Tag Archives: Culture

The Women of the Kingdom.

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Silhouette Image by Mohamed Hassan, with additional background added by this blog. Images royalty free.
Archer at Sunset

Now the series of Heirs to the Kingdom has come to an end, and whilst I am looking at other projects, I have taken a little time to sit back and reflect on what is now a full body of work.

Heirs to the Kingdom has many messages within the pages, be them about justice, the environment, betrayal or loyalty, but one message that I wanted to be loud and clear, also reflects an aspect of my own life, especially in the role of management or business owner, and that is, I believe in complete equality for all.

In recent years I have seen messages certainly around the book world, and in film that there really isn’t enough female hero’s, and at times I have sat back and gasped with disbelief, history is packed them, Boudicea and Joan of Arc come straight to mind, as does Wonder Woman, who has seen a huge revival on the silver screen in recent times. I cannot think of a better example of a female hero than Wonder Woman, the bi-sexual, whip and sword bearing shield maiden who fights for justice, she has it all, and even as a boy I was a huge fan of Linda Carter, who was the Wonder Woman of my 1970’s youth. Literature is littered with rebellious strong women, and yet they appear ignored, Pippi Longstocking the free spirited teenager, Jo out of Little Women, and not forgetting Elizabeth Bennet out of Pride and Prejudice, as some of the strongest female character’s I have read, and I would say for women they should be inspiring figures.

When it came to Heirs to the Kingdom, I wanted similar characters. Yes the book is an action and adventure story laced with magic and mythology, and there was always going to be fights and brawls, but when I first set out to write the books, I looked seriously at the situation created by the Red Death, and to me it made perfect sense that not just the males, but the females would out of a survival instinct, fight to protect what little they had. Today I know my wife is as capable as me if it came to a survival situation, she has been by my side throughout most of HTTK, and yes we have made our own arrows, and taught the kids how to filter water and start a fire with wet wood, everything in the books has been looked at and examined, and if I simply did not know, together we tried it to document the process for the writing. I will add at this point that the sexual reference to barbeque tools in book seven, is very specific to Jett Amber only, we have no knowledge of such things, although my wife has had green hair, which happened once as an accident, and she did do it once on purpose.

Heirs to the Kingdom whilst a fantasy, had to reflect real life in my mind, and so I started by creating females who would enter the books as the very ideal of what is the stereotyped female, especially in the case of Runestone. Rune is a few bits of several people I have known in my life, her long red hair and sapphire blue eyes, are from one person, her temperament comes from another, and her slender frame and kick ass abilities, came from yet another female from my life. I grew up in the 1970’s around hippie culture which morphed into rock culture, and I was surrounded by friends like Runestone, Jade and Jett. It was my intention to show Runestone as would be expected of a young innocent girl, and then I began her transformation from girl in the clothes shop, to kick ass powerhouse side kick to a warrior lord, her evolution through the series has been a real pleasure to write, and for any young girl reading HTTK, I hope it shows them, that the stereotyped world is not their only choice in life.

The hippie community was filled with slender elegantly dressed, and certainly very feminine women, and it was from these people I referenced a selection of characters, the biker/rocker community gave me a sample of strong capable women, and it was from combining the two that I came up with a basic idea of how the females within the books would be shaped. For myself Runestones ability to lift a sword and fight besides her husband is a natural thing, I have seen women who are more than capable outshine the men in real life. The broad South Wales speaking, at times flaky, yet highly aggressive Jett Amber, is actually quite a normal persona from my past, and I actually think I live with Jade, as my wife is much happier in oversized hoodies, my shirts and her heavy boots. All of these people who shaped my story entered my life in a very feminine manner, and as I grew to know them and they became good friends, I began to see all their wonderful additional qualities, and to be honest there was no debate back then of treating them differently, as they were naturally seen and treated as equals. I think in many ways today the battle of the genders has become so fraught, we fail to see how alike we can all be at times, and that is a main point of HTTK.

This a post-apocalyptic story, a dystopian tale, and in a situation where the uncertainty of death hangs over you. I would say all the fights and squabbles over gender would be brushed aside, as everyone pitched in to help overcome the trials of the changes to life. It is a shame that we have such great stories literally within arm’s reach, and yet it feels at times like the world is stuck in this fight for rights and power, when if such an incident happened in the real world today, everyone would see that given the situation, all of us are capable of simply getting stuck in and doing what was necessary to survive.

The biggest change I have seen is my life is the eroding of acceptance. Growing up in hippie/rock culture, I saw a different way of living, which was based more in nature and less in the world of money and stone, it shows in my writing. Today we have moved away from simply being ourselves and accepting everyone around us for whom they are, this media driven world has become critical and is all about shaming others, and I find it very sad. I would like to think that HTTK whilst a wonderful vehicle for escapism, also can show a more natural way for all of us to live together, which is the whole principle behind Robbie’s Mere as the base of the Specialist’s. I really love the fact that there are alpha males and alpha females’ side by side, who get along and serve the community.

Human nature I feel is naturally accepting with an open mind, there will always be love and romance, sexual frustrations and expressions. Bravery will appear in the most unlikely, and fear will create doubt in the strongest, there are good and bad people in all communities, and there is certainly no shortage of bullies and those who will become their victims, and these things apply to both sexes equally. They have always been there, history tells us the tales of those times, and they are at times misleading, as they are only the words of the one person who wrote them. I think it is why I admire Celtic culture, for they believed in complete equality and in community. They lived by tribe mentality, and accepted each other as equals because their way of life depended on it, so why are we not teaching more of this to our children?

To say there is a shortage of female role models or hero’s I feel is misleading, if you look hard enough you will find them. Arwen and Eowyn from lord of the rings, Lyra Silver Tongue from His dark Materials, Jo Playton from Day of the Triffids, Super Girl, Bat Girl, Black Widow, Harlequin, Storm, there are so many of various types, and there is one pretty much to suit every woman alive, and now you also have Runestone, Jade Opal, Jett Amber, Scarlet, Sapphire, Opal Green Circle, Gwendolyn, Tila, Crystal, and Amethyst to add to the collection, and the thing that makes them all admirable is, they are all true to themselves and those they support. I will add if perchance you hate them all, go follow Rags for a while, because that girl can cope with just about anything.

Heirs to the Kingdom is a series of eight fantasy and adventure books, written by Robin John Morgan, and is available from Amazon and all online book retailers.

Pride in my Heritage.

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Uk flagThis weekend we will all mark the celebration of the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth the second, and then within seven days we will enter into the European football championships, and within a few months the nation will rise with pride as we host the Olympic games in our countries capital. It is an astounding combination of events that will all have one central theme, and for myself personally, I think it will be a good thing, all of us no matter what our current situation will have the opportunity to show some national pride.

I say this not as a way of attacking other creeds or cultures, for those who know me, know that I am very much a live and let live kind of person who embraces other creeds and cultures, for I think it is in the knowledge and understanding of others, that we enrich our minds and our own lives.

I will say that one thing that has concerned me for many years, is in the way I feel the culture of being British has slowly eroded away, as many of our traditions have fallen by the way side and we have given up our right to show and celebrate our own culture. It is sad because out of all the nations on this planet, the United Kingdom has indeed a very rich and inspiring past. I am at heart an Englishman, born in Cheshire and very proud of that, it does not mean I am some flag flying thug, who wants to take up arms and rid the country of those who do not share my skin colour or faith. What it does mean is that I am a simple living man who loves the country he lives in, and actually enjoys the diversity of those creeds and cultures that have decided to live on our shores. But the history of this nation is something close to my heart and is indeed something I want to preserve, as I think it is important to all of us, as it has defined who we are, and I think that is something this year more than most, we should celebrate.

We are a very small island and yet we have achieved so much, if you gaze back through time and look at what we have endured, there is a wealth of facts that show the power and resilience of our people. We have been invaded by Rome, and Scandinavia, and mixed with Saxons and Normans as we stood for what we believe in and it gave us a stronger sense of identity, something I think can be attributed to what we now call the war time spirit, that saw us through the trying times of the second world war. It is indeed ingrained into all of us whether we know it or not, and it is something I have woven deeply into the tapestry of the books that I write, for I believe it is something we should give up at our peril.

British Olympic games Logo London 2012I love the admiration that the peoples of America and Canada give out in their patriotism, if you look to the Scots and the Welsh, for years they have fought for the resurrection of their culture and identity, and yet it appears that the English care less for something that should be ingrained in their heart. As a child I danced round the May Pole on May day, most people wore a red rose of St Georges Day, we sang Rule Britannia and the national anthem in school, and at the end of every film at the pictures. At the time I did not understand the significance, but as I have grown older it has become more and more important, because these things provide our sense of history and belonging in our daily lives. I do not believe these to be out dated and racist views, it is our roots that teach us the right path of our future, something again that has become an important theme in my writing, as it is a deeply held belief of my own. My grandfather once told me it was the duty of every Englishman to stand for justice, and fight any injustice he encountered, I can see him now in my mind as he told me, with his stature rising and his face filled with the sense of pride you would see on that of any soldier. For him Queen and country were of the ultimate importance, and nothing would ever shake that belief.

Queen Elizabeth the secondToday in our countries capital we will witness the start of a very historic event, there will be all the pomp and ceremonial pageantry of the past, as our Queen marks her diamond jubilee. I too once thought the monarchy should be let go as we moved towards a republic, it was the ignorance of youth, for today I will celebrate my heritage as an Englishman and pay tribute to my queen, who will match the jubilee of Queen Victoria and by the end of the year surpass her reign and become the longest serving monarch of this country. It will mark yet another milestone in the rich cultural heritage of this country and I will be proud to have been able to witness it.

We have come a long way since the days of the Celts, for it was they who laid the foundations of communities and the identity of those in this land. Since then we have spread from these shores and have been influential in the making of this world, not all we have done we should be proud of, for like all cultures we too have a questionable past, but as a race we have strived together and we have made sweeping changes to the benefit of others. This country has opened its doors and given shelter to many, we have as a single country based in a single faith welcomed and protected those who are not like us, and that too is a very important element of who we have become. It makes me proud to know it is a piece of the puzzle that is my heritage, and for everyone who is born in this land, you too should share that pride.

Great Britain is a small cluster of islands, and yet we still speak out on the world stage with authority. We are renown for the skills of our craftsmen, we are known for our dry sense of fun and humour, we excel in the worlds of arts, our engineers are sought by every nation. We have the greatest system of law and social justice, and have a tradition of pioneering exploration. We once ruled the waves with the best ships of any fleet, and our model of diplomacy has been copied all over the world. Britain’s inventions and pioneers modernised the world we know today, and from our long history of war, we learned to be great at aiding others bring peace and liberty. The thing I love the most is we have a tradition of inspirational writers, and I would hope in time with more practice I could enter that hallowed part of our heritage, who knows? It is an impressive list that goes on and on, and all from this tiny isle surrounded by sea.

There are voices within this country that advise we should play it all down in the name of not offending others, but my argument remains the same. I am proud to be English and a part of the union of this kingdom, I wish no harm or offence to others, as this is deeply personal to me and the land I live on, and I would invite them to join in with me and enjoy this great sense of occasion, and gain a deeper understanding of who I am because of my heritage, discrimination does not live at my address.

The national football team badge of EnglandI do think over the coming year we should raise the flag, support our football and olympic atheletes, and stand for who we are, maybe there is a lesson to be learned from America and we should take a page from their book, and stand unashamed of our heritage and celebrate together as one with great pride. I think not to do so, would be the greatest insult we could pay to those who forged our history and our heritage.