M. Kelly’s new novel, a sequel to her Pathways in the Mind, follows three men as they try to build meaningful lives and cope with memories of a dead woman they all loved.
Riccardo Rodregious, a Greek shipping tycoon, is mourning the death of his wife, Marion. Marion, an empath, was a calm, intelligent presence in Riccardo’s life, a woman who refused to let his sometimes abusive behavior faze her.
Marion’s two bodyguards, Flynn and George, were also deeply attached to her. But, unbeknownst to Riccardo, the two men are British military intelligence operatives who work security during breaks between missions. Some of Riccardo’s business associates are international criminals, and when Riccardo re-hires Flynn and George two years after Marion’s death, their higher-ups enlist them to spy on him while in his employ. Meanwhile, Riccardo is wooing a young American heiress, Selina. As Flynn and George reintegrate themselves into his household, all four characters find themselves haunted by memories of Marion. Flynn, in particular, senses that she may be reaching out to them from beyond the grave.
Kelly creates fundamentally strong, archetypal characters, and readers will easily find themselves invested in their fates. But rather than simply allowing their words and deeds to speak for themselves, Kelly frequently stops to explain how their personalities and past experiences inform their actions. These passages slow the book’s momentum.
Metamorphosis also suffers from some unbelievable plot points. For instance, it is unlikely that a child of privilege, however sheltered, would demonstrate Selina’s complete lack of knowledge of how a computer works or of the existence of online shopping. It also strains credulity that control freak Riccardo would fail to notice Flynn’s and George’s snooping.
Kelly has created three compelling protagonists, and her blend of espionage and the paranormal is potentially intriguing. But the novel requires streamlining and revision with an eye toward credibility in order to appeal to a wide audience.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
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I was born and raised in Western Australia. Before I retired I was an aged care Advocate
I as many people on the age pension, I have trouble paying the bills. There are those who complain about the lack of money, and there are those who try to improve their lot by being creative with their time to produce something that may make enough money to pay the bills.
I am retired but always seek new ways to engage my mind so I decided to write a book. I have spent a lot of time writing academic papers, have several degrees finishing with masters in theology. However, psychology had always been of interest to me as I like to learn what makes people tick. But I have never done any creative writing. I have found this an interesting if not scary experience. Writing a book was one thing getting it published is another. It is a whole world I know little about, but I am learning. Having a book published is a big thing for me because of my background. I have published my books through Xlibris, There already has been a lot of interest in my books.
My early life was shaped by several factors.
I have a very retentive memory and once I have read something I can usually remember it. This was a problem when I was younger as I remembered my reading. Everyone thought I was a good reader where in fact I could not read. I became ill and had to be home schooled. My teacher one day noticed that my eyes were not following the words and realized I could not read them. She tried Dick and Dora books, but I thought that was an insult to my intelligence and would not do it. Frustrated she asked what I would read, and I told her I had a book that my mother had thrown out and wanted to know it. It was the collective works of William Shakespeare thus the first thing I read at 9 years was Macbeth. This started a love of learning both formal and informal that I have kept up all my life.
I am also dyslectic, although I read a lot and have overcome most parts I still don’t like to read out loud as my eyes can miss a line. I believe this means, that for many people who think they can’t, I can prove that it is possible to reach a high standard of education even if there are some barriers. “If you think you can’t-you can’t; but if you think you can then you can.”
I have a strong sense of family, and I love each person in my family and will do all I can to help them. I am basically a sole parent as I am raising my granddaughter and we have many happy hours talking as she talks with her right brain and I listen with my left brain. We have a mad cat called whiskers who seems to think it is ok to bite me for some unknown reason. And fish in a rather big pond in the back yard.
As a counsellor and advocate, I have learned to listen carefully to people say, and I perceive it as one of my skills. My reading covers a wide area of history, realign and politics. I also like to read science fiction from time to time.
I love Facebook as a way of keeping up with friends and family. I also like to do art and when I am not writing I paint.
My first novel ‘Pathways in the mind’ is a psychological thriller. Although it is a novel, it is based on fact. It examines one person's world view after a traumatic event that causes Retro Amnesia. Although the novel is a story, it is based on fact.
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