Notes on Paper

Printing from a writer's perspective and the fun of re-purposing... When planning my projects for the next few years, I was aware that print books are still my format of choice (as a reader and writer). A love of nature and lifelong habits of re-using paper, where possible, impacts my purchasing and use of paper. …

Launching SPIRALS!

Today I'm launching SPIRALS - a collection of poetry, featuring words devoted to science, love, nature, the abstract, the sacred and sublime. Read them aloud, in a whisper, to a friend or lover, into the wind, under a tree. Let the words carry you deeper within or towards the sky. Wherever your heart roams. These …

SPIRALS – poetry collection

I'm happy to announce that the poetry collection I created last year is being released into the world early 2020! There are 100 featured poems, covering such topics as science, love, nature, the abstract, the sacred and sublime. I've written poetry for 3 decades and sifted through over 500 poems to choose those that best …

Desk Note – July

Writing letters to someone is wonderful and re-reading them almost as good. Something I've done in the past, is to exchange letters with someone so that we return our penned pages to one another. You're reminded of little moments in life that happened and can see how life has changed (or you have changed). Keeping …

Field Note – March

I've been visiting other places with my notebook over the last month. Observing different sounds and watching fields of movement, instead of flowers. There's so much to see. All those tiny moments of life that have us slipping into reverie. Between drafting paragraphs for my current project, odd moments slip between what I'm doing. A …

Love Note – February

Not all wandering happens in fields. There are landscapes inward, that we walk with as much wonder, as when viewing the sky above us. Dancing, singing, laughing, sweating and drumming our practise - alone, with friends or strangers. Some people walk it, some find it wherever they sit, others cover great distances. It is all sacred. …

Desk Note – January

January offers solitude (and fog). The soul longs to express the brightness of a new year. Winter draws us deep to its heart. Coming in from the cold, the urge to face plant into warm blankets is palpable. Yet beneath the skin, bone deep, the revival has begun. A restlessness taking shape in the mind, …

Wax & Wane

October is the month it grows dark enough to light candles. Wind snaps at our legs. Green turns molten as leaves curl then fall. Skies can glisten like pale crystal or dampen everything with a wash of grey. Autumn sweeps in with a ruthless brush stroke. It finds us peering into cupboards; savouring (or slinging) …

Writing: The Process

I met with author ES Moxon recently, to talk about the process of writing Sky Drum... 1. What was the initial inspiration for your current book/series? A thunderstorm several years ago reminded me of recurring childhood dreams. I've always been fascinated in nature and the cosmos. I began thinking about people interacting and working with them directly. …

Memory Stones

In another research post, I share my photos of West Kennet longbarrow and Sidbury hill in Wiltshire and Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire. The deep blue of the sky on a clear day is wonderful. The black mountain is framed by the Pentre Ifan burial chamber. Buttercups and gorse in golden bloom quiver in the wind, …

Ancient Abodes

Here are some photos I took while exploring places that inspire storytelling; Castell Henllys Iron Age village in Pembrokeshire and Wroxeter Roman City, in Shropshire. From the fireside earthenware to the loom, these abodes highlight what was important to us then is still important now. The scale and layout give each place a different feel. Narrow paths …

Embrace

Within each season, the moods of nature support certain activities; building momentum throughout the year. They nurture the necessary and the beloved, providing a loose framework with room to adapt (because disruption is part of life). I've put my life on paper in 3 lists; what I need to do, what I love to do and …

Artist: Wendy Andrew

Update: I interviewed representational artist Wendy Andrew and her website - Painting Dreams - features a new blog. Read on for inspiration... 1. What drew you to becoming an artist? I have always drawn and painted and made things! My father was an artist and took me to life drawing classes as a young child, so being …

Lullaby of Sky

Today I'm sharing with you the lullaby of sky, a poem that details the character's united journeys in my fantasy novel which launched this week. Sky full of lullaby Answering heart’s call Shadows in the wake of light Journeying towards a fall . . . A million strings beating sparks Together moving to a dark …

Sky Drum

The first novel in my fantasy epic is out now... Peace. Chaos. Potential. Cosmos. It will take them all to restore the sky drum. Journeys and friendships collide, in this elemental tale of old promises and new hope. Sky Drum is the first in the series about two planets, two suns and the people that …

Winter Wisdom

A piece I've written of my grandmother is featured in She Who Knows - a magazine that honours the feminine and nature. Helmed by Cheryl Tipple-Trepat and Isabella Lazlo, it is packed with content by a diverse community of artists, writers and illustrators. Below is an extract from the piece... "The wildness pulls at me; tugging at …

Positive

Many inspiring things are happening in the world. I enjoy being informed and inspired. Positive News is a current affairs magazine, led by Sean Dagan-Wood. I followed its stories for a while and became a community co-owner. Each issue covers a multitude of topics; delivering constructive and diverse news on many subjects. It is refreshing to …

Home

Another extract: "The air we breathe, the ground beneath, the water that surrounds touches all. Awoken by sunlight, we grow together. From mineral or mountain, leaf or bud. Formed in veins, stretching in strata. Wherever we go is home - in our bones. Life bends, bows, decays and grows. Of blood, star, marrow and memory. …

Dig In

Here is another extract that is part of a larger collection, I hope you enjoy it: "Days spent in words and nature. Leaves unfurl, flowers bloom and pens die. Comes the morning and the sun. Words and weeds are dug. This is where magic happens. Plot twists, new shoots, wild green. Plant seeds and murmuring lips. …