Bartonallenstewart – The world only exists in your eyes. You can make it as big or as small as you want.

Good day! Barton A. Stewart here.

I’m related to rock ‘n roll legend Rod Stewart, by way of the Rift Valley in
South Africa. We have an early hominid ancestor in common.

My interests have always been more literary than musical, and now, after a long dry spell, I am back with a new novel. The Contraption. It is dead center on the Venn diagram of Literary Fiction and Psychological Thrillers. Like much of my earlier writing, it deals with themes of undue influence and the manipulative persuasion of con artists. This new story slopes down further, into realms of coercive mind control by way of a dangerous, hardcore religious cult.

The Contraption is a survival story. Also, it is a love story of sharp poignancy, with the lovers torn apart by the cruelest circumstances, and struggling to move forward day by day. (With little to no help from the society around them.)

Proof of my dedication to the literary craft is the fact that I have overcome my past go-rounds with the publishing industry to produce another novel. You will learn about my two earlier books on this site, and I will now go ahead and spill the beans that I have still another novel that I am holding in reserve until I can work out this mad-headed book business. As John Steinbeck said, “The profession of book writing makes horse racing look like a solid, stable business.”

Be that as it may, my novel The Year of Cannonhills will be coming your way in 2025 or ‘26.

I do have high hopes for the new start-up press, Great Whale Books.
May The Contraption be the first of many titles from them.

Enter this site to explore my books! Click where it says Page 1, Page 2, not the cover images. You'll find a group of freewheeling essays at the bottom of this page. I’m on Twitter: @BartStewart1. Yeah, I still call it Twitter. “Ecchhs” sounds like a cat throwing up. (Should have hired a writer to work on that name.)

Don't keep me a secret! Tell your friends about me!

Cheers,
Barton Allen Stewart

Have a look at my other books

A Few Autobiographical Words

Literary fiction has been an outsized part of my life, all of my life. In my (long-gone) youth I became fascinated with the dark subject of cult psychology, and have studied it for decades. I'm presently single and living in Metro Boston.

Education, Credentials and Honors

I have Doctorate Degrees from the prestigious School of Hard Knocks. In all seriousness, I am a self-educated, avid reader focusing on literary fiction from authors like Elizabeth Strout. Capote's In Cold Blood is a book I cite as a timeless classic.

Bragging Rights

My fiction draws gushing praise - from the relative few who ever see it! I am told I am one hell of a writer, but I never could decipher the business side of things. Apart from garnering great reviews, what is an author supposed to do? Tap dance? Ah well, onward and upward.

Professional and Litrary Affiliation

There have been so many writers' groups and literary societies and writing centers and workshops over the years, but at present I am not signed on with any. I review books for ICSA, the International Cultic Studies Association.

Why I Write

Writing is a compulsion with me, or at least the imaginative process is. I will admit I live in a stream of dreams whenever life allows it. (Not often enough!) I should have a shelf-load of books with my name on them, but I never could crack the business.

Artistic Influences

Elizabeth Strout is the living author whose work most closely meets my ideal. I guess her masterpiece is still Olive Kitteridge, which won the Pulitzer. My first book was short stories in the style of the Twilight Zone! So, Rod Serling was an early hero.

Favorite Books

I like stories that advance my understanding of human nature. Character studies. Psychological profiles. I mentioned In Cold Blood above, which has about the deepest descriptions of people I know of. Not that you would ever want to know those guys!

Writing Style

I see value in subtlety. This puts me at odds with the current, beat-ya-over-the-head, speed freak, video game culture. But there’s no accounting for taste. My characters are rank-and-file people immersed in what someone once called “outrageous fortune.”

Getting Published

Alas, you touch on a great heartache of my life! I have two constants in my literary life. One is lavish praise from book reviewers & readers. The other is tomb-like silence from the publishing industry. Ah well! There must be millions in that situation.

Publication History

Prior to The Contraption: Tales of Real and Dream Worlds, nine of my short stories, in the Rod Serling style of fantasy. 978-0-9785817-0-1. Painter of the Heavens, a novel dealing with a woman’s love affair with a con man. Ebook only. ASIN ‏: ‎B00F849FMM

Works In Progress

I will reveal it here first. A few people close to me know that I have another novel, not yet released. This one may be my masterpiece. It will be released only when I feel I have all the business/promo stuff worked out! Title: The Year of Cannonhills.

Also Like To Know

I do love hiking in wonderful scenery! If I had a favorite pastime not associated with the literary, that would be it. I’m also a devotee of classic movies. Noir, great drama, screwball comedy, and – cheesy monsters! But that synchs with story telling.

Buy At Amazon

$14.95 For Paperback, $7.95 For Ebook

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Check Out the Reviews

“The Contraption is a page turner! The action kicks off on page one and each subsequent page carries the reader through a misadventure while providing a critical understanding of why and how cults entrap intelligent and thoughtful people. Barton Stewart’s fiction demonstrates his astute insight into coercive control while entertaining – it’s a skill that I like to call edu-tainment. Bravo! I’ve got my fingers crossed for the The Contraption, the movie!”

“The Contraption is a literary novel that pays homage to life, death, and transformation … Barton Allen Stewart crafts a story that tackles issues of redemption, healing, and change, injecting an additional layer of existential questioning into the experiences of characters who one day find their lives at a crossroads.

Libraries and readers seeking stories that take spiritual revelation and revolution a step further into intriguing territory will find The Contraption worthy of not just individual reading, but the pursuit of many different themes in book club discussion groups interested in stories of revelation and shifting beliefs and relationships.”

“Stewart has created a cult world both unique and terrifyingly familiar. The story pulled me in as Audrey was lured deeper into Mountain of Radiance. The Contraption’s got what Paul Sheldon in Misery called “The gotta.” As in, I gotta know: Is this woman going to make it out – and in what state?”

“The Contraption takes you into the darker realms of religion gone bad, and the goal of freeing a cult victim who does not believe that she has been duped by an intricate web of mind-controlling influences. Barton Stewart delivers a suspense-filled story about a person’s maddening change in identity, and the dangerous efforts to help them realize their authentic self again. The ending may surprise you.”