short & Happy (or not)
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 60,040. Language: English. Published: October 21, 2014 by S & H Publishing, Inc.. Categories: Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - multi-author
SHORT & HAPPY (or not) is an anthology of 35 stories by 25 authors from English speaking countries around the globe and a sprinkling of ex-pats who enjoy life in non-English speaking countries as well. The stories cover just as wide a spectrum of subjects. Humor (or humour), light romance, science fiction, fantasy, memoir, satire, reflection, exotic locales … it's all here in bite-sized pieces
Fifty Egg Timer Stories
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 42,660. Language: English. Published: February 1, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Mashups, Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - single author
(4.33 from 3 reviews)
Fifty Egg Timer Stories is a collection of 50 shot stories of between 600 and 1000 words. The stories are by one author and are of mixed genre. Some of these stories are flippant and/or amusing whilst others touch on serious topics. The common theme, if one can be found at all, is the provision of short bursts of entertainment. I hope that all readers find some stories to their individual liking.
Another Space in Time, Returns
Price: $3.00 USD. Words: 133,500. Language: English. Published: March 15, 2012 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias, Fiction » Science fiction » General
(4.00 from 2 reviews)
When the Captain of the local police persuades Rodwell to help pursue the Earth Trash Terminators his life is thrown into turmoil. Standing in for his twin brother, Rodwell is thrown into the terrorists’ world. Can he fight dirty enough to survive, even when his new family is threatened? What will happen in this parallel earth-like world? This is the standalone sequel to Another Space in Time.
Another Space in Time
Price: $3.00 USD. Words: 138,040. Language: English. Published: August 30, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Fantasy » General
(4.00 from 2 reviews)
The adventure in another time in space of Rodwell Richards who, when murdered on Earth, finds himself pursued on Goranas as a terrorist killer. This earth-like parallel world, to which Rodwell must quickly adapt, is just perhaps the kind of place that any of us could one day visit. Enter this speculative world of human drama, and observe the pursuit through Rodwell's eyes.

Smashwords book reviews by Richard Bunning

  • Keeping Counsel on Nov. 08, 2012

    The mechanics of the plot are well designed, the first requirement of any legal thriller. I have no idea as to whether all the detailed legal structure holds up, or even the total psychological profile of the killer, not that such exactitudes have much influence on the stories excitement. What is important is that I was drawn in, founding myself to be genuinely concerned for the safety of Tara and Shining. The menacing power of the killer seemed only too real. I had no trouble believing the mix of sexual attraction and repulsion that Tara felt for both the killer, and her ex-lover, Ben. People are a mix of often contradictory and always confusing quirks, characteristics that Forster plays very well. All the characters worked for me, all flawed, all, including the killer, a mix of good and bad. The only relationship I struggled to believe was Bill's with his mother, but here we are on the very fringes of the story. To be a five star book I felt I needed better legal resolution, through playing the story out a little longer. It crosses my mind that Forster felt compelled to pander to the mass of readers that don't like to read too long. I can't argue against commercial sense. Also note that I'm not suggesting that the ending lacked punch, it certainly had that. I see this novel as more of a psychological thriller than a legal one. It is so full of very penetration observations about what makes people tick. I am sure that I will be reading many more of Forster's books.
  • Eyewitness on Feb. 28, 2013

    This is not the easiest Forster to get into, not that that will deter her fans. When you do catch up with the characters, a problem we share with the local police, one will be rewarded in as least as big a way as is customary in a Forster. The parallel story telling requires a little effort, a temporary requirement to multi-task. I found it necessary to be relaxed about remembering the early flood of characters, and corpses. Soon enough we get to know all the characters we need very well. There is always a lot going on, plenty of energy to keep the mind’s lightbulb lit. The mix of cultural expectation, and the deeply engrained private pasts that we all carry with us are the keys to this powerful read. The parallel storytelling, the sub-story that starts the chapters will provide the glue. You will need the glue, but be relaxed about watching it set. The witness theme gets a clever redesign, rather than just a new coat of paint, in this one. Waves of all the characters past experience and the physical forces of the present, lash through the pages creating yet another brilliant Forster novel.
  • Troubles on Feb. 22, 2015

    As the book starts we are already on the other side of a dystopian meltdown. The rebuild, worldwide will be painfully slow, but progress will be made. The story is set in one small area, the area that will be served by one new power station. Some of the wealthy, in their gated communities have come through a worldwide conflagration relatively unscathed, not so most of the population. There is a lot of excitement, heaps of intrigue, and a very clever interplay of characters in the plot. Sometimes the detail was actually too clever for me, to mathematically complex, but I breezed on to find, as I suspected, that the maths of who did what to whom and when didn't particularly matter. The story is in the series of results from the complex interplay of competing and variously empowered players. I don't hesitate in giving this book five stars, but the proof-reader needs eliminating and replacing before the next book, just as unceremoniously as are so many of Miller's characters that fail to keep pace with this developing new social, material and financial order. One more edit would be more than worthwhile, so I hope Miller organises just that. Miller's writing style is robust, eloquent, and fashionable short of superfluous adjectives and adverbs. This Hemingwayesque style is popular, certainly, though less plot detail and more expansive description would have enriched the reading for me. I would have liked to have been given a few more colours from the peeling paint, and a deeper penetration of the souls driving the characters. I enjoy more ingredients than a plot demands. But as it is the word count is fairly long, as I said, we see a complex sum. The author is an intellectual thinker, with many scientific and social views about where the future might go. Miller combines this with writing very engaging fiction that works on so many levels. I certainly enjoyed reading 'Troubles'. Miller does just exactly what all good speculative fiction writers do, entertains with aplomb whilst providing food for both frivolous and serious thought.
  • Redemption on March 26, 2015

    This has elements from a mix of genres; including supernatural, spiritual, romance, sci-fi, and speculative fiction. Overall, it is well written and very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed reading this as a series of short-stories, being only disappointed with the lack of connect between the science fiction, the regressive themes, and the end of the book. The past lives are all exciting reads, though saddled with my common complaint that it is funny how more often than not past life memories are of infamous and famous events and times, rather than of ordinary lives. This makes for good entertainment, whilst reducing plot 'credibility'. A-Lo, if this is 'future biography', certainly gets the Halo. However, the bar to reaching redemption is set so high that I'm quite sure I'd be stuck in Limbo, or Clapham, or Mean Street forever. Perhaps like most superb destinations the already resident wish to stop 'Heaven' getting too crowded. Only special friends of Michael may here enter. So if you want to get into this exclusive club you had better be pretty damn superhuman first. This is a good read with a positive ending, which probably tips the book more into the romance genre than any other. There aren't any original plot elements here not that that is of much consequence except to those that devour books. There are signs enough that Lo is capable of writing more ambitious books, so she is an author I'll follow. I would like the opening and closing elements to be integrated better- especially in tying in the science fiction artificial soul, the strongest character in the book and the real 'romantic' lead, with final death and arrival at station Nirvana. As to the short-life stories, they are very entertaining both standing as independent reads and as a part of the overall theme. Written in clear and simple style, this is a very easy book to get into.
  • The Way Things Were - Collected Stories on May 09, 2015

    These short stories are like snapshots in time, the way things were in passing, not stories that conclude, but rather flashes of action that are left to run on in our own imaginations. There is a good diversity of main characters each with their own stories, stories painted with good supporting casts. There is a partial end point to a couple of the stories that strongly determines direction, but basically the reader is left with a great deal of adventure. These glimpses into other's lives are set in French, English and Spanish speaking environments. I'm sure that they reflect by degrees not only Rogers observations and also his own experiences across the world. As with all collected works, some will interest any individual reader more than they will another. All though are enjoyable and encouraging of thought long after the book reading device has dropped into stand-by mode. This is a short book, quality rather than quantity, and well worth the little it costs. I only ever read e books, so that is all I base value for money on. There are some really novel backdrops that give life to the stories; moments in interesting lives that are given penetrating depth by very good quality writing. I found enough variety that I could read the whole book as a one off. Actually I read in two or three sessions as I travelled. These are each fifteen minute reads for those that are fairly slow page flickers, just right for so many moments when it is we, ourselves, on standby. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Rogers picks up a lot of readers for his novels from the thought waves generated by this collection.
  • The Future is Short - Science Fiction in a Flash - Volume 2 on Aug. 04, 2015

    Disclosure- I know of all these authors through social-media and I have met one of the authors. I also had stories in the first anthology. I find it very hard to give any anthologies five stars as there are always some stories that don't work for me. I assume that is true of most readers. Collections from one author are easier to asses. All the stories have been revised and carefully edited. Micro-story telling, here in under 1000 words a story is challenging. The disciplines of journalism are required to create a plot and a conclusion of sorts while adding enough complication to make the stories interesting, all within tight spacial constraints. Some of the writers are actually from such backgrounds, some are long standing novelists from all sorts of genre areas and some are late comers to story-telling, though I challenge anyone to say which writers belong in each group. Most readers will find all mention of competition and winners to be a complete irrelevance. I completely ignore such mentions, mentally deleting with a thick black pen. Don't have a quick look under the cover and be put off. Reading anthologies is a great way of finding new authors. If a story is particularly liked it is often worth a quick Amazon search to see what might be available. I apologise to those I am asking to suck eggs, but actually not everyone is used to looking for books in places other than libraries and in familiar book shops. I don't know why there is no e book here. Hopefully it will soon arrive. All the stories at very least skim the borders of science fiction. Some are hard, near future, science, some are distant dreams or philosophical speculation, and some are from the fantasy end of the spectrum. Mixed spices, or should that be mixed spaces. These stories are best digested one at a time, else it is all to easy to find oneself slipping detail from one to another. Well, that's a problem that I personally have- am I weird, unfocused or both? Anyway, I read one story, often read twice, then pause to think about something else. One will be read at the bus stop, then one on the way after I've cleared my mind by watching all the aliens travelling with me. If you have taken the time to read this, despite my disclosure, then I thank you.
  • Detour Trail on Aug. 12, 2015

    In many ways this is a classic Western. To this is often very masculine genre is added the touch of a female writer. We also have the post-modern twist of the female character that is more able than most men, but here the 'superbeing' augmentations of so much of this trend have been avoided. The central character is indeed a young woman who is more capable than most men, but this is all based on realistic physical abilities, learned skills traditionally considered 'masculine', and a huge amount of female intuition and guile. A believable heroine matched by an equally plausible and well thought out cast, set in an accurately drawn historical setting on the Oregon Trail of the early 19th Century, makes for a very good read. The book is a feel good story, High Chaparral sort of stuff, in which the good guys eventually win. All the characters are clearly labelled, reminding me of the 1940s/50s movies in which the good guys always had light coloured Stetson hats, and light coloured outfits, often even horses, and the baddies were all dressed in black. This doesn't mean the characters lacked substance, rather that they filled so many familiar Western roles. There are a few head hopping problems, especially at the start, which made some dialogue hard to follow, and at times the story is just a bit too predictable. Nevertheless, this is a well painted story that centres on Annie Oakley rather than the Jim Bowie types, both of which in reality played equal parts in taming the Wild West.