All three books in the series are inspired by real-world facts, by the horrors of everyday reality in the US and around the world. Roughly half the public is not interested in facts. Nothing offends them more than the truth. People can lose their careers by speaking their mind—which makes dramatizing real-world problems in today’s environment difficult.

Stephen's books are first and foremost action-suspense thrillers with endearing characters involved in breathless adventures. The physical environments, real and important as they are, are background. In Charles Dickens’ masterpiece “A Tale of Two Cities” he dramatized a lot of facts about the French Revolution that were undoubtedly new to a lot people and that some found difficult to believe and horribly upsetting. Nobody canceled him for it. Today the French would probably draw and quarter him for his depiction of history.

Stephen's books are all thoroughly and carefully researched. I go out of my way to present the information objectively. I go out of my way not to be controversial, but it is inevitable in today’s propaganda-and-hate-fueled environment that some people are going to set their hair on fire over the realities I dramatize. It can’t be helped. We live in a world gone mad.

Book I, The Cannastar Factor, was written long before the “pandemic”. In the story, Big Pharma conspires with the government and the media to make an inexpensive, organically grown cure for viral disease illegal. Cannastar cures everything from cancer to coronavirus to the common cold and Big Pharma has it taken off the market.

It’s ironical how closely the book parallels Big Pharma conspiring with the government and the media during the “pandemic” to make two drugs that have been around for decades illegal. Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin, drugs that have proven to be highly effective in treating viruses and autoimmune disease, that are safe as baby aspirin and would have potentially saved a million lives in the US alone if they had been available, were abruptly taken off the market. Why? So Big Pharma could get their untested, ineffective and what are proving to be deadly vaccines and boosters approved by the FDA for emergency use. (The law states that if an alternative treatment exists, a new, untried, unproven drug cannot be approved for emergency use. Doctors were subsequently informed that they would lose their license if they prescribed Hydroxychloroquine or Ivermectin. It is interesting that 583 executives became billionaires thanks to the “vaccines”. Follow the money.)

Of course, it’s not safe to say any of this. But there it is. It makes his work of fiction extremely relevant: facts about the real world presented in a way that makes the truth a little less intimidating and a little easier to swallow.

Book II, The Organ Grinder Factor, is set amid the real-world horrors of child slavery in Africa and the ongoing chaos and conflict of two ancient cultures in Israel. Ultimately, the story is about a 3D printer that replaces human organs without the need for surgery--a medical miracle that gets more real every day. Scientists have already been able to replicate human tissue with a 3D printer!

I have actually had readers object to the fact that I even mentioned child slavery in Africa—a situation that has been a reality on the Dark Continent for centuries and is more prevalent today than it ever was.

I’ve had a couple of people object to my painstakingly accurate description of  “The Siege of Bethlehem” as a background for one of the sequences in the story. Fact: for nearly six weeks, from 2 April to 10 May 2002, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the West Bank was besieged by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeting Palestinian militants who had taken refuge in the church. It became an international incident that was broadly covered by the international press. Today, half the world wants to pretend it didn’t happen. Well, it did. And much worse happens on a regular basis in Israel in a bloody conflict between Israelis and Arab Muslims that has been going on for over two thousand years—conflict that will likely still be going on two thousand years from now. It’s difficult to talk about any of this in a press release without offending half the people we are trying to get to help us.

Book III, The Trouble with Miracles, is about the discovery of the ancient secret to fusion energy in a desperate race to keep it out of wrong hands that ranges from Chile's high northern desert to the endlessly fascinating, real-world mystery and magic of Easter Island. The story, exciting as it is, dramatizes the chilling reality of China's inexorable drive to control the world's natural resources--lithium for electric car batteries in this case--and poses a difficult philosophical question: is man ready to be responsible for fusion energy, a power source that could solve air pollution and climate change forever . . . or be used to turn earth to space dust in a heartbeat. 

The scientists at the “Lawrence Livermore Laboratory for the Development of Nuclear Weapons” recently created fusion here on earth for the first time. The unintended consequences of their discovery and the moral dilemma it poses are frightening.

All this is to say there is a lot of reality, a lot of fact, in my fiction. Publicizing it is a challenge. Anything we say has to be carefully worded.

I have an alternate suggestion. A lot of people, perhaps the majority, are most comfortable being told what to think. That’s what makes good reviews so important and so effective. How about we sell the books by selling the reviews? Below are five glowing reviews for each of the three books in the series. All but one has been posted in the last two months. Almost everybody reads and, to varying degrees, relies on reviews. Publishers use them extensively on book covers and in the introductory pages of their books. We could supplement facts with reviews and try to generate media interest that way.  

THE TROUBLE WITH MIRACLES

Review Compilation for all 3 Books

Book I: The Cannastar Factor

An amazing and timely concept! Fast-paced and well written. An engrossing thriller that . . . kept my interest from beginning to its surprising end. 5-Stars!

—Patricia Bacall, Amazon reviewer

Amazing read! I really enjoyed this book! . . . It definitely has moments (where) you are on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens next! If you like mystery and suspense I definitely recommend. 4-Stars!

—Amanda, Amazon reviewer

What a great story . . . There is mystery and action . . . Loved the story! 5-Stars!

—Deborah Hughes, Amazon reviewer

I couldn’t put it down! A very well written book that includes adventure, suspense and a little bit of romance. Perfect! Great plot, characters and plenty of action. I loved it . . . Great read! 5 stars!

—Amy T, Amazon reviewer

Excellent writing. This was a fantastic and thrilling book! The dialogue and overall writing style kept me intrigued from start to finish and a few times I was sitting on the edge of my seat eager to see what happened next. 5 stars!

—Taylor Godfrey, Amazon reviewer

Book II: The Organ Grinder Factor

With high octane action and plenty of rapier wit, this “thrill a minute” novel has lots of sharp turns and plot twists . . . It will have you on the edge of your seat until the final page. 4-Stars!

—Pages and Paws, Amazon reviewer

The book takes you on adventure after thrilling adventure . . . Great, interesting book! 5-Stars!

— Emily Demos, Amazon reviewer

It was a thrilling book. There was what every thriller book needs; suspense, high stakes, thick plot . . . The pacing is great, the characters intriguing. It had everything going for it. Outstanding novel! 5-Stars!

—Ava, Amazon reviewer

Nonstop action. Great storyline. This book is based on current world situations . . . I could not put (it) down . . . I recommend this book if you like thrillers and action. 5-Stars!

—Zury Z, Amazon reviewer

Amazing read of the year! The plot was stunning . . . If you’re into suspense-thriller(s), then this book is for you. 5-Stars!

—Brooke Auckerman, Amazon reviewer

Book III: The Trouble with Miracles

If you want a well written book full of adventure, The Trouble with Miracles is definitely for you! Stephen Steele had a writing style that I can’t define as anything other than a readers dream. Everything was written so smoothly and the flow was beautiful! 5 stars!

—Sara Webb, Amazon reviewer

Page turner. I loved this book! It perfectly ties history, science and fictional into the perfect package. The action throughout the book was intense . . . It really pulled me in and the ending was just perfect. 4-Stars!

—M. Hermann, Amazon reviewer

Well that was fun! It pulled me in from the first page and didn’t stop till the end. Packed with mystery, action, great dialogue, and an important message in the end. 4-Stars!

—Siranush, Amazon reviewer

Love! I wasn't sure what to expect when reading this book, but I quickly became enthralled . . . I fell in love with the love story, which was unexpected. The fantasy element was, surprisingly, something I didn't know I needed, but so glad that it was there. The range of emotions I went through left me on the edge, in tears, anxious, relieved. 5-Stars!

—Tami B, Amazon reviewer

This story took me on an adventure. There is so much going on. I liked the history, adventure, treasure hunting, and ancient alien civilization theme(s) of this book. This book is written in such a good way that I was transported to the locations and was traveling with the characters to all t he places mentioned in the book. I highly recommend this book. There was so much richness to this story and I felt a connection with the new characters. It was a perfect ending and I was pleasantly surprised. 5-Stars!

—Zury Z, Amazon reviewer

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