Chapter Three of my children's novel 'The Door to Caellfyon' sees a dramatic change of pace. During the first two chapters my characters were introduced to the land of Caellfyon and, led by their uncle Seymour, have trekked across a landscape not unlike the one they left behind. However, their comforting sense of familiarity is …
'Like Aphrodite born of the sea' a small island rose from the turbulent waters of the Humber estuary. The year was 1243. Aided by tides, shifting sands and a fortuitous shipwreck it continued to grow, eventually becoming inhabited by a hardy group of enterprising entrepreneurs. In the years that followed a thriving community formed. The …
When I was first bitten with the urge to write, it was fiction I had in mind. I guess this was inevitable as I’d been reading the stuff since I was old enough to hold a library card ... and pay a fine for a late return. Whilst I still love fiction, it's fair to …
In his book 'How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy' SF writer Orson Scott Card states: One of the primary appeals of all fiction is that it takes the reader into unfamiliar places ...If a tale we're reading or watching on the screen becomes too familiar, it becomes boring. Yet if it is too unfamiliar, …
When I was growing up I knew to be quiet when in the lounge while the news was on TV. At six in the evening and later for the news at ten I kept my mouth zippered so Dad could hear of the day’s events. My parents also received the Daily Mirror newspaper, satisfying my …
Learning history is easy; learning its lessons seems impossibly difficult.Nicolas Bentley A popular misconception with today's politically-driven 'pandemic' pantomime is that events are somehow 'unprecedented'. This is not true. All we need to do is to dial back to the 1930s and 1940s to find that history is repeating itself. This post may appear to …
The casual visitor to this site doesn’t need to be particularly perceptive to realise that a certain medieval abbey has been a significant influence in my writing. First of all there’s the real-life medieval mystery, ‘The Silent Stones of Thornton Abbey’. And, of course, there’s my children’s fantasy ‘The Door to Caellfyon’, the serialisation of …
‘When you go to say “hello” to nature, put every redundant sound away, for nature is music, and that alone should suffice.’Michael Bassey Johnson, Song of a Nature Lover This month is generally associated with spring showers. Not this year, it seems. Our four rain barrels that were full to overflowing a couple of months …
‘Is there anything that’s puzzled you? Something you’ve never been able to find an answer for?’ This simple question prompts insecure teenager Levi Hardy to step through a curious door in an ancient abbey. From there he goes on an astonishing journey. A journey to a distant land; a land in peril. A land where …
Today’s early spring sunshine happened to coincide with a low breeze - unusual for this stretch of North Sea coast at this time of year. I therefore hauled the dust sheet from my cycle, pumped-up my tyres and took to the open road. As is often the case, my ride took me past nearby Thornton …
RAVEN MOON 