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The Absolute Power of HTTK.

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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.

The Women of the Kingdom.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Author’s Kingdom #14

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The Author’s Kingdom is a series of articles, where the Author explains his perception of Heirs to the Kingdom. It is written to cover the festive season of Christmas 2016.

 

The Face Behind the Evil.

When I first wrote The Bowman of Loxley, I made the decision at the very start that I would intentionally side-line the major villain. One or two at the time commented on this act and thought that it was a strange thing to do, after all in many books and almost all films; you get to see the bad guy long before he enters the fight. With Mason Knox I wanted something a little different, and so I made the choice that I would only refer to his acts of evil, rather than show him doing them.

My second choice for him was to choose a logo for his brutal Cutters that would stamp a hallmark on his reputation, almost like branding, and so whenever you saw or heard any mention of this specific crest, you would feel the evil that was in progress. To add to the intrigue, I made his crest similar to that of a king, I chose the dragon, which long ago had been the crest of all kings, it is only since the time of Richard the first, that a lion was depicted as the kings crest, before that all true kings, and especially the one true king had the crest of a golden dragon. I liked the idea of Mason’s hand being covered in the blood of the innocent, and so for him I picked out a dragon that was long and slender with short legs (Almost Japanese) and coloured it blood red. From that moment on I used the phrase the snake with legs and wings, and those who opposed him referred to him as Snake, I think it paints a very specific picture of a creature that slithers and writhes to get what it wants.

The psychology and the symbolism of it made for a great way to identify the evil of the man, and it was behind this crest that I hid my bad guy, well out of sight until the moment of confrontation. His face would only appear in the very last chapter of the book, and that gave me the space to paint a full picture of his deeds and wrong doings throughout the 24 chapters that came before his face. I think it worked really well, as I was able then to show the face of his son (William/Billy) as a bright happy blue eyed boy, and in a way without realising it I created yet more mystery about who this greedy and cold hearted villain really was.

Throughout the book we see the deeds of the Cutters and hear of the maiming and slaughter they create as they moved slowly into the north to seek out Loxley and York. There is rumour of orphanages and factories that treat the workers like slaves, using them as they will and killing them for no reason at all, and all the time Billy is happy and joking and dare I say even likeable, it was a wonderful way to cast a shadow across the book, as the readers tried to work out if this guy really was as horrible as everyone said. Hiding his face left the reader in suspense, because there really was no way to fully gauge the man until he appeared in the book, and for that moment, everyone had to wait to the last chapter.

It took a long time to write the scene in the cathedral, I had floor plans and maps, and had to watch every move each member of the story made as I carefully noted things down to ensure I kept the pace fast enough to thrill, but the tension ready to break at any moment. I had chess pieces on a large board that I marked out with the floor plan, and as I wrote each line I moved the pieces. The balcony was chosen for Robbie’s stand for one reason only, I wanted him to see only Mason’s back as he approached the high altar. When Mason finally turned, he was hidden behind the clergy who were performing the crowning ceremony, and then I added in Robbie’s frustrations as he spoke to Rune of how he could not see him to get a clear shot.

It was difficult to write it, as I had to make every arrow count, but in the back of mind the words “Sacred Ground” thumped through it. Neither Runestone nor her sisters of the circle could kill in this sacred place, something I had not revealed yet, their arrows could only wound, which is why at the moment of crisis, Robbie asks Rune to create a wind and lift the crown. Rowan, Martin and Alice provide the deadly shots that take out the vicars around Mason, and then finally after waiting for 24 chapters, his eyes meet Robbie’s, and for a moment there are gasps. It was great stuff to write, every reader was convinced Mason could not possibly have long curly blonde hair, but he did, he was almost the double of Billy, only a great deal older with the same pale cold blue eyes. Here was the villain finally unmasked in the light of day, and it fuelled even more speculation about him, and just to add yet more suspense, he got away and Robbie failed to kill him. Every member of the readers group expected him to die, and that was the twist that caught out every reader, the hero failed and the villain got away.

Just to add a little more shock, Robbie shoots his last arrow and instead of hitting Mason, his wife Zandra leaps in front of the arrow and is instantly killed. The shock was intense, how could the hero of the book kill an innocent woman? Out of all the vile and evil people gathered there that day, Robbie kills the only one who did not deserve to die, I have to admit I enjoyed watching the ripples of surprise as they emitted out of those first early readers, it was great fun and it just inspired me to look for yet more twists to really up the pace for the second book.

In the final moment of the book we see Mason sat with his son as he casually announces to him that his mother is dead. The reaction for Billy is equally as cold, and this I think goes right to the heart of the story, for it is here we realise that Billy no longer regarded Zandra (The mother that gave him up) as anyone significant. This was my first moment to set the stage for future books where the love of Jess, who he considered his mum, would come into play at the heart of the plot.

When it came to book two, I had already shown the readers the villain, and so at first I placed him in the very opening of the first chapter. It is here we see Mason as he ridicules the Bishop, and you get your first glimpse of how calculating Mason can be. He laughs out loud as he suggests hiring a woodsman, and it is here you can get your first glimpse of how Mason uses the church as one of his pawns. His anger at Robbie is there to be seen, and suddenly we see how his anger rises very quickly and the sadistic side of him is revealed. A little later in the book we read of the retaliation as entire villages around Kingsdown are slaughtered and butchered by his Cutters to pay for the actions of Robbie.

This was my setting for book two, where Mason once again would strike and strike hard from the shadows, and although I slipped in small moments of him, they were seldom more than two pages like the moment he discovers Judith has run away, and his first reaction is to shoot the man who should have been on watch. It’s an instant reaction with no warning that even leaves Billy a little shaken and Lance is terrified by it. This shows the ruthlessness of the man mixed with a cold unemotional personality.

Later in book two we truly get to experience the brutality of the Cutters, on the motorway we see them looting the escaping villagers of the south, followed by an attempted rape of a young girl, which is halted by Runestone with her arrow. Once again we see that the Cutters feel that thier leader is invincible, and so they are free to do as they wish, this is the way Mason had planned to rule, he wanted to utterly dominate all of the people and control them with fear as he has already in his cities of stone. His Cutters are his preferred tool of use, and it all paints a very vivid picture of his ambitions, and even though I keep him out of the book as much as I can, the result of his actions is clearly seen, none more than the village of trees where everyone is slaughtered and hung from the branches as a warning to those who pass through. I had two books to show the kind of man Mason was at heart, as this would set a backdrop for the whole series of books. I must admit at times I gave a shudder as I wrote scenes, and I soon realised that writing the actions of the Cutters actually made me a little uncomfortable. I almost edited the attempted rape out as I was not sure if I was going too far, talking to the readers group who had read the first draft, gave me the assurance that I had not been too graphic, and had written it more to imply what was to come rather than actually write a graphic description. They convinced me it should be OK and so the scene stayed in the book.

Writing the first book with a readers group taught me a massive amount, and so when it came to preparing the end of book two, I already knew the value of a good twist in the story. Once again Robbie travels out to disrupt Mason’s plans at Liverpool. The set up for the last pages had to be at least as tense as the first book, I wanted it better and I felt confident I could do it.

Harry was brought in for heart breaking comedic additions, and slowly woven into the plot more as a distraction from what was coming. Just as Robbie finally reaches the top of the building where it is rumoured that Mason is holding up, Jade runs laughing into the road and bang!!! She is shot in the back, it is almost a repeat of Zandra, and the book takes a turn that was not expected. Rune leaves Robbie alone, something no one expects and as he shouts out at her for going through a wall, boom there is an explosion that rocks the building throwing him off his feet. The small frightened figure of Lance comes round the corner, and Lance faces his biggest fear, he is face to face with the Hooded Man. Once again this was just another way of building the tension and hiding Mason until the very last second. I spent quite some time working out what was to come, and it had to be woven into the Jade and Runestone scenario of the life for a life choice  perfectly to create that seat hugging moment where Mason is revealed and looks up to see the angry eyes of Robbie.

Because of Book One, no one expects Mason to die, and this is where I go into reverse and the twist kicked in. The fight is long and drawn out as I cut back to a broken hearted Runestone, it is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, but finally the moment comes where Mason loses his temper at the calm and collected Robbie, and pounds him with his sword. It’s a merciless attack and at first the concern goes to hoping Robbie can withstand it. It is just the two men alone in a fight to the death, and as I pull the action back and forth, I wanted to make the readers worry a little as I hoped there would be no way of predicting the outcome. Finally Mason’s goading of Robbie pays off, and he yells with rage and unleashes an onslaught at Mason that results in the killing of Mason Knox.

The cards are suddenly all up in the air at what is one of the most emotionally tense chapters I think I have written. The questions flow, how can Mason be dead? Will Billy replace him, or the Dark One? What really has happened to Billy with the black blade? Will Runestone ignore Una’s advice and tell Robbie of the life for life choice? As you start to ask the questions, the book ends and suddenly all the chips are in the air, and there really are no answers as the man who was the symbol of all things evil is suddenly no longer a part of the tale, once again he slips back into obscurity, but this time he is not coming back.

For those of you who have read further than Book Two, well you now know the answers. The thing is that in my own little way I wanted to show that the villain of a story does not necessarily have to be a main central character. By showing the results of the orders he has given, I was able to paint the full picture of the man without having him present, and I actually think having read through the books again in the run up to this series of articles, just implying what he is capable of and not showing him in person, actually creates a far more sinister figure than he would have been if I had written more of him into the books. Actually hiding his face creates a picture that each and every readers draws for themselves, and they have to use their own imagination, which let’s be honest is a lot more frightening, because it plays directly to the emotions of those who read it. In a way you create a personal sense of the man as viewed by yourself alone, and I actually think it was a much better way to present Mason.

To make the story far more interesting Mason did not appear in the third book, here I replaced him with his even more sinister mother, and not forgetting Billy who has been possessed by Mordred through the Black Blade. I knew this would confirm to all the readers that Mason was indeed gone forever, and yet the twist was, before you in the book was the resurrected soul of Morgana’s first child to prove she had the power to bring back the dead. No one noticed this fact in reference to Mason, and so by Book Four, I felt it was the right to bring him back looking a little younger and with more stamina than before, it made for very interesting writing and reading.

I won’t add more spoilers for those who have not discovered more of this tale, except to say that those first two books really do set up the character of the whole family of Knox. Through Mason, I paint the scene to allow myself to single out each character through the following editions, and open up their lives a lot more to show all of you the inner workings of this cold and brutal family. There is so much more to come, and even for those who have made it right through to the last page of book seven. I still have a lot more to write on this devious family who come from the heart of a Saxony tribe. I still think I have a shock or two that are unseen to come, and I can only hope that the first two books provided enough insight to draw you deeper into this brutal clan and have made you want to continue to the last page of the last book, because I can assure you, it will take that long to truly reveal the evil that lurks hidden from view.

Nature moans into the sky?

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As anyone who knows me well knows, I do love the weird and the strange, after all I am the creator of Harry and Maggs, but recently around the world there has been a series of phenomena that has well and truly caught my imagination, and it is more relevant to me personally considering it’s the year of 2012.

For those of you new to my writing, I am currently in the middle of a series of fantasy adventures named Heirs to the Kingdom, which are based in the year of 2038, set against the background of a deadly virus (Red Death) that was unleashed by Nature 26 years earlier (2012) to curb the destruction of the world by man. So yes as the world stands fuddled and tries to work out the recent phenomena of strange sounds in the sky, I am delighted that it is being referred to as the sounds of Nature moaning in distress.

I will add that at the time of setting up my story which was in the late 1980’s I had not at that time heard of the Mayan calendar and the so called end of the world in 2012. I just chose the date as it fitted in nicely with the exhaustive list of generations I had followed for my hero, to link in well with his past, I was a little chilled to the bone when a good friend of mine handed me an article many years later that gave the prediction for the end of the world in this same year, and considering the time it has taken in between working self employed for many years, I never thought I would reach this year whilst in the middle of publishing the story.

I now feel somewhat delighted to find the many videos on Youtube of people stood frozen and unnerved as they hear the strange moans and wails coming down from the sky, and although I have absolutely no idea of what is causing it, all I can say is “Look to the coming of a Bowman,” and “prepare for death, for it is coming and its colour is red.”

I am delighted, but also curious, as I have been out in the woodland in all weather, and at all times of day and night, and I thought I knew pretty much every sound made by Nature, but even for myself, this is a very new experience and I am rather enjoying it, although if you are some of the few who have not heard it yet, then click the link below and have a listen, this article which has many serious and comical answers on it, also contains some of the best clips of this strange unearthly sound, and I will say when you first hear it, it is indeed quite eerie and unnerving.

I know I should not really exploit it, but I have to admit this is a little bit more of a coincidence than I ever expected.

 

Click the link and see what you think

http://dorsi.hubpages.com/hub/Strange-sounds-in-the-sky-from-around-the-world

 

Modern Life

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            In my series of books ‘Heirs to the kingdom’ I create a way of life that is new and developing, built from the ashes of the hectic modern life we all know today. In moments throughout the entire series my characters look back and question the past, which for us is the life we know now. The picture I paint is not a rosy one, and in my discussions with those who have read the books, it is often the main topic that is discussed, and there are a few who feel my picture of life today is far more gloomy than it needs to be, and it never surprises me that those who question my view, are actually aged under 35 years of age.

            I was born in the early sixties and grew up into my teenage years throughout the seventies, a decade I still think was the best for being a teenager. I have very deep and happy memories of those times, and I remember Britain as it was back then, and I am not simply being nostalgic, compared to the way we live today, it does feel like it was a completely different way of living, and I have to confess, I feel saddened that we no longer hold dear the values that we shared back then. Times were very different in My England, because to me, back then it felt like My England, simply because I actually felt like I was involved in it.

            It is impossible to get those who were born after to fully understand, because living in a community and around people who genuinely looked out for each other is an experience you have to have lived in order to fully comprehend it. Britain in the seventies had its faults and its problems, yet below the surface people were very different than they are now. Its sounds so silly, and yet when I walked with my mother down the road, people who were often strangers would greet her, with a polite hello, or take the time to ask how she was, so unlike today, where the few who are on foot, rush past you without so much as looking at you, in their pressing need to accomplish the tasks of their busy day.

            Life for everyone was a struggle, no one really had a huge amount of money, we all budgeted and saved for the few things we owned, we treasured and cared for our possessions, and we worked very hard for the little we had. Life was simple and straight forward, crime was nothing like it is today, and even the local few criminals actually worked with their own code of honour, its almost comical to think of now. If I had to pinpoint one specific point that stands out more than any other to mark life as it was back then, (and I have given this many years of thought,) I would say more than anything else, the one thing that stands out clearest of all from those times in my youth, would have to be the very simple use of showing respect. It is something I find lacking in today’s culture ,and I feel the decay of the eighties and nineties has simply rotted it from our daily life. I often smile as I am served in a busy local shop, when I present myself with a courteous approach as I request my items and pay with a bright cheerful thank you. It does stop people in their tracks, and I see how much of difference it makes, maybe it reminds them like it does me, of a time long gone.

            Britain changed in the eighties and nineties, personally I think the love of money and wealth has got a little bit out of control, although it should not entirely be given the blame. There was a time when every English man was proud of the country he lived in, and he served his community with pride. Playing a role at a local level was something to take pride in, but as we modernised and changed to larger regional councils and authorities, I think we all got lost at a local level and became confused about where our loyalties lay. Our high streets have disappeared as we took the car to the one large supermarket, leaving line after line of estate agents, tanning salons and empty shops on our main streets, and somewhere along the lines we have stopped talking to our neighbours. We use to buy and cook our own food, but now it is cooked and packed in plastic for us to heat up in our microwaves, there has been a revolution in sex, and its orientation, bringing more changes and confusion to our daily lives, religions have sprouted everywhere, confusing the masses more of where their beliefs should lie, and marriage has slipped to the point where it now matches the numbers of common law unions. Corporations have grown into giants, eating up all the competition, and the prices of cheap imports have devalued everything, including how we view each other. The banks have been de regulated to a point where they have brought this country to its knees, and all of this has been done in the name of making life easier for the masses, but honestly, has it?

            Call me a sceptic, but personally I think we have all been conned. The craving for power and influence has overtaken everything, and we have become drones trudging along to the beat of an industry geared up to make you feel so worthless, you buy more with your shrinking purse to feel better about yourself. Well that is my view of England today, innocence has been murdered and respect banished forever, and life I feel is anything but simple. I would gladly travel back to the past of my youth and live a simple life where I had choice and understood my place in the world, sadly with all of high tech wizardry of modern life I cannot, and so I visit the life that appeals to me between the pages of the books I write, and funnily enough, I do find there are a quite a few others out there who have chosen to walk with me.

            Having looked at the world today, I can only feel that we are moving too fast, and I think that the average person is getting left behind, and we seem to be caught in a trap of not being able to understand or choose the direction we should as human beings go in, at the expense of losing something that most people regard as precious. If a modern future is to be had at the expense of losing those all important values from our heritage, isn’t now the time to seriously look at where we are all going to end up? For years now we have changed things simply for the sake of progress, and yet we appear to benefit less. Technology has taken giant strides, and I cannot deny we have all had areas of our life improved as a result, but is the technology now reaching beyond that of our grasp as a simple human beings? I think it is, and as we surround ourselves with more and more possessions, I can only ask do we really need all this simply to exist and be happy?

           England and the British Isles are now a multi national and multi faith society, and I have no problems with tolerance and diversity, after all we are all human beneath our clothing, but a great deal has come at the sacrifice of our identity within this country, and linked with the introduction of so many different changes to our lifestyle, I think people in general have become lost and confused, swallowed into the daily routine that dictates who we are and what we should become. Surely there has to be some point where we can no longer continue as we are, after all the one thing we do know from history is that all Empires eventually fall. Recent days within the banking industry has highlighted the signs of strain on our way of life, are the days of Modern Man numbered? I can only speculate about the future, and one direction the world could take, I have highlighted that in my writing, and I do believe that only a catastrophic disaster will end the world as we know it and give us the chance to rebuild in a way more fitting for the community based way of life we once knew in the past. If it does happen, lets hope we use more common sense and less political correctness, and greed to address the way we live, and treat each other more respectfully, so that everyone will understand the importance of those around them, as we all once did. 

          I am labelled ‘Dreamer’ for my views, and in many ways I am, after all I have chosen the path of a writer, but it was once said that the dreamers of the world chose to take the giant steps that inspire man to move forward, and if making another person think about our world influences a change, surely that must be a good thing. I have created a world in which I would feel very much at home, and if I am honest, because I chose to write about it, I do spend a great deal of my time living within it, I just think it would be wonderful to put down my pen, turn around, and find I am still there.

Alternative venues for Authors.

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     For most writers the experience of actually writing is a very solitary one, and that is very much the case for myself. I find that I need a certain amount of isolation when writing just so that I can fully concentrate on the story and nothing else, after all writers want to do their very best for their readers.

     Having said that, it is a wonderful and in many ways liberating experience to switch off the computer and head outdoors, to meet and greet those who are actively interested in what I write about. Such was the case last weekend where I packed up my computer and a box or two of stock, and headed to Bolton in the northwest of the UK to participate in the Autumn Festival, a medieval based markets event.

     Bolton has a rich medieval past and was once my home, so for myself it is a place that is close to my heart. I have been involved with this festival for some time now as a trader, I began by selling my plant stocks there, and as my horticultural business dwindled, I continued by using the event to help publicise my HTTK books. I share a modest stand with my fiancée who has her Jaded Opals jewellery business, and we don our costumes and join in to help make the event fun for everyone. It is a wonderful family event and our two children join in, and in many ways I suppose it is an odd sort of place to find an author and his work, but for me that is part of the appeal.

     With two books on display and a third being heavily advertised for release in the coming month, I am now in a position where I can talk to people who have read the first two books, and it is without doubt a rich and very enlightening experience. One particular member of the public already comes to mind as I write this, I think it was the way that her eyes sparkled, and her smile as she spoke to me about my second book, which has kept the memory of her visit so prominent in my thoughts. Seeing the enjoyment of someone who has read the books is simply wonderful to behold, to hear another person actually talk with great affection for those characters I have spent so many hours creating, really does warm my heart.

     In many ways it reminds me so much of my youth, and when I read some of my favourite books, and I do feel a little cheated, as I have never had the opportunity to talk to those great authors who I admire so much about their own work. I must confess I would have loved nothing more than to sit with Tolkein, or Harper Lee and let them know of the excitement I felt stir deep inside me as I ingested every line of their stories, and so as a new author especially, I feel that being available to those who wish to share their thoughts of the books is particularly important. I have never expected to be the biggest selling author, but to those few of you who have read the books and come along to support me, I am happy that you have enjoyed them, and it was delightful to have had the experience of meeting you all at such a wonderful event.

     Today’s publishing industry is in a state of flux, and many authors like myself are experiencing the wastelands, as publishing houses shrink their lists of authors and focus on household names. Self publishing is becoming the fastest growing area of publishing as more and more of us find it impossible to get a foot in the door, events such as the Autumn Festival may seem like an odd place to promote, yet more and more authors are now being forced to go it alone, and seek out places that they can meet and sell directly to the public. With large online and chain store retailers slashing the prices of books, it does look like it is a good deal for the public, but it is getting harder for authors to make a living, and our only means of survival will be to find other venues. I think this will become a fairly standard practice for authors, especially new one like myself, as it is our only means of being able to earn enough money to continue writing. On a more personal note I actually think it is better for us, listening and responding to the readers is the life blood of a writer, and that public engagement is actually immensely inspiring. I have really enjoyed my chance to get out there and be seen, and I hope there will be many more events in the future to set up my pitch alongside my family, and let all of you see what I have done and maybe give you a few hints about what I am about to do.

     To have your support is very humbling, and it adds to the joy of writing, and I feel very grateful for it, until we meet at yet another event I wish you well, and send you my deepest thanks, and look forward to our next encounter.

Injecting reality into fantasy.

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            I first began to write the story of Heirs to the kingdom, as a made up addition to blend the folklore stories I told my daughter as a young child, and bring them into a more up to date setting. I had no idea at the time how the tale would expand, and allow me the pleasure of seeing its effect on the many who have began to read it as published work. Back then I jotted down notes so that I could keep the story consistent, more as a means of ensuring my daughter did not spot my inability to remember parts that for her had become special.

            By the time my daughter had grown up, and I actually had the time to sit and think about some of the stories I wanted to write, HTTK had become an elaborate catalogue of notes, filed in some disarray, but none the less a very comprehensive and detailed guide to the first outline of the series. Writing the first draft was not that difficult, as I had told the story thousands of times to my daughter aged four, and it flowed off the printer, a relatively painless experience. At this point I must confess that this has been a story I have worked on off and on for over 15 years, as it held a special place in my heart, and although it was at first somewhat of a child’s tale, it had in parts evolved into a more adult story over time. 

            The very first draft was well received by the few I allowed to read it, but I felt it lacked a great deal, and did not feel real enough to live on the pages. Looking back now I know that the time was not quite right, and the story needed a deeply thought out injection of reality, and it was in the following months as I struggled to hold my shop against the local council who wanted to demolish it, that the reality of HTTK was to become very apparent.

            In the later parts of 2007, I finally lost my shop to the all powerful force of the local council, who under a great deal of pressure finally accepted some of my terms, it was not the best deal on earth, but for the sake of my health, and to end the pressure’s and stress of over a year of living hell, I found a compromise that gave me a chance to end on my own terms. The Christmas and New Year that followed over the next fortnight saw me retire to my home and lock all the doors, as the pressure and exhaustion took its toll. I had reached a crossroads in my life, and in an exhausted state I collapsed into bed and slept, dreamed, and considered my bleak options for the future.

            To be quite blunt, I was indeed very ill, the stress had pushed me to breaking point, I lost everything in the fight to save my shop, and all I had left, was the ability to sit and look back on my life at the ups and downs to try to find some new direction to move onwards. I was escaping from reality by sealing myself in the house and refusing to open the doors, I was ill, alone and needed to hide from the world for a while in order to recover and begin again. My mind whirled with the reflection of the struggle and pain of the last twelve months, as I struggled to come to terms with the injustice I had faced, so I used writing as a daily focus to occupy my mind while it rested from my actual life.

            The time was finally right to put the jigsaw of HTTK together, and filled with reflection from 40 years of life and understanding what I wanted for my own future, I sat with a stack of cigarettes, a full kettle, and a huge pile of cheese and pickle sandwiches and I began to write the story again. With my mind filled with every happy moment, and all those moments of despair from my own life, I began to weave everything I had every felt or experienced into the characters of my story, filling them with a life lived in reality, but set in a world of make believe and fantasy.

            What had began its life as a children’s tale about two young 11 year old children, evolved into the life of two late teenagers, who shared a similar destiny together, in a world that was hard and unfair, and filled with the challenges that day to day life can throw your way unexpectedly. I used all my own thoughts and feelings of my own teenage times, as well as many that I observed from those around me, and wove them into the storyline. The end result was not a true autobiographical account of my life, but it was emotionally accurate. I did reflect on my early life, and the sense of community that surrounded me at that time, and it became an important source to add to the background of the village life, set around the two lead characters. I spent hours looking into the situations of each character to imagine myself in their shoes, and try to understand how I would react before writing in the pages of text, and I also added my hopes and dreams for the future.

           The end result, which will only really be fully understood, when the reader has read the whole series of books, is I hope, a richly filled and accurate account of the life of my two central characters and their adventures as they seek to fulfil, their destiny. I would hope that it does indeed jump into life as the pages are turned, and the reader is drawn deeper into the story, and I can only hope when the last page of the last book is finally closed, that the reader will feel a little sadness as they realise that their time in the realm is over, and like all good holiday, although it was wonderful, it is now time to leave and head back to normal life.  For myself, I think it was a very important learning curve in the process of writing. It felt very personal, and if I thought a certain chapter did not leave me feeling like I was actually there besides the lead characters, I scrapped it, and looked deeper into the personalities of them, before writing it again. 

            The irony of the story is that the journey I undertook in writing HTTK (Which is still ongoing as I write) and bringing it to life, is that it has indeed helped me to understand myself better, and has very much shaped my life. For you the reader as I write this, there are just two books of the series in print as I prepare the third for publication, but for myself I am obviously much further on as I have written this series back to back since New Year 2007. The story, which does contain much of the emotional journeys of my own life, has very much played a role in the shaping of my future. Like all good stories there are hopes and dreams that motivate the characters to continue, and although this is a fantasy adventure story, a little of that hope has passed across into my own life.

             Book two reveals a small character of a child, who plays a more important role in the future of the series named Iona Violet. At the time of writing, I described the sort of child I had always hoped for as a sister to my first daughter, for myself it was just a dream, as I had reached a point in my own life where it was a dream I had given up on. Ironically today as I write this for the blog site, I will celebrate the first birthday of my second daughter, who is in many ways almost the double of the child I wrote about back in 2007. I gave my story the essence of my life, and as a result I have been blessed with a meeting through the books with a person who has turned my whole life around and given that which I thought was never possible. When my partner suggested we name her Iona Jade, I was delighted, and for just a moment, like my characters I did wonder, if destiny was playing itself out in reality. The story and my life now seem to be bound up in a circle, and the story that began with the questions and happiness bound to the early life of my first daughter, have come full circle in the creation of my second daughter, who will begin her life in a similar way, hearing the tales of HTTK.

In conclusion, I now see how what was the worst and most heartbreaking time of my life, has indeed been a source of deep inspiration to my creative work. I must confess, I felt I was in a darkness that could not possibly provide any light, and yet today I see that even from a ruined foundation, there is the hope of building something new and more wonderful than before.