The Thin Places

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Rob

We live in a world, that has been built on the foundations of Christianity. The bible is the corner stone of what we call western civilisation, and it has over many hundreds of years, influenced politics, law, and education. The whole fabric of the society we now live in, is based on Christian values, and in the last two hundred years, that has been propped up by science. I find it fascinating that if something is not supported by the church, or backed up with proven science, it is disapproved of, ridiculed and made fun of as superstition. I suppose superstitions all have their origins, and would more than likely be based in some fact, be it a small one. I have come to the understanding, that those who are unsure, or uncertain, dismiss what they do not understand, which is certainly the point of view of the establishment. Yet, to the surprise of many, there are a great deal of people who believe in what the modern world dismisses as nothing more than mere superstition.

All of my life I have encountered things which did not make sense to me, and so I questioned them. I have had a few long conversations within my past with local vicars, who to a degree did not appear happy with the questions I asked them. As a young boy I once asked a vicar how do you know, can I see the proof? To a degree his response was what science and modern society do today, I was asked to leave, rather than be spoken to in a way that would help me understand, I was bluntly told, that it was true and I should not question the power of the almighty. I suppose thinking back to my 12 years old self, I am still curious, and given the chance, I would probably ask the same question, even at my age now of 58, although through that experience, I have learned in my life to not bend to dogma and blind belief.

One area of life I became very involved with in my late teens to early thirties, was what I refer to as the faith of the Earth, more commonly acquainted to, as Pagan. In many ways over time, my spiritual beliefs have merged with spirituality, science, nature and my love of history, especially Celt tradition. Looking back at that time in my life, and knowing the pyramids and Stonehenge were both older than Christianity, it was clear to me that before the Romans came to our shores with word of the Christian god, there was a belief in something else, and I was curious as to what.

Since that time, my curiosity has led me to many books, lectures, museums and visits to sacred sites, and always with the burning desire to learn more about our time before the days of the crucifix. I am not knocking Christianity, I have no issue with any person’s personal beliefs, I will defend anyone’s right to hold a spiritual belief, as I know it gives them hope for something beyond the veil we know as death. I hope they are right; I hope they get what they are looking for and bask in the paradise of their belief, we all need to hold something close to our hearts. For me personally, and coupled with my love and adoration of the natural world, I have pondered for a great many years those natural feelings we get, when placed in certain situations.

It is reported that long ago we had many other senses, call them survival skills, or even fight or flight responses, my point being, that within us is a natural sense of something other than our normal modern sense of self, especially when we feel, we are in a sacred space. I adore churches and cathedrals, not because they are places of worship devoted to a Christian god, it is more a feeling of peace, a feeling of safety and reassurance that I get when I walk within them. There is something quite wonderful about sitting quietly in an empty country church, which is something I have done a great deal in my life. I love stained glass windows, the gothic architecture, and the smell of the old polished pews. I am not remotely Christian, and yet I find them places of comfort, a shelter from the storms and chaos of modern life, where I can sit quietly alone, and reflect on the world around me. It is something I wrote into my character of Abigail, in my book Abigail’s Summer.

I get the same sense sat in stone circles, or in sacred glades and places devoted to pagan belief. I absolutely believe in the power of a woodland to ease the soul and calm the spirit, I have felt the power of other forces sat beside a quiet river or stream, and visited places of great lakes that are deemed to be sacred, such as Bala in north Wales. I understand how in Japan, a doctor will write you a prescription for ‘Forest Bathing,’ as a means of helping relieve the life of a stressed out person, something I agree with, and have done many times alone in my youth as I dealt with harsh issues. According to Christianity and science, it is not the place, it is my inner dialogue, and yet when I encountered the sacred tree at Glastonbury in my youth, and saw all the ribbons and silks that had been tied on it, I had to question, if science and Christianity are right, why do so many other people seek out these places, and feel as I do, in their presence?

I once knew a Druid who spoke of the ‘Thin Places’ These were areas when he believed that the veil between worlds was thinner than others, and where a connection could be achieved that went beyond this world and into the next. These places are normally remote, hidden and filled with the abundant natural life of our green world. It is not unsimilar to the traditional pagan belief that on Samhain, the veil across the whole world thins, so we can commune with, and feel close to our lost ones for a short space of time. It is a belief that goes back thousands of years, and one adopted by the Romans, when they founded their belief in Christianity, so much so, that Halloween/Samhain, is referred to in their faith as ‘All hallows Eve’ a time to be close to those who have passed on, as we remember them.

Is there something to this belief in ‘Thin Places’? Science says not, it calls them superstition, and yet today, especially with the rise of Wicca, more and more people believe in these places, and the one sacred day where we can connect with those who came before us. Is science wrong, do we all have some lost gift of the past where we sensed more than we can today? It is something I cannot answer, and yet even Christianity included a version of it within their faith. What I can say is this.

I have stood at Stonehenge at dawn on the solstice, I walked around the stones at midsummer, and I have sat at Callanish and felt my surroundings, and I intend to again before I die. I personally felt a sense I have not felt in any church, or on a high street, or within my home for that matter, was it spiritual? For me, it was, would others perceive it that way? Of that I cannot answer, I can only speak for myself, and to say it had a profound effect on me. I have talked to many over the years about it, and the power of the land I felt rise up within me, was it simply the power of those stones, and the achievement of those who toiled to build them? It could be, but I do not think so. In many ways it is like that feeling you get in a crowd that someone is watching you, and so you look, and they are. We have no way of knowing why we felt that way, we just did, and it was proven to be a correct feeling, almost like it was yet another aspect of our hidden senses.

Have we lost something from our ancestors, something tied to life and death that helped them survive, and through which we have thrived as a race? Possibly, science says it is not possible, and yet I have felt it, and have no idea as to why, but I have experienced it. In many ways, these and other questions have slipped into the stories I write. In Heirs to the Kingdom, Sapphire feels the power of the stones at Callanish, so much so she makes it her home. Even Runestone remarks on the power that the land holds, and Gwendolyn uses the energy of the land around Carnac, to aid her abilities when making the swords of power. Opal sits in a sacred glade, set with a large stone table below her feet and turf, surrounded by a wide circle of trees of protection. In many ways, it is a temple built from the life of the natural world, almost a ring of life to protect her from death.

The Mabinogion which is the folklore of the Celts talks of many places that are sacred, such as rivers, lakes, and mountains, and it appears to me, that there has been a long held belief in some form of life after death, that predates Christianity, and I ponder as to if this was also where the Christian belief got it from, did they use it as it ran parallel to paganism? Like many of their festivals, is religion really a simplified rewriting of older tales, and do we all believe in the same thing but name it differently? I feel it is plausible, and is probably the one thing we all have in common, that need to explain the unknown.

Modern society hides from death, in many ways it feels like it is a subject that is hidden from sight, and one not easily spoken about. When a person dies, they are taken away by strangers and the body is taken care of in what is a relatively unknown process. In ages long gone, that was a task usually undertaken by the close families, but that is no longer a western practice. After that, in most cases all we see is a casket, be it wooden or basket, the person we know and recognise is gone never to be seen again, it feels almost like we must hide the dead and not talk about it. During the dark ages, we built stone enclosures to house the dead. In many ways I find it odd, that buildings of stone were built for those who died, whilst the living had not started to build their dwellings of stone. Bodies were placed on view, these enclosures of stone were not sealed, village and family members could enter to view the remains and say their farewells, or praise them for the achievements of their life, and promise to stay close to them in the thin places.

In the early times of man, and as reintroduced by florists during the era of Victoria, Violet became the symbol of loss, passing, and to the Celt, rebirth. The Celts believed in the circle of life, as reinforced by the circle of growing crops, every year the crops would rise again to feed them, and their spiritual beliefs followed the same model. We are born, we grow, we die, and are born again, it is no different for the Christian church. It appears as we have built up our society through Christian belief, in many ways we have stopped asking about the after life, because we have been instructed not to, and told that it will all be taken care of under the watchful eyes of our God. The Celts believed something different, they trusted in other realms, where the spirit that had departed the body, walked intact, again this is something I have stitched into the fabric of my series of books Heirs to the Kingdom. Other realms where we walk in the thin places, could these be the instances where people talk of Ghosts? Science says that is not true, but again, I ask the question, how do you know?

Does it really matter if you say soul, spirit or energy? If you think about it, all of us are saying similar things, it is actually the one thing we all have in common. Whether we realise or not, we all believe in the thin places, where we can communicate in feelings or spirit to those we love and have lost, after all, isn’t that what prayers are for? We talk to a person/spirit, who resides in the realm that our loved one have passed onto.

In the book Han’s Cottage, I write of a temple that is inhabited by the Nairn. It is an ancient place, something that was there long before they were, a place no one knows who built it. It is a series of stones circles with altars, a stone obelisk and a large stone table. The imagery for the story I based on Ilam in Yorkshire, a place known as the Druids Temple, although in truth, it was built in 1820 as a folly for an eccentric lord, who paid a Druid to live there as a hermit. It has a strange history and some strange tales, rituals have been carried out there, some by pagans, and there is even rumour of satanic rituals in the past. The stones used are ancient, you can tell by the lichens that grow on them, as Emily points out when she visits the Nairn temple in Han’s Cottage. People who have visited there, talk of a powerful feeling in the air, almost as if they are being watched, I pose the question, are these people feeling one of these thin places?

There is no science that would back up the theory of ‘Thin Places’ and yet millions believe in them. There are sacred sites all over the world where people visit on a regular basis, and leave offerings, or place rocks to show they have visited. There are quite few trees that have ribbons adored to them by the hundreds, all placed by people who believed there was more, something other worldly, another realm or a heaven like place. This is not new stuff, it has been around for thousands of years, and the belief in these places is as strong now as it has always been, and yet there is no rationale theory to prove their belief is real, just like the vicar who asked me to leave, he too struggled to give me something tangible to strengthen his case.

Recently I sat and watched the impressive pageantry that surrounded the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. There is no denying it was a spectacle of impressive tribute to the queen, but as I watched, something else occurred to me. I was fascinated as I watched the procession from Balmoral, then London and the lying in state, and finally the actual funeral, because what caught my attention the most, was the people. We hide death, it is an unspoken subject, usually rebuked with dismissive remarks, such as ‘Time heals all wounds.’ It is almost as if we fear it as a society, and do not want to be exposed to it, just in case it is catching. The Queens funeral saw an outpouring of grief, and it felt almost as if people felt a need to travel such distance to be close to the coffin, almost as if they were confronting death for the first time in their lives. They all walked silently past her coffin as she lay in state, almost with child like fascination, and I have to ask, did they have questions like I did that they wanted answering, which science to date has refused to show us the answers?

In Han’s Cottage, I have looked at all of this, and placed a staunch believer with a sceptic who believes in science, and I have pitted their beliefs against each other, and then presented them both with an explanation of what an afterlife could be. Shelly refers to it as energy and backs it up with the theories of physics to make it more palatable by Emily who is a scientist, but the truth be told, neither of them is prepared for what they discover, and that in a way is my point.

I do not fear death, and I honestly believe that neither should society, and yet it feels to me like as a collective we hide it and avoid it. I know a few people who will fall apart at the mere mention of it, and that has always fascinated me, because if I am honest, it is the one thing we can all do equally. There is no immortality, it is good for fantasy novels, but ultimately all of us will reach our end and pass on to something else, of which we do not know what. I feel it is that fear of the unknown that frightens people, maybe that too is a sense from our past. When we walk in a strange land, we are nervous because we do not know the terrain, so why not be equally as nervous in a different state or realm?

I truly believe that those who fear death, stop living, because they become so preoccupied with that final moment, they tie up their time in worry and negativity, and without realising, they lose their joy of life, which to me, is a precious and glorious gift, and one that should be embraced and sampled. It is not something we should so freely throw away as we become eaten up and disjointed over a problem we cannot solve, because no matter how you live, ultimately, we will all share the same fate.

We all believe in something, and it is that belief that gives us comfort, as to who is right and who is wrong, I think that is a pointless conversation, because ultimately, we will take our own private and personal belief with us.

Maybe that is a good thing, because then we will finally do have an answer, that will leave those we leave behind us with their own beliefs, which will give them comfort to guide them in their loss, and remembrance of us.

Han’s Cottage, has taken quite some time to write, and it is a mixture of theories and fantasy, but it does ask questions and pose answers which are open to the interpretation of the reader. It is a wonderful story if you simply want to escape, or a trail of possibilities for you to follow with your own beliefs. For me, it is my tribute to a remarkable person, who I had many conversations with about these very subjects, and like her, the story has a wonderful heart, and I hope you would feel you would like to read it.

As with all the books I write, if you enjoy it, do not be quiet about it. Authors needs talkers, so tell people, share your enjoyment, and look me up on social media and like, share, and comment on the posts I put up, so I can let others know if my books are enjoyed and loved. My thanks as always to those who support my writing, by reading, it is so deeply appreciated.

Heirs to the Kingdom, The Curio Chronicles, Rise of the Raven and Han’s Cottage by Robin John Morgan, are all available in print and digital formats, from all online book suppliers for purchase or download.

The Footsteps of the Ancient King.

Posted on September 9, 2022 by Rob

As a young boy, I was captivated by the story of King Arthur, and his knights of the round table. In many ways looking back I can see how a story of a great unifier of people during dark times, would last from the dark ages right through until modern times. The promise of his return to unite and recover this nation if dark times should blight our coasts again, stuck a chord with me, and in many ways, gave me a hope and optimism that in the future, brighter days would arrive.

The story of Arthur was inspiring to many, and has over the years been established in myth and legend, and yet there is a great deal of evidence to show, that during those times of the dark ages and the early medieval era, that there was a figure of great power who shaped the future of this land. Whether or not it was Arthur, or someone likened to him, is not really that relevant, what matters is the symbol of that first one true king, as a figure of great power that united us all in a common goal that led to the survival of the people.

For me as a young lad, it was inspirational, and even now as I age, I find I am still inspired by such an amazing figure head to begin what would become the true lines of all future kings. The idea of one person who stood by us and supported us, and fought for what was right for us and the good of the land, truly is what legends should be.

I was so enamoured with the tale, that it inspired in me an eight-book series of adventure fantasy books, based on similar principles of one man who would rise to unite us all, in Heirs to the Kingdom. Earlier this year, I had the joy of travelling to Cornwall to see a statue created in honour of Arthur, named Gallos, the traditional Cornish word for power, for that is what a king stood for, the power to protect and the power to defend, whilst standing unwavering against the current events unfolding within the nation.

As a fifty eight year old, standing there beside a statue I had yearned to see, I felt the power of the land below me, in what was the legendary place of Arthur’s birth, Tintagel, and it felt emotional as a huge wave of life long emotion washed a round inside me. I feel it is a moment in my life I will never forget, and in many ways, I could see, that the boy who dreamed of a future held safe by a king had not diminished with age, he was still there alive and well, deep down inside me.

Those times passed away into a future, that was built and moulded around a new rising power, the power of Rome and Christianity, as it increased it’s hold on many continents and arrived again long after the Roman invasion on the boats of William, as he sailed to defeat the last truly Celtic king of this land, King Harold. Christianity has become the bedrock on which modern western civilisation has been built, and shaped the narrative of our societies for hundreds of years, wiping away the truth of the Pagan past and the long-held traditions of its people, one of which was Arthur.

I think it would be fair to say, that over the years, religion combined with monarchs of power, has at times been abusive to the common people. I could list a few who could be blamed for their divisive tactics that tore aspects of this nation apart, and in doing so, brought down the ideals of what the legend Arthur stood for. In my life I have noted many moments where I felt a monarch of the past over reached on their role, and seized power to use and abuse, and I could say the same for organised religion. Even now in this modern time, if you look up the word ‘Pagan’ in the dictionary, you will find its meaning as Heathen, one without religious belief, such is the power of Christianity, and their monarchs of faith.

At times it feels like the power of Arthur has diminished, but in recent days, even though this country feels the sadness, we must look to the long reign of Elizabeth II and see that not all was lost. The passing of her highness the Queen, on September 8th 2022, once again marks another significant change to the future of this noble land. For seventy years she has ruled, and to a degree restored many of the attributes of our lost king of legend Arthur.

Queen Elizabeth was known for her unwavering dedication to her role, of which she administered it with great dignity and efficiency. Her warmth and vast knowledge of past events, gave her a unique wisdom, and within that she has advised Prime Ministers and world leaders for her entire reign. I have met many, who have wished to end the monarchy and do away with the pageantry of our rich historical past, and I have always argued that it should remain as an integral part of the nation and society we live in, as it does date back to those times of a one true king and the knights code that he bestowed upon them.

Queen Elizabeth, I feel was a shinning example of a figurehead whose soul aim was to unite the land around her, I would even argue that she even succeeded where Arthur failed. The monarchy is a symbol of a past that was built around the belief that we should conduct our lives with kindness, honour and respect for all, welcoming them to join with us and work for the common good. Regards of your own personal views about wealth, her devotion to her duty and her relentless energy has been a light that guided her parliament and at times ourselves through what have been at times turbulent years.

She was a remarkable woman, who played a huge role in the creation of the commonwealth, advised our ministers, and took a deep interest in the peace treaty that was signed in Ireland, which when you consider the dark times we encountered back in the seventies, was a hugely significant role and example for her to set. I remember watching the TV in disbelief, as she shook hands with Martin McGuinness on her visit to Ireland after the agreement had been signed. It felt like a monumental moment in history, and as all of the politicians who were involved have stated, it was hugely symbolic act of unification between two deeply divided sides. She wanted peace, she wanted the hate to stop and for everyone to live together in stable communities, and I feel, in that moment, she too matched Arthur in his fight to bring all the clans of this nation together.

Queen Elizabeth swore an oath to its people on the day she was crowned, and she never wavered once from it. Like most families, she was also a mother and grandmother, who had all of the same ups and downs as we have, and yet she remained on the ball, and at her post no matter what events shook her family. She promoted this country and brought to it a lot of trade deals, her commonwealth tours always gave this nation the upper hand in its ministerial dealings, and it is easy to forget how very influential she was and how all of us benefitted from the jobs, wealth and prosperity that came to these Isles because of her. Her sense of duty to this nation was deep, as was seen in the final two days of her life, where even though ill, she made sure she was available to meet and endorse a new Prime Minister of her government. She was an icon, and the most famous woman in the world, which is duly noted from the sad messages of love and affection shown to us by every nation on the planet.

Looking back as I sit here, I feel Queen Elizabeth restored something back to the monarchy, that had been tarnished in the past, that linked her back to the early days of the ruling Celts of this land. She restored dignity, duty, compassion, and devotion to her position as ruler. This land has been ruled under her watchful eyes for seventy years, and it has prospered, in relative peace. Unlike a president who can only look back on their position for a couple of terms, she had seventy years of knowledge at her disposal, as she studied the politics of the day, and took great note of the outcomes, always asking her Prime Ministers what affects it would have on the future of the people. All of this nation’s leaders have been grateful recipients of her wisdom and advice as she used examples of leaders such a Churchill to guide their hands in their administering of affairs, I very much doubt, future kings or queens will rule with such dedication as fairly as she has.

For the next ten days, we will mourn her loss, and then a new Heir to the Kingdom will rise, and his rule will be judged on her standard. Only time will tell if he can emulate her role, as he has big shoes to fill, but as I think back at this moment, I feel Elizabeth did Arthur proud, and if a day arises where he returns, I am sure he would speak kindly of her, for I feel she followed in his footsteps in the most admirable way.

God Bless Queen Elizabeth II, and long live King Charles III.

Grief, Loss, And Fantasy.

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Rob

One of the hardest things in life to lose, is someone so important, that your life falls into a void of pain and inability to understand a future without this all important person, in your life.

It is tragic and so difficult, as for years, you have had the joy of knowing this one special person that is always there to show you kindness and love… And suddenly… They are gone!

It happened to me, and I have spent many years trying to find a meaning within the pain I felt and the loss I feel. This is not an easy topic to write a book about, how can it be, it is sad, who would read that?

It is a question I have asked myself for some time, and a few years back, as I considered this topic, whilst up to my ears in HTTK, and outlining a few other things I wanted to write about, I had an idea… What if I could present this story, in a way that would enlighten a reader, express my feelings, and yet provide a smile, and a ray of hope to my character?

Han’s Cottage, by Robin and Rin Zara Morgan

I had no idea at that moment of the kind of book I was going to write, I felt I needed to write it, and I needed to write it simply because at that time no one really understood how I was feeling, and I wanted to express it, so that others understood. What began in that moment was the book I am about to publish, entitled, Han’s Cottage.

My problem was, that I was tired of being told, “You will get over it.” And “You have to move on, it will get better with time.” And not forgetting the old icon, “Time heals all wounds.” Honestly, it is patronising and it pissed me off, because they had no understanding of what this felt like for me. I still had the problem, that a book about the journey through grief, was a pretty heavy subject to wite about, and honestly, I needed a book that would at least gain enough interest to sell a few copies.

I sat back and pondered what should a good book really have to keep a reader enjoying the story, and turning the pages? I had written HTTK, so that was not that difficult to work out.

A good story in my opinion, needs, firstly a focal character in hopefully a difficult situation, well I had that, a villain or two, an element of fun and cheer, and a really good plot line to bind them all up in. because I love fantasy, and I needed to lighten the subject material, I introduced the secret element, and that all brought with it, some magic and mystery, and with all of that, I knew, I could write something worth reading.

For this particular story, I knew that the icing on the cake, was going to be experience, and I had that, I have lived it, and so shrouded some of my personal feelings, and mixed them around with others I have spoken to, and created the character of Emily Montgomery Duncan. Daughter of business tycoon, John Duncan, a man who was so destroyed by his grief, he forgot his daughter was a very important part, of the woman he lost.

I set the story up in the 20^th year of Emily’s life, after a life of boarding school and University, and threw in her best friend and flat mate Shelly. I moved them both to another city, and gave Emily the job of working for an utter ass hat, and I sat down, and began to write the passing of her grandmother, who was the only real family she had ever really known, as her Grandma Han had raised her through every school holiday since age four, and I had the perfect start to a story.

I began with a story that would be the story of the journey that takes us through the process of grief, and also, that one question everyone wants an answer to, “What comes next?” No one really knows what the afterlife is all about, how could we, in order to know we must end our life here. Religion has a few variations, and other people have their personal spiritual views, as do I, but what I wanted, was something plausible, something that to a degree held a truth. As my readers know, within Heirs to the Kingdom, I took mythology and history, and blurred the lines a little to create something a little more believable, if not also a little bit romanticised.

I wanted to do the same thing here, my problem was, the topic I wanted to use was science. Enter the best friend, a paranormal investigator, and lover of folklore, who was terrified of ghosts… Well, you know, a smile helps break the tension?

The greatest thing about science, is it is theory, until it is disproven, it is considered fact, and once disproven, the theory changes. Talk about an invite to really blur the lines, which happens to be one of my favourite things to do, and it instantly occurred to me, one could use the same approach to spirits and mythology, it was like a eureka moment, as my brain spun out of control, as I realised, what is the one thing that baffles everyone, and drives scientist into melt down?

MAGIC!

They hate it, they constantly dismiss it, and the same goes for ghosts, spooks and all manner of the spirit world, they blatantly refuse to accept it, because there is no credible evidence, it felt like my invite to the game. I posed the question, what if there was another intelligent life form, what if it had learned from the humans and decided they were too dangerous to interact with?

Okay, so I spiralled for a while into conspiracy theories, but I still asked the questions, is Loch Ness really a myth, could a Yeti or big foot really exist and not be discovered? Scientist always tell us, “There is no credible evidence.” Well, if that is the case, why do so many people believe in them? So Okay, I am playing devils advocate, but hey, I am writer.

It appeared to me, conspiracy is a little like science theory, it is a fact, until it is disproved, sounds like magic to me. (Giggles) I knew I could take something wonderful, and work it into the story, and in doing so, I would return to what is one of my favourite aspects of reading and writing, I could throw in a lot of fantasy, and boy have I? Enter new characters Felix and Esme, and that is about as much as I am prepared to give away at this point before publication.

As I started to write, I knew I had something special, yes, it had sadness and a few moments that would make a reader take a breath and swallow hard. But, it also had joy, oh, such joy. Emily was made an ecologist, and staunch believer in science, and then I added the one thing she would never expect, the one thing she could never accept, and I rolled them up into the most wonderful and beautiful secret, and made it the life of her recently deceased Grandmother Han. I set it to a background of beautiful untouched wilderness, and then made Emily the soul owner, and person responsible for everything, and it was her task to discover the secret of her grandmothers beautiful and enchanting life, and all whilst having her terrified ghost hunting friend at her side. VCP have written the synopsis, which I will add below.

Han’s Cottage. (Violet Circle Publishing)

Emily Montgomery Duncan lost her mother at age four, her father fell apart, Emily ended up at boarding school. In her holidays, she came home to her Grandma Hanna and the only real home she ever knew. Shortly before her 21^st birthday, the call came, Han, had passed away and her whole world collapsed.

Shortly after the funeral, Emily discovers she has inherited the cottage and all the land around, not her aunt, as she expected, but the thought of living in the cottage without Han, is so unbearable, she spends a year, lost, alone, and torn into pieces, as her uncle constantly tries to push her into selling the cottage and all the land to him, driving her to breaking point.

In a moment of anger, supported by her best friend Shelly, Emily decides to return, and as she confronts her life without Han, she discovers, Han had a very secret life, one she could never imagine.

What follows, is an enchanting, magical fantasy story, of wonder and beauty, as Robin John Morgan, has created a delightful Fairy Story for Grownups, that looks at life, loss, and the magic that surrounds all of us, in a thrilling and captivating way that is a joy to read. An amazing book, from the Author of Heirs to the Kingdom, Rise of the Raven, and The Curio Chronicles.

My wife was, as always, the first to read it, and she absolutely has fallen in love with it, which was a massive relief to me. This is a special story for me, it is almost sacred, as I have given Emily a great deal of my own experience, not all, but a good measure. In many ways, I feel the book has a slight innocence to it, which just adds to the enchantment of the story.

I have only ever wanted to be taken seriously as a writer of stories, and I hope with this book, I can add more weight to that, and people start to understand, that this still relatively unknown writer, is really dedicated to the kinds of stories I want to share.

I like my stories to reflect the truth, HTTK did as it highlighted the truth of the immorality we see in the world. The Curio Chronicles, whilst really blatant and in your face at times, also highlighted the power of victimising and shaming. With this book, I want to highlight the power and depths of the human spirit, I want readers to see how powerful our feelings can be, and yet how fragile at times it can make all of us feel. I also want, as I have in everything I write, to show how powerful and important friendship is, and how it can shape our life in such wonderful ways.

Han’s Cottage, I hope will do all of the above, and I hope that yes, if it does choke you up at times, you will also smile, because the hope and optimism that runs through every page, is there to show every reader, that no matter what, we can still love, we can always remember, and we can cherish every second of our magical lives.

As always, I really do hope you enjoy this book, and I thank everyone of you who has played a part in supporting my writing life. Han’s Cottage will be out in September, I hope you will read it.

Writing Timeless

Posted on June 26, 2022 by Rob

It is rather odd, as I sit here during the summer solstice of the year 2022, and I remember a time, many years ago, gathered with my Druid friends, at Stonehenge, on this same solstice day, watching the sun.

It is funny, remembering the times and the long talks with those around me, about being a natural human being, and living life, connected to the world around us, and honouring it. I was so young and filled with wild and creative ideas, and yet here I sit on a muggy humid day, and I feel no different. I have aged, I have wisdom (Allegedly) and the silver is running in threads through my hair, and yet time feels stood still, nothing has changed and everything has changed, it is a fun and strange place to be in life.

There is a quality to my thoughts and thinking process that feels timeless, I still believe in freedom, and living as natural a life as is possible in this modern cyber-tech world, and I am still captivated by those stories that never appear to age. If anything, as you read them, they appear to be relevant, even if they were written one hundred years ago. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells still appears as relevant now as it always has to me, it is a quality I have always admired in a good book, and in many ways, is something I have tried to emulate in my own stories.

Does the reader know which age HTTK is set in, or the year Abigail goes to university, and meets her roommate Birch for the first time? I hope they don’t, it is something I have tried to erase to keep the atmosphere and feelings of my work present, so the reader always feels they are in the moment.

The strange thing is, I actually use real calendars when I write, so that all my days of the week and special events are perfectly timed through my stories. The story of HTTK, actually starts on January first, 2038, and travels through the eight books, to finally end in mid August of the year 2039. The whole eight books last for a time period of one year and seven months, as this story was set in the future, but did it feel that way?

No… Not really, and that is because I took a group living in the future, threw in a whole host of modern day items, mixed up with items from yesteryear, and played one thing off against the other. As the result, it created a story that appeared so real, the reader no longer knew what actual age they were in. I, as always, lobbed in a few things to create that sense of time that had past, so that the reader in the present day would identify with them, and forget this was a futuristic story. A good example, would be. “Cool bangle.”

Jade utters these words as she picks up a very everyday object, such as a roll of cellophane tape, it is something we all know, yet to her it is a strange item, and one she mistakes as an item of jewellery, which is one of home occupations. Another good example from book one would be when Jade leans over a reading guard, to discover he is reading a Harry Potter novel. Before killing the guard, she whispers her approval to herself, regarding the novel as “A classic.”

That one line takes the story into the future, a future where the work of JK is an established classic of literature, which I do believe one day it will be regarded as such, once enough time has passed. The comment puts Jade in the future, it is a gentle reminder of what kind of story you are reading. Uncle Walter died hunting elephants, as Robbie explains, as he describes the barbed arrowhead, he has got the smithy to make for him. Hunting elephants in Britain, since when you ask? It is in that moment you realise, the world was destroyed and left to ruin, and obviously elephants escaped from the zoo, to find freedom roaming in the British countryside, of which Uncle Walter was a specialist at hunting them down.

The world came to an end in 2012, and this is 2038, which is 26 years later, and a great deal has changed. The readoption of the words lord and lady again, shift the clock. Titles revised from age past, and the story starts to feel like it is more a medieval story, with talk of King Arthur and Robin Hood, until of course you realise, Blades is sat on a roof fixing a wind turbine to generate power, aided by young Eric, and Harry thinks his vibes ain’t cool, because he thinks Eric is after bedding his daughter.

One era crashes with another, and the ancient walk side by side with the modern, and the reader no longer has any idea which era they are in, they are too engrossed in the story to care, and it all seems to sit happily side by side and no one notices the story has become a timeless work. Is it modern, medieval, or futuristic, who knows, it just fits? Actually, it takes a massive amount of thought and careful writing to create such a smooth flowing story, that washes away the time period, and lulls you into the words?

I do feel setting a book in a specific era can be a great thing, period dramas especially fit. My wife has a passion for Pride and Prejudice, a real classic period novel, but I also feel it can be limiting. Does anyone really know when Rise of the Raven was set? I cannot deny, for this one I used sleight of hand. It is clearly pre-Roman invasion of the British Isles, but apart from that, what else can provide a clue?

Rise of the Raven by Robin John Morgan — Robin John Morgan’s Rise of the Raven

I will not deny, there is a little deviousness involved in this one. The Fae are far more advanced at this time than the realm of men, we see this in the day to day living of Branna and Ariel, who at this time are using charcoals and quills to write on parchment, something the world of men has not yet come to adopt in day to day life. Most of the realm of men cannot read, so why would they write, their life is hunting and toil in the fields. When Branna makes her escape, her first encounter is a hunter who trades furs for gold and silver coins, he is considered a very rich and wealthy man by Roack, who realises his possessions will enhance the status of Branna.

Later in the settlement at Tintagel, she enters a long house, of wood, with dirty floors and a fire pit in the centre, it is a very different way of living compared to her small brick house in Avalon. There are no separate rooms, just one large one, and they all sleep on the floor, where as Ariel and Branna sleep together in a bed in Avalon.

Bouncing the two completely different life styles, plays a trick on the mind, and suddenly the era and dates disappear, and all that matters is the story. To add more weight Berengar walks out on his father, passing through a door, that has a heavy cloth to cover it. The house is of wooden construction, and yet they hang heavy materials to create their doorways, all of this distorts the time frame, and draws the reader closer to the details of the characters and their dialogue.

It is sleight of hand, and deliberate, as I want these stories to flow in such a seamless fashion, the reader becomes more and more engrossed. What year is Abigail’s Summer set in, does anyone know or really care?

Abigail’s Summer, the Curio Chronicles Book One.

It is a modern novel set for this age, and yet the years over the series pass by. In book one Abigail is nineteen, in book two she is twenty four, and by book five, she is twenty nine, and each book feels like it is being read as something set in this moment, this year, possibly this day. There is only one person alive at this point who knows the year, and that is me, because once again, I set the story to a real calendar, so that the bank holidays and dates line up perfectly to each day mentioned. On the calendar, Curio’s Summer is set exactly five years later, and yet, the date appears to be irrelevant, you are reading it now, and it feels like now, because the themes of the story fit perfectly with today, or tomorrow, or to that fact, the day after, and the day after that. No year appears to fit, and yet the story like Kingdom feels like it is happening now.

The Curio Chronicles have lots of clues as to this modern age time, but what year? Well it was all written in 2020-1, but was it relevant for that year? Well no not really, we know this because there is no virus in the story. I deliberately did not make any mention to the lockdowns or the virus, simply so in five years time, the books will still feel they were written for that time. There is social media, and Insta, and Abby swipes open her phone, so it does fit now, but there again, it also fits six years ago, and will probably fit in another six years.

Curio's Summer, Robin John Morgan — Curio’s Summer, The Curio Chronicles, Book Two

I use the phrase, “Gossip travels faster than email.” So, it is a current book, and just to throw the reader off, in the last book of the series, (Not published yet) I add, “Gossip travels faster than messaging.” It shows the advance of technology, and keeps the books fresh. Birch is a naturist, and lives naked, which fits nicely with the 1980’s and 90’s, but does it fit today? Actually, with over fifty million naturists in Europe in 2021, and those are just ones we know about, Birch is a hell of a lot more current and up to date than most people realise.

At the start of the next book. (Book three whilst writing this) there is a reference to the World Naked Bike Ride, an event that has been running globally since 2007, and once again the story is modern, but how modern, and that all plays into the comfort of the reader who imagines the things happening in the book are going on right now? It is a deliberate ploy to make the reader place the characters in a modern time frame in their minds. The reader can create a picture of Abby, based on their own knowledge of what a quaint country village looks like today, or next year, and that brings Abby to life, and makes her very real to the reader, and as a result, the reader can identify better with her.

One of the best aspects of writing stories that appear timeless is the characters, it is clear from HTTK, that Hearne, Opal and Morgan le Fey are ancient, but the one character I especially enjoyed writing was Ariel. We see her in Rise of the Raven, where she is just under 200 years old, and yet appears young and vibrant, like a mid twenties modern woman would be. In kingdom eight, which is set many hundreds of years later, she is lifted from her box, where she has slept for ten lifetimes, and is revived by Runestone, she truly is timeless as she has not aged a day in her magical period of sleep. In two more books I am writing related to kingdom, Ariel will be featured, one set ten years after Rise of the Raven, and another one set eighteen years after the end of Heirs to the Kingdom.

It is a concept I wanted to play with more, and Kingdom is the perfect vehicle for it, and through Ariel within these stories, the passage of time becomes important to who she is, as she reflects back on her life which has spanned the ages. It is similar to Una and her sisters, who were imprisoned and then awoken, and had to adapt to a completely different world. I wanted to elaborate more on this in Kingdom, which I did in book five, where she talks about meeting King Arthur. I wanted more, but was defeated by the page count, and so through Ariel, I have the chance to express it more through her life. She truly is a timeless character who can look back on the world of men at its start, and has moved through the ages to live in the future.

For myself, it is all a big part of the joy of writing, and I hope for the reader, it makes the story more intense, and real. I want the readers to be focused and present in the moment, and so engrossed the story swallows them up, so they bask in the pleasure of immersive reading. Has this been achieved yet? As the reader of this blog, and I assume my books, only you would know. It is always a joy to get feedback on the books and how the reader perceives them, and all the comments and messages I get, I read with a thrill, knowing in part I have achieved my goal, it is also another great joy of writing for all of you.

I want seamless and timeless stories, and I am always looking to make the effect deeper and better for each new reader, and so, with that in mind, I will to look to the past, and note the improved efforts, and then, I shall continue my quest, and try my best to write timeless.

Robin John Morgan is a writer and blogger, who has published the fantasy magical adventure series Heirs to the Kingdom, and the modern sexual and body positive series The Curio Chronicles, he has also written Rise of the Raven, a dark fantasy, of political intrigue, love, loss and betrayal. He blogs his thoughts and opinions on ‘Robin’s Space,’ here on HTTK about his writing life, and also blogs as a guest for other sites, which includes a naturist world.

All his books are available world wide in digital and print formats.

Why Read… Why Write?

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Rob

Why do people write, or read for that matter, what is the point in wasting your time, when you could be working making real money?

That has been said to me many times, and I feel that those people miss the point.

In 1994 I took a five day holiday, I was exhausted, but I worked for a company where the boss had told me a good few times. “Your job will always be safe with us; we will never let you go.”

At that time, I really needed to hear that, oh, no one really has any idea how much that meant to me. I had worked hard long hours for that company and given it my all, I would even say I gave the best of me to that place. I loved the place, I adored the job, and I cared very deeply for the people I worked with.

I had holidays owed to me, because I never really wanted to take any, I loved working there so much. In the six months prior to my holiday, I had separated from my partner, it was not an easy breakup, and I became a single parent, and I will not deny, the pressure of working and not letting my employer down, raising a young girl alone, and juggling the bills I had discovered after my partner left, was taking its toll on me.

The breakup had been hard and very stressful, not just on me, but also on my daughter, I still feel it had a huge negative impact on her life, and changed her forever. When told I had to take a holiday or lose the days, I took it, and had a week alone in Wales with my daughter and rested, it was really needed.

I arrived back in work a week later on the Monday, and five minutes later, I was unemployed, and so shocked, I could hardly speak. Saying goodbye to everyone was soul crushing for me, and having to walk away from a place I loved dearly, destroyed me completely. I have never forgotten that moment as I walked out of the gates and looked back across the small bridge, and I swore to myself that after the betrayal I felt, I would never give my all to anyone else again. From that moment onwards, I would only work for me, and I have been true to that vow since.

Life got hard after that, and I struggled to survive, and yet, even though my confidence crashed and I fought like hell to stay afloat through what became a really bad bout of depression, I manged to do what I did best at the time. I saved all my spare change, propagated plants, and slowly built a business that was for me. Against the odds I fought like hell to survive, and in my spare time, I attended night school to occupy my mind. One other thing I did, was I wrote stories, one in particular, after all, when you have worked from dawn until dusk for years, being out of a job, you suddenly have a lot of spare time.

In many ways it was therapeutic, and today, I really do feel that it saved me. It certainly helped restore my sanity, and my devastated feelings, and slowly my confidence began to grow, as writing my thoughts down on paper, brought me back to life. I actually wrote a journal, about my whole life, which was thousands of pages long, and when finished, I burned it. What I learned from that experience, was the true meaning of facing the truth, and it became a big part of the way it would shape me for my future. I learned to be free, and lose the fear, especially when writing.

Night school taught me counselling and psychology, as did online courses. Daytime allowed me the space to build up stock for a new horticultural business, and spare moments and weekends gave me time to write, and slowly, between 1994, and 2005 I got my life back together. My business was not easy to build, I had so little cash to start with, but as a plant propagator, I had skill and knowledge, and so used it, until I had five thousand British pounds of good quality stock. It was then, I started to book market stalls, and began trading. I built the business up very slowly, it was a tough time, and I was not rich, but there again, I had lived on almost nothing, so the money I made, whilst not a lot, was far more than I was used to. Finally in the early 2000’s, I took on a wooden Market building, and fitted it out with an investment of my own cash.

I started counselling in my spare time, in a voluntary capacity to help kids, which as I learned more skills and got more training, I moved into sexual dysfunction, relationships and abuse, and I always worked for free. I have never charged any client, I saw them as the victims, why would I charge them, when it was the abuser who should pay? Once again, I was laughed at, and told. “You should charge, you are an idiot, you could be rich.” Those people had no idea at all about the value of life, and owning your own.

Through all of it, I wrote, a little here, and new idea there, and slowly over many years, one story in particular really gripped my imagination, hell it still does, I am still writing things for it behind the scenes.

the first book in the series heirs to the Kingdom by Robin John Morgan.

The one thing I will say without hesitation, is that since 1994, no matter what I have done, and as many people who have laughed at me will tell you, I never did any of it for money, I did it because that was simply what I wanted to do. I have never forgotten the helplessness I felt stood in that office after a holiday I was forced to take, and being told, the job I loved so dearly, was being taken away from me. Ironically, it was by the same man who had promised I would never lose it. I knew then, no one would ever have that power over me again, and since that day, they haven’t.

In 2006 the local council told me I was losing my tenancy because they wanted to pull down the market and build a garden style public square, how ironic, they booted the gardener out, and again I had to face reality, and I will not deny, I was pissed off, and so I fought the local council, and everyone laughed and told me, you will lose everything, I just laughed back, and told them, I know, but I will do it anyhow.

They were right, I lost almost all my savings and ended up with a garden full of stock, and yet smiled, I had been here before. Luckily for me, in 2006, I also began to write my story, the one that had been stuck in my head for such a long time. A friend of mine got to read it, and told everyone it was amazing. I told him, I have no hope of publishing it, he laughed at me and told me, do it anyway, so I did.

I shocked everyone who knew me, by announcing, “I am giving up horticulture and walking away from it.” It left them speechless, and some even laughed at me and told me, “You are so stupid, it is your life, everyone knows you are the go to guy for plants, what is wrong with you, are you deliberately trying to ruin your life?” I shrugged it off, I was done with life, I was tired and weary of the long hard hours, the freezing cold wet days, and I wanted more out of life than I was getting. If I was going to do something that sucked up all of my day, it was going to be something that gave me a restful peace, and the freedom to live as I wanted. So I published a book.

The publisher charged almost all my savings, and I ended screwed and never got a single penny in royalties, so I cancelled my agreement, and told those around me, sod it, I will publish my own books. In 2013, I sat down and started to learn as much as I could on how to publish a book, it took a while, but on January 1^st 2014, I launched my imprint VCP, and did a full rewrite of my own works, and put them out. Again, I invested everything I had left in the bank, crossed my fingers and hoped to hell it worked, as I was really close to the wire and this time, I had nothing to fall back on.

I am still here eight years later, am I rich? Nope, do I care? Nope. Why?

I am a writer, and I learned something very important, as I faced all the trials of my life. What I learned, was betrayal from family, employer, and friends, false promises, fake personalities, people pleasing, guilt, lust, desire, greed, power, conceit, arrogance, shaming, fighting, simple living, survival, anxiety, dark thoughts, temper, abuse, victimisation, bullying, and a thousand other things. I had the advantage of a window into so many other peoples lives, as well as my own. I did not realise at the time, how important each of those moments of learning would become to my future.

When I was ten, my grandfather sat me down with a copy of Ivanhoe, and made me read it out loud to him. Watching him sat listening to me read, is still one of my fondest memories of him. I loved how he would occasionally smile, or nod his head, and the way the story impacted on him, and it made me a reader forever. It was not always easy, I do have dyslexia, and at times I confuse words and get mixed up, but it has never stopped me reading, and I have struggled to overcome it all my life.

I love Phillip Pulman, Arthur Conan Doyle, Tolkien, John Windham, H. G. Wells, and countless other writers work, and I have read thousands of books throughout my life. I learned to love stories of life, and my wonderful English Teacher from school, Miss Casey, inspired me to read more. To Kill a Mockingbird, Roots, 1984, A Brave new world, The Chrysalids, they changed me forever. I understand now, they also taught me something, they taught me what a good story is like for the reader. It has to be honest, written straight from the hip, and confrontational if needs be, and it has to also be alive with wonder, and suddenly I understood something very important.

At age 44, I knew a good story, and understood life better than anyone realised, and finally, something that had been more of a hobby in my past, became the focus of my life to come. You see, I love day dreaming and making up stories, and I love people watching and listening to their own stories of the lives they live. I absolutely love writing them down, and armed with a life seen as filled by mishaps by others, and working with hurt broken people, I had an arsenal of information built perfectly for my future, because I aimed to be writer forever, and now at 58 years old, I am.

The first job I mentioned, taught me how to use arrogance, complacency, greed, betrayal, and survival. It taught me the value of friendship and comradery, and the humour we bounce off each other working in difficult conditions. Being alone raising a child who hated me for throwing her mum out, taught me loneliness and dealing with the stress and pressure of taking care of others. It became Heirs to the Kingdom.

My fight with the council and some of their dirty tricks, taught me about those who felt entitled by their position, and how they abuse people because they were so ruthless, they can toss them away without a care. It all made HTTK even better, and it added such a powerful weight to the lead characters, that they walked off the pages like real people to those who read it.

My time as counsellor, taught me abuse, shame, victimisation, sexual behaviours and practices, manipulation and self hatred, and it became the foundation of The Curio Chronicles. It really gave me an insight into a life behind closed doors very few knew about, and has allowed me to follow the life of my character Abigail and some of her friends, as they go through life against a community that is set against them. I can hold up a mirror to modern society and show the real truth, behind the fake morality of this day and age. Why, because I have lived there.

A bad first long term relationship taught me the real pain and anguish of betrayal. Control of an arrogant boss, lies and deceit, combined with a corrupt council, gave me everything I needed to work into the dark fantasy of Rise of the Raven. The battle of Branna to stay true to her word, and fight through the darkness for Ariel. Her hatred for the fake image of Rhiannon, I have lived that and seen it, for me it was real and painful. For Branna, it became her story to overcome the dark to keep her love for Ariel alive and strong.

In 2007 I met a young woman, an artist, a reader and a creative person, and she changed my life. Her example became parts of Runestone, Jade and Jett. She inspired Abigail, Birch and Chloe, and also played a role in the relationship of Ariel and Branna. She added to the value of the person I was, and she became my wife. The daughter we had, has been an inspiration for other characters, and again it has all added to my later life as a writer. Not one day passes that I do not sit back and consider myself to be man of great wealth, and yet I have very little in the bank.

Nine years ago, I lost someone very special and very significant to me, and it is something that had a huge impact on my life, I have never quite recovered from the blow. I have not often spoke about it, some say I should deal with it and get over it, and I have continued to live my life as normally as possible. That aspect of me will appear in small parts of a story I have been working on for several years, and although no one will really know which parts, it has helped me to write it. Once again, my teacher and instructor of writing, are those I have read, and those who have impacted my life. Not that long ago I was told. “You need to make more money, you will never be rich writing, do something more valuable to society.” I simply smiled, at stupid they sounded to me.

I am a writer, nothing more, and I love it. I have been called a dystopian writer, a fantasy writer, even a writer of kink, which made me laugh. I have books in the fiction, Arthurian, LGBT, battle, magic, fantasy, rural, genres and a few others. I do not really pay that much attention to them, as I see myself as a slice of life writer. I take a character, and I write their life story, the whole living truth of it, regardless of where it is set, be it fantasy or real. I am a teller of tales, nothing more. It makes me so very happy.

I am told, I should sell myself more or I will never be rich, like it is some prerequisite for the successful life. Well, I can assure you, I will not tick that particular bench mark, and actually I don’t care. Money is not everything, I love what I do, I love being able to sit for days and use my mind, my dreams, and creativity to write down all these amazing and wonderful characters, that are a pale patchwork taken from the reality of everyone I have met. My thoughts and my words, paint the picture of a character that comes alive on the page, now that to me is real magic.

In essence, that is the joy of reading, every book opens up an aspect of life we never knew about. Each book is a challenge on some level, and we may not always agree with a part of it, but our eyes are still opened. We can sit alone, and live many different lives, and experience the unknown, which in turn expands our horizons and broadens our minds, and that is why I write. You see, all those writers I have loved, did the same, and it has helped me through life, and I aim to continue it on.

Life is not about fast cars, big houses and designer labels, it is about being real, and being honest with yourself, admitting your flaws and embracing them, and living a life that has real value, not monetary value. That moment with a loved one, when your eyes catch that momentary glance they stole of you, and you smile to yourself. Those moments when your child turns and says, I love you dad. That joy of a parent who looks at you and says, I am proud of you son, those count, they have true meaning, and no amount of money can buy them.

Knowing the darkness will pass, or that no matter how hard life gets, you will make it through, you have no idea what that will look like, but you know you will get there. Being smacked down, and having to get up again when you feel at your worst, but knowing that was the lowest point, and from here you will rise again, that is the true value of life. That is what I write about, because one day, someone as lost and feeling as hopeless as I did, will read my words, and just like I did, they will start over and move forward again, that is why I write.

So, again I ask, why do we read, and why do we write?

Simply put… Because we should, because within those pages, the answer to inspire you is waiting, or in need of being written down.

We live in a world that is losing the ability to understand why books are written, and my best advice to you, would be simply this. Never be one of them, books have the wisdom to guide you forward, forget that at your peril, and keep reading. If you cannot find that one book you desire to read, then write it, you have the skills, you have already lived them.

Go read, or write.

Robin John Morgan, is a writer blogger, who has written the series of fantasy adventure, Heirs to the Kingdom, is currently writing the slice of life fiction, The Curio Chronicles, and has also published Rise of the Raven, a dark pre medieval fantasy of political betrayal. He continues to write more. All his work is available in digital and print formats from all leading book retailers.

A Look into Summer

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Rob

Shortly the second book in the Curio Chronicles series, titled, Curio’s Summer will become available to purchase, and so before all of you have the chance to grab a copy, I want to provide a little more insight, to where I was at when putting this series together. It feels strange, as this book was written in November 2020, so it was some time ago, and I am now working on other stories unrelated to anything I have written before.

Like all things I write, I like to present something that feels real and believable, and for myself as the author, I wanted the readers to really understand the character of Abigail. The first book, Abigail’s Summer gives a reasonable understanding of some of the events of the past, which accounts for some of the behaviours she exhibits in the book.

The second book in the series will to a degree pickup on some of the themes of the first, but it will also open up more aspects of Abigail who is still caught in the process of growing up and coming to terms with her own life choices. It is important to understand, that it is her relationship with her parents alone in Wotton growing up, that have shaped the person she is, and with the addition of Birch in her life, Abigail starts to learn why she reacts a certain way to certain things, and makes deliberate choices to change the narrative of her life.

In the first book, the bullying and shaming by Marjorie and the village are a powerful negative in Abigail’s life, and they do have a serious impact on her and her reactions to how she deals with things, but in the second book, it becomes clear, that the impact of her young life at home before Uni, has also played a much bigger role in how she reacts, and certainly in her ability to trust people. The damage of Edwin and his controlling manner, appears a lot more as she ages in her behaviour, as it fuels her self doubt, and even though she has worked hard to repair her relationship with her mother, it is Edwin’s treatment of Felicity, that has shaped a great deal more of Abigail, than she would at first realise, especially in regard to her friendships and relationships.

It is five years on from the first book, and the most prominent sign of Abby’s abusively strict childhood is her inability to accept her true feelings, as she overthinks and doubts the truth of who she is, and what she truly feels. In Abby’s own words, she has pretty much lived most of her life on edge, with her “Shields Up.” This is surprisingly more common in life than you would realise, and is one of the many effects of being bullied and shamed in earlier life, which does not appear that obvious to those around her, but it is there, hiding, and secretly working away inside her.

The Curio’s are scattered, and life is changing, the young idealism of their teenage Uni and college years, is wearing thin, as life becomes real, and harsh, and all of the Curio’s have to face it and deal with it, which alone is not an easy proposal. When the book starts, Abby is isolated and alone and not coping well, as she hides herself away, Edwina is working herself to death on the road. Deb’s is working in another part of the country and feels lonely, Chloe is struggling to stay afloat in a run down flat, with a poorly paid job, and Birch who has now qualified, is trying to prove her worth to her mother within the practice, in Manchester. The only one who appears to be anywhere near stable and adjusting, is Anthony, who has expanded his staff, but also has Delphine at his side to guide him.

The story of Abigail was always meant to chart the changes everyone faces in life, and how over time attitudes and beliefs can slowly change. The books are written at a good pace with a lot of tongue in cheek humour, and in such a way that highlights the differences between certain generations and their lack of understanding of each other. One of the best points of the first book, was actually how many people enjoyed reading it, I cannot deny, it was surprising, and yet delightful to see. I will offer at least one spoiler alert for the second book, which is, yep, the story is going to up the ante a little more.

Curio’s Summer is wilder, and just like all twenty four and twenty five years olds, there is a lot of crazy, wild naughty behaviour to come before the hormones start to settle into a more stable state, so get ready for the ride of a lifetime. Everything is written for very good reason, and there will be a few moments of gasps of surprise, but stick with it, as the answers will follow on later in the story.

The second book is going to take a good look at sexual behaviour and attitudes, language, and the choices we make as young adults, and all whilst shattering the attitudes of their former nineteen year old selves. In the first book, returning to Wotton felt like an uphill battle, in the second book, it will become all out war, as the group fight for acceptance, and face the unseen odds of Marjorie’s true vile and dark loathing of them as a group. The gloves are well and truly coming off, and it is within the confines of this aspect of the story, that the only support that the Curio’s have, is each other.

The bond between them, becomes their strength, and their only means of survival, and it is within the uniqueness of each of them, that they all provide a vital role to each other. It is here in this story, as their lives play out, that because the story of the group has now been established, I have had the space to really bring the full nature of each of these characters out, and what I am hoping with this book, is for you all to see, how it is within their normal everyday life, that each of them serves a role within the group, as their bonds grow even deeper.

I feel it is here within this aspect of the story, begins the start of something which over the series with show a subtle, and yet very powerful and beautiful story of care, compassion and deep love. Once again, I hold a mirror up to society, and show the ugly truth of what society has become, and yet within its core, there is a tremendous beauty to be found, within friendship, and support. Once again it is all girl’s together, to stand, to fight, or fall together, and within it all, Felicity, Hatty, and the villagers of Wotton will be dragged in to see the injustice within society, and learn not just about others, but also deep parts of themselves.

This book will chart the real depth of Birch and Abby, as the true power of their bond that started at Uni is revealed. In book one Roni talks of how Birch has formed a powerful bond with Abby that will last for a lifetime, and it is within this book, the real truth of Birch is revealed, and just how much Abby means to her, and the lengths she goes to, to show it. Like everything Birch does, there is a crazy insane logic to it, which was seen in book one, but Curio’s Summer really sets the bench mark for the rest of the series to flourish.

As with most things Abby, her sporadic anxiety attacks, moments of sheer panic, and chronic overthinking hamper her vision, and yet through this book, and Abby’s reaction to everything, especially her self doubt, you will start to understand a younger Felicity, and how she made that fateful mistake that led her to marrying Edwin, and how that ultimately defeated her, and brought heartache and pain into her life as the struggling, cleaning obsessed, unhappy person she was in book one. Abby strays dangerously close to repeating her mothers’ mistakes, with disastrous effect, and Abby has to look to Hatty and Birch for guidance, as she faces the same bitter choice.

With Birch as leader, and with the Curio’s united behind her, this story is littered with the wild antics, insane and out of control moments, of the life of a free, opened minded and liberated group of young women, hell bent on living life to the full, which has some very eye opening moments for Abby, as she finds herself asking herself, ‘did I really just do that?’ This is where Abby is forced to grow up, and take some responsibility for her own life and actions, as she truly breaks free of her parents, and takes full control of her own life, and for her, at times, it is shocking as she admits truths about herself, she has always played down.

Curio’s Summer highlights a lot of the joys of the young, especially some of their sexual ideas, but also some of the game playing, drama, exploitation and treatment of their peers, and the older generations. It highlights the differences between upbringing, and attitudes within the confines of a group, who share such differing lifestyles, from a rough council estate, to the well to do suburbs of the rich. This contradicting mix, will show how it plays on the insecurity of the young, but also highlights that when pushed, they can step up to the plate and be reckoned with.

I am sure yet again there will be a few raised eyebrows, and a challenge or two for some readers, as it shines a bright light on modern youth culture, and the entrenched views of the older generations. It is my hope it provides as much enjoyment as the first book, if not more, and as a series gains more recognition amongst a wider readership, but as with everything I write, I will sit back and watch.

Curio’s Summer, the second part of the Curio Chronicles will be available to purchase shortly.

Naturally Curious

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Rob

The Curio Chronicles, was written to be funny fast, and a little bit shocking, and with the second book in production which will be titled ‘Curio’s Summer’ due for release this year, I thought I would take a step back, and look at one of the most important aspects of this series of stories.

Before I begin, I will add, that the whole series is based on the life of Abigail Watson, and the friendships she forms with her peers in the first book, Abigail’s Summer. In the first book, she is nineteen years old, and when she arrives in the second book, the story will have leapt five years forward, and will see her enter at age twenty four.

Curio's Summer. (The Curio Chronicles) By Robin John Morgan.

This series charts the growing years from youth into adulthood, and the trends and changes all of us go through as we mature, and like most young people, Abby focuses on image, sex, and love, and it is in this particular area of the story that I hold up a mirror to society, and allow you inside the private aspects of her life. Life changes, and so do we, and as Abby grows up, her choices and tastes subtly change, as what was considered to be wild challenging behaviour, for her at nineteen becomes normalised, and shapes her view of the world.

That story will play out in the books, this particular blog post, is focused on another aspect of the story, and is driven at first, not so much by Abigail, but by her best friend Birch. The focus of this aspect of the blog, is not the sex, booze or parties, it is the very natural state, of being naked.

In all of the books, the act of walking around in daily life, sans clothing, and enjoying the connection of all aspects of life, is a normalised part of living around the Curio group, and it is deliberate in this story, and I may add, a very important part of the story. To Birch, it is not an issue, she is quite open and very matter of fact about it, which at first is startling for Abby. Birch has no interest in other people’s views, to her the human form is not a thing of shame, and she really does not care what others think about it, which in today’s society is a very challenging message.

Birch will argue that to undress, to then put clothing back on to swim, is pointless, and foolish. “Why lie around in a cold wet bathing suit shivering?” She asks. For her that is stupidity, when the body dries faster and warms up quicker, lay on a lounger at the side of the pool. In the first book, she happily walks naked out of the house onto the street with her mother to say goodbye, and stands waving, much to the shock and horror of Gwenda Perkins across the road, who immediately rings Marjorie, to tell her the horrifying details, of the ‘Brazen Hussy.’

Even Abby who is naked, is hiding behind the door shouting to her that she has no clothes on, and needs to get back in the house quick, of which Birch has no understanding of the urgency. For her, the natural body, is simply that, a body, just like everyone else’s. her argument is, “We are born naked, and die naked, and everything in between is up to us, and I will not be ashamed of the form I was born in.”

To Birch, the human form should not be shamed, it is the one thing we have little choice over, and she admits, she has ‘great tits and a killer ass,’ why should she be embarrassed of being looked at, she thinks it is worth looking at, and what at first appears like an innocent joke in the plot of the book, actually becomes a powerful message to all the readers, which is, ‘why are we so ashamed of our body, it is who we are as a person?’

It is a very powerful statement, but within the folds of the story, it becomes completely normalised, to such an extent that by the end of the first book, the whole group swims naked, dry’s off and sits in Abby’s guest house, and spend the night all naked, chatting, and having drinks together. For the group, it is not sexual, it is comfort, freedom, and body confidence, and a very normal and natural thing to do. This is reinforced by Hatty, an artist who sees great beauty in all naked bodies, which is why she paints them.

Abigail's Summer. (The Curio Chronicles) By Robin John Morgan — **Abigail’s Summer by Robin John Morgan**

In today’s society, most people reading this would gasp, and make statements such as, “I could never do that,” or “have they no shame?” That is the very point the book makes, and raises the question, “Why is it shameful?”

Abby makes the point to Mary in the post office when she enquires about Birch’s lack of remorse when she told Marjorie she was a naturist. “We spend a lot of time naked; it is good for the body you know, and is wonderful for the mind and inner happiness.” She then adds, “we are all born naked, why would anyone be ashamed of that?” Mary who is a secret naturist, afraid of being shammed, is actually really impressed, and responds. “I think you have a very positive attitude, Abigail; I must admit, I admire your confidence.”

It is an important and powerful message to give out, and it is there in the book for a reason, and is a direct dig at today’s so-called socially acceptable culture.

So, let’s look at why we have been raised to believe that our own personal human form is shocking and shameful. Today we live in a world that has firstly been shaped by religion, the whole foundations of modern civilised society have been moulded around firstly Christianity, and then in more modern times by other religious beliefs, so where does this come from?

Now I have no interest in other people’s spiritual or religious beliefs, I have my own thoughts on my personal spirituality, and I believe them to be private, and personal, so I have no issues with what anyone else chooses to follow. The facts are evident, and that is my sole focus here, simply the facts. So, looking back through time to those few hundred years after the death of Christ, it is a known fact, that Rome was suffering under the popular supporters of Mithra, a pagan deity, and the senate was losing ground. Mithra supporters were celebrating on mass, which involved all aspects of humanity, and a lot of nudity and feasting, in common terms, supporting Mithra led to a lot of orgies and parties, it was a pretty fun experience, what was not to like about going to that church, lol?

The senate embraced and encouraged the rise of Christianity, because as has been documented, ‘it was more about controlled worship.’ Now again, I have no judgement on that, but it is a fact, that it was embraced, solely to control the popular masses. It is also interesting that it was Christianity that also played a major role in the fall of Rome, so go figure. I digress, the rise of the Christian church, played a massive role in what we now consider the civilised world, my vote is still out on civilised, but that is an argument for another day. The church used shame as it’s deadliest weapon for many hundreds of years, as is seen in many of the very puritanical offshoots of Christianity.

A lot of the rules and laws of the land were based on the teachings of the church, who were influencial, and are a major factor in the creation of what we now call the Western Civilised World. It is important to understand that opinion has been shaped and established through a religion that was focused on control, and even though religion has fallen in numbers in recent decades, it has still been a major influence of conservative attitudes. I cannot deny, I do love the irony, of the fact the first two people created by God, Adam and Eve, were both naked vegetarians living in a garden, not unsimilar to the Curio’s.

Now again, I have no interest in the politics of religion, but it does appear to me, that God’s intention through Adam and Eve was a race who were naked, and not ashamed of their naked bodies. I cannot help but pose the question, why has the church deviated from that, and shamed humanity? I get the whole apple and sin argument, but again, have to ask, if we have been forgiven all of our sins through the death of Christ, why is nudity still shamed, when it was God’ initial intention?

Coming Soon Curio's Summer, by Robin John Morgan — Coming Spring 2022

That was the first phase, and now we have the second, capitalism and the free market economy. I actually think this aspect of modern life, is far more corrosive, as it does a few things I am unhappy about. Greed for money, has become the real virus of society, and I do not say that lightly, but it is true. Yes, we all need to live, and as you have probably noticed, you have to pay through the nose to have that basic human right in a Western democracy.

The most corrosive aspect of capitalism, is Media, it is the tool of the elite, and oh boy is it powerful? Advertising and data mining are now the biggest collectors and shapers of public opinion on the planet, and both have one goal, feed the rich. I have a particular distaste for shareholders, I, like Birch, see them as the scourge of society, they are viler than tax collectors, because all they care about is money, and they have no scruples as to how it comes in, just as long as it does. Shareholders want profit, and they wield a great deal of power, and so under their direction, pressure is applied to make more cash.

They shape media, Mainstream and Social to their view of the world, and like religion, they demand compliance and control, they literally write the narrative, and Birch despises them. The main vehicle for these controllers of society, is advertising and shame, which when linked with the lingering attitudes of religion, can serve a fatal blow to all of us, and it does, in more ways than we realise, Birch points out the immorality of it in the second book.

Everyday women especially, but men are catching up, are bombarded with signals from every angle, millions of them, and they are subtle, cruel, and divisive. Articles, adverts, the structure of TV shows, and even some more modern video games target our weaknesses, which is namely, our body, our looks, and how we live.

We are told, your hair is not right, use this, don’t allow yourself to be fat, when you can use this special new and improved wonder diet. Wear this new designer labelled clothing and hide your shame, you are too ugly, use this makeup, and it goes on and on and one, in a never ending stream of paid for personal attacks and insults, all packaged in a nice sophisticated way, from school age until the coffin, and I often say to my kids. “Stop listening to them, they are paid for lies!”

Social media banned female nipples, have you ever heard of such a stupid rule? Men’s nipples are fine, I could post a whole stream of my endless nipples, and not get banned, yet, if I posted a picture of my wife’s nipple, I would get banned, as it is ‘SEXUAL’ No it’s not, its natural, and I would add normal, every single human being has them, so why do we only sexualise one kind, and not the other? I mean come on, there is not a huge difference in the look, it is the function that is the main difference.

At this point I will ask, how is using a part of the human body to feed a child sexual? The simple answer is it is not, and yet, it is banned. I often wonder why women’s movements are not outraged and up in arms about this, after all, Twitter is filled with women who are screaming about how women’s nipples are sexualised by men. Okay so let me ask this, why are men’s nipples not sexualised? The truth is, they are not, because we have all been desensitised to them, but how? Well, we put them on show and everyone got sick of looking at them. It may surprise you to find, that at one time, it was illegal for men to be topless, and men did not agree, so they rallied on a beach in the USA, took off their tops and defied the law, and got arrested.

It caused such an outcry, that men all over America rallied around and demanded change, and they flocked on mass to the beach, and defied the law and went topless, and a few years later, the law was changed, and now it is a common sight to see a man without his top. Feminists should be outraged by that, and demand equality, and attack social media for being discriminate, and yet they do not.

The bra industry earns, seventeen trillion dollars a year, exploiting woman. Science has proven beyond doubt, that wearing a bra does not keep the boobs firm, it actually weakens the tissue and muscles under the breast, so they flop and grow saggy over time, and yet billions of women every day, believe the lies and suffer wearing one. Why are women not fighting back for their rights to be braless, as the teens of my 1960s 70s youth did? Once again, I ask, why are women so afraid of showing the outline of a nipple through clothing? They wear pants, which shows the outline of a bum, and yet that is not an issue. I have to pose the question, why are women allowing a part of their natural form to be shammed?

Whether you like it or not, your body is not and should not be shamed for money or opinion. Today our teens are getting reconstructive surgeries, to change aspects of their bodies, and more and more teens are suffering from body dysmorphia leading to eating disorders. Kids struggle with their weight, because junk food is cheaper than healthier food, but filled with a long list of additives and preservatives, that poison their systems. A salad is literally more expensive than a burger, and modern advertisers lie to them in order to get all of their money with slogans like, ‘I’m lovin it.’ Yeah, the shareholders are, they are rolling in cash. When you work out that a fast food fry has over twenty two ingredients in it, you have to step back in shock, and ask why, it is a potato that has been fried?

Why are schools and parents, not educating their children better, and pointing out the serious implications of their behaviour? Why are we not telling our kids to understand their bodies without shame, and take better care of them? Instead of educating them, they encourage them, and it has become and endless cycle of bad habits from generation to generation, all happily complying with the endless rhetoric of their master manipulators, who run social and mainstream media at the expense of their children’s mental and physical well being.

Curio's Summer. (The Curio Chronicles 2) By Robin John Morgan. — Curio’s Summer by Robin John Morgan

Take a really good look at Social Media, which has a massive influence on our young. I look at what my kids are seeing, which is usually driven by young twenty to twenty five year olds, known as ‘Influencers.’ I want to punch all of the self entitled little shits in the face. Their narrow minded, and blinkered view of the world, is corrosive and damaging to the minds of our young. Why are we letting these uneducated idiots educate our children with sponsored video’s? I constantly hear, the young are the future, and it scares the hell out of me, because if you watch them, you can see how sponsors are placing products in all of their videos and posts. These kids get rich, at the expense of all of ours, by violating their minds, and adding to the self loathing our children feel about their bodies. When will this stop?

If you have kids, take some time out and seriously look at the drivel they watch. Look like this, do that, you need this are the messages, and every one of them drives body dysmorphia to an epidemic level, no wonder our kids are depressed? They will never have that look, or fit into the one size fits all box, or attain that beauty. The reason why, is simple, it is fake, photo shopped and unrealistic, so what do they do, they offer filters to improve your looks on photo’s driving the ‘you’re not pretty enough message home,’ which is destroying our children’s self confidence, and all with a subliminal caption of, ‘look how pretty and acceptable you are now.’ The thought of nudity, terrifies these influencers, who have been groomed for their roles by social media policies.

The irony here, is they call it social media, and it is not, it is advertising media, and nudity is their kryptonite. Look at it this way, if you actually love your body and are not ashamed by it, advertisers have less influence over you, and so you will not click their links to their products, and that is why nipples or any form of nudity are banned. Oh yeah, they talk about the children being harmed, but that is a smoke screen, the real truth is, they want full control to sell products, and they pray on insecurity. How else does a free platform make billions a year… Advertising, by praying on your weakness, and making you ashamed of who you are, that is how.

They drive unrealistic expectations and body hatred, and we sit back and wonder why half our kids are narcissists and the other half are manically depressed? It is immoral, disgraceful, and offensive, and they should be imprisoned for the damage they have done to society, but sadly they won’t be, because their lobbyists will continue to throw cash at governments, and they will never get shut down, it is a slap to the face of all humanity. We all should ask, when will this end and how do we stop it? I would suggest, one body positive person at a time.

The cure is simple, Birch shows you the way. Screw what others think, love your body, embrace it, strip off the layers of those who would enslave you with their lies and shaming, and own who you are. Do not hide your body, accept it, worship it, love it, and embrace it, most importantly, own it, and show the real value of the person you are. The greatest thing about being naked, is it is impossible to hide who you really are, people get to see the true you, the real you, not the fake you that hides behind designer clothing and makeup. Stop letting the world tell you to be ashamed of yourself, and pay through the nose for a cure that will never work. Cherish what you came into world wearing, because contrary to popular opinion, your body is not shameful, it is beautiful.

Listen to Birch and the Curio’s, and for the first time in your life, embrace your real truth, your only truth, and love the body you wear. Nature is exactly that, it is natural, and whether you want to believe it or not, you are a natural being, and your skin, is your natural clothing. Try resisting all the latest trends, and avoid wasting money on all those products they tell you that you need for one month, walk round the house naked and feel the power of seeing your own reflection, and see how better you feel, and how much money you save.

In order to write the Curio stories, I spent a lot of time, talking and listening to Naturists, as they explained their concept of the life that they lived. It was fascinating, and I very quickly understood, that they were just normal people, from every walk of life. The main difference that I found, was that they came across as being kinder, more open minded, and certainly more accepting and welcoming than most of the dressed people I meet in life. Their age groups varied from young to old, and I learned a great deal about simply being a normal human being. I know weird right? The truth be told, I found their company friendlier and more inviting than dressed people, they were certainly more in tune with the world, and very respectful.

It impressed me to hear, how naturisum is actually pretty normal, and when you consider the point, naked is actually our natural state. I can certainly say, I find the media and capitalist approach to life with its shame and ridiculed filled advertising a lot less natural, and not at all beneficial to the human race, and maybe in that, Birch has a point?

Get on the internet, and get off social media, and read up on the health benefits of being naked, and you will find a whole range of mass benefits from mental health, to physical health. It calms the mood, and you sleep so much better, and if you actually think about it, it is the most normal aspect of all of us, it is not sexual, it is who you are.

Surely it is time, to start to beat social media and the mainstream at their own game, by educating our children, that our natural human form is not shameful, and is not sexual? We need to step up to the plate before another generation suffers the cruel effects of our world, and its attack on our private personal selves. Children who are taught to accept themselves, are better more rounded individuals in life, and a part of that, is understanding their natural body, is their own private and completely unique form, and no one has the right to tell them different and shame them for it.

The Curio Chronicles was always about a tongue in cheek approach to looking at life through the lens of a wide focus, unlike the narrow focus applied to social so called norms. Yes the books are sexually suggestive, but why is that wrong, and why is that shamed, when again it is a very important aspect of everybody’s life, as is nudity? After all, we never shower with our clothing on, and if you think about it, we always feel wonderful after a shower?

In book one, Roni states during her speech those four words of control. ‘What will People Say?’ That is the moment the self worth dies and the shame begins, and it is up to all of us, to follow her next piece of advice. ‘Does It Really Matter?’

Be curious, and be you.

Curio’s Summer, the second part of the Curio Chronicles series, will be available in spring 2022.

The Curio Chronicles part one Abigail’s Summer by Robin John Morgan, is available in Digital and Print format from all online sources and apps.

The Absolute Power of HTTK.

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Rob

I got asked recently, what can be learned from HTTK, and I responded, take a look at the world, and then read the whole series again. Enjoy it, get to know the characters and understand them, and then when you do, consider how much you have in common with them.

Take into account, Kingdom began as an idea in the 1980’s, and I really began to write it in 2006. Honestly, since the writing started, it has become more relevant in my thoughts, as I watch the world today.

Kingdom is written from the point of view of those being oppressed, as they fight their way to freedom. There is a great deal of effort in the writing that places the focus on understanding the freedom and joy all the principal characters share. There is a reason it took 14 years to write the eight books, as they do take a long hard look at the life of mankind. The book is focused on two main characters and their friends, as they take for granted what is all around them. I highlight the success of Lox farm, and its abundance, it is to a degree an idyllic place, of friendship and community, where the goal is almost a utopian ideal of what every reader would want in their own life, which could be why so many readers have identified with the series.

Book one is almost a merry jaunt as the group set off to discover the root of all the evil that is attempting to take all of their abundance away, and in many ways, it does not appear to be that sinister a book. I would say it appears as quite innocent, and yet I would also argue, that when you look past the joy, and the developing love story of Robbie and Runestone, there is a dark sinister presence simmering in the background.

It is easy to miss the most obvious aspect of the Bowman of Loxley, because it is subtle, but if you take a step back, and consider it for a moment, suddenly it is not quite the picturesque picture you first thought it was. I would argue, that there is a very significant warning to be taken from that first innocent feeling book, so let me elaborate.

Early in the book, two things occur that are very important, the first is, that the young Dirk, goes out to hunt for food for his family in a remote and isolated part of middle England. His family have chosen to be isolated, and stay well away from all other communities who are banding together to try and survive, and yet his father chose to hide away, separate from everyone, why?. On Dirks return, his mother, father and little sister, have been brutally murdered and their house burned to the ground. In his heartbreak, he is visited by Opal, who tells him to hide his identity, and take aid in the form of a sword to aide Loxley, and she renames him Rowan of the Woods, why?

Secondly, Rowan is a robust tree, known for its strength and resilience, two qualities needed to resist oppression, it is a very important symbol, and one I may add that made everyone assume he would one day be the leader of the country as a king. Rowan, becomes a vital part of the resistance in later books, at our hero’s side.

The next thing we learn, is that one man, rises out of the destruction, and builds a wall to seal off a part of the nation. He is a hero to his people, who has saved them from a deadly virus… a life-threatening catastrophe, hmm, sound familiar? Out of nowhere, he declares himself by birth right, to be ruler of the land, and he despatches out a ruthless and merciless unit of, for want of a better word, ‘murderers’ to attack and frighten all the survivors. These men are the Cutter Brigade, and they lead by using fear, that sounds familiar too. They rape and kill and take all of the supplies, which are sent back to Cornwall, where the supreme ruler is based. A leader taking all the best for his own needs, with no regard for the people, yep, sounds about right to me.

The man is Mason Knox, a historian of the old world. There is no coincidence he has a past as a history lecturer, it is how he understands dominance, and why he is so organised. Mason means wall, a worker of stone, Knox means vault, think about that for a second. Walls are a symbol of strength, and a vault symbolises wealth, combine money and strength, and you have a recipe for supreme power. If you want an example, look to any dictator of the historical past, they hide in their dwellings behind high walls and security, country’s hide behind walls such as China did, and there is no greater example than the Berlin wall, something that is a stark memory from my youth.

The Cutters are spread far and wide, so much so, they reach the north of England and Robbie come across a small raiding party at Joe’s cabin. Later in the book as the group journey away on a mission to produce the evidence to prove Mason is an illegitimate heir to the throne, they enter a village which has been attacked and devastated by Cutters just north of Loxley. Mason is already trying to surround the town of Loxley. It is a huge surprise for Robbie and Rowan, who question, how did Mason get so far undetected? It is an important question, and one you should ask yourself.

At the Abbey, even further north, a large army is spotted quietly building up strength, and as the group skirt back south, they end up in a small town which is run by organised Marshals, who are confiscating weapons. It is subtle, but look carefully, they are in a town that is organised and operating without any resistance to the Marshals, if anything, they have embraced them for their own security. The path of least resistance does appear right at the time, but it is a dangerous path to walk.

At this point there is a very real plan of action being revealed from Mason Knox, who I deliberately kept out of the book until he was revealed in person at the end. The whole premise of the Bowman of Loxley, was to show the slow subtle build up of Mason’s power, and hope that people would notice a very familiar pattern from the past. Look to the past, and learn for the future, is a line and theme that run through this book, and all the others, and it is not there by chance. It is possibly the most important message of all the books, and a very real warning about allowing others to change our historical concepts of history. In using this line, it does also highlight the very real danger in Mason’s action plan, I would say to be specific, look to Germany 1933.

Okay, so let’s take a moment to understand the plan so far. A self appointed dictator who desires supreme power. A fear driven private military force acting under his personal instruction, and control. The confiscation of weapons from the population, under the guise of protection from the newly imposed state, secret groups attacking at random places whilst slowly building up around its enemy, and a secret police force, in a town that has been compliant and simply accepted their authority without speaking out.

So, so far so good, we have the making of a totalitarian regime by subtle means, and now for the big hint. A rider arrives at Lolxey’s gates demanding entry on the orders of ‘The Duke of Cornwall, and newly elected Governor of England.’ There it is, Mason now sees himself as being completely in control, and all of you have to now do as you are told. It is John Lox who points our the obvious, when he states, “Newly elected, I didn’t vote for him.” Well no, that sort of democracy has gone forever, you now have to blindly obey. If you do not, well that comes at the end of the book, you will be surrounded by an army, and wiped out. There is no coincidence that Loxley and York, the two most organised places had an army on their doorstep, they were in the way, and could foil Mason’s plans, so like every dictator from the past, he was going to silence them, and remove them forever.

Boom! There it is right in your face, no one elected him, he is a self imposed leader, and as you follow the story, you get to see the full power of Mason as he reveals his armies at Tintagel and his weapons creation at Weston Super-mare, and his attempts to quash Caerleon. The end of the book shows the full power of Mason as he finally appears in the book, and tries to take the crown and become supreme ruler of England and all its realms, as the fascist dictator he is.

The simple point is HTTK is written in such a way, you have to look for it, and it is all there in the background quietly building away and actually revealing far more than you would at first realise. Jump to book two, The Lost Sword of Carnac, and yep, it just gets better.

Let’s start with the surrounding area of Canterbury. In an act of temper, Mason labels certain types of people, and sends in his Cutters to destroy them. These people are in no way affiliated to Robbie, and yet Mason labels them, Leaf Lovers, Wood Choppers, and he brutally murders them on mass. Sound familiar? Sadly, this is not fantasy, it happens in our modern world, it is not always as extreme and results in death, but it goes on every day, we just choose to ignore it.

A certain section of society is seen as inferior, and as taking up space, and so they are wiped out completely, look to the past? How may regimes since 1945 have seen their own people wiped out by fascist dictators under the guise of their creed, culture, or religion? A section of their own society is labelled by its government as unfit, and then slaughtered and labelled as inferior, second class, unworthy of the same rights.

Think this is a fantasy, look back at the UK, we may not have wiped them out, but it happens. Back in the seventies, it was the hippies, and the drop outs who had no rights, and were targeted as unfit by the government. Margret Thatcher’s government labelled and stigmatised single parents. Under Tony Blair’s government anyone opposing immigration was a white supremacist or racist. When David Cameron was in power, it was the unemployed, and today with Boris Johnson’ it has recently been the un-vaxxed. It happens every day and we all choose to ignore it, or go happily along with it as the media backs up the government narrative. It is subtle, but it happens, and all it takes is one man to make a stand and seize power, and suddenly, a whole section of society that may even have once been a hero to the people, becomes the enemy, and has to be silenced and beaten into submission. You think this is fantasy, try being a peaceful trucker in a certain part of the world at the moment?

Heirs to the Kingdom may feel like an innocent romp through the woodlands with a bad man after you, but it is a very subtle warning about absolute power. I know, I was facing a localised one when I first began to write this series, and it is really frightening to face alone, or with a few dedicated friends.

The second book reveals the rest of the plan of Mason, with enforced labour camps, where you own nothing, but will be happy. Orphanages that force women into birth to breed a population, rows and rows and grey dull dwellings, suppression of decent, and endless slaughter of those who resist. It is all there, and the most frightening thing about this, is in this modern world of today, it has, and is still happening. Do you think slavery has been abolished? Try looking towards the middle east, open your eyes and it is there right in front of you. One global power, or one person who feels entitled to dominate are always there, and not always who you think, it is the curse of man, and the lessons we refuse to learn from our past.

Book three creates monsters from experimentation, drugs are used to enhance human abilities, and the race for more modern weapons to outsmart the enemy is always on the forefront, as the power and dominance grows as fast as the slavery, as people are controlled with fear to do the bidding of their self imposed masters. Heirs to the Kingdom is a dystopian series, but it hits a hell of a lot closer to home than many have realised.

So how do we win, well we fight, okay, so what with?

There is no coincidence that the swords of power are named such. Truth, Justice, Knowledge, Courage, Honour. These are the ingredients of ‘Democracy, and Freedom.’ They are cherished as they allow for freedom of thought, and the freedom to speak, and through the union of these ideals, we create a world that is fair to all, and that is the message to all the readers of HTTK. Take these qualities into your heart and into your life, and if you do so, they will unite in one union with others, and that my friends, is ‘Destiny.’

The modern world today is not quite as black and white as it first appears, and I would say, that we are all stood on the edge of a woodland glade watching, surrounded by those we love, but Mason is out there, and he is not alone. Behind the scenes he is at work, and it is as clear as day if you open your eyes fully, and stop blindly obeying everything you are told.

You will never get the truth from social media, you will never be able to fully trust the legacy media, they are driven by a controlled system of subtle people of power. Just because everyone else believes it to be true, does not mean it is. At times like this, like Robbie and Runestone, we have to stand alone and take a step back, and look with the eyes of destiny, because if you blink and lose focus, we all will end up in a world ruled by the likes of Mason. The human race stands on the edge, and it is the task of all of us to pay attention, and stop blindly following with our virtue signalling and politically correct adherence. Just because everyone else is doing it, does not make it moral or right.

Be a leaf lover, embrace the role of woodsmen, and fight those who are bringers of stone.

Absolute power, is far more corrosive than rust. Never forget that.

Heirs to the Kingdom by Robin John Morgan, is available in Digital and Print formats from all leading online retailers of books and apps.

Freedom – Truth

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Rob

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. (Martin Luther King)

My whole life has been lived with the goal of freedom, and as a writer, it is a common theme of the stories I write. In Abigail’s Summer, part one of the Curio Chronicles, Marjorie Wallace has her ‘Transient Watch’ which is a group of residents, with the soul aim of spotting and removing undesirables from the village.

Their definition of an undesirable, would be a person who does not look like or act like the residents of Wotton would wish them too. I know that treatment well, as a young teenage hippie, I did not look like others wanted me to, and I did not fit in with their idea of what a young teenage boy should look like, and for that, I was shunned and shamed.

My grandmother told me I looked like a scarecrow, and I was an embarrassment to the family, and she was ashamed of me, I am quite sure Marjorie and her would have had a lot in common. Her friends reported everything I did in the local town, which to be honest was just walking around with friends, having a laugh, or campaigning for a good cause, of which I did a great deal. I was often questioned and shamed for what I saw as just living my own life my own way.

I had a lot of pressure placed on me to conform, usually by shouting yelling and shaming, so in many ways, my fight for to be free, has at times been a life long aim of my own life. I guess you could say, that was when my fight for individual freedom began.

I have sat for three weeks watching live streams on You Tube, as I watched the most surprising of people, rebel against the system and ask for their freedom to be restored. I am not that interested in the politics of this situation, if anything over the last few years I have become so tired of politics, I given up listening, but I do understand a stifled voice, I do understand being ignored, and I most certainly recognise acts of repression. It feels today, when one of the politest countries on the planet fights for it’s freedom to simply live a normal life.

In Heirs to the Kingdom, Robert Loxley fights for the freedom for everyman to have a life that includes, a safe home, and the space for a family to grow. In Rise of the Raven, Branna yearns to be considered as a dark haired Fae, equal to those of fair hair in her own realm. In the Curio Chronicles, Abigail yearns to simply be accepted as she is, and be allowed to be herself, and allowed to live as she chooses.

These are such simple things, they are not grand goals, and yet in all three stories similar to all those across the world who fight, they are denied. I suppose in many ways, I identify with all of my characters, as it is a strong theme of my own life, and in many ways, my fiction represents aspects of real life. From my point of view, all of my characters have a good point, their wishes to live a life of their choosing unharmed, or to look and dress as they choose, and live an unconventional lifestyle, or to simply be recognised as an equal within the confines of their society. For them, that is just a normal life, and I have to ask, isn’t that what all of us of want?

I consider myself lucky, I live in a democracy under the UK law, I have those freedoms, the right to think, the right to speak, and question. I can dress as I choose, even if it is frowned upon. I can leave my home and walk peacefully around my own town, and even though I find myself lost in the political wilderness, I still have the freedom to protest, and the right to vote in an election. Most importantly in today’s society, I have the right to choose what I put inside my own body, which is probably why for the last 42 years of life, I have been a vegetarian.

I have been surprised by Canada, I was under the concept that Canadians were warm caring friendly people, I have extended family there, so when I heard there was a protest, apart from being very surprised, I tuned into the news media to watch, as another very strong part of who I am, is I have always sought the truth.

Watching the Canadian TV news channels, I found myself surprised, the thought of Canada running wild with truckers’ intent on destroying their country, really shocked me. I do not watch TV, everything I watch is on You Tube, and so naturally, three weeks ago the algorithm started to show me streamers who were live on the scene. It was startling to witness the difference between the Mainstream Media News, and simply armature on the scene streamers, as they were telling very opposing stories.

I have an open mind, so tuned in, where I was confronted with just ordinary people, with a mobile phone, walking round Ottawa talking to people, and suddenly I started to see a very different story. You can imagine my surprise, to start to see things like social media pages linked to protestors, being banned on social media, Events miss quoted or painted as criminal by the Conventional News Media, and named called and shammed by their own government.

The more I watched the live streams, such as “Viva Frei, UOttawaScotty, Ottawalks, Travel fun 69, and more,” the more I began to realise, that a huge amount of these protestors were my age, and they sounded very familiar. The painted a picture of a peaceful protest, and preached love and brotherhood and community, the very same things that my teenage friends preached, and suddenly, it felt like my generation had come back to guide the young to the truth of real peaceful protest.

The job of a journalist, is to report the facts, and question. Sadly that is no longer a truth.

For a few years now, we have seen protests that involved riot’s, car and building fires, and looters, and yet over in Canada, the truckers protest, had free food for all, safe spaces for kids to play, free hugs, no violence, dancing, smiles, and bouncy castles. The streamers interviewed the truckers and visitors, simply stopping them in the street and asking them what they thought, and every response was the same. “It is warm, friendly, peaceful and wonderful.”

Like most things, early on in the protest, a person was seen with a swastika flag, and one seen with a confederate flag, and the mainstream media was quick to pounce. All of the protest members were smeared, and painted with a tarred brush, none of them reported how the protesters had evicted the two individuals from the protest. Sadly, it became part of the rhetoric of the prime minister of Canada, who refused to speak with them about their grievances, and having had years of my life protesting myself, I could not understand how he would dismiss and turn his back on them, when he has met other far more violent rioter groups in the past?

The media and the Prime Minister of Canada’s truth, are fake, this protest is nothing at all like they say, one comment I heard that I think really fits, is, it is like “Woodstock with Trucks.”

To be honest it is not hard to understand, as there has been a new wave of globalist socially divisive views sweeping the planet, which many political parties appear to be embracing, it is fuelled by power and greed. Sound familiar, I am sure Mason Knox would fit right in? It is not for me, and as a life long libertarian, I find myself unable to buy into such divisive beliefs, that gives one kind of person, more rights than another. I have always looked at everyone as a unique individual, who has the same rights and equality, which apparently is appearing more and more to be seen as an out of date view.

As I have listened to people talk, I saw very quickly that Canada had been suffering for two years of continuous lockdowns and restrictions, their lives have been turmoil, as their freedoms have been eroded, with mandate after mandate from the government, and I could really understand people saying enough is enough.

In the UK we had lockdowns, but here we are seeing the restrictions lifted, and as a parent that has been through home schooling, and deep worry for my family, I feel a huge sense of relief as normality slowly returns, as it has across many nations of the world.

I cannot deny watching streamers interview ordinary people and protestors, I feel for them. Even with less restrictions on my life here in the UK, I have seen how it has affected the emotional and mental welfare of my own family, and I really am not sure I could cope with much more. We have at least had small breaks, and I will not deny, looking at the world around us all, I can understand these people’s frustration, and why they feel so left behind and let down.

In Canada freedom is under threat, free speech is being stifled, as it moves towards something of a government controlled police state. It is heart breaking to watch, and I fear for my children and ask, will this ever happen in the UK? If Canada falls, so will the rest of the free world.

As I watch the screen for well over 30 hours of streams from these new truth seeking streamers, I can only think of the struggles from my own life and of my characters, and yet I feel hope, as I watch journalist shammed for following a political party line, and an out break of solidarity and community washing across the world from Canada. I hope the young are watching and taking note, as us old folks from the freedom movement of the 1970’s hand over the baton of peace, freedom and truth to the younger generations. Let us hope their voices do not get snuffed out.

I want to weep for those peaceful protesters, who have a government backed police state, that I am watching tweet that they will euthanise truckers pets, smash truck windows and drag drivers out, threaten to take protesters children away, freeze bank accounts, all with the aim of intimidating normal hard working people. Fear is a mighty weapon, and you can see it in action in Canada. The truth is meaningless and Freedom is dying, watch and learn, because it could be coming to us all.

Only when you are silenced, will you truly understand what you have lost. Robin John Morgan.

Curiosity Gagged the Cat

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Rob

Rise of the Raven is out, and I am seeing a repeat of Abigail’s Summer with changing time lines for delivery, with the big company who rules books etc.. It is probably a good job there is a digital version, whilst sat waiting for that small brown package!

It is not easy being a writer these days, it appears everywhere I look that terrible restriction on what can or cannot be said is looming up. It appears that being honest about life is fine, as long as it is a certain kind of life, some parts of life, are simply not to be mentioned. If they are, well, kiss goodbye to your platform that hosts you.

I am finding that writing is somewhat like village life, certain people can say what they like, and others are not allowed to say anything, and yet are having to have all the dung thrown at them and have to endure it. It has become a mine field where you have to be careful where you step.

Apparently, these days certain large companies appear to wield the mightiest axe, and wield all the control, as they define morality, and for a writer who is trying to get their thoughts and observations out there, as they write them into their stories, it feels at times, like one step forward ten steps back. Hmm, didn’t a guy called George write something about that?

It is not that much easier publishing, as it appears no matter what you put out, certain larger operations have algorithms that hinder your progress for sales, because you do not use their own brand or platform to publish and print from, it really does feel like there are one too many Marjorie’s controlling everything, in the world today.

I am pretty sure my hopes of making it as a writer are pretty much stunted, because I want the freedom to take from all my many observations in life, and all the conversations I have had, and use them in my stories. Sadly, that courts controversy, oh how I wish I could time travel back to the seventies, just to get my books out and have them actually read by open minded people who have no fear of being challenged, I am quite sure Abigail would probably have a much better chance of survival, well, better than in 2021.

They say life reflects art, and yep, that is pretty much my life, as I fight to gets books delivered on time to the few who want to read them, with a book that can be printed and shipped within days, but the so called large multinational company offering it online, puts ridiculous delivery times on it, putting customers off because they do not want to wait.

It is mental, I ordered my own book to test the water. Now bear in mind, it is printed in the UK and all over the world, and I live in the UK, but nope, this huge company has decided to print it in the EU, so they cannot offer me a delivery date yet, how utterly ridiculous is that?

Of course, the answer is simple, print and distribute with them, but I don’t want to, because that restricts where my books will be available, and it certainly rules out shops and libraries, who won’t touch them. This is my life as a writer, in stead of writing, I am tied up in an AI robot with no hope of ever talking to a human, trying to simply get one answer. WTF are you playing at, print the bloody thing in the UK.

I am starting to feel like the chief Curio, as I sit wondering what new draconian rules, I will have to restrict my future books, as I work on the second instalment of my story with Abigail and her friends for 2022.

The sad thing is that the story of Abigail, reflects a great deal of life today, with its bullies, and sexual liberation of the young, which I understand is shocking for the older generations who do not really understand that kind of open free life. It fascinates me how people in their lives, are judged by the sexual behaviour, and called for experimenting, when in truth, the world is supposed to be a much more tolerant and accepting society. It is alright to be whatever you want, and identify with any of the many labels we have today, women are told embrace your sexuality, and be unashamed, just don’t do too much of it or you will be shamed, and berated for it. It is such a contradiction, as the masses encourage people to be and live free, and yet when they do, they all stand in judgement, point the finger and shame them. Yep, Madge is alive and well and watching you.

It makes me chuckle, as I am aware of some who read Abigail’s Summer, and were quite taken aback, with a Marjorie like response of ‘Oh, he used to write such nice things, like the love between Robbie and Runestone, in Heirs to the Kingdom, and this Abigail has swearing, I never expected this.’ I cannot deny I have smiled, Abigail’s life is too much, and yet Cutters killing, raping and hanging people from trees is fine, and what about the enforced slavery of the orphanages controlled by Mason Knox?

The works of Robin John Morgan, Writer Author

Just for the record, Runestone has way more sex than Abigail, but that is fine as it is in a dystopian fantasy, and she is married. Just a quick note, she was late sixteen, unmarried, in her mother’s front room, and in front of a passed out Harry, when she jumped on Robbie. I feel Birch would be proud of her, and pat her on the back with a happy, “Well done, was that nice Sweetie?”

The simple truth is, there is actually a really wonderful story within the Curio Chronicles, as it follows the life of Abigail, and those who surround her. She comes from what is considered to be a good family of breeding, they are certainly seen as the well to do moral family. But peel back the layers, and it is a very different story, and that is the point of the Curio Chronicles, it is the peeling back the layers, and taking a good long look at what lies below the facade of the false.

How it looks on the outside, is more important that how it is on the inside, and that is not just life in Wotton, that is the reality of life today.

Look at Edwin, a well to do accountant, in the right tailored suits, highly regarded in the business world, and looked up to by all in Wotton. He is for want of better words, a model resident. The fact that he is cold and cruel to his wife and daughter is meaningless, he looks good. He is out in London, boasting about his wealth, screwing around behind his wife’s back, and when confronted by his wife’s best friend Hatty about it, because Abigail saw him, how did he deal with it, he punished his daughter severely, he even chose to believe a rapist who had the right image in the village, over his own daughter?

Abigail lived at home, lost and ignored and felt utterly betrayed by her father, a scenario I know well, having talked with many like her. Her mother who is a high up in the Parish Council is no better, as she tries to emulate Marjorie and gain respect and approval of the village, and in doing so, became controlling and unfeeling, putting image as a higher priority than her daughters well being. Felicity was once a free spirit, much more like her daughter, and yet because she was shammed and bullied, she married an uncaring man just to gain acceptance again, as it looked proper and decent, the hypocrisy never ends in Wotton.

The joy of writing this series was that I was able to use Wotton to hold up a mirror to society as a whole, and say look at this, in a startling and at times uncomfortable way. The Curio Chronicles, and Abigail’s Summer, does not hold back as it twists and weaves through what actually is quite a powerful story. The sexual referencing and humour lighten the load on the journey, but for those who have read Abigail’s Summer, as you know in true RJM manor, what I write at the start of the book, is just to paint the background, and lull the reader into a very unseen twist at the end, as I lob in a very large dose of reality to Abigail’s life.

Debs, Birch and Deadly. Abigail’s Summer
.

That is sort of the point, this is her story, her evolution, and through each book she will age as she faces new challenges, always living in the fear of becoming her mother. If I have learned anything about life having been around for fifty odd years, and having spent much of that watching and talking to others, it is that life is uncomfortable, and not quite the rosy picture we would want it to be. There are some pretty ruthless and cruel people in the world, and we have all done things in our past we would much rather not admit, and that is actually the point of the series.

We live in the moment doing our best, and we get drawn into things we enjoy, even if it surprises us at times, which as we grow up and grow older, we are told that is wrong. So we hide it, ashamed someone will find out, and there are a lot of people in this world who judge others for doing exactly as we did as young people. In the first book, Abigail is nineteen and filled with the optimism of living a free open life, especially as she has the very liberated and wild Birch at her side, who encourages her to live well and not hide it, as Birch guides her into learning about who she really is, and what her full potential can be.

Birch never lies and admits her faults, she is after all unashamed of just being herself, but after all, she was raised by two psychologists, and has devoted a lot of her life to the study of human behaviour, and thoroughly understands it. She believes people should not hide, and live their lives to the fullest, as we only get one trip round the block, and fully intends to make the most of her life, and in doing so, enhance the lives of Abigail and her friends, and she definitely does not hold back.

In a way, Deadly and Birch are like a yin and yang, as their dark and light fit together perfectly, with Birch creating her chaos, and Abby getting dragged into the centre of it all, racked with self doubt and close to heart failure, trying to understand herself. Birch opens the world up for Abby, and in doing so, opens her own world, as the two of them learn to let go and sample life to its eye brow raising fullest. For Abigail, she begins to learn a great deal more about who she really is, and starts to see and understand her own potential, especially as a wannabe writer. Birch already knows Abigail is capable of greater things, and in many ways gives her a well needed push, as she helps unshackle the chains placed on Abby by her parents through the oppression of her childhood.

I feel there is a message here that says let go and be true to yourself, and if that is not what you expected, well at least it is honest. So many people suffer from those dreaded four words of ‘what will people think?’ and as a result, they become unhappy and feel they have to hide. The saddest thing about that, is usually people are so preoccupied with their own egos, that they do not really notice anyone else.

Be honest, do people ever look up from their phones these days, maybe they fear being triggered by someone being respectful to them and saying hello? I find it amusing and crazy, that today just showing good manners is seen as flirting, and can trigger someone, it is so messed up.

As I prepare the second book to be published, I smile, yep, this one is no different, (That is your trigger warning lol) as the group fall apart and separate, as five years pass, and they hit twenty four years old, but as with all things connected to Abigail and Birch, you cannot stop a runaway train, and those two who are a little older, but not so much wiser, blaze a trail to send Marjorie and her cronies into meltdown, leaving them no choice but to strike back.

The second Curio book, will challenge all of Abigail’s perceptions of her youth, and force her to face some unpleasant realities, and face some of her biggest fears, with plenty of humour and some very uncomfortable topics. All of it will be done with the same curiosity from Deb’s, the cool controlled manner from Edwina, some flamboyance from Anthony, and as for Chloe, well she is just exactly who she has always been meant to be, just a simple girl from a council house estate in Oxendale, and more deviant than ever, as she swears like a sailor, but she actually is a lovely kind girl, although all young men should be wary.

I am working on Curio’s Summer now, (Curio Chronicles, book two) as well as something completely different from anything I have ever written before, which is more fantasy based, and probably expected of me, as its cleaner. (Smiles) And as with all things I write, when it is done, you will have it. I also have two more Kingdom related stories which have been progressing along, one more a prequel to jump in after Raven, and one set after the last Kingdom book, so they will appear at some point.

My time is busy, shared between the writing desk and VCP and all the problems with being an indie publisher, trying to get noticed, in between all the large dominant companies, who appear determined to force me to play by their rules, which I won’t be doing any time soon. And as always, when I know more, so will all of you.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this journey of mine in a writer life, it has always been greatly appreciated, so stay safe and talk books, it all helps.

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Robin John Morgan shares his thoughts on Life, Writing, Publishing and his published works

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