David Shapcott

I have one non-fiction published book "The Face of the Rapist" Published Penguin Books 1988, and one booklet "When I say no, I mean no" publishered Rape Education Group 1989

I have just self-published a novel, Last Days of the Asylum. I am currently working on two novels, "The Fiefdom" which is a prequel to Last Days and "C U Now" which is based on my time as a Probation Officer.

i am looking forward to participating in activities of the Society. I am also hoping to meet folk who can help me bring these two works up to a publishable standard 

 

 

Genre:

  • Adult Fiction
  • Adult Non-Fiction

Skills:

Branch:

Auckland

Location:

Publications:

The Face of The Rapist

Published 1988 Penguin Books and sold in NZ and Australia. Here I look at the strategies that sex offenders use to minimise, shift blame and deny their abuse in order to successfully avoid any negative consequences for the serious crimes they commit. Then I looked at reports and publications from our government agencies together with visual and written publications available in Australasia, and find a good match with the sex offenders viewpoint. At the time of writing, very few child sex abuse cases resulted in convictions and the general consensus was that these needed to be treated with extreme scepticism. Publications about sex abuse of adult women were generally filled with examples of why these women would lie about being abused. A lot of work has been done by feminist groups to change this view of sex abuse and I like to think that progress is being made

Last Days of the Asylum

Last Days of the Asylum is a semi-autobiographical novel based on my life and experience as a nurse in Carrington Psychiatric Hospital. In 1988 patients and staff were told that the hospital was to close, in line with the closure worldwide of psychiatric hospitals in the West. This was a stressful time for all involved at Carrington. Many patients saw the hospital as their home. A lot of staff had set up a lifestyle that revolved around the hospital. Mental health and addiction problems were also common among the staff. Robin, the protagonist, is one such nurse. When life became stressful for him, his tendency was to get the hell out of Dodge and seek that stress-free place he is convinced is waiting for him somewhere out there. As the story opens he is being persuaded that this belief is a fantasy. Everyone has problems they must work on to become the best they are capable of being. As his mental health improves, he finds his moral compass. That is when he notices a group of tough male nurses, who were always there, who have set up a fiefdom to meet their every need and desire. Anyone who gets in their way is given the message to cease and desist. Robin can either stand on the sidelines as usual or he can take a risk and get involved in life and do all in his power to put an end to this fiefdom. He takes a risk.