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Award-Winning Author/Artist Steve Shear!
The Vase of Many Colors by Steve Shear.
The Vase of Many Colors explores the orthodoxic ills in Western Religions in ways that tap into the emotions of ordinary readers looking for serious and important content while at the same time wanting a truly exciting story. To achieve all this, the novel utilizes three distinct parts in which first-person accounts describe the journey of Ira Neebest from birth until he returns from the jungles of India after being kidnapped by ISIS and the Iranian Ayatollah for writing The First Coming, a Nobel Prize winning novel about the evils of religious orthodoxy.
The first part (Book One) portrays Ira’s parents and their love affair made in heaven… if only they were left alone to relish it. It also portrays their family, religious Jews on Ira’s maternal side and devout atheists on his paternal side. That in and by itself makes for serious conflicts, but that’s the least of it. When Rebecca, Ira’s mother, becomes pregnant out of wedlock carrying Ira in her belly, all hell breaks loose. She is disowned by her father and despised by her mother-in-law. What happens to them reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, well at least Juliet. The second part (Book Two) revolves around Ira’s wife, Natalie who is born into a truly dysfunctional, poor Catholic family and abandoned at the age of ten. She is left at a Catholic boarding school, raped at the age of fifteen by a monk teaching there, and then accused of causing his demise. Much later she meets and falls in love with Ira at an art studio in Florence, Italy. She cannot imagine what is to follow, nor can the reader. The third part (Book Three) describes Ira’s remarkable journey including his own book, The First Coming, and the trouble it causes him and Natalie. He is shot, kidnapped by Iranian extremists’ intent on beheading him; he is left to die in the Indian jungle where he confronts a giant white tiger and other creatures during his fits of delusion. Or maybe not a delusion? In the meantime, Natalie is poisoned by the same extremists and remains in a coma.
All of this between the front cover that displays the very vase of many colors and the back cover that quotes one of the many 5 Star reviews this novel has received thus far.
5 Stars: The life and times of Ira Neebest!
This is a review of ‘The Vase of Many Colors’ by Steve Shear. It is a triadic NOVELization exploring the orthodoxic ills in Western Religions and utilizes three distinct parts in which first-person accounts describe the journey of Ira Neebest from birth until he returns from the jungles of India after being kidnapped by ISIS and the Iranian Ayatollah for writing a Nobel Prize winning novel about the evils of religious orthodoxy (The First Coming). On this journey we first learn about Rebecca, Ira’s mother, who is constantly doing battle with guilt driving forces in her own Hasidic background as she runs from a marriage arranged by her Hasidic father into the arms of a devout atheist (An Eye for an Eye). And we love Natalie, Ira’s wife, who as a child is abandoned by her parents at a Catholic boarding school but grows up to be an outstanding portrait artist and a pawn used by ISIS to capture Ira (Black Hearts & and Hungry Bears).
Each of the three books can be purchased separately or in a single volume. I gave each of these three stand-alone books a 5 Star review as they became available which means that the triadic volume receives a 5 Star review.
Let me first revisit my 5 Star review for ‘An Eye for an Eye’. Author Steve Shear skillfully brings the reader into this book of ‘The Vase of Many Colors’ with a strong ‘Prologue’ set on July 4, 1973 in New York City. After stalking a rabbi and meeting him face to face, a Stranger passes a newsstand and catches a quick glimpse of the headline Jerusalem Rabbi is found dead in his hotel room. Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and Salman Rushdie’s ‘The Satanic Verses’ zero in on the ills of religious orthodoxy and extreme ideology. Author Steve Shear approaches the same age-old questions with imagery, personal relationships, and consequences affecting his characters in ways that melt from the page onto the reader’s lap.
The characters are vivid and the story well written. The underlying conflicts are as old as humanity, as two young people try to come to terms with family structure, with religious and non-religious indoctrination resulting in the physical, emotional, and spiritual pain of seen and perceived hypocrisy, and with the death trap of fear, guilt, and revenge.
In 5 Star ‘Black Hearts & Hungry Bears’, you will meet Ira’s wife Natalie, her friend Sam, and her grandfather Harry. The meat of the story centers around Natalie’s confrontation with the Catholic Church, and Sam’s also. Their stories, while similar and different, are raw and challenging, and they will test your intelligence. And they may provoke religious conflict in your predetermined mindset. Much of this is told by Natalie after she finds herself in a semi-conscious state, all because she was poisoned by ISIS in order to kidnap Ira. Snippets of time race through her mind like a movie on fast forward and rewind, her abuse by a Catholic priest, her growing friendship with Sam, and her trial after being accuses of murdering the priest.
The Third 5 Star book in this triad is ‘The First Coming’. It is there that the reader learns all about Ira, his own novel, how difficult it is getting published, and the anguish it causes him and Natalie. We also learn how he is abducted and what happens to him in the Jungles of India after the plane he is on crashes, a plane carrying him to ISIS country for a public beheading. It is also in this book that we come to know the elderly Soma Nole, an enigma who is clearly more than she claims to be.
All in all, I highly recommend ‘The Vase of Many Colors’.
Editorial Review (Book Marketing Global Network).
Product Details:
Volume of Three Books in the ‘The Vase of Many Colors’ Series
Paperback: 740 Pages
Publisher: Catalina Sun Press: 2nd Edition (January 15, 2022)
Language: English
Fiction (Literary)
Amazon Print:
https://www.amazon.com/Vase-Many-Colors-Steve-Shear/dp/168489509X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
The First Coming: The Vase of Many Colors by Steve Shear.
The Vase of Many Colors Books I, II, and III explore the orthodoxic ills in Western Religions in a way that taps into the emotions of ordinary readers looking for serious and important content while at the same time wanting a truly exciting story. To achieve this, it utilizes three distinct parts in which first-person accounts describe the journey of Ira Neebest from birth until he returns from the jungles of India after being kidnapped by ISIS and the Iranian Ayatollah for writing The First Coming, a Nobel Prize winning novel about the evils of religious orthodoxy.
The first part, An Eye for an Eye, (Book I) portrays Ira’s parents and their love affair made in heaven… if only they were left alone to relish it. It also portrays their family, religious Jews on Ira’s maternal side and devout atheists on his paternal side. That in and by itself makes for serious conflicts, but that’s the least of it. When Rebecca, Ira’s mother, becomes pregnant out of wedlock carrying Ira in her belly, all hell breaks loose. She is disowned by her father and despised by her mother-in-law. What happens to them reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, well at least Juliet. The second part, Black Hearts & Hungry Bears, (Book II) revolves around Ira’s wife, Natalie who was born into a truly dysfunctional, poor Catholic family and abandoned at the age of ten. She was left at a Catholic boarding school, raped at the age of fifteen by monk teaching there, and then accused of causing his demise. Much later she met and fell in love with Ira at an art studio in Florence, Italy. She could not have imagined what was to follow. The third part, The First Coming, (Book III) describes Ira’s remarkable journey including his own book, The First Coming, and the trouble it caused him and Natalie. He was shot, kidnapped by Iranian extremists’ intent on beheading him; he was left to die in the Indian jungle where he confronted a giant white tiger and other creatures during his fits of delusion. In the meantime, Natalie was poisoned by the same extremists and remained in a coma.
All of this between the front cover that displays the very vase of many colors and the back cover that quotes several 5 Star reviews.
Product Details:
Book Three in the ‘The Vase of Many Colors’ Series
Paperback: 314 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published (January 28, 2022)
Language: English
Fiction (Literary)
Amazon Print:
https://www.amazon.com/First-Coming-Vase-Many-Colors/dp/B09RFVNQGF/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Black Hearts & Hungry Bears: The Vase of Many Colors by Steve Shear.
The Vase of Many Colors Books I, II, and III explore the orthodoxic ills in Western Religions in a way that taps into the emotions of ordinary readers looking for serious and important content while at the same time wanting a truly exciting story. To achieve this, it utilizes three distinct parts in which first-person accounts describe the journey of Ira Neebest from birth until he returns from the jungles of India after being kidnapped by ISIS and the Iranian Ayatollah for writing The First Coming, a Nobel Prize winning novel about the evils of religious orthodoxy.
The first part, An Eye for an Eye, (Book I) portrays Ira’s parents and their love affair made in heaven… if only they were left alone to relish it. It also portrays their family, religious Jews on Ira’s maternal side and devout atheists on his paternal side. That in and by itself makes for serious conflicts, but that’s the least of it. When Rebecca, Ira’s mother, becomes pregnant out of wedlock carrying Ira in her belly, all hell breaks loose. She is disowned by her father and despised by her mother-in-law. What happens to them reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, well at least Juliet. The second part, Black Hearts & Hungry Bears, (Book II) revolves around Ira’s wife, Natalie who was born into a truly dysfunctional, poor Catholic family and abandoned at the age of ten. She was left at a Catholic boarding school, raped at the age of fifteen by monk teaching there, and then accused of causing his demise. Much later she met and fell in love with Ira at an art studio in Florence, Italy. She could not have imagined what was to follow. The third part, The First Coming, (Book III) describes Ira’s remarkable journey including his own book, The First Coming, and the trouble it caused him and Natalie. He was shot, kidnapped by Iranian extremists’ intent on beheading him; he was left to die in the Indian jungle where he confronted a giant white tiger and other creatures during his fits of delusion. In the meantime, Natalie was poisoned by the same extremists and remained in a coma.
All of this between the front cover that displays the very vase of many colors and the back cover that quotes several 5 Star reviews.
5 Stars: Raw, challenging, and it will test your intelligence!
For those of us who read Author Steve Shear’s ‘The Vase of Many Colors’: An Eye for an Eye, we have waited patiently for book two, ‘The Vase of Many Colors’ Book Two Black Hearts & Hungry Bears. I encourage you to read book one, but you can jump in at any time. In book one, the family Rabbi instills and enforces doctrine, morality and commandments, it is the fear and guilt that either glues or unglued Rebecca. The results of extreme control (physically, mentally and spiritually proves devastating).
Steve Shear’s main character Ira Neebest tells his family’s story in uncompromising honesty. This is a story that centers around Ira’s parents, grandparents, and his mother Rebecca’s aunt and uncle. You will also meet Ira’s wife Natalie, her friend Sam, and her grandfather Harry. The meat of the story centers around Ira, Natalie, and friend Soma. The story you are about to read is raw, challenging, and it will test your intelligence, and may provoke religious conflict in your predetermined mindset.
As with book one, the author sets up each chapter with the main character’s name. Chapter one opens when Natalie finds herself in a semi-conscious state. Snippets of time race through her mind like a movie on fast forward.
Chapter Two finds Sam watching the New York Knicks play the Boston Celtics when the game was interrupted by a News Flash. Ira Neebest had been kidnapped under the watchful eyes of the FBI.
Meet Catherine who wanted to be a famous lady boxer, because she wanted to be with boys playing baseball, soccer, and hockey. That was long before she realized how corrupt and violent boys…men could be.
I invite you to read this first-person account, detailing Ira Neebest life, from birth until he returns from the jungles of India after being kidnapped by ISIS and the Iranian Ayatollah for writing a Nobel Prize winning novel about the evils of religious orthodoxy (Ira Neebest and The First Coming).
It is Natalie’s restless comatose state that engages the reader in revisiting the most hellish events in her life, like her great venture into the legal system from the wrong side of the bench. I quote Natalie:
“I’ve never been in a courtroom,” I remember telling Sam once again as we entered the courthouse along with half the town of Montpelier. Some of the residents were patting me on the back, wishing me luck; others whispered words of hate. I started to sit in the peanut gallery when Totentanz came out of nowhere. Then the judge, Dante, God damn it! He yelled at me. “In front, little lady, where you belong,” he hollered. “Counselor, please look after the defendant. She may not be with us very long.”
I invite you to read ‘The Vase of Many Colors’: Black Hearts & Hungry Bears (Book Two) and ‘The Vase of Many Colors’: An Eye for an Eye (Book One) as we patiently wait for ‘The Vase of Many Colors’: Ira Neebest and The First Coming (Book Three).
I personally enjoy Author Steve Shear’s writing style and storytelling, as he takes his readers into the life of Ira Neebest. All his characters are vivid, relatable and remember-able.
Editorial Review (Book Marketing Global Network).
Product Details:
Book Two in the ‘The Vase of Many Colors’ Series
Paperback: 265 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published (January 27, 2022)
Language: English
Fiction (Literary)
Amazon Print:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RM8GB8V/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09RGHRXHQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i5
An Eye for an Eye: The Vase of Many Colors by Steve Shear.
The Vase of Many Colors Books I, II, and III explore the orthodoxic ills in Western Religions in a way that taps into the emotions of ordinary readers looking for serious and important content while at the same time wanting a truly exciting story. To achieve this, it utilizes three distinct parts in which first-person accounts describe the journey of Ira Neebest from birth until he returns from the jungles of India after being kidnapped by ISIS and the Iranian Ayatollah for writing The First Coming, a Nobel Prize winning novel about the evils of religious orthodoxy.
The first part, An Eye for an Eye, (Book I) portrays Ira’s parents and their love affair made in heaven… if only they were left alone to relish it. It also portrays their family, religious Jews on Ira’s maternal side and devout atheists on his paternal side. That in and by itself makes for serious conflicts, but that’s the least of it. When Rebecca, Ira’s mother, becomes pregnant out of wedlock carrying Ira in her belly, all hell breaks loose. She is disowned by her father and despised by her mother-in-law. What happens to them reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, well at least Juliet. The second part, Black Hearts & Hungry Bears, (Book II) revolves around Ira’s wife, Natalie who was born into a truly dysfunctional, poor Catholic family and abandoned at the age of ten. She was left at a Catholic boarding school, raped at the age of fifteen by monk teaching there, and then accused of causing his demise. Much later she met and fell in love with Ira at an art studio in Florence, Italy. She could not have imagined what was to follow. The third part, The First Coming, (Book III) describes Ira’s remarkable journey including his own book, The First Coming, and the trouble it caused him and Natalie. He was shot, kidnapped by Iranian extremists’ intent on beheading him; he was left to die in the Indian jungle where he confronted a giant white tiger and other creatures during his fits of delusion. In the meantime, Natalie was poisoned by the same extremists and remained in a coma.
All of this between the front cover that displays the very vase of many colors and the back cover that quotes several 5 Star reviews.
5 Stars: Underlying conflicts are as old as humanity!
Author Steve Shear skillfully brings the reader into ‘‘The Vase of Many Colors’: An Eye for an Eye Book One’ with a strong ‘Prologue’ set on July 4, 1973 in New York City. A stranger passes the newsstand to catch a quick glimpse if the headline “Jerusalem Rabbi is found dead in in his hotel room”.
The author sets up each chapter with the main character’s name, date and location.
I quickly identified with his main character Rebecca. With a strong Jewish name, a father whose family dominance is driven by his Jewish Orthodoxy who rules with a harsh hand driving his daughter to question her faith and go in search of her own truth, even if this means hiding a copy of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and listening to Elvis Presley on her radio.
Leonard an Episcopalian by birth, (his parents both professors at Amherst, Massachusetts) struggles with his own Identity and restrictions formed by his beliefs system from infancy, now clash with college culture and his own atheist leanings.
Hlomo Schoenfeld is studying to become a Rabbi and is stunned when his arranged wife to be, Rebecca, shunned his proposal in late spring of 1956 in Jerusalem.
Morris Goldshein is uncle to Rebecca and makes annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem from St. Louis. Although he is not her favorite uncle, she is his favorite niece. He is impressed with Rebecca’s spirit of independence. Morris along with Rebecca’s Aunt Esther, will champion her throughout her life.
The stage is set, Leonard leaves Amherst for Washington University in St. Louis in the early fall of 1956 and Rebecca leaves Jerusalem in the winter of 1956 for St. Louis to live with Uncle Morris and Aunt Esther in America.
The family Rabbi instills and enforces doctrine, morality and commandments, it is the fear and guilt that either glues or unglued Rebecca. The results of extreme control (physically, mentally and spiritually proves devastating.
I quote from Rebecca’s Aunt Esther (in St Louis) (Chapter 21): “Metaphorically speaking, I felt as if I were caught between the jaws of an emotional vise given the situation· now facing me, the situation of my own making, the situation in which Rebecca blamed herself for the death of her parents and siblings. On the one hand, I thanked God every day for having my niece’s love and friendship, not to mention the love and friendship of Leonard and Ira, Ira most of all. On the other hand, I uprooted Rebecca. I introduced her to Leonard. I championed the environment that promoted their relationship. I was the one who set into motion a runaway locomotive that I should have known would derail and crash into a chasm of unrelenting guilt. But never in my wildest nightmares did I contemplate the breadth of that chasm or its impenetrable depth.”
The characters are vivid and the story well written. The underlying conflicts are as old as humanity, as young people try to come to terms with their family structure, religious or non-religious indoctrination, resulting in the physical, emotional and spiritual pain of seen or perceived hypocrisy and the death trap of fear, guilt and yes, revenge (‘Eye for An Eye’) that extends to generation and must be revisited.
Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and Salman Rushdie’s ‘The Satanic Verses’ zero in on the ills of religious orthodoxy and extreme ideology. Author Steve Shear’s approach to the same age-old questions, brings the imagery and personal relationships, and consequences that affects his characters right onto the page for his readers to arise at their own conclusions.
Editorial Review (Book Marketing Global Network).
Product Details:
Book One in the ‘The Vase of Many Colors’ Series
Paperback: 301 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published (January 27, 2022)
Language: English
Fiction (Literary)
Amazon Print:
https://www.amazon.com/Eye-Vase-Many-Colors/dp/B09RFY5J1M/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
The Fountain Of Youth by Steve Shear.
“Two generations of dementia are enough!”
Robert Glickman declares in his quest to die with dignity and the likelihood he will be next. To that end, he uses his grandson’s sixth grade quiz book, a locked away metal box, and a secret weapon that eventually comes back to haunt him.
In the meantime, he is embroiled in the lives of other residents: his neurotic sister, Essie who plots to steal his secret weapon for herself; beautiful Christina Abernathy, a retired psychotherapist he instantly falls in love with; Hester, a young server at the Fountain who suffers from progressive mutism; Boyle, a man of mystery with a questionable past for good or evil (Glickman isn’t sure which); and Boyle’s grandson, Santini, a troubled young man caught between the dope dealers he runs with and the FBI wanting to use him.
Will Glickman and Essie beat dementia? Can he win over Christina? And what about Hester, Boyle, and Boyle’s grandson?
5 Stars: Great compassion!
I found The Fountain Of Youth by Steve Shear most interesting because my grandparents managed a retirement home and nursing home. I grew up around these homes, associating with many of the older people who lived in both. When my father became disabled (car accident, my mother, father and I teenager) we moved into an apartment within the Retirement Home. I lived there until I graduated from high school and left home. This book brought back a lot of wonderful memories of the older people that I associated with in my youth. It also brought back memories of those I saw physically and mentally decline.
I love how the author draws the reader into the daily lives of the people who live at “The Fountain of Youth” and I love the title. As I said, I have already lived in an old folks’ home, so when I get old, I want to go to a young folks’ home. The colorful characters who reside at “The Foundation of Youth” bring with them their past experiences, their lifelong stories, their strong personalities, human emotions. They exhibit an ability to adjust to their surroundings as they fight to stay in control of their physical and mental health with full knowledge that the road ahead is not what anyone would want for themselves or anyone else.
Main character Robert Glickman is acutely aware of his genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. He has lost family and friends, and he refuses to go quietly into this physical and mental hell. Adding a little romance can’t hurt. Robert did his best to encourage others through reading to them. Here is a good quote from Robert: “As I dropped down to LL2, it occurred to me that I no longer considered the lowest floor as Hades or the River Styx and when the elevator doors opened it didn’t seem as hot and oppressive. It was certainly quiet however. I stepped into the lounge and stared at the couch where O’Reilly and I read Gatsby. I could still see the crowd of patients in wheelchairs, on walkers, and sitting uncomfortably in those same gray folding chairs everyone purchases from Costco… Patients! I referred to them as patients, not residents. The word rolled off my lips without a bit of concern. Maybe I was reconciling myself to the future. Never!”
You probably know someone or even care for a loved one who is struggling with one or more diseases that cause dementia. As researchers work hard to find cures for these diseases, it is our job to stay informed of the latest advances in medications and assistance for end of life. Although fiction, I think this author has addressed these issues well.
I give the book 5 stars because the author shows great compassion for those afflicted and this book addresses a difficult subject that affects missions of people, their family, friends and caregivers.
Editorial Review (Book Marketing Global Network).
Message From The Author: “When I was growing up, sharing a single bedroom with three brothers in a duplex on Dartmouth Avenue, my maternal grandmother, Mama, lived with us and had her own room. Often, she would babysit when our parents went out and we would play gin rummy, Mama and me. She cheated but I still won. Mama would also buy individual packets of sunflower seeds (we called them ‘polly’ seeds) from our uncle who lived upstairs. He was a pharmacist and even though she bought them wholesale, she sold them to us boys’ retail. Of course, we knew where she hid them so I’m afraid to say she got the short end of that deal. At the time I didn’t think she knew we were stealing them. At the time I was young and stupid.
When Mama was around nine-two my parents moved her to a nursing home. In those days you really didn’t want to visit a nursing home, but we did, every Sunday. During one visit, Mama introduced me to ‘Aunt’ Charlotte, her next-door neighbor at the home. “Mama,” I said, “She’s not my aunt.” But she stood her ground and insisted Charlotte was my aunt and I should greet her accordingly. Finally, while I was still arguing with her, she said, “Stevie, mit her money and no one to leave it to, she’s your aunt.” Again, I was young and stupid.
Thank the powers greater than us (if there are any), Mama did not live long in that nursing home (which she hated) and she died with the humor I grew up with. She was one of the reasons I wrote The Fountain of Youth.”
Review by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. A remarkably written story! Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2022. Verified Purchase. What a powerful, emotional, and remarkable story in The Fountain of Youth by Steve Shear. I am a big fan of this author! Whatever this author writes, I read. I love it when a Legacy author sends me more of their work! A family stuck with generations of dementia, and how it not just allows the one with it to suffer without dignity, but the family around them, dealing with the slow loss of their family member. There is always that fear that it will happen to them as well. And the words that resonated with me, were of a child after the loss of his mother, ““I will choose the time. I will choose the time. Not God or any power outside my control!” And “Fountain of Youth” is a senior living facility. Now, here is a tale that brings raw emotions, reminded this reader who lost a grandmother to dementia, and watching her suffer with memories of an abusive childhood. I get this story and see why it is so important for others to read it. There is a sense of not giving up, but continuing to life, and all its secrets. I find it interesting that Robert uses his son’s sixth grade quiz book, and it is important to him, but he keeps that his secret. And then, there are the other residents with Robert, and even rumors of one being a Nazi in hiding. I really enjoyed the read. The emotions and passion that was put into writing this, shows. A very impressively written story. The Fountain of Youth is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.
Review by Kindle Customer: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. A Story of Life, Love and Final Options. Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2017. Verified Purchase. There’s so much more I could say about The Fountain of Youth (the subplots, the personalities, the humor), but I’ll stick to the ethical issue for my comments. This novel should be required reading in legal, medical and sociology courses as our younger generation grapples with these ethical questions: Who defines quality of life? Do I have control over my own body in life and death? Should aid-in-dying be available to people with conditions that are not considered physically terminal?
Of course, the most rational answer to the question is that any mentally competent adult should have the right to receive aid-in-dying if facing what the patient considers to be debilitating and/or painful or prolonged mental or physical suffering like Essie and Robbie were confronting. Typically, illnesses like dementia, Alzheimer’s and especially Parkinson’s do not cause death which usually comes from a secondary condition like pneumonia or kidney failure or other complication.
Those who suffer from Alzheimer’s may not be in a physically terminal condition, but they are facing the loss of their personal identity. They are mentally and emotionally terminal. I thank The Fountain of Youth and its author for laying the groundwork for continued dialogue about the right-to-die movement and expanding the topic beyond the realm of physical terminal illness.
Product Details:
Paperback: 298 Pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (Last Rose Of Summer Rose) (May 19, 2017)
Language: English
Romance (Contemporary)
Amazon Print:
https://www.amazon.com/Fountain-Youth-Steve-Shear/dp/1509213899/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Customer Ratings:
https://www.amazon.com/Fountain-Youth-Steve-Shear/dp/1509213899/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8#customerReviews
The Click by Steve Shear.
In the distant future, all humans who reach the age of seventy-five experience the ‘Click’ and die.
It’s considered God’s chronological death sentence intended to prevent overpopulation. Narcissist, Oliver Hitchcock, who looks to be in his late fifties, is a retired C.I.A. operative, and handsome lady’s man. He is also one of the lucky ones, a Beater. At seventy-eight he beat the Click and the aging process.
His eleven-year-old grandson, Christopher, is not so lucky. The child is prematurely in the throes of the Click and will die within the year if Hitchcock can’t save him. As Christopher’s impending demise clicks louder and louder and precious time evaporates before Hitchcock’s eyes, he begins to unravel an ugly conspiracy and the truth about himself.
In order to move forward and save his grandson he must overcome his own ego, and quite possibly sacrifice his youthful appearance—even his life.
Review by Charles at SaddleBrooke Ranch Resort Community, AZ: 5.0 out of 5 Stars “The Click” – One of 3 Engaging Steve Shear Novel. Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2019. Verified Purchase. I met Steve Shear in 2014 playing pickleball at SaddleBrooke Resort Community, Tucson, AZ. Besides being an artist and playwright, he and his wife produced and directed 10 years of theatre at SaddleBrooke. I then learned he was an author. At Amazon I am aware that Steve has 3 published books (“The Trials of Adrian Wheeler,” “The Click” and “The Fountain of Youth”). I enjoyed each one, appreciating the three timely story lines. I like sci-fiction, so “The Click” was an engrossing action adventure looking at theocracy governance and population control impact. I think Steve is imaginative in his science concepts utilized by a world religion to “save” the earth from over population. For many years during my work life, I read in bed just before falling asleep. I continue to do so, but his 3 books found me reading at different times of the day, because I wanted to see what happened next. Excellent! Kudos to him.
Product Details:
Paperback: 272 Pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (October 24, 2018)
Language: English
Science Fiction (Action Adventure)
Amazon Print:
https://www.amazon.com/Click-Steve-Shear/dp/1509222766/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Customer Ratings:
https://www.amazon.com/Click-Steve-Shear/dp/1509222766/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=#customerReviews
The Trials Of Adrian Wheeler by Steve Shear.
Marine Private Adrian Wheeler, accused of murdering Iraqi women and children, arrived home to face nothing less than: An unrelenting father who cajoled him into enlisting, PTSD, sexual Inadequacy, a sensational court-martial trial, a sister with HIV. He returned from Baghdad and the Iraq war disabled and disillusioned an amputee with a bad knee. His brother, John Mike, didn’t return at all. Both participated in a reconnaissance mission seeking proof Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, WMDs, a mission that tragically failed, a mission in which innocent women and children died along with John Mike and other combatants.
As the sole survivor, Adrian carried the details of that trauma deep within his subconscious, and often drank himself unconscious in hopes of hiding from the visitors who came in his sleep; his domineering father, a retired Vietnam veteran, and Rachael, the girl he left behind. In his mental state and physical condition, he did everything he could to avoid her—and the couch they first made love on before he lost his arm. Just when he began taking control of his life, Adrian was charged with the murder of all those women and children. But did he, do it? Could it have been John Mike? Or possibly an insurgent?
Adrian’s only hope was to get beyond his trauma and recall the terrible secret buried deep within the cellar of his psyche. That required Rabinowitz (a psychotherapist specializing in PTSD) and Angelo Benedetti (a renowned court-martial defense lawyer) to help him remember—and to convince the court he was innocent—whether he was or not.
Message From The Author: “From the Author: When I started writing Adrian, the only thing I had in mind was a friend from my poetry critique group, a gentle soul with natural artistic creativity, who was ‘forced’ to join the Marines and fight in Vietnam for his country by his bombastic father. My friend had MS and other bad things after being exposed to Agent Orange. He died last year but not before he published several books of his poetry.
Actually, I had two other things in mind when I began thinking about Adrian. I had been against America invading Iraq and I blamed it on W, our president who made the decision to invade. I had just finished reading Vincent Bugliosi’s book The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, and I wondered how many soldiers regretted their decisions to join up in the first place, like my friend. I’m not talking about those soldiers who died in battle (that’s bad enough), but those young men and women who came back (and are continuing to come back) from Iraq and Afghanistan–only to discover a battlefield far more relentless, and infinitely more lonely. I am speaking about all those warriors who do battle every day in their mind’s eye, seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling the loss of a limb, their own or a buddy’s–or who experience the last five minutes of their buddy’s life. There’s no special day just for them. There is no Veterans with PTSD day.
Its full name is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; at least that’s what we call it now. In the past it was battle fatigue and shell shock, but a rose by any other name is just as devastating I learned when I started the research on The Trials of Adrian Wheeler. When George W. Bush dropped his first bomb on Baghdad in March 2003, I was so upset I produced what I still consider my best work of art, a painting I entitled The Sisters of Baghdad which can be seen on my website, steveshear.net. Shortly thereafter I wrote a poem, The Bombing of Baghdad which appears at the beginning of Adrian. Around that time, I remember getting a haircut and ranting to my barber, Harold, about how terrible President Bush was. My barber was ultraconservative, although I didn’t know it at the time. His bald head (wouldn’t you know it) turned red, his eyes bulged and his lips quivered. My only thought at the time was to blurt out: “HAROLD, PUT DOWN THE SCISSORS!” Fortunately, I am still alive and Harold is still cutting hair, I assume.
By the time I finished writing Adrian and living in the skins of the characters, George Bush became a bit more than a footnote. The characters and the family dynamics took over, Adrian, Pa, Daisy, Esme, Rachael, Rabinowitz, Benedetti, and the others. Actually, characters like these along with what they do and say tend to get under your skin and go where you go whether it’s at the computer, on a long walk, brushing your teeth, or in my case playing Pickleball. That’s what happens during nineteen drafts and before you ever think about sending out your first query.”
Steve is happy to say that The Trials of Adrian Wheeler has been optioned as a movie by a production studio in Los Angeles, Filmed Imagination and Daniel Dreifuss (producer of the Academy Award nominated move, NO), and the screenplay has been completed. Steve is also a published playwright, having co-authored with his wife, Susan, The State vs. Max Cooper and The Steele Deal, interactive courtroom dramas published by ArtAge Publications. You can learn more about Steve and his other endeavors (as a painter, sculptor, poet, and retired intellectual property attorney) at www.steveshear.net.
Review by Erik: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. A salient reminder of the costs of war. Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2011. Verified Purchase. A returning disabled veteran with PTSD trying to find make sense of his ordeal and put his life back together may have been done before and can likely stand on its own as a worthy novel. But making this same vet the government’s scapegoat for the murders of innocent women and children raises the stakes. Steve Shear’s story is a must read and particularly salient today considering the continuing controversy over Iraq and Afghanistan. Multi-dimensional characters, a suspense-filled plot with unpredictable twists and turns, and a dramatic courtroom conclusion engage the reader on every page. Adrian Wheeler’s journey to forget the horror of his war experience turns into a struggle to remember every detail, for only then can he excavate the truth and save himself. By weaving fact with fiction, Steve Shear has crafted a story that not only entertains but offers a sobering reminder of the impact and potential tragedy to the veterans who return from war unprepared to battle the demons that came back with them.
Product Details:
Paperback: 438 Pages
Publisher: Catalina Sun Press; 1st Edition (January 1, 2014)
Language: English
War & Military (Action Fiction)
War (Military Law)
Romance (Contemporary)
Drama and Plays
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W. A President on Trial: An Adrian Wheeler Novel by Steve Shear.
Less than ten years have passed since Operation Gadgetry, a military plan executed in Iraq at the height of the war and intended to prove President George W. Bush was right to invade the country; that Saddam Hussein had WMDs all along. It was during Operation Gadgetry that Private Adrian Wheeler lost his arm, lost his brother John Mike, and lost Grady Smith, his best friend in Iraq.
Now, ten years later, Adrian is practicing law. Enter, Virginian Randolph Grady Smith III, a billionaire industrialist and father of Adrian’s deceased friend Grady Junior. The elder Smith wants revenge. The elder Smith wants to hold George W. Bush accountable for taking the country to war based on lies. There were no WMDs to justify going to war. He’s tired of hearing how great a president Bush was compared to the present occupant of the White House, Donald J. Trump. Mr. Smith and Adrian, who also wants revenge for his losses, put together a plan, Justice for All, in which they intend to convince the Governor of Virginia, Oliver St. Clair, to prosecute Bush for the murder of those Virginia soldiers who died in Iraq.
The plan incorporates much of the legal reasoning provided by Vincent Bugliosi in his bestselling book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder. In carrying out their plan, Adrian becomes privy to murder, blackmail, and kidnapping … and is himself targeted for assassination. That doesn’t count being an accessory after the fact of one of those murders along with his ex-girlfriend, a private detective working with Adrian and Smith to help put away the past president. It all culminates in the trial of the decade: The State of Virginia vs. George W. Bush. You have to read it to believe it!
Review by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. A very interesting perspective of guilt. Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2022. Verified Purchase. What a superb story in W. A President on Trial by Steve Shear. The State of Virginia vs. G.W Bush. “…evidence I have no doubt you will find compelling, evidence that will support beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant, George W. Bush, was guilty of conspiring with others to knowingly and deliberately take this country to war in Iraq under false pretenses, a war that condemned to death over one-hundred-thousand human beings including four thousand American soldiers, at least three of whom resided in this great state of Virginia.” It’s ten years since Adrian, himself, was on trial, and the past ten years have changed him in some ways, and in others, not-so-much. Adrian is now a lawyer, and he is planning something to gain the attention of those who may not know the truth. It’s something that Adrian always felt passionate about it. He blamed Bush for what happened in Iraq, including the death of his brother and friends. Needless deaths. He blamed Bush for going to war, in a reaction to 9/11. There is the main plots, and the best plots are the subplots of the story, bringing it all together, with all the characters and how they interact and interrelate. The thrills and intrigue is written clearly. This read is more than just words on a page. Definitely an unpredictable story, my favorite kind! W. A President on Trial by Steve Shear is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.
Product Details:
Paperback: 434 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published (August 18, 2020)
Language: English
War & Military (Action Fiction)
War (Military Law)
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Metaphorically Speaking by Steve Shear.
The Human Condition from the Beginning of Time.
I believe that poetry is the doorway into all fiction, the pillars that underpin all fiction, the dictionary and thesaurus that encompass all fiction. It requires the poet to seriously consider the language being put forward and every work counts. No “ifs, ands, and buts” just solid language that describes a feeling, that makes a point, that paints a scene. It is not so much what we say but how we say it using imagery, metaphors, similes, musical cadence, rhyme, and any other linguistic tool that makes what we writes come alive within a unique mansion containing our unique choice of words.
If you want to write fiction (or even non-fiction for that matter), consider starting with poetry. Consider reading the great dead white English poets like Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelly, as well as the very great women poets like Emily Dickenson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Mary Oliver. I love Mary Oliver. She has the ability to play a symphony with words. Also, read the Poet Laureates like Ted Kooser and Billy Collins. Ted Kooser is one of my favorites. Check out his Delights and Shadows. It will blow you away. It did me. I hope you take a look at my eclectic collection, Metaphorically Speaking. It is unusual in two ways. I have combined a bit of my prosaic wanderings adjacent each of the poems explaining what I happened to be thinking when I wrote them, either about the poem or a bigger issue. I also include my own artwork accompanying the poems, not necessarily because they are all appropriate but because it was fun to do. I guess I have that right. Thank you for your time. Steve
Review by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews: 5.0 out of 5 Stars. Innovative Poetry. Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2021. What a remarkable collection of innovative thoughts and poetry in Metaphorically Speaking: The Human Condition from the Beginning of Time by Steve Shear. I am a big fan of this author! Whatever this author writes, I read. I found his “Poet’s Note” most interesting, which is the perfect beginning for this collection. “I have purposely not grouped these poems by subject matter, in part because it is difficult to do, and in part because I think they are more fun to read the way they are. Also, accompanying each poem you will find a bit of prose including my thought process and what I thought the poem was all about when I put pen to paper, or more precisely when I put fingertips to keys. I refer to this process as “prosetry in action” … A bit corny but what can I say? I made it up.” The book has the poems and thoughts of the poet, which in itself is wonderful, but I also found the graphics or images enchanting. I liked this so much, I read many of the poems twice. One of my favorites was written by Shear’s character in his Confronting Religious Fanaticism, Ira Neebest. I’m familiar with Ira Neebest, and I especially like the poem The Righteous Path. Part of the poem that really touched me, was “…Or read about the very same issues wrapped in fine literature, penned with imagery, plots, and subplots involving everyday people, characters resonating with the faithful and faithless, as flesh and blood drips from the pages into your lap, flesh and blood you can touch, feel, and smell.” I look forward to reading more by this author. Metaphorically Speaking: The Human Condition from the Beginning of Time is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews. I received this book to read and give my honest and unbiased review. ~Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews
Product Details:
Paperback: 81 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published (June 24, 2020)
Language: English
Fiction (Literary)
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Message From Author Steve Shear: My early paintings (1986 – 2013) can best be described as expressionistic and surreal portraiture/figure, often larger than life. Most are from live models and from my sculptures, but others come from my imagination. My objective was to elicit an emotional response through composition, color, shapes, and the application of paint, while at the same time retaining the correct anatomy, either realistically or through purposeful exaggeration. In the latter part of that earlier period, I pushed the envelope by combining abstraction with these real and surreal approaches to the figure in order to create a synergistic result. One example of combining these approaches is the Sisters of Baghdad.
Many of my ideas came from my drawings (virtually thousands of them) which were created out of my head on almost a daily basis. An example of this is The Chess Queen. In 2013 I put the paint brushes and sculpting tools aside and began writing fiction, first poetry then novels, screenplays, and stage plays. Six of my novels have been published and two of my stage plays. See below.
In 2020 I began painting again. This time I turned to color and shapes rather than portraiture and figure. My paint is applied in thick layers exaggerated even more so by multiple layers of glue serving as an underpinning. The glue not only adds thickness to the paint but also runs in ways which produces unique shapes that take on lives of their own. Several examples are shown on this website.
Two of my more recent paintings (immediately below) are truly larger than life depictions of a ‘Vase of many Colors’ and of the Greek mythological bad lady Medea. Each painting is 32×48 and relies heavily on multiple layers of glue to add ‘serious’ thickness to the paint.
In the past, my work was exhibited at a number of galleries in Boulder, Denver, Tucson, and here in Brentwood California. I spent five years painting under the watchful eyes of Jean Packard, a graduate of the Chicago Art Institute, two summers at the Charles Cecil Art Studio in Florence, Italy, and several years at the Boulder Art Academy in Boulder, Colorado. I also trained in sculpting under Valentin Okorokov, an accomplished Russian trained painter and sculptor.
The Trials of Adrian Wheeler was my first published novel (L&L Dreamspell, 2011). It was awarded runner-up in the San Francisco Book Festival 2015. I am happy to say that The Trials of Adrian Wheeler has been optioned as a movie by EVW Entertainment (producer of the movie Break the Stage), and the screenplay has been written by Erik Wolter and me. EVWE is now looking for partners to produce the movie.
The Wild Rose Press published The Fountain of Youth, my second published novel, in May of 2017. It has received exceptional reviews, some of which appear on Amazon and Goodreads. Also, the stage play has just been completed. The screenplay has also been written by Erik Wolter and me. EVWE is now looking for partners to produce the movie. The Click, my third novel, was published by The Wild Rose Press in September of 2019, again the screenplay has been written by Erik Wolter and me. EVWE is now looking for partners to produce the movie.
All three books of my trilogy, Confronting Religious Fanaticism – An Eye for an Eye, Black Hearts & Hungry Bears, and Ira Neebest and The First Coming have been published. In addition, my first book of poetry, Metaphorically Speaking was just published.
My wife, Susan, and I collaborated on The State vs. Max Cooper and The Steele Deal (published by ArtAge Publications), courtroom plays in which the audience serves as the jury. Both are being produced around the country.
I have been writing poetry for over fifteen years (some of which has been published) and am also a portrait and figure artist and sculptor, having been represented by a number of galleries in Denver and Boulder, Colorado. I am presently represented by the Delta Gallery in Brentwood, California and online by Vango Art. I spent two summers at the Charles Cecil Art Studio in Florence Italy and several years at the Boulder Art Academy.
I practiced patent, trademark, copyright and other forms of intellectual property law for over 40 years, and I was the executive director and founder of Silicon Valley Seminars. We conducted intellectual Property workshops throughout this country, Israel, Germany, and Canada since 1984.
Amazon Author’s Page:
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Paintings-Drawings and Sculpture For Sale by Artist Steve Shear
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Individual Paintings For Sale In Room One by Steve Shear!
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Individual Paintings For Sale In Room Four by Steve Shear!
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Individual Drawings For Sale In Room One by Steve Shear!
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Individual Drawings For Sale In Room Two by Steve Shear!
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Individual Drawings For Sale In Room Three by Steve Shear!
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Individual Sculpture For Sale by Steve Shear!
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