Tag: Devon Life

A Change of Nature

Following on from my last post, the theme of nature is still in mind. In the garden, the lavender is growing, the hedgehog is visiting, and stray newts are making random appearances in the grass, despite there being no pond…

With a backdrop of bird’s singing, and the gentle hush of nearby bamboo brushing in a summer breeze, it’s a textured backdrop. Add to this, trips to the beach for some sea air, edged by sienna cliffs of the Jurassic coast, home to nesting birds and basking seals, and more layers of fabric add to the scene.

Sights, sounds, colours, scents and the all-important feels, develop a tangible world. Worldbuilding has been the focus of my novel writing in recent months, that and the courage to attack a re-write with renewed vigour, and a capacity to allow for organic change. The changes were greater than I had first imagined, and the efforts are paying off. The key – layering the world, being true to the world, true to the characters, embodying perspectives and when those perspectives necessarily alter, breathing into the flow and, quite literally, taking flight. There’s a clue there somewhere, though dragons are no secret. Then comes the interesting question of perception, and as I’ve said before, I’m going with my own inventive model of dragon, with explanations rife in a world where magic is its own science.

Subverting expectation is a common theme in my work, often times associated with gender. it’s an interesting concept to combine this with dragons, considering the concept of power, the expectation of power, contrasted with the truth of identity. The answers are coming and I’m excited to see them revealed… after more rewrites. A story is written once, and it is worth taking the time.

For now, a breath of fresh air and some sun… Have a great weekend, everyone…

 

Wild Inspiration

With a rush of book events this spring, I was forced to take a break from the novel writing, though that will begin again soon in earnest. A recent event, Hartland Book Festival, gave food for thought and a big dose of inspiration. It was my first time venturing to Hartland Peninsular, and it was great to meet local authors, network, share ideas, and chat to new readers. It was also great to meet the hosts of the event, The Resurgence Trust, and share thoughts on the connection between social justice, community and environmental concerns, as well as the connection with the arts – core values of the organisation, and themes present in my series, Blood Gift Chronicles.

Thanks to my lovely wife for keeping me company, and after a few bookish hours, also involving coffee and cake, we headed out for some sight-seeing to the dramatic quay coast, with sharp edges and rugged bronze and black rocks, like stepping into the Iron Islands of Game of Thrones. Talking of themes in my books, spot the dragon part-submerged.

It was a perfect day to venture on to Speke’s Mill Mouth Waterfall, and finish up with a drink at the quay with a view of Lundy island. With various information snippets scattered among the old fishing cottages, it’s a comfort to feel the presence of stories.

And like I said, it was a day of inspiration, among jagged cliff edges, wild coastline, and moorland heath, I was reminded of the archipelago of islands in The Warder, and the island of Evren, a place we return to in Book 3. Soon…

 

February Sun

Pausing to reflect on how lovely it has been to see the sun this February. After many weeks of rain, it’s felt like a real treat to be able to bask in some sun traps. This curly-whiskered furball adores soaking up the rays, the hotter the better, despite her thick fur.

And crisp dry weather is great for getting out and about. Huge thanks to Devon Wildlife Trust for creating and preserving some wonderful natural habitats to enjoy. Including along the River Otter, where we recently ventured. It’s a river with a well-known and long history, including its role in driving watermills used to power local textile and corn mills. Milling has taken place for over a 1,000 years at Otterton, and continues!! And so, on the river’s epic journey from the Blackdown Hills to the English Channel at Budleigh, we met up with it at the salt marshes and reed beds, overlooked by the red Jurassic cliffs, home to millions of years of earth’s history…

Home to birds a plenty… Well, perhaps on another day we’ll get lucky with the kingfishers and egrets, but it was fabulous to spot a curlew, especially since they’re on the UK’s red list, a priority for bird conservation…

And I look forward to an evening amble, keeping an eye out for the industrious beaver…

But where did all the otters go?

And finally a gulp of sea air, and a lucky find, spotting the colour among a sea of pebbles…

Now it’s back to work for me…

Have a great week!

Summer Days

A moment to reflect on summer days, which have been a riot of colour for one reason or another. During Pride month, it would be remiss not to mention Exeter Pride, as colourful as ever and such a great thing to be back after so long. An eclectic gay day filled with love, laughter, and a public display of respect and tolerance; it’s always interesting to compare with the more political marches of ‘back in the day’, and a sombre reminder of all those still fighting for their rights. Usually, I get a gazillion snaps of the parade, but this year it was the faces of friends. Perhaps it still feels like a novelty, being out on mass. All ending with a stage of rap, beat boxing, poetry and drag. Such a great day!

 

Another local treasure that I was introduced to only recently came when I went to see a friend, Peter Farrie, perform at the glorious gardens of Studio 36. Prepare to feast your eyes on a wild and colourful spectacle that is a hidden garden here in Exeter, largely unknown but a favourite among art lovers. (Peter was also brilliant. Click here to check out his website of mellow sounds, catchy lyrics, and poignant snapshots of life.)

And last, but by no means least, a visit to Torre Abbey in Torquay, in time for a wonderful exhibition featuring Nigerian-born British artist, Chinwe Russell and her prominent women in history collection.

She said, and I quote: “In my usual bold style, I seek to remind us of the powerful powerhouse that women represent around the world. I am a huge admirer of women, who despite the many atrocities committed against them around the world, remain strong and steadfast to assure the next generation in perpetuity.”

Wangari Maathai was a particular favourite of mine, a woman who inspired a few lines in my climate change poem:

“Meanwhile, for inspiration look ahead of the curve,

Africa…

Mass reforestation and the great green wall, an aptly ambitious reserve.”

The art, gardens, building, and history perfectly capture a brilliant fusion of old meets new meets colourful.

All topped off with a view of the sea, and a lone swan beneath a bright blue sky.

Hope everyone’s having a great week… xx

Festive Lights

Blood Gift Chronicles Book 3 is well underway. I look forward to giving a writing update in the new year, but for now I thought I would take a pause in my working day to share some local festive cheer. It was just a quick trip this year, tagged on to a shopping day, but it’s always a treat to soak up the ambience of Exeter Xmas market, complete with the cathedral looming in the background providing a wonderfully gothic feel.

Then on to spot the decorated trees on-route, since no trip would be complete without a visit to the annual charity tree display – a wonderful reminder of the great work of our local charities.

For the Xmas light display we went further afield with a trip to Powderham castle, armed with mugs of peppermint tea and chocolate brownies to snack on. With the whole castle and gardens lit up like a Xmas tree, it was an impressive display.

But perhaps the star of the show were three orphaned lambs wearing Xmas jumpers, tucked away in the grounds of the secret garden, unfazed by ogling visitors looking to catch that perfect Xmas card shot.

For now it’s back to work, but in the meantime…

Wishing everyone a very Merry Xmas

Happy Holidays, and a

Happy, Healthy, Peaceful New Year 

xxx

 

A Splash of Colour

There’s a familiar sight outside the window of my writing room: blurred by heavy rainfall, beyond the rooftops of red brick houses, trees are blowing in a blustery wind. While searching for inspiration for tomorrow evening’s open mic, I thought of May’s challenging weather, and came up with my reading: The Story of the North Wind. It’s actually an extract from my novel, The Warder (Blood Gift Chronicles 2). In the book, Suni is a storyteller, among other things, and The Story of the North Wind is a story she tells. It is a fable from the land of Shendi, the setting for my books, and with nature being the theme for tomorrow evening’s open mic, the fable fits in well.

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