Authors who got the job done, despite the odds
When I ghostwrite a book, coach a student or represent an individual as an agent, just occasionally I stumble upon an author who, to use a cliche, takes my breath away. It is difficult enough to write a book and become a published author without any obstacles being placed in the way, but when barriers and obstacles are thrown at the writer from the outset, just completing a first draft is an acheivement in itself. I tell all my authors that once they have finished the book, that's the point where the real hard work begins.
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The authors you see below are what I call my superstars, authors who have overcome immense personal trauma in bringing their book to the world.
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If you are a documentary / movie producer or director, each of the incredible true stories detailed below are available to be optioned.
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Please contact me direct. kenscottbooks@gmail.com
Shannon
Clifton
Already a bestseller in several Amazon categories, Shannon Clifton has waived her right to anonymity in this highly acclaimed, dark but deeply inspiring book. Raped by her father from age six and pregnant at eleven and again at thirteen, he kidnapped her and went on the run as the net eventually closed in around him. Shannon's story is not an easy read; she goes into graphic detail about her sexual, physical and mental abuse, which included being burned with an iron, hit with a hammer and even stabbed. Her father told her,"it was something all fathers do with their daughters," and for a time she believed him. Shannon wrote this book to start making sense of her childhood and is currently studying towards a degree in Forensic Psychology to help understand what makes people evil. "It was a painful journey," she explains, “but it was worth it because I want to help others who have been through similar experiences."
A bestselling author who can proudly boast nearly 2,000 Amazon reviews. Jessica's dysfuntional upbringing at the hands of her alcoholic mother, took a horrific turn when she introduced her family to her new boyfriend, a convicted paedophile.
Jessica was immediately plunged into years of imaginable abuse, raped, and handed around a paedophile ring, images and videos posted to the dark web.
Jessica's story is more than an inspiration, a true story of courage. When she hit the bottom there was only one direction in which to go.
Jessica has recently found her own charity and has changed the world for the better, reaching out and helping other boys and girls who have gone through similar traumas.
Kevin Lane
It is some years since I visisted Kevin Lane in a high security prison in Hull. It takes courage and determination to write a book from a prison cell while trying to clear your name for a crime you didn't commit.
I couldn't help being moved by Kevin's sincerety and optimism as he fought the establishment for the justice he so richly deserved.
Read Kevin's own words of the mental torture he endured, serving over twenty years in prison. Unravel the treachery and see for yourself the injustice that one man has to suffer at the hands of the corrupt justice system.
I have written a screenplay relating to Kevin's extraordinary story, surely the next Shawshank Redemption.
Jill Owens
Jill Owens has been tipped for big things, in the words of her new publisher, 'a natural writer, destined for the very top.'
In this, her first autobiographical book, she details her treatment at the hands of the Policemen at the top of her corrupt force, a 'big boys club', a force she had given seventeen years of her life to. Her story is unusual to say the least. She had passed her Sergeants exam, flying through the ranks and life couldn't be better. Well respected and efficient and then more good news, she was pregnant, everything her and her partner had dreamed of. What could possibly go wrong?
A telephone call, a man in custody, an armed bank robbery and a shoot out with police. And then, as the caller continued, her whole world tipped upside down. The armed robber in custody was her partner. Surely there must be some mistake?
Karen Slater
Karen Slater is from Newcastle upon Tyne, her writing style is already being compared to Frank McCourt, (Angela's Ashes.) A brutally frank memoir of a young life with abusive parents and the consequences thereafter.
Karen is a recovered alcoholic who now makes it her life's mission to tell her story to others in order to help and prevent people from walking her pathway.
Debbie Twelves
Based on her own true story, Debbie Twelves takes the reader through a tale which is stranger than fiction and at times, almost hard to believe.
Happily married for twenty years to a successful businessman, the dutiful wife opens an email one day, to a ludicrous claim by an alleged love rival. The mail states her husband is in a relationship with her and he has a daughter aged nine. It knocks the wind out of her sails but surely it can't be true. Worse news follows as the sender casually drops in that her husband has another two 'wives' and more offspring and the jet-set lifestyle he has been living for years has been a complete sham. The scorned woman turns amateur sleuth and finds that the claims are correct. A bitter divorce, a bankruptcy and the ultimate revenge follows.
B.P. Kennedy
It was a joy to work with B.P. Kennedy during the course of 2018. As a great fan of John Grisham I am intrigued by the minefield of the sometimes unfair legal system and in particular the games that Lawyers and Barristers play on a daily basis. It was a real pleasure to jump into the courtroom with this lady who took on the establishment single handed after a disastrous experience with her unscrupulous lawyer. As always, a story has to tick all the boxes and the first thing I do with all potential books is to ask my subject to relay their story. I sat captivated as Ms Kennedy told her heartbreaking tale of an idyllic family life, discovering her husbands affair and a betrayal as he walked out on his family after twenty three years of marriage. She was pitched into a legal fight that she wanted no part of and then discovered her husband's hidden millions. There was light at the end of the tunnel, after all she was relying on good old fashioned British justice and surely nothing could go wrong? She didn't want the earth, didn't want to take her husband 'to the cleaners,' she just wanted an equal share of the enormous wealth he had built up during their long marriage. But in court his lawyers and barristers schemed, plotted and lied throughout. Initially Ms Kennedy wasn't over worried. Surely the experienced, long standing and well respected Judge would see through their smokescreen. The book was published in 2018 and I am proud to announce that Ms Kennedy enjoyed the experience so much she started book two at the end of last year.
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