Nothing Lasts Forever

Genre: Fiction / ebook
Author: Vaughn Tunstall

Nothing Lasts Forever (Secrets and Seduction) written by Vaughn Tunstall, as an homage to daytime television, is a story that could have been lifted straight from an episode of The Bold and The Beautiful. Set in the fictional world of Everlasting Falls, where sparkling white mansions stand elegantly against the horizon and every other car is a Lamborghini, the lives of three wealthy educated families intertwine.

The Forresters, Jack and Casey, is a marriage on the brink. One more push is all it may take to send it over the edge.

Enter the Woodshires, David and Linda and their children: Dorothy, Tyree, Mychal and Denise. Dashing David, a man handsome enough to turn any woman’s head; can Casey possibly resist him? If she does not want to engender the wrath of Linda, a woman whose nerves are stretched tight due to her long years of struggling to hide a secret that has left her deeply embittered, she had better do so. The cracks in Linda’s life widen as on the one side she fights to keep her marriage together and on the other side she battles with her children, who have their own issues to deal with: boyfriend problems, raging hormones, a need for support and a desire for acceptance.

Then into this roiling pot of strained emotions come the Lopez family. The father, Jack, has a secret too, a secret and a desire for vengeance. He will destroy the man he sees as responsible for the ruination of his life and beware to any that think to get in his way. Of his children: Serena, Teresa and Timmy, only Serena realises her father’s mad schemes. If she can stop him she will but how is she to do so? She knows he is in the wrong but he is her father and how can she keep from loving him? Teresa and Timmy are protected from their father’s machinations by the ignorance of youth and the fact that for them their lives centre on school and not much else. Teresa steps lightly under a fog of shyness, casting glances at a boy who only has eyes for his pretty math teacher and Timmy becomes the unwilling target of vicious bullying goths.

Around the Forresters, the Woodshires and the Lopez family a host of secondary characters move. Like moons around planets their pull is felt. Passions run rampant but with each character so focused on his or her troubles will anyone notice the dangers surrounding them before it is too late?

As a story this piece of work contains everything that you would expect to find in a book written as homage to daytime television. There are beautiful women, handsome men, troubles and tragedies, evil schemes underway, sex, violence and murder. This book makes use of contemporary issues: bullying, drug use, prostitution, relationships between teachers and students, a modern-day disease and the obsession with women’s weight. It takes some tried and tested familiar themes and adds them to the mix: adultery, greed, jealousy, the age-old struggle of trying to keep marriages and families together. This book has everything in it that should have made it a thrilling and entertaining read but I was left cold and at times shuddering in distaste and at other times shaking my head with the sheer nonsense of it all.

In conclusion as homage to daytime television this is a roaring success (if you can overlook the very poor quality of the writing). There is a dastardly, yet handsome, villain. There is a car crash caused by the cutting of a brake line and secrets waiting to be unearthed. There is love and lust and the kind of dramatic action scenes that would not look out of place in a Van Damme movie.

If you enjoy The Bold and the Beautiful and fantasize about living in Sunset Beach then this is a book for you. It is not overly taxing, will not win a Pulitzer Prize but it will keep you occupied for a few mindless hours as you wait for your flight to land or as you while away an afternoon by the pool.

If on the other hand the thought of watching The Bold and the Beautiful makes you cringe with horror, then steer well clear. I am not a fan of such programmes as The Bold and the Beautiful. So this work did not appeal to me in the least.

It lacked heart I felt as though the writer does not actually enjoy daytime drama himself but believes that because many others do a work based on this genre will sell. He chucked in what he thought were the right ingredients: gorgeous women, handsome men, sex, violence and murder but did not make much of an effort to mix them together well enough and what came out of the oven was a rather lumpy result. Review written by Yvonne Carsley, Allbooks Review.

Title: Nothing Lasts Forever
Author: Vaughn Tunstall
ISBN: ebook
Number of pages: 138
Publisher: Club Lighthouse Pub
Price: na
Dec. 2009

Allbooks Reviews INTERVIEW:

Please state your name and location. (city and State or Province, Country)
Vaughn Tunstall, New Jersey.

Tell us the title and publisher of your book:
Nothing Lasts Forever Secrets and Seduction. Club Lighthouse Publishing.

Tell us about yourself: I am currently attending college in New Jersey.

When was the book released?
Nov 2nd, 2009.
Give us an overview of your book.
Nothing Lasts Forever Secrets and Seduction is composed of six subplots that follow the lives of two prominent families, the Woodshire family and the Lopez family, upon their arrival to Everlasting Falls, New Jersey. Passion, secrets, murder, and intrigue erupt, as many of the characters find themselves in sticky situations such as dealing with a psychotic scorn lover, a hostile business takeover, a brutal murder, and a budding romance between two members of the feuding families.

What inspired you to write this book?
My novel was inspired by daytime storytelling. The soap opera genre has been around for over fifty years and has an audience of millions. I felt that this type of storytelling could easily make the transition into books which is why I wrote my series. Several novels have been published under the same vein but I wanted to capture that fast pace excitement with all the classic, albeit stereotypical, clichés. I also wanted to narrate my novel with a soap operatic feeling as well, which is why my novel constantly juggles five to six scenes per chapter.

How is your book different from other books in this genre?
Nothing Last Forever Secrets and Seduction will never be mistaking to being on par with classic works such as The Sound and the Fury. I wanted to write something that was entertaining but never pretended to be anything but that. I think this is how my novel differs from others in its genre. Many stories try to take themselves too seriously with their campy plots and cliché characters but Nothing Lasts Forever Secrets and Seduction knows exactly what kind of story it is. It also differs because it is made up entirely of subplots that alter scenes per chapter. Soaps offer one of the ultimate escapes, a world where people are beautiful and rich but have more problems than the Average Joe and my novel delivers this.

Where can people buy your book?
My novel is available on my publisher’s website at www.clublighthousepublishing, www.amazon.com, and www.mobipocket.com.

Are you working on another book? If so when do you expect it to be published?
If Nothing Lasts Forever Secrets and Seduction does well, I plan on continuing writing them as my novel is just one in a series. I am in the process of re-editing a previous novel I’ve written which is a mainstream fiction novel. In addition to that I am currently writing a horror novel and hopefully plan on starting a science fiction/fantasy series for teens and young adults.

If you self published, what advice can you give to fellow writers?

If published traditionally, tell us how you benefited:
Publishing a novel electronically allows authors to reach virtually every place that possess internet access. This is a great benefit to gaining a wide audience very quickly. I was also fortunate enough to be published under a great publishing house who was very helpful along the way and worked with me to ensure the best possible opportunity for success.

Can you share one of your marketing successes with us?
The only success I’ve had is that I was willing to turn every proverbial rock. Publishing an ebook still does not have as much commercialism attached to it as printed works do. You have to be willing to start from the ground and work your way up. I’ve done this so far and it’s paying off well. There are a plethora of blogs, web journals, and ebook reviews, out there waiting for new authors to find them. Making as many contacts, no matter how small they are, goes a long way to ensure the maximum change of success.

How did you find Allbooks Reviews and what are you hoping for in your relationship with us?
I found Allbooks Reviews when contacting Rich O’Brien at TheEbookSale Publishing website and he was able to get in touch with your website.

Was the low cost a surprise? What other things would you like Allbooks Reviews to offer writers?
Honestly the cost was a shock. I was fully expecting to pay self publishing prices for advertising. I was very glad and grateful Allbooks services were affordable and offered so much. I think Allbooks Reviews offers writers a great deal, so much so I can’t think of any improvements. It’s definitely helped out this new author.

Thank you for this interview and best of luck with your book.