Thursday, November 20, 2014

THE DEVIL SMOKES DUNHILL: The (un)inspiring (satirical) story of a man's journey into the mad bad world of South Africa's Media Milieu [First Edition]

The Media is Mad

"I am writing this book because sometimes, often, a young person who is motivated to perform, to better himself, is sometimes, often, frustrated not just by bad luck or circumstance or some personal deficit, but by a person. Sometimes that person is ourselves. Michael Jackson would know, so would Homer Simpson. But sometimes one person – other than ourselves - can sometimes flush away a person’s dreams. Think of God and the Devil, Cane and Abel, Delilah and Samson, Brutus and Caesar, Judas and Jesus, Joan of Ark and the Bishop, John F. Kennedy and whomever killed him, Al Gore and George Bush, Madonna and her husband, and the plethora of ordinary murderers out there who wipe out lives and dreams with the movement of the index finger on a trigger.
In all of those cases, someone either died or surfaced on the other end barely alive or badly beaten.

We can rationalize some of those losses, but sometimes they are profound. Of course, when someone dies it is hard to be philosophical if you’re the one that’s dead."

The mainstream media from the inside is a cesspool of insecure misfits and courtyard keepers. Everyone suffers from chronic attention deficit disorder. Everyone is addicted to something. Words are their weapon of choice, life an after-thought, terminal diseases - especially cancers, tumors and anal brown-nosing - a certainty. Nick van der Leek, in this brilliant satire, through his experience in a South African newsroom uncovers the real story behind who and what makes the media, and suggests we stop caring.

The folks who work tirelessly behind the scenes, splattering their bullshit on the front pages of newspapers - the sub-editors, journalists, the slackers, the internes, the suckers, the cubicle slaves and other subhuman characters - do they know what they're doing? In a word: Hell No.

'We live in a world where the news today is indistinguishable from spam, and spam [according to Wikipedia]'provides very little in terms of vitamins and minerals...it has been listed as a food that is a poor choice for weight loss or optimum health; it's a food that "is high in saturated fat and sodium".'

The news, the people responsible for writing it, editing it and stupid enough to read it get skewered in this devilish yarn.

[Disclaimer: NOT based on actual events.]
[Disclaimer to the Disclaimer: Or is it?]
[Disclaimer to the Disclaimer to the Disclaimer: Is it all a very *very* thinly disguised veneer of satire...aimed at blowing these poepols out of the water?]
[Disclaimer to the Disclaimer to the Disclaimer to the Disclaimer: Or not?]


Available here.




#RS is Oscar Trial eBook #7... so what's it about?

Written between Halloween and Thanksgiving, the authors of #RS take the narrative of the Oscar Trial back to Reeva Steenkamp. 

At the same time #RS became available the media have started a new tune...of how Oscar might rebuild his life and find love again. And just days after #RS was published, a few days shy of Oscar's 28th birthday (in jail) John Carlin's book on Oscar (Chase Your Shadow) was also published. 

 Yet despite exclusive access to Oscar and the Pistorius family, Carlin's book does not offer a view on the legitimacy of Oscar's actions. #RS does. This 7th book in the series bravely goes where no narrative has gone before on this topic. 

#RS probes the authenticity of Reeva's life and love, it attempts to find a device, a tree or rocket or belief system, that we can use to bridge the desolation and loneliness that divides the Earth from the Heavens. And, #RS calls into question the dedication of her family and friends who - for the most part - have not lent their voices in support of Reeva. 

 More nagging questions are raised and answers mooted. 

For example, why did the Steenkamps and their advocate so blithely accept the court's sentence when so many others did not? 

 Although #RS is an uplifting story, it does not shirk from the brutal truth that is part of life, sex and death on this planet. And the very last lines of this tome ought to shake even the most focused reader back to giddy alertness. 

 In the great chasm where so few have spoken on Reeva's behalf this narrative rages with Reeva into the dying of the night. 

 #RS is available on Amazon for less than $7. Buy yours here.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Resurrection, Book #3 in the Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial series - available now in print for $11

In Resurrection, a book that made it into the top 10 Amazon Kindle Bestsellers, is now available in print.  What's it about?  Resurrection asks a simple question:

Is Resurrection possible for Oscar?

The book analyses the authenticity of Oscar's story, including his 'able'bodied' narrative at the London Olympics. Personally I consider Resurrection the best book of the series in terms of research. analysis and insight.

The final three chapters provide compelling evidence for a possible motive. I have been interviewed on Jacardan FM by Rian van Heerden (and cross-examined by Piet Byleveld), and Piet and I agree on what triggered the shooting. But if they were arguing, what were they arguing about?

Right now, one of the most read stories (it was the most read until yesterday) on News24.com is this:


If Reeva's mother is right - and I believe she is - what truth was Oscar hiding?  What was his motive in killing Reeva, and what were they arguing about?  And was it premeditated murder after all?

You won't find answers to these questions in the mainstream media.

Resurrection  (and includes interviews with his former agent, lawyers, a psychologist, sports scientists and various journalists) is rated an average 5 stars on Amazon Kindle.  You can read those reviews here.

You can order Resurrection in print at this link.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

2 X Amazon Reviews of TRANSCENDENCE (Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk)

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best and most objective analysis of the trial evidence and ...November 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
This review is from: Transcendence (Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial eBook Series 6) (Kindle Edition)
This is the best and most objective analysis of the trial evidence and verdict that we have read so far. Well written, objective and factual. A must read for anyone interested in Reeva Steenkamp's murder/crime, the subsequent Oscar Pistorius trial, and the outcome thus far. Thank you for tying up a lot of loose ends and asking the hard questions that were not examined in court.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, 1 Nov 2014 By P Mitchell 
Verified Purchase

This review is from: Transcendence (Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial eBook Series 6) (Kindle Edition) 


Have read all 6 of the books now and feel so enriched. I started reading the books with an interest in the judicial system in South Africa, rights relating to womens issues and the abuse of power. But the books offered much much more than that. Yes the hook/hinge is the Oscar Pistorius trial but what you get from Nick and Lisa is an honest well researched informative read. Eric Clapton once said of Robert Johnson ...."I felt he was the one that was talking from his soul without really compromising for anybody" Sums up the books nicely! Thanks so much! -- Penny Mitchell





Get your TRANSCENDENCE here.