rfbradford - author

Miriam - sex therapist

I have to confess the idea of covering sex therapy was not my own. Two girl friends, Aga and Ewa, have long since wanted me to become a sex therapist. While I am a therapist and this is my bread and butter until the books take off, I didn't actually want to become a fully-fledged sex therapist.

Having said that, the topic is very much of interest to me and, no doubt, to many of you. How to offer people sex therapy without formally becoming a sex therapist? This is where Miriam comes in.

Miriam is fun. She's ambitious, highly sexually driven, very open minded and, in her own words "I'm unshockable." It is ironic that so many females spend their early years fending males off as 'they only want one thing', only to end up in stale relationships really wanting that 'one thing.' At least more often and more enjoyable than just drunken nights after some event. And this brings us to the two main areas of Miriam's sex therapy: the psychological and the physical

I confess writing this book is fun. Miriam is fun. She also has a big heart and really cares about her clients. Sometimes I'm crying while writing what she shares. Yes, Miriam is fictional, in the strictest expression of the word, yet her character does have soul. And I really, really like that.

The first book covers six consecutive Mondays in Miriam's life. The next book will cover six consecutive Tuesdays, in those same weeks. By the time we get to Sunday, we will know Miriam better than she knows herself. What happens to her after that, look forward to sharing - when the time comes. In the meantime, enjoy her Mondays.

Only Human - Nuclear

Nuclear power is called clean, Green energy by those that stand to profit from the £multi-billion projects required to build and run them.

These people never mention the level of greenhouse gasses caused by their construction, nor how many wind farms, solar farms, raised solar farms or Green hydrogen battery stores could be built for one nuclear reactor. Nor do they mention the UK is currently spending £3 billion a year on storing/processing the nuclear waste - which we will have to do for millenia. In every sense of the word, nuclear power is not Green.

So when, in 2016, it was announced China was to be involved in new reactors at Hinkley Point, with all the concerns about digital espionage and access to critical infrastructure, this book was born.

Protagonist wise, I wanted someone unlikely. Someone who would never dream or even want to get involved in any such thing. So I chose a 15-year-old girl. Julia. And to get her involved, I killed those she loves. Leaving her to the machinations of a sister who hates her, who isn't even human.

Being near-future sci-fi, a lot of current tech has been extrapolated forwards. Some has been invented. But at it's heart, these books are based on people. In many ways they could be set at any time in history, for they are about love, family, friends, betrayal, sacrifice and rage.

There are to be five books in this Only Human series - the first four are out now. Book five, the finale, has long since had the last page written. How we get there, will be revealed in 2027.

Life From the Heart

For years had never been able to get beyond writing short scenes, maybe the odd short story. Then one evening, out of the blue, I just sat down and the words just fell onto the paper. Four pages of A4, outlining the entire story. It was a revelation. An awakening, like an infant finally uttering their first word. Taking their first step.

Wrote it in a year, then spent another 10 years tweaking it - perhaps too much. The version here is closer to the original. What is it about? Love and life after death. Hatred, revenge and redemption, with a touch of the supernatural.