Knowing Liam Riley

This brings to mind William Trevor, which is a tremendous compliment. Like Trevor, you lead us slowly and inexorably into the story. There's mystery and sadness underlying the most quotidien events, which makes it difficult to stop reading. Your writing is direct and quiet and at the same time powerful. This feels absolutely publishable. I'm going to back it and give it a very rare six stars.
Best,
Andi
Animal Cracker

"Liam" is one of those stories that just crawls into your heart and stays there. The characters could live next door or be second cousins, all the little secrets, the whispers, the bottled up emotions, then the pain. Best of luck, Sue. I'll scatter six stars your way. Let me know when it's published. I'll back when my computer allows. Meanwhile, I'll watch list Liam
Caroline
KC Hart
Summer Rose

Fantastic what a storyline as the merging families intertwine with each other. Its cleverly written as we don’t initially see the connection. There is mystery, passion, deception and bundles of secrets. I read all that was posted and hope it gets published so that I can read the end. Great family saga/chicklit.

Amelia Gail

A Date in the Diary

This is more than romance, it’s a thoughtful, observational, and, most of all, intelligent look at life in its less than beautiful moments. Chapter 11, which could have spoiled it, was deftly handled, adult and again intelligent. I’m so glad we’re not competing for the same readership. If I were in publishing, I would commission this and I hope that you don’t have to wait too long for a publisher to agree with me.

Yours Joy Taylor

Knowing Liam Riley is one of those books that will utterly surprise you. Even if you read the book jacket (which is basically the long pitch here) you will still be surprised at how effortlessly author Sue Mackender ties all these disparate stories together. If you thought Pulp Fiction was clever how it brought four stories into the same place at the same time, wait till you read Knowing Liam Riley. Besides that element, the descriptions are excellent, bringing you right down to the curb with the characters. Snappy, realistic dialog is icing on the cake for this author. I have no doubt that this will be published and will find success with both readers and literary critics. It fires on all cylinders and on many different levels. An enjoyable read for sure.

Hello, Sue. I am enjoying your story so far. Poor Joanna! She has totally won my sympathy, from the begiing, where she is a mischeivous little girl, through her tragic experiences at 14, and then as she grows stronger and makes her way in the world, only to be taken advantage of again. I find myself totally on her side. The narrative is sparse, yet touches the emotions deeply. Well done, reading on!

Elizabeth (The Made-Up Man)

Not the type of novel I'd normally read, Sue but I have to say I really enjoyed your opening chapters.

The prose is terrifically smooth with a good blend of simple and direct storytelling to move the narrative along and more involved, subtly lyrical descriptive passgaes/phrasing to set a specific scene (eg 'neat flower beds trimmed into shapes surrounded the lawn like huge question marks') or allow the reader a more vivid, revelatory insight into a character's mindset/mood etc.

The sense of time and place is clear and convincing but never gets in the way of the story. It would be so easy to overdo some of the cultural/historic references and ruin the period feel but you resist this temptation very nicely.

The dialogue feels real and purposeful and helps both to add energy to the scenes as well as fleshing out the various characters. I particularly like the way you leave much of it freestanding (without tags) - lends the novel an extremely vibrant, almost filmic feel.

Good use of occasional italicised internal monologue inserts to allow the reader an immediate, intense snapshot of a chrataer's emotions/thought processses etc.

The chapters themselves feel very well structured with a good mix of action/dialogue/character introspection and nicely underplayed cilmactic plot hooks to encourage the reader to read on. The plot, while not wholly original (I really don't think it needs to be - it's the characterisation and the quality of the writing which, for me, makes or breaks a novel of this type and I certainly don't think you've got anything to worry about on these fronts) feels complex and multi-layered and, with its blend of drama, pathos, intrigue, emotional empathy etc, should appeal to a broad cross-section of readers.

In short, a beautifully written, reassuringly smooth, emotionally engaging family 'saga'. Highly starred and kept on my watchlist for further reading.Thanks and best of luck. P

This is a very good, very tense first chapter. I didn't find any errors. It has been very tightly edited. I like your writing style, and am giving you six stars. Great job!!!

Sincerely,
D. S. Hale
Jessup and the Teleporter

Hi, there –this is an unforgivably late review from AudreyB. I recently audited my comments and discovered I owed TWENTY TWO reciprocal reviews. I am filled with shame. On the other hand, my English teacher alter-ego, The Grammar Hag, never feels shame. If I say anything you don’t like, it was probably her idea.

The first chapter gives me a clear picture of a girl who is not comfortable with herself as she engages in petty crime and then isn’t sure what to do about being stuck in the mud. The second chapter is difficult to read; I know it’s very accurate for the time, but hard nonetheless to read how poorly her parents carry out their parental duties. Even her brother behaves badly! Their willingness to believe her rapist over her breaks my heart.

Well I’m already in chapter 5—you have a gift for storytelling. I noticed that when Edith and Joanna fly to Vancouver you say the flight was long but not exhausting, and then in the next paragraph, you describe Edith as being exhausted by the flight.

It’s so sweet how Edith tells Reginald about the trip. What a lovely detail.

Dang it; I was hoping to meet Liam, but clearly he arrives in a later chapter. If his story—and the stories of the other women--is as multi-layered and interesting as Joanna’s, then you’ve got a blockbuster book on your hands.

Wishing you all the best with your ms, and I apologize again for taking so long to return your read.
~AudreyB
Forgiveness Fits

Revamped Regigged and restored. I hope the new version of Knowing Liam Riley will hit the spot.
Seasons Greetings to all past and future supporters.

Hi, I have just read through your comments, as you say you have focused on the negative. The thing I like about this site is you never know whats going to crop up, or peoples opinion. So far 530 people have understood my book, my charachters and not raised any of your negatives in fact they have enjoyed it. So I will focus on the positives. You have to take on other genre's on this site you dont need to understand them.
Regards Sue

Hi Sue,

This review is based on your first three chapters. I had seen this book on Ross Clark and other's shelves and thought I would have a look. I think if they have considered it worth reading and backing then I must be in the minority, but I feel that there is quite a bit of work that needs to be done from the first paragraph.

My greatest problem was that there were quite a few awkward phrases in it, the first being "at eight years old" which just didn't run smoothly and should certainly be adjusted. Then soon after is "brows" which I stumbled on and should run smoother as "raised brow" or something like that as the plural didn't seem normal to me. I didn't write them all down, but it was a feature that permeated the three chapters and you should certainly go over them with a view to rewriting and adjusting those that do make you pause and re-read. The thing is that you are very good at it at other time, a couple that spring to mind are: "silence hung heavy in the air" and "trappings of the sixties". So I have no doubt that you are capable and far better than I at phrasing thoughts and details.

You also repeated words very soon after one another, which didn't really help the flow, especially in light of the awkward phrases throughout. An example in the first chapter: "She hadn't realised she was crying, but she must have been." And at the end of the first chapter there are an awful lot of "She"s as well. There seemed to be a lot less of this repetition in the third chapter.

The second issue falls on how you describe scenes. This is almost completely confined to one section of the first chapter and I don't think I had a similar problem in what else I read (the conversation between Dr Simon and Jo-Jo was excellent). This was the scene in which Joanna is approaching the stile. The first bit that I found hard to picture as how the cows were "packed" against the stile, "clustered" would offer a better picture. Then I felt slightly confused by how she slipped under the barbed wire further along - I couldn't picture the surroundings at all then and do think you need to say further along the road, or she walked along the fence past the cows to slip under the barbed wire and into the field.

The last, and most serious anomaly to consider is that the milkman walks silently through the squelching ground - see the contradiction? I had felt through the three chapters that it did seem that a contradiction in the detail was very close to surfacing, but I'm not sure if I have another example.

I think that the second chapter needs to be reconsidered in its structure. I couldn't get to grips with it. You seemed to change the emphasis on which character repeatedly through the chapter that I ended up not really knowing any of them and them all just gelling into one. You first tole us about Elizabeth, then her father and then Alice. I honestly cannot tell you what happened in that chapter, because it seemed to have no focal point or cohesiveness due to how you changed the focus on character.

On a positive front the characters all seemed well developed and the settings all had a real feel to them. The dialogue ran smoothly throughout and I cannot fault you on it.

I hope I haven't been overly harsh, but I only ever seem able to focus on the negatives when I am reviewing. All other aspects I didn't mention are fine and I'm sorry that I couldn't spend more time talking about them, but I never take notes or think about what works as much as what doesn't work. And don't think I set about looking for faults, I try to read as a reader and not a writer, and this is just my humble opinion. Clearly if Ross Clark and other people I think have good taste backed your book, then you are of a very high standard and the book just didn't lick with me.

Any questions or complaints, do feel free to message me.

Joe

- Knowing Liam Riley -

(Based on chapters 1-3)

The greatest impression this left on me was of a powerful story told through deceptively simple prose. There is not much in the way of flowery language and the almost spare style really hits home. The words are simple but loaded with emotion.

Although I admired the clean style in the first chapter, I was having a bit of trouble getting into the story as there didn't seem to be much happening at first and everything was going along in a rather idyllic manner. Until we got to the scene with the farmer. Here, the narrative and tension are pitched perfectly so that a slow dread takes you as you work out what is about to happen and in retrospect the idllyic opening is powerful as a juxtaposition to this.

The second chapter is a good example of where 'telling' can work as we get a lot of good background on the characters and find them fully formed.

One typo here:

"The Only Elizabeth's she knew."

The third chapter with the interaction with the psychologist was them most impressive of those I read. The emotion here is powerful but very subtle and clever and I found the set-up an excellent vehicle for characterisation.

Typo:
"Mikes here."

I also noticed a few instances in speech where a character is addressed and the form of address wasn't capitalised. As far as I know, it should be, and should also be preceded by a comma. So....

"Sorry hun," should be "Sorry, Hun."

As I say, clean, clever, powerful and crisp writing all round. Very good indeed.

All the best with it,

Ross

You begin very well. The opening scene is credible, sinister and plainly told. Oddly enough, I have to plead guilty to the stealing-empty-bottles-for-the deposit racket (in about 1953 in my case). I can see this book working. I hope it does it for you.

Jim

You begin very well. The opening scene is credible, sinister and plainly told. Oddly enough, I have to plead guilty to the stealing-empty-bottles-for-the deposit racket (in about 1953 in my case). I can see this book working. I hope it does it for you.

Jim

Will have a read in the next few days.

You wrote this 47 days ago
Regards Sue

Will have a read in the next few days.

This brings to mind William Trevor, which is a tremendous compliment. Like Trevor, you lead us slowly and inexorably into the story. There's mystery and sadness underlying the most quotidien events, which makes it difficult to stop reading. Your writing is direct and quiet and at the same time powerful. This feels absolutely publishable. I'm going to back it and give it a very rare six stars.
Best,
Andi
Animal Cracker

hi Sue
i'm losing account of what backings/comments i have got to date.
if you did not star mine at any stage, would be obliged if you could do so now
i am in dire need of an improvement in my rankings.
thanks again
tom bye 'from hugs to kisses'

Hi Sue ' Knowing Liam Riley'
backed this wonderful read some 142 days ago before the stars appeared on the site,
read some more of it now, and the read still holds up as one of the better ones on site.
very surprised that it is at 643, it certainly deserves a higher ranking than that.
its is one very easy flowing read and in itself a page-turner . i recommend it .
good luck
tom bye ' from hugs to kisses'

Hi Sue ' Knowing Liam Riley'
backed this wonderful read some 142 days ago before the stars appeared on the site,
read some more of it now, and the read still holds up as one of the better ones on site.
very surprised that it is at 643, it certainly deserves a higher ranking than that.
its is one very easy flowing read and in itself a page-turner . i recommend it .
good luck
tom bye ' from hugs to kisses'

Hi, I finally managed to get time to look at your book. Sorry it took a few days. :(

I'll comment as I read since I find that the easiest way to keep track. Please don't be offended by any suggestions. After all, they will just be my thoughts. You can always ignore me if you think I'm wrong or stupid. ;)

Chapter 1: Hmmm Jo seems an interesting character. I think I can guess what sort of "entrepeneur" she is ;). Great scam with the bottles. Selling him his own stuff. I love it.

1 small nitpick. I think your story could be even more involving if you showed things through jo's POV more. eg "her brown curls bounced around her shoulders" jars as it's an external view of the character. In this sort of story, I'd always suggest filtering everything through the perceptions of the POV character. That way, the reader can see what she sees, feel what she feels and even think what she thinks. Such techniques could really get the reader inside Jo's head.

Reading on... I like the ominous cows. It's a sort of bovine version of "The Birds" ;). I even have a suggested title for a horror film based on the idea: "The Mooing."

Sorry, I couldn't resist that joke. I'll read on more seriously now, honest. ;)

1 small suggestion here. Could you find way ways to show more and tell less? eg "It made her feel uneasy" is you telling the reader a fact. It's emotionally uninvolving. In this instance, I'd suggest something like "She bit her lip. What was with the cows today?" i think such a technique would really help the reader to become engrossed in your story.

Reading on... I like the olfactory description of the cowman. Too many writers neglect the sense of smell, but you use it well. The cowman's an odd man, isn't he? The very definition of laconic.

Oh ... I didn't expect what he did next. That was a shock. V scary scene, all the worse for the fact it comes out of nowhere.

Gripping chapter end. Poor Jo. It looks like she's getting nightmares. No surprise.

Chapter 2: A new character. Liz. i wonder how this tied into the story. Hmm... I'm sure I'll find out soon.

1 suggestion. I think it would be better, if possible, not to tell the reader all about her family in such a direct way eg as in "she had one brother, giles, whom she loved dearly...". It's a bit like lecturing the reader. I think it would be much more involving to introduce characters by Liz's interactions with them. eg you could have a scene with Liz playing and laughing with Giles. That would show us v well that she loves him.

Reading on... Dad drinks and seems sad. It looks like there's some terrible history, or he's weighed down by guilt. I want to read on and find out what's up.

Alice seems an unfortunate sort. always ill. I feel sorry for her. The situation must make things strained around the house too. I like the dialogue between Alice and Liz. It's touching.

I've 1 suggestion on the dialogue, though. I think it would read even better if you didn't explain it so much. eg in " "But what made him the one?" Lizzie pestered eagerly." we already know Lizzie is pestering + eager from the dialogue, so the description isn't needed. " "But what made him the one?" Lizzie said" would work better, I think.

Reading on... The mother seems v ill. I'm worrying now she might die. That really would tear Liz's life apart.

At the end of the chapter, I'm left wondering, along with the kids, how the parents got together. hmmm... I suspect there's a lot going on beneath the surface here...

OK I'll stop the indepth commenting now as it'll end up as huuuggggeeee comment at this rate. :)

I liked this. I think your book's readable and easy to get into. The story unfurls gradually, with enough mystery to make the reader want to move onto each next chapter. You tackle a difficult scene (with the cowman) in a very sensitive and understated way. That scene so easily could have been overblown and gratuitious. As it was, you managed to write a shocking scene in a way that draws the reader into the story despite their disgust.

I've rated this highly, and will make a place for it on my shelf as soon as possible. :)

I hope you get this published. Best of luck with it,

Pete

Great story line--my kind of book. I probably commented on "Liam" ages ago, but as I don't have a lot of time right now, I tracking down the ten best books on this site and watchlisting them so I can focus just on them.

All the best,
SC Dwinnell, "Never Let Him Go."

Read the first 3:

This is beautifully crafted! All the characters have a dark mystery about them – a sadness.

For example, the intro chapter was vivid and you did an excellent job of showing the confused innocence of the girl, and the lasting pain of the girl, which she must now endure on her own. Very intriguing beginning.

Elizabeth’s (or should I say Liz) father was eerily depicted. You have a knack for leaving the reader wondering with a direct writing style.

1 thing I was confused about, the story began Joanna is a little girl in 1958. Then she talks about Microsoft. I don’t know my history – but wasn’t Microsoft not invented until the late 70s? So she’s now married about ~20 years later?

It was difficult to read the recounting with the dr’s office but you did a great job of depicting the girl’s suffering and confusion.

Am interested to see where this goes – a dark story in a dark setting, vividly depicted! Great job! Worth a handful of stars!

have read the first chapter and ma looking forward to reading more have placed on my watchlist

love the first chapter..looking forward to reading more have put it on my watchlist

Knowing Liam Riley - this novel needs some serious attention. If you like what you read please refresh this thread on the forum ... http://www.authonomy.com/forums/threads/72259/-knowing-liam-riley-/

You've been on my w/list for so long, I've forgotten how it got there.... no matter: now I know why I marked it for attention.
Cunning Joanna - and then she got her come-uppence from being stuck in the cow mire. You land the reader in the midst of the action from the start. And the abuse of a young girl has so many consequences.
Ch.2 - the story slows as you introduce the Ownes. Where does Joanna fit in?
In Ch.3 She is suddenly happily married, but still with her hidden problem, a psychiatrist is involved, and a chilling thought is planted in the reader's mind. I presume the gap years will be filled with flash-backs.
You deal with the subject matter with authority and sensitivity. Apart from a few errors (new instead of "knew") you write well and convincingly.

Hi Sue, Joanna had rather a lot of nasty stuff to cope with, both as a child and later as an adult. PIus the illness of her Mother, the drowning of Patrick, becoming pregnant! It reads as tho' there is some personal experience involved but it could be just a lively immagination. I found myself wondering what was coming next which is the essence of a good story.
Backed a & watch listed to go on the shelf when there is room. I'v been off line but now back with more chapters.
Good luck with yours.
Best Walt.

This is an interesting way to convey a story and it works well for what you're doing here. It's always difficult introducing multiple characters, but you handle it well.
This is one of those epic manuscriptss. It details numerous lives and events, eventually tying it all together with a satisfying and rewarding conclusion. You have superb writing skills and kept my interest throughout the story, switching in and out of different threads in the plot smoothly.
I was amused at the very beginning of this, at Joanna’s efforts toward saving money. The scene in the cowshed was chilling; poor kid. Worse, I think, was that her fear at getting into trouble for losing her socks prevented her from saying anything else. The story pulled me in, it seemed such an innocent one at first. A childs small 'misdemeanors' set against a greater crime.You deal with the very diificult subject of abuse really well in the first chapter. It is neither too intrusive nor too fleeting, a difficult thing to pull off - but you pull it off effortlessly. I like the way you switch between Lizzie and Joanna; we can tell somehow their paths will cross.

I gave this a well deserved ****** rating, have put it on my watchlist and will back on wednesday when i select 2 new books to back (be sure to give me a nudge 1st thing on wednesday as a reminder as i sometimes tend to get caught up with other things and this deserves a good backing!) .
Excellent read!

I have just read chapter one so far, and will certainly return to read more. An enjoyable read from the start. Good luck!

Hi Sue,

My records show I BACKED your book under the old system of voting and I have great pleasure in BACKING it again. I think it's a great piece of writing which should get to the top of the greasy pole. Good luck with your writing and you're on my shelf for as long as you wish..

Frank James (The Contractor)

Backed :0) x x x

Backed :0) x x x

Sue,
You certainly have an interesting cast of characters brought together in Knowing Liam Riley. I read your first chapter about Joanna's unfortunate experience involving getting stuck in the mud. It reminded me of how frightened I was when I was more than a little stuck in the mud after a long rainstorm, but the people who found me were quite helpful and the worst part was having to clean up afterwards. You describe things very well in your narrative which makes it a pleasure to read. I've rated Knowing Liam Riley with six stars.

Walden Carrington
Titanic: Rose Dawson's Story

Sue, this was an engaging first chapter. I usually don't like first chapters that are all narrative , but there is something so captivating about this one. Johanna is a typical little girl who demonstrates how easy it is for little girls to get into trouble. You've described her feelings vividly and left us with a great hook at chapter's end. This is one book where I may read more. Well done.

I would ask, if you have a chance, to check a chapter or two of my book, A PLACE IN LIFE. I'd be very interested in your first impression.

All the best.

Old Bob
A PLACE IN LIFE

I read the first three chapters of KNOWING LIAM RILEY. You paint excellent characters. I particularly like Joanna, especially as a small child in the beginning of the first chapter. After three chapters, I don't really know where the book is going (and I intentionally did not read the pitch). Nonetheless, I enjoy the read because the characters and descriptions are well done. I noticed a couple of nits: in ch.2 you wrote, "a knack of accessorising" but it seems to me that it should be "a knack for accessorising" (however, I recognize that may be a regional issue). In ch.3, you use the word "absentmindedly" twice in a short space. There are also several typos in Ch. 3 (e.g., "Mikes here" instead of "Mike's here"; "Great it stinks" instead of "Great; it stinks"; "Your right it does stink" instead of "You're right; it does stink"" "Can you imagine what they're going through?" instead of "can you imagine what they're going through."; "but there was never anywhere too run" instead of "but there was never anywhere to run"). Likewise, the chapter contains several comma splices and run on sentences. Indeed, I love the first chapter; the second chapter was good, and I got distracted by all the mistakes in the third chapter. Notwithstanding, I enjoy the prose and the dialogue is believable. Keep up the fine work with this project.

Best,

Rob

very well written. one nit- you describe him removing her socks twice. not sure about your last line- sseems a little too melodramatic and at odds with the rest of the chapter's tone.

katie thanks so much your brilliant 506 people have read and commented and you are the only one who noticed the socks thing twice thank you I will amend later. With regard to the last line it has to be dark and menacing as thats the setting for her life and her story.
Mqany thanks
Sue

very well written. one nit- you describe him removing her socks twice. not sure about your last line- sseems a little too melodramatic and at odds with the rest of the chapter's tone.

I'm impressed by your electronic hug. I would like to swap a read with you. Let me know what you think of "Just Out of Sight". I will get back to you soon.
Bandof1 (Craig)

I don't think I can add anything extra to the comments you have already received. This is clearly a detailed piece - engaging and admirable. An interesting saga unfolding from the pitch. I wish you much success with this,

OK, I doubt that I can comment properly on the higher level of plot since I am not used to this genre, having assiduously avoided it. So I’ll start by looking at the writing. One important rule is to avoid unnecessary words. Wordiness is something we all suffer from because we write slowly and the ideas come out one by one. I use the same trick many people use. I put the text away for a while and try to come to it fresh, as if it wasn’t mine. Then I read it out loud. Properly out loud, with inflections as indicated by punctuation. That’s when I notice, for example, word repeats. Using a word makes it easily ‘available’ to the brain so the chances are that we will use that word again very soon as we write. We also explain more than we need. Readers ‘get things’ from multiple clues, so we don’t always need to explain in great detail. Making the reader do this work draws them in further. So, your first paragraph:
“Pocket money was a hard thing to come by. At eight years old Joanna became quite clever at finding ways of making or saving extra money. She did this in secret, her parents blissfully unaware of their budding entrepreneur.”

My suggestions (and that’s all they are):
‘Pocket money was hard to come by. Still only eight Joanna had become quite clever at secretly finding ways of making or saving extra. Her parents were blissfully unaware of the budding entrepreneurial behaviour.”

And unnecessary explanation can be dropped also. For e.g. in para 5 the phrase ‘Too late to go back…’ is completely unnecessary and actually confusing.

Now, cultural references. They’re tricky. Especially when like, me you are writing about a remote time period (far future for me, ancient history for you! Don’t worry, I remember the fifties. Oh God.). So, ‘R Whites’? I can taste it now. But could younger people? What about our American friends? And you need to signal the meaning behind the collection. People haven’t paid bottle deposits for years so youngsters just won’t get it. The word ‘deposit’ or some such will need shoehorning in somewhere.

Finally, tense changes. ‘She’d taken her chance; pushing swiftly past him she ran through the open door.’ She had run.

Characterizations are fine. I recognized these people immediately. Helps that I share you cultural knowledge, as I said, but I think they stand.

I’m not sure I can comment further at this stage. And it’s my lunch time.

Nitpicks (feel free to ignore ANYTHING!):
How Joanna got stuck in the mud seems a little unclear. There’s only the ambiguous, “She was almost halfway across when she found herself unable to move any further.” Maybe add something about how she stepped into a mud bog with a loud squelch; anything to alert the reader that ALERT ALERT JOANNA IS IN THE MUD! JOANNA IS IN THE MUD! :)

“A cowman,” not THE cowman. We don’t know this cowman yet, therefore he is only A cowman, not THE cowman.

Shouldn’t Joanna say something as the cowman is carrying her? Like, “What are you doing?” or, (as a scared and confused child), “Put me down!”

Also, maybe you should pick up the story right when Joanna is stuck in the mud. This would start the story right in the action.
----

All in all I think you’ve done a great job writing this, and the pitch is compelling! Can’t wait to read more, EZ

I love the way your characters interweave and you describe the scenes so well, with a strong voice. Once I started I found it very hard to stop reading.
I've backed it and star-rated it.
Gill

Like it! Only read a trickle of this so far but like the straightforward, elegant writing. Happily backed and on me bookshelf, Sue. All the best with this book. Deffo can see it published. Will read more next week (got gallons of back reading to do, argh!). Ceeds

Hey Sue... I've been gone a little while...sorry. With the new ranking system, i felt lost in the abyss of words and titles. I have added you back to my bookshelf, WHERE YOU BELONG! I love that you are moving on up in the ranks... kudos! :)
Karen

This is an excellent and virtually flawless piece of writing, Sue. Well done. I really enjoyed it and was amazed how quickly I was drawn into the lives of your characters. Apart from the strong characterisation I also appreciated the wide variety of action and drama in your novel: from the sickening abuse to the storm at sea. The pace moved swiftly and flawlessly.
Backed with pleasure.
Susanna
'Catching the Eagle'

Knowing Liam Riley

You paint a vivid picture with a unique and utterly compelling style of writing that captures the readers imagination. I am sure that everyone who has read this are captivated.

Jane
'Breath in the Dark '

Sue,

This is an excellent tale, well told. I was hooked into the story from the first chapter and now beginning six. Characters unfold throughout the story and are well developed. Will read the remainder when I buy it iln Waterstones!

Cheers
Best luck,
BobbeeKali's Daughters



1

This book moves seamlessly and swiftly. The storytelling is fantastic. It is extremely well written and does not disappoint. A strong cast of characters and vivid scenes of abuse. It is both intriguing and haunting. Starred and backed. I loved it! Claire ~ Chasing Pharaohs

If you would like to swap read mines Dragonslayers _Debbie Kirts

Sue
Its a pleasure to return to read 'Knowing Liam Riley ' You are able to conjure up the atmosphere and vivid imagery with your very talented writing.
I have rated you with 6 stars.
Paul

There's a lot that's good about this. The harrowing scene of sexual abuse is well described . A few nitpicks. 'Blissfully unaware' is a pet hate of mine, but in the context may even be absoutely correct, so yah boo sucks to me and my opinions.
I think the description of Giles could go somewhere else-too much of a quick pen picture. A good five stars though.

I like it You tell it well and Give us an appreciation of what a young girl feels about her abusers. Seemingly small in nature the actions are nevertheless arousing to an abuser and the danger is that they take it one step further at a time until the abuse becomes rape. I am sure that your account of the farm hand and the gate keeper are pretty common types these days.and unfortunately far too many get away with it. You put us into the mind of a young girl and a woman who has had this sortof abuse. and the difficulties that they experience in trying to put it behind them and get on with life. Well done. I have no hesitation in backing this book.and rating it.

Peculier

Colt author of 'Billy'

Hi Sue, thx so much for your excellent comments. the repetition in the prologue is intentional as it's written more as a prose poem -- i've had to move Knowing Liam Riley to my watch-list as I have promised other people shelf-time but I am going to put your book back there as soon as I can -- I actually woke up this morning thinking about the creepy farmer in your book so your characters and work definetly resound! well done. k x