Tag Archives: Australia

Were Starving Irishmen Put In Prison For Stealing Food?

Soul of the Beast takes place in 1886 during the time of the British Empire. At the time, many Irishmen were convicted of the same felony. Their crime? Stealing food to feed their starving families. For punishment, they were sent to the penal colony in Australia. Below are excerpts from an online article on the subject by Independent Australia. You can read the article by clicking on the link.

In the early [1800's], …Australia became the first [British] colony to build a society [based] on the labour of convicted felons…Between 1787 and 1852, more than 150,000 convicts were transported to eastern Australia … around 50,000 prisoners being of Irish origin… minor thefts [like stealing food to survive were the predominant reasons for the Irish convictions]… Continue reading →

What is the British Empire?

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WHAT IS THE BRITISH EMPIRE?

The British Empire is the world of Soul of the Beast, and the greatest empire on earth in its day . Below are excerpts from an online article about the empire from New World Encyclopedia. Click the link to read the full article.

The British Empire is the most extensive empire in world history and for a time was the foremost global power. …By 1921, the British Empire ruled a population of [approximately 500] million people… one-quarter of the world’s population. It covered about 14.3 million square miles [which is], about a quarter of Earth‘s total land area. …The British Empire was… “the empire on which the sun never sets” …[because] the empire’s span across the globe ensured that the sun was always shining on at least one of its numerous colonies.

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Background: John Sexton, His Curse, His Mates

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John Sexton is a central character of Soul of the Beast and the person who tells the story. He was born into an aristocratic British family and grew up with all the benefits of wealth and social status. His life was perfect until the Curse began.

The Curse. One by one, the adult men of the Sexton family die mysteriously. After the last Sexton adult man dies, the sons die on the first day of their eighteenth year. John Sexton is the next to turn eighteen. With his doom just months away, John attempts to escape his fate by sailing to South Africa and hiding among the gold fields.

David is John’s mate and the son of a poor South African farmer. He has a claim in the gold fields near John’s. When miners attempt to kill John, David fights them off and saves John’s life. The two become mates and work their claims together. When John sails to Australia, David goes along to protect him.

Mick Kelly is another of John’s mates. He is the son of an Irish convict sentenced to ten years of forced labor in Australia. Mick’s mother and father both die, and he is forced to live on the streets of Derby. Mick teaches himself to read and, with his street smarts, becomes a reporter for the local newspaper. Mick says, “A good reporter knows where the bodies are buried.”

Want to know more background to Soul of the Beast? Post your questions and comments below. I’m ready to answer any questions you have about the book.

WHY I WROTE SOUL OF THE BEAST

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The Soul of the Beast there is an ancient myth hidden in the Himalayan Mountains. For centuries, men have searched for the Soul believing that it will give them powers and eternal life to its possessor. John Sexton’s grandfather finds the key to finding the Soul. He gives the key to John to keep it from an assassin cult. The assassins murder the grandfather and pursue John and his mates to kill them and take the key and the Soul’s powers for themselves. John and his mates are in a race for their lives that takes them across continents. Neither John nor the assassins realize their every move is controlled and part of a war between unseen forces.

I wrote SOUL OF THE BEAST because of the high numbers of teens, and adults, who can’t read or read poorly. That has always bothered me. Then came the day when I walked through the Young Adult section of a bookstore. The main shelves were filled with comics in paperback form with meaningless stories and quick art meant for mass production. Solid fiction like Treasure Island, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter was relegated to side shelves where it was harder to see and find.
That’s when I decided to write an adventure thriller to grab the attention of poor and non readers and keep them reading.

If Soul of the Beast is something you’re interested in reading or giving as a gift, you can buy it online in both paperback and ebook. Simply click Amazon.com .

Still not sure you’d like it? You can read the first chapter for free. Simply go to my website, wesphelan.com, Click on Soul of the Beast Excerpt . (It’s below the main banner with the dragon at the top of the page.) Read the first ten pages. If that doesn’t capture your interest, then thanks for looking. I’m betting you’ll want more.

Welcome to the Home of the Beasts!

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Welcome to my book blog and the website for my novel Soul Of The Beast . I’m Wes Phelan, the author.

Soul Of The Beast was first published by Clemson University Digital press. You can purchase the book through them by clicking the following link: www.clemson.edu/cedp/cudp/pubs/phelan/index.html.

Soul Of The Beast has also been published by Amazon.com in both paper back and ebook. To purchase Soul Of The Beast, click the link below: http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Beast-Wes-Phelan-ebook/dp/B00FT4PYOE/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1382412928&sr=8-10&keywords=soul+of+the+beast

Blogs about the book and related topics are published weekly at this website. http://wes.phelan.com

Awakening The Beast, the sequel to Soul Of The Beast and the second part of the saga, is d currently in the editing phase. I expect it to be published in the spring of 2015. The sequel will address many of the mysteries left unexplained in Soul Of The Beast, and reveal more mysteries that will make ATB another fascinating read.

In the more distant future, I intend to dust off and publish my first novel, Medicus Studentus: Chronicles Of Underwoood. This is a totally different story about the real and not-so-real life of a reluctant medical student.

If you enjoyed Soul Of The Beast, please tell your friends. Let them know they can read the first chapter of the book for FREE on this website! Simply click SOUL OF THE BEAST EXCERPT in the bar beneath the red banner.

Zhong rules! Go Tigers!

If you have any comments or questions, you can post them below. I’d like to hear from you!

World of the Beasts: A peek behind the curtain.

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World of the Beasts: A peek behind the curtain.

The events in Soul Of The Beast and Awakening The Beast are part of an invisible, infinite war in the spiritual realm. The war is between what is best described as Good and Evil. Our world is the physical battleground of this war, and the outcome here is critical to the war’s final outcome. Unknown to them, John, Mick and Zhong are chess pieces used by Good to fight in the physical realm. And moving through it all, the physical and the spiritual, the good and the eveil is the mysterious Destiny.

To say more would reveal secrets meant for the reader to discover on his own. Hopefully this has sparked your interest, and you’re ready to read the first chapter of Soul Of The Beast.

To read the first chapter, simply click SOUL OF THE BEAST EXCERPT in the bar beneath the title banner. It’s free!

Zhong rules!