At one hour past midnight in a glade filled with soft snow, the sounds of a small babies cries echoed through the bare snow dressed trees, around the ancient woodland that surrounded Robbie’s Mere, and the house of the Lord Loxley and his wife Runestone.
As if they all knew, the few animals that scratched in the snow for
food, stopped and all raised their heads and looked in the direction of the
wooden house. It was a sacred time when a power of the sight of the future was
brought by Stephanie and Jessica into the world.
The house rang with cheers, and laughter and the ringing of glasses of
celebration, and somehow in the world of the woodland that was asleep for the
winter, life seemed to tread round the trees and bring tidings to all of a new
addition to the noble line of Loxley.
Taken from The Queen of the Violet
Isle. HTTK Book Four, by Robin John Morgan.
Is it 2019 already?
It is hard to believe that 10 years ago in January of 2009, I sat with my girlfriend, later to be my wife, and looked through every page of the Bowman of Loxley. We were in the process of starting what was to become a publishing deal for the first editions of HTTK, the only problem was, the publisher was concerned about the word count. We edited a sizeable chunk from the first book, something I did very begrudgingly, as this book was the culmination of 20 years of research and ideas.
It was an exciting time, I had been pushed and pushed by
a lot of people to publish this book, and for two years I had dodged doing it,
from my own point of view I did not feel like I was a writer, I simply wrote
stuff down and enjoyed doing it. Writing was a past time, a hobby, it was not
something that was meant to be serious, but having been pushed by just about
everyone who had read the rough first draft, I had finally made the decision to
publish and set about getting things ready.
The rest as we know is history, the book was edited down,
the book was published in April 2009, followed by book two the same year, and
the third book came out a year later. It has all felt like a whirl wind trip,
and the kind of story dreams are made of, but sadly that was not to be the
case.
The fourth book in the series was not published until
2014, four years after the third book, which was mainly due to the fact that as
my third book hit the stores, I began to feel very uneasy about allowing my
publisher of that time work on the fourth. Things felt wrong, and my suspicions
grew a great deal that things with the publisher were not as expected. I am glad
now that I listened to my gut feelings because as I arrive in 2019 I still have
not received a single penny in royalties from those first editions, and I can
no longer reach the publisher as they have disappeared, I have had no choice
but to write off those earnings from what at the time was a lot of book sales.
It served as a lesson for the future, and became my
driving force to set things right and establish HTTK by a means I could
control, and funnily enough, it was New Year’s Day 2014 that I launched Violet
Circle Publishing, after a year of seriously hard work and effort on the part
of my wife and myself. January 2014 was once again a hive of activity as I
pushed to firstly revisit the first three books, and put back all the edits
that had been removed from the first editions. The focus from that point on was
to completely re-format the interior with a format that could be replicated
throughout all the books, I wanted it simple, clean, and easy to read, and by
making the page size a little larger, I manged to drop the page count, and thus
reduce the price of the books, as I had always felt the first editions were
just too expensive.
January 2019 is going to follow a similar pattern; I will
be writing none stop as my wife looks towards the editing of each chapter as I
write it, in order to speed up production of the final book of the series. It
will feel good to finish with the final book on the tenth anniversary of the
first publication, a feat that will bring to a close a whopping twelve years of
none stop writing of this particular series of books. Who knew it would take so
long to actually get all of it to this point and into print?
Heirs to the Kingdom has seen me write millions of words,
spend literally a good few years of just editing and revising, I have taken
thousands of photographs, driven hundreds of miles, and have hours of notes on
my digital voice recorder, and I think I have used a good few trees worth of
recycled paper in the process.
I would love to say it’s been exhausting, but honestly even
though there have been so many nights sat up alone writing, and I have at times
suffered sleep deprivation because I got carried away on a particular stubborn
part of the tale. Exhaustion was never an issue, it has been a challenge of
that there is no doubt, but I loved every moment I have worked on this story,
and it has become a huge part of the person I have become, and hopefully I
think I can say I have finally earned my stripes as full time writer.
2019 will take me into a place where my focus and
concentration have to be better than ever, I have a lot still to do to bring
this story to its final conclusion, and it with that in mind that I take my
inspiration from the last ten years of working to publish this story. It still
needs a much bigger fan base if I am going to continue to write, and once the
final book hits the shelves, that will be my goal for the second part of this
year, but for now, I am simply doing what I love the most, writing the tale
that you have all come to love, for all of you who read this are one of the
inspirations that drives me forward, and I will be forever grateful to all of
you.
I wish all of you the very best for this coming year, I
wish you all peace, and safety in whatever you may face this year, and I hope
all of you will get to walk a greener path lit by the shade of old trees.
I have had a few comments from readers on the breakup between Sapphire and Keith. Quite a few of you have expressed some sadness at their parting of the ways. They met in book two, and it appeared that they were destined to be together forever, especially when you look to book four, and Sapphire’s ordeal at the hands of Brother Argus, and how distraught she became about her prospects for future chances of children with Keith.
I try in all that I write to give an honest representation
of life, and I think the story of Sapphire and Keith serves as a good
reflection of our modern world today, and there is a line I have used many
times as I have talked to someone suffering a broken heart, which simply put
is, “Some people are meant to belong in our hearts, but not always in our
lives.”
I have seen a great deal in my half century on this earth,
and since I was a young boy, a great deal has changed in regard to
relationships and marriage. I think with age I have grown a little cynical about
the future of what is now seen as out of date values, and I have watched the
game change into something so different from the family roles I learned as a
young boy. I do try very hard to present a modern take on my woodland world,
and I spend a great deal of time thinking about how the rules of society would
change after a life changing event such as the Red Death, and one thing I do
know, is that if you put people into a survival situation, pretty much most of
their view points on life will shift, especially in regard to long term goals.
Modern culture is unrecognisable to that of my youth, and as
a people watcher who is fascinated with the human condition, I have observed
many of the younger couples that have grown around me. Marriages are changing,
so are relationships, and in today’s world, sadly a marriage is something no
longer measured as for life. The young embrace marriage and relationships as a
short term phase, most marriages today encounter cheating and infidelity much
sooner than say twenty years ago, it appears that forever has a life span of
only ten years in the modern world, and I think about this a great deal.
Pagan ritual of marriage
The fact is, modern society sees relationships so much more differently than I did in my twenties, they have adopted a more disposable lifestyle, which I think creates an attitude and a live in the now approach. To a degree I understand this, as I grew up opposed to marriage due mainly to my own observations of those around me, and I chose to live my own life in search of liberty and self-discovery. It was only in my later years that I even considered marriage, and so I feel that maybe the youth of today are a little more wiser to life, and want to enjoy being single for far longer than many of my peers did before settling down. When I was younger I was taught marriage is for life, you pick one person and then tough it out no matter what the circumstances, today traditional marriage is just one of many options, that include open lifestyles of varying degrees, and I have observed these in action, and considered it and realised that a marriage in the modern world, is whatever that couple wants it to be, and I actually can see some sense to this.
I have observed couples, who break up, and I have had the
chance to talk to quite a few during their times of separation, and many have
regrets, and equally as many do not want to let go. It is an interesting
phenomenon, and something I wanted to reflect in the books. I have known females,
who even though their partner treated them terribly, and left them for other
women, they refused to let go, and have endured a long period of suffering alone
as a result. I still to this day do not understand why anyone would want to be
around someone who treated them so badly, but the facts are, they fought for
all they were worth to try and win the man back, and even though I disagreed
with them, I also admired them for such massive belief in the power of love to
win over.
Others I know have had multiple affairs, and it has weighed
heavily on them, and yet as unhappy as they were living in what they perceived
as misery, they refused to leave their partners, as they did in a strange way
actually love and care about them, and had no intention of hurting them. It is
a strange thing to observe, as they worked so hard to save their marriage, only
to end repeating their infidelity. I feel that today marriage and relationships
are more flexible and easy to discard in the minds of a generation who swipe
left or right, and can hook up instantly using the internet or a phone app. I
also have had to ask myself, that if your life was plunged into the danger of
an apocalyptic event, would that make people more likely to couple up for
relationship security, and then in time, as the situation improved, would they
be more likely or less likely to separate?
The way I see it, is that with the chance to start completely from scratch, would those with less than a satisfactory relationships separate for a complete change and a better future, or would that bond be strengthened, and therefore remove the all the sources of unhappiness with the struggle to survive? I talked to a lot of people about this and did a lot of reading, and I came to the decision that most bonds would probably be boosted. It is clear that during war time Europe of the 1930’s and 40’s with the chances of survival lower than say during peacetime, more people rushed into marriage, but again in many cases, military personal stationed very far from home, sort companionship with partners who were not their legal spouses.
I think the higher the risk of death, the more willing some people were to risk everything and move away from the norms of society. With this in mind I turned to Sapphire and her situation. Firstly Sapphire has had to endure 30yrs alone and isolated (Book 7), so in this scenario she grows use to being without Keith and learns to be dependent on just herself. Sapphire’s other important factor is that once she has used the Bridge of Sequana, she begins to understand that as her powers grow, she will attract the attention of the Dark One. One factor gives her separation and the other threatens death, both ultimately risk Keith’s life, and could end up with him alone if she dies. It is not a simple situation.
Celtic handfasting ribbon knot.
The fact is nothing in a relationship is simple, everything
is a negotiation, as we see with Robbie and Runestone as they face their roles
in life, and deal with the their commitment to each other and the family they
are raising. I think in today’s modern world, they do set a good example to
those who really are committed and want to live with the one they have chosen.
I have always believed that every marriage is unique, and should not be a
formula fixed by society. It is a negotiation lived by just two people, and it
is up to them to define their boundaries and live as they chose without comment
from the rest of the world. In the background of the books we can see this in
all the varied forms of marriage and relationships the characters have, and all
of them are very different. I can certainly say that in my own marriage,
everything is openly discussed, and then we chose what our next step will be,
it works for us, even though at times others do not understand it, but we are also
aware it is not going to be the same experience for everyone else, and we try
not to comment or judge others because of that.
I have looked at people and how they live together, and it
has been clear to me that they are not destined to find their way through
whatever crisis they face with each other, and it is because of those cases in real
life, I think that I wrote Opal’s part in this as the one to advise Sapphire
and maybe shows the greatest wisdom. When Sapphire confesses how she feels
about Keith and her future, it is Opal who states it is unfair to continue, as
it is not just her life; she must also consider Keith’s. Opal advises the break
up after Sapphire explains she wishes to find her own path alone, and I think
this shows great wisdom, as even though they are both aware of how much this
will hurt Keith, it is in the long run the best thing for him. Given time,
Keith will heal and start a new relationship, and through that he will discover
the joys of life again. The sudden break up will mean that whilst he is still
young, he will have the chance to find something of value that will last much
longer, because if Sapphire does not have the courage, and drags it out, it is
Keith that will ultimately suffer the worst, and eventually have a shorter life
time with a new love.
Many agree with Opal, and some who have spoken to me do not,
ultimately I am always going to side with Opal, after all the women is over a
thousand years old, and has seen far more in life than I have. But I do think
that whilst immensely difficult, Sapphire ultimately did the right thing to end
it. Her life is about to change forever, as she becomes the centre of a circle
that will grow to guide many lines of lives, and she will enter places in her
life Keith will not be allowed to go to.
(Spoiler alert) Sapphire is half human and half Fae, and up
until now she has lived a very human existence, her coming years will see her
face and embrace her Fae side, as she will be ever drawn in that direction, and
whilst the Fae of Earth embrace many freedoms of gender and relationships,
Keith will not be allowed to be a part of certain aspects of Fae life. It is a
very important factor in her decision, and why the book contains the heart
breaking scene where Sapphire visits Keith for one last farewell.
This is not a situation where anyone wins, and for Sapphire
I think it is as painful as it is for Keith, but you cannot rule out that she
has lived 30 years alone, only to be returned back to the point in time where
Robbie confronted the Dark One on Citadel Mount. Having felt the freedom the
isolation has given her to learn her craft, she is now placed back into Keith’s
arms, and within her so much has changed. Yes she still loves him and probably
always will, but she has to be realistic and face the truth of life. The truth
is she has learned to live without him, and has come to the realisation that
isolation is her protection and her greatest strength. I admit it would be no
problem to pick up where she left off again with Keith.
As a writer, it would have made little impact on the books and the story, but that is not how I work, as I want the characters to appear as real as me and you, and I spent a long time thinking about her situation. It made complete sense at the end of the process to have Sapphire admit the truth, there has been a little part of her caught in her teenage dreams and fantasies born out of her own isolation growing up, and as she matured, she had to face the facts that her position could no longer tolerate any form of deceit. Not only towards others, but more importantly towards herself. Sapphire has to a degree been fooling herself that she can live a mortal life, but the fact remains that she is half Fae, and sooner or later she would have to leave Loxley, and so with that in mind, she had to break it off with Keith, for her journey now is into the unknown world of the mystics, a place no fully mortal person can travel.
I think in today’s world the outcome would be exactly the
same. It is said that if you truly love someone, you have to love them enough
to let them go, and I believe in that deeply, as I feel that a relationship is
two individual people sharing a life experience together, and it is with that
in mind I wrote the passages in book seven. It is my hope this series will have
a true to life feeling, even though it is heavily wrapped in fantasy, and I
hope you will take that into consideration.
The final book in this series of HTTK will illuminate many
aspects of the realms and worlds and the people within them, and as all the
strings get pulled together to draw this adventure to a close, I hope it will
become a little clearer for the readership, and answer many more questions. I
am writing what is the most complex book at the moment in an attempt to finish the book
as quickly as I can, and so hopefully it will not be much longer before you all
have a copy in your hands, and can complete this journey with me. Until then I
thank you for all your correspondence, and look forward to presenting the final
instalment at some future point.
When I started this year, I had high hopes and a long list
of notes and ideas to move forward and complete the final book of the series in
Heirs to the Kingdom.
Looking back through all the data I had collected last year,
which for the past ten years have been the backbone of what was a story that
had been an obsession for 20 years, it became clear very quickly that the notes
for the start of this story, where sketchy at best.
I have extensive notes on the Ruling Council, Gwendolyn,
Opal and the different lifestyles of all the different races of people within
this story, but what I lacked was the very start of the line of Le Fey. Mostly
I had a small roughly scribbled story of two members of the Fae races that met
in Avalon during the time it was being constructed for Rhiannon, and it lacked
a great deal of detail.
The main bullet points highlighted the importance of this
time, but they were just the bare bones, and lacked any kind of meat to build
on. It became very clear that in order to complete the final story of HTTK, I
needed a lot more detailed information on those times, something that could be
achieved by writing the tale from start to finish. I soon understood that what
I was about to embark on was the writing of two books side by side.
I began as I always do, researching and making rough notes
of the plot, and started to write the back story, which was actually the very
start of the series that I wanted to complete. Ten chapters in I had enough to
go on with, and so turned my attention back to the final book of the HTTK series
and made a start. The process that has been my routine for most of this year
has been a strange kind of writing leap frog, the start of this series, and
then jump to the final book and so forth, and as a result both books have
progressed at a much slower pace than they would normally.
To give you all an idea of how fast these books come
together, I wrote book one back in 2007 in a rough draft based on over twenty
years of thorough research and notes, it took approximately three months to
write the first draft, which was then revised and edited over a whole year to
become what was the first edition. At that time (With a different publisher) I
was not that happy with the final book, and so spent a further five months
working on a revised edition in 2012, which was published as a second revised
edition in 2014 via Violet Circle Publishing. Book One is still the fastest
book I have written, book five took almost two years to write, and here I am
trying to put together two very detailed books in as little time as possible,
to say I have felt the pressure is an understatement.
2018 has to date possibly been one of the most difficult
years of my life. My family life has been rocked since the year began, and as a
family we have faced some very difficult and challenging times. I cannot deny
that as I arrive in the last month of this year, I find myself stressed and
strained and suffering from complete emotional and physical exhaustion. Endless
hurdles to face and overcome has been the theme of my year, and even though
there have been many times when I ached with the frustration to simply hide
away and write, such has been the theme of this year that I have not completed
anywhere near as much work as I would wish to. Writing, promoting my books and
getting out and about to actually sell books to the public, have all been
pushed on to the back burner many times, in order to have to stop and drop
everything for the needs of others.
I have entered December this year hoping for some calm and
stability in the hope of finally having the time to work through this whole
month and play catch up on my writing, I am even considering planning to leave
the house and hole up in some distant guest house, in order to finally complete
the first manuscript of the last book, something I may well do in January if
resources are available.
It has always been my plan to complete the last book and get
it on the shelves, and then take my time finishing the final edits of what will
be one last related book in the HTTK series, as it will become a prequel to the
story with characters of whom you may have heard in references throughout the
books, but you have not actually met to date.
I do get asked on a regular basis if there will be any other
related tales, so I can say yes to at least one book, and there will always be
a possibility of shorter tales, but for now I can only focus on the final book
of the series, at which point I will see. I have other stories unrelated to
HTTK I would love to complete, and so given the time and good health, I hope I
can continue with those as well.
For now my frustration levels remain high, and my fingers
are crossed for an uneventful life in 2019 so that I can relax and focus on the
writing. Life is getting a little too much in the way, and I want to address
that next year and withdraw more from the circles that surround me in order to
focus on what I love the most, making up stories and getting them down on
paper.
In the very little free time that has been available, I have
managed to get some rough pieces together for the blog, and so with luck I will
edit them and clean them up, and then get you some more insights into this
wonderful tale on the blog over the coming weeks. Fingers crossed life will
remain stable this month and I hope you enjoy what I can share with you.
My thanks and blessings to you all for the coming
festivities. May you all walk safely and in peace into the coming New Year.
On the late afternoon of December 21st, he had
returned, and with Runestone, they led the vigil in the old stone circle above the
stockade and celebrated the Winter Solstice, and the going down of the sun on
the shortest day of the year.
Rune had smiled with joy as they headed back
to the Mere in the darkness, and placed a fat heavy log on the fire to banish
the darkness and celebrated with wine and ale. It was a time of family, and
together they decorated the house with fresh holly and mistletoe, and Rune
laughed with delight as Robbie carried in a large potted pine, to decorate with
small decorations made of woven straw, and biscuits hung on red ribbon.
The tree was topped with an elaborately made
five pointed star of silver, which was their first ever Yule gift as a couple,
and made by Jade’s skilled hand.
All round the house candles burned, casting
a warm flickering glow across everything, as the house rang to the sound of
Rune, as she giggled with happiness while she prepared the meal for all the
family who would be arriving shortly.
Taken from “The Queen of the Violet Isle, HTTK Book Four.”
Green Man Yule.
Yule for me is time of
darkness and light. At this time of year I always yearn to be alone and reflect
on my year and my past, something that is not as possible now as I have a
family. Before 2008 when I worked alone, I would always close up my shop at the
end of the day of selling Christmas trees and wreaths, and walk home in the
cold crisp air. On many occasions, I would divert from the road, and walk along
the dark silent canal pathway, my mind lost in thoughtful reflection of my
year. I think it was on one of those long walks home that I formulated what was
to become the opening passage of book four, a section of which is at the top of
this article.
The above passage from HTTK BK four, is based on real life events, and something I was a part of in my teenage years with a wonderful group of hippies, who changed my life, and showed me a way of living that was more in tune with who I was, and less in tune with the expectations of my family at that time. We numbered eight, of which today only three of us still live spread across three different countries, and on this day more than ever, I remember them and miss them dearly.
One figure more than any stands out for me, for she was the oldest of all us, and in many ways she became the focus of the character Steph in my books. I shall not name her out of respect for her family, for she walked from this realm and into another many years ago, and yet such was the power of her kindness and wisdom, I have never forgotten her, an feel privileged that I had a part in her life .
With her husband she made jewellery, and bags from cloth, she even knitted all of us warm hats and scarves, which she usually presented us with on Yule. Her husband was a Druid, and it was from him I learned a great deal of tree lore and the rituals of a Celtic past. My Steph figure was indeed a mother figure to all of us, even though she was only five years older than us, but even so her wisdom for her young years was honest, open, and deeply insightful. She gave me a lot of good advice at a time when I was lost, insecure, and looking for direction, and it was through her wisdom, which has stayed with me always, I think I found my way back into my love of plant lore and eventually writing.
I remember one Yule
celebration and telling her how one person in my family life referred to me as
the Scarecrow, and she smiled and asked how I felt about that. I was pretty
scruffy at the time with my long tatty hair, faded Led Zeppelin tee, afghan
coat, and patched pants, I told her it felt insulting and unjustified, and she
simply smiled and asked, “are you ill at ease with the way you dress?” No I
protested, I love how I dress, and her reply was simple, “Then embrace the
Scarecrow, if you embrace it, then it will no longer feel unjust or an insult,
I would say, it could be a compliment.” She gave a sly giggle and it made
sense.
One particular member of my family expected our whole family to conform to her standards, I had refused to, and as a result of my teenage rebellion, I had embraced my free living side and joined the throng of growing hippies across the UK. She was appalled at it and refused to entertain me until I cut my shoulder length hair and changed my attire. Scarecrow was meant to be an insult, a means to shame me into conforming to her will, and so I embraced it and became more extreme, and whenever the insult was fired at me by herself or one of her pillar of society friends, I simply stood still and lifted my arms out in a Scarecrow pose. (I smile as write this)
It worked wonderfully, and soon the comments stopped. Embracing the Scarecrow took away my insecurity, and gave me the courage for the first time in my life to actually make a stand for who I was, and who I wanted to be. It felt like a life changing moment in my life at the time, and today as I look back, I can see how much of a difference it has made to the person I have become.
Every year on December 21st and 22nd, we all made our way to her house, and as the light of the day faded, all the lights in the house were extinguished, and we would gather around the hearth of the old open grate fire. She would say a small blessing and thank the world around us for the gifts of life, and the bounty of the wilds, and then she would lean forward and light the kindling stacked in the chimney grate. Once the fire began to burn, she would take a large cut log out of a basket, and place it on the fire to burn slowly over the coming days. Candles were lit from the burning fire and placed all around the house, bringing light to every room.
Once the fire was burning, and the house filled with light, her husband would carry in the tree of scots pine, one year we even had a holly bush in a huge pot, and we would all take part in the decoration of the tree. There were few baubles, and only a short string of electric lights, all the rest of the decorations were small neatly wrapped packages bearing the names of each of us, and special cookies that hung on red ribbons. Even now I still find it to be one of the most magical parts of my life, which is why many years back when I wrote the above passage for the fourth book, I wanted to save that very important moment of my life within its pages.
Drink mead and hail the Ancestors.
Yule was a time of
friends and feasting, and all of us stayed together for the two days and
laughed, talked and got quite drunk as I remember, I almost danced once such
was the power of the home brew.
It is a memory filled
with light, but also for myself edged with darkness, for I miss those wonderful
people deeply at this time of year. Heirs to the Kingdom is more than just a
story, it is the combination of a life, of love for people, and the adventures
that are woven through all of my life of experience. I realise for most people
it is simply a tale of adventure and fantasy, but I can assure you it is so
much more than that, it is filled to the core with a life as real as your own,
carefully written from hidden truth of a time long since gone, when people
cared about each other and love had a true meaning between not just lovers, but
true friends. The world has changed so much since that time, which is why it
was so important for this memory to be kept alive in print.
On this day I gather my
family around my own fire, and light a candle to light the darkness and pay
tribute to my friends, and those other important special people I have lost
from my life. Alone later I will sit and toast them, and then for a sad while I
shall sit alone and remember them.
Whether you follow
Yuletide or not, I send out my blessings and goodwill to all of you, may you
walk on green paths with the trees above you, to keep you all safe from the
storms of life next year and beyond.
A few things have happened of late that have made me think. Firstly as I write this, yet another major social media player, Tumblr has decided to remove all NSFW (Notsuitable for work) Content from its platform. I am no fan of any kind of censorship, I believe in the freedom of speech, and of expression, especially when it comes to lifestyles and artwork.
Having watched many blogs that I have interacted with on Tumblr face the prospect of being deleted on Dec 17th, it has felt like a bitter blow to creative expression and freedom, and I really do feel their fear and pain as they face the prospect of being banned for life, when all they have done is paint pictures of natural people, or promoted body positivity via a naturist lifestyle.
Free Thinking
We have seen this kind of sweeping censorship cross many platforms in recent years, as Facebook, Instagram, Google and the like have cracked down on free lifestyles by classing them as Porn, which it most certainly is not. Watching this has reminded me of a few conversations I have had with readers of HTTK about areas of my writing that address the topics of Sex and Nudity or as I like to phrase it, “Natural Lifestyles.”
One conversation that comes to mind was during the writing of book two, it was the part where after Robbie has been found and is recovering, he takes Runestone to Robbie’s Mere for the first time, and they spend the night making love under the trees. The following morning, Runestone wakes to find Robbie has gone off hunting, and so she slips out from under her blankets and walks naked to the water and goes for a swim.
I was asked,“Should you really be writing that an attractive 16 year old girl swims naked in the Mere alone. What if someone saw her?” I cannot deny it made me smile, and I responded as such.
“Why does it matter? I then went on to explain that yes she was 16, and I actually have never said that she was attractive, I always implied that Robbie found her attractive, and as we all know from life, people are attracted to different things in others such as temperament and personality. Would it be fine is she was unattractive, and does it really matter if someone sees her? After all, she is obviously comfortable with her own body, and so therefore I would suggest that she would be fine with being seen naked.” I think the reader completely missed the point of who Runestone actually is.
Its not Rude to be Nude
The response I got was a resounding gasp of horror, so I informed the questioner. “I think your obvious shock, is probably based more out your own fear than it is Runestone’s.” So I questioned, “Have you ever swam naked in a wild pool, it really is a wonderful feeling?” My questioner blushed, and answered somewhat quickly. “NEVER!!!”
I am not sure what shocked her more, the thought of herself swimming naked, or my absolute belief that being naked could be seen as normal. She obviously has issues with herself, and it is one of the things I spot the most in those who read my work. I have no issues at all presenting different or alternative lifestyles to that of what the society we live in considers natural or unnatural. I really do see the world differently to most of the people who read my books, and yes I do challenge people when they read HTTK for the first time, and yes I have absolutely no problems challenging the world beliefs of any reader.
I believe that a book should be challenging, if every writer chose to write a safe story then how would we learn about different lifestyles and world perspectives? I don’t write graphic sex, I do find it to be a tad coarse, but I do write implied sex and allow the reader to judge the events from, their own perspective. The way I see it, if a younger reader is engaged in the book but has little sexual knowledge and experience, the way I have written the story will not increase their knowledge or experience, and in most cases I have been proven right, as the very few younger readers I have known of, have not really understood those passages, simply because events are implied but not graphically outlined.
I grew up around Hippies and Pagans, and so there was a minority who are so in tune with the natural world that they have no issues with being naked around clothed people, and after some time of this kind of exposure, you simply get used to it and see it for what it actually is, ‘None Sexual.’ Seriously try going to a major rock festival like Glastonbury and not seeing naked people, it simply is impossible.
I see the world as two distinct aspects, there is the world of ‘Stone’ Which is the world of today with all its societal rules and irrational fears, and the ‘TheWoodland Realm’ which is my world, one that embraces the natural aspects of nature and life, free of societies self-absorbed disjointed belief systems. I have worked in counselling and helped people with their sexual problems and relationship issues, and so I am naturally a sex positive person, and feel no shame that I would encourage a person to explore their body or sexual feelings. I have no issues with Naturism and have freely participated in many group skinny dipping sessions in my life, and believe me it truly is something everyone should try, as after those five minutes of fear before disrobing, I think you will find you wonder what all the fuss was about. It comes as naturally as breathing, so add it to your bucket list for life.
Today’s modern culture, especially with social media and all its censorship, has helped advertisers build a profile of body shaming based on fear, and it is this control that does indeed change the way people think. The world of Mason Knox is all about fear and control, and I see it more and more in the world around me today. In the Woodland Realm there is no such thing as unnatural. I have always thought that to be open and free spirited is the truth of nature, and so therefore it is impossible to be unnatural, for within nature, everything can only be natural, and it is from this point of view I write about the Green Realm.
In 2018 the amount of people joining Naturism has risen substantially compared to previous years, and I personally think it is a good thing. In the USA it is noted that lack of vitamin D (Natural occurring in skin exposure to sunlight) is now at an epic proportion, there is now more plastic surgery than ever before, and more and more cases of body dysmorphia are being reported. The modern technological life is disengaging people from real life, and depression and suicides are rising. The average woman is bombarded by body shamming advertising every minute of every day, and as a result sales of beauty enhancing products have become the leading booming industry on the planet. The Bra industry shames women into believing that wearing an underwired bra is the only look a women should have, and yet more and more studies are showing that underwired bras can contribute to breast problems such as cancer. The whole world is driven by body fear, designed to do nothing more than create wealth for mass manufacturing corporations, and suppression of body freedom is yet another way of preventing people from understanding the simple truth, which is none of us should be afraid or ashamed of our own skin. Science has made a case for a long time that nudity promotes good health, clothing restricts the body from breathing, especially at night, and exposure to light helps promotes greater Vitamin D production that helps fight depression and strengthens the cells throughout out the whole body, and yet mass media sensationalises it and promotes greater fear for no other reason than it helps promote major industries, it simply is wrong.
Good Fiction
If onereader of my stories discovers something wonderful from a passage, that may allow them to let go of some of this stigma and indoctrination of this world, then I rejoice in the fact that I presented another way for them to approach life, for that simply put, is the purpose of a well written book.
Be yourself, embrace your natural being, and seriously who cares if people are watching, the chances are they are not, because they are too busy looking down at their phone. So if in doubt, look to nature, after all it is where our origins truly lie. Be natural, live true to yourself and simply put, read more and be yourself.
