Tag Archives: Life

Naturally Curious

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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.

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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.

Freedom – Truth

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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.

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.

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

Curiosity Gagged the Cat

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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
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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.

Abigail’s Summer The Curio Chronicles Book One

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.

The Rising of a Raven

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It has been a long busy summer for me, and I have lived pretty much at my desk, which in all honesty I love. Since coming to the end of Heirs to the Kingdom, in July 2020, and having the chance to write all five instalments of the Curio Chronicles during the Covid lockdown, I emerged from my desk in April this year feeling utterly alive and refreshed.

I love writing, I never ponder if anything will sell or if people will be interested in what I write, and actually I do not really worry about it, because it is those moments alone sat lost in thought, hammering away at the keys, that give me the greatest joy, and actually, one of the biggest for me this year, was knowing I would finally get to reveal a story that has been ongoing since 2017 as I wrote it. To be completely honest, it has been a story in the making for years.

Rise of the Raven by Robin John Morgan, front cover.

Rise of Raven has been a long time coming, I actually wrote the first chapter of HTTK book eight, and then turned to the story that would feature in small parts in that book, and I began the process of writing two books at the same time, as I leap frogged back and forth from book to book.

When The Circle of Darkness was published in July 2020, Raven was not complete, it was actually about ten chapters short, and so having completed Kingdom, and feeling the pressure lift, I went back to page one and began a complete overhaul of what had been written, and then started on the chapters that would finish what in my mind was a single stand alone book, that was related to kingdom.

I finished the book in it’s first draft in October 2020, and let my wife read it, it was pretty rough at the time compared to the final format, and she really loved what she had read, and so I took a break, and began working on another stand alone book that I had written a synopsis for back in 2017, and I began Abigail’s Summer.

That sort of ballooned, as I finished, and filled with more ideas of these new characters, I continued write. The problem with what became the Curio Chronicles, was most of it came from my counselling background, so I was not short of real life stories to write about, surrounding Abigail, and suddenly it was April 2021 and I was five books in, so called it a day.

Rise of the Raven, by Robin John Morgan, Back cover.

Then it was back to Raven, and the real truth of the two characters Branna and Ariel. It is at this point I will hold my hand up and admit, I did some creative editing with Kingdom book eight. To be honest, if I gave everything away in the Circle of Darkness, it would have been pointless writing Raven, and so I was liberal with what I revealed. It is so hard right now not to become overly excited and blurb out the whole story, and I have to hold back, but I will not deny, knowing everyone expected this book to come out, when it does, it is my hope, it will be nothing like what you expected to read.

There is so much more to this back story, and the two characters of Branna and Ariel, and for the first time ever in my writing, I decided to add more to the book and not let my wife read it. I wanted it finished first, and so using some much more advanced tech to help me, I did the full edit, and shelved the 29 chapters of what was Branna’s story, and started work on what will be the next book that is also a prequel to HTTK.

I began writing picking up where Raven left off in a time jump, and was fourteen chapters in, when suddenly I realised Raven was not complete. I read what I had written again, and all the new stuff I was writing, and it was at that point I stopped to give a great deal of thought to what would come out.

What I originally had in mind, and right up until late August 2021, was a story that was quick and easy and not very long. I had 29 chapters ready to cut into block format ready for publishing, but the problem was, the first eight chapters of what I considered to be another book, were very relevant to Raven, as I wanted the second book to lead into the life of Morgana of Berengar, but it was a clear as day, Branna’s story was not over, and so in early September, I cut the chapters out of the second book, and added them to Raven, and once again did a complete read through, and it was mind blowing how amazing I found the story.

Again, fighting here not to give spoilers.

It was the right choice, and provided the perfect climax to their story, but be aware, if you think you know how this story will go, you will be disappointed. As I do in usual Kingdom fashion, I have been very careful about what was written in the eight books of HTTK, and have carefully considered every clue I have given, and I have painted a picture that will lead the readers over the eight books to form a specific idea of the past, trust me, it’s wrong. My wife finally read the much improved full draft in mid September, as the digital version of book seven came out, and she loved it, and I was delighted by that.

Rise of the Raven by Robin John Morgan full book cover.

The real story is so much deeper and much more involved, I really am delighted with it, and just to set the stall out properly for the book, I have added an introduction from the year 2078, set long after kingdom, and written by Tila. Remember her, she is the Fae of Earth who lives with Crystal?

So, what can I tell you to get you all giddy, but give nothing away?

Firstly, remember the two books of Branna written by Ariel in Kingdom Eight? Well Raven is both of them, as transcribed by Tila for the House of Scribes in Florae. Rise of the Raven is the book round Ena’s neck, that was written in blood runes, that charts the story of Ariel as she was despatched to Avalon as an ambassador, on behalf of Queen Bridget Violet. You all know she is housed behind the Citadel Mount with Branna, and you all know that Rhiannon did it deliberately to keep Ariel away from Avalon whilst it was being built, so there will be no surprises there.

Book eight made it clear, that Branna was assigned the task of studying the Merle, and that Branna had no love of Rhiannon who she saw as a colour blind leader, but there is so much more to this story. Raven will chart why Branna was so unhappy before Ariel, what happened to her and Ariel in Avalon, and why Bridget Violet became so ill, and eventually left Princess Gwendolyn the throne. The story will chart Branna as she flees from Avalon and what she encounters, and why she was given the task to study the Merle, when because of her dark hair she was seen as inferior. You will witness the rise of Castle Berengar, and the realm created there, and also find out how Crina and Cezar ended up trapped. There is more to Crina, than book eight revealed, and slowly you will understand why Roack became more than just a connection to the Merle for Branna.

This is a fascinating story that will twist and weave, to reveal far more than you realise of all the realms in HTTK. There are a lot of new characters and some you know, such as a younger Merlin, and Fagan, who is the Maker in Avalonia in this book. Sequana will be alive and advising Rhiannon, and Avalon will be a brand new realm, freshly built and awaiting it’s queen. Florae will be under construction, and Ninian has all of his toes, and Gwynfor is a young unmarried man. Rayne the son of Rhiannon has not met Gwinne, and has had a long term relationship, which he walked away from, as he was not ready to settle. It is a really interesting tale, and so I will leave you with those few thoughts to ponder, and prepare to finally release the book, and if you think you can work it all before you read it, I very much doubt it, but give it a go anyhow.

As always, the support of every reader is massively appreciated, especially after fifteen years of writing, and if you have not got round to it, give Abigail’s Summer a try, it is nothing like kingdom, but it is certainly worth looking at, and as the first part of a very involved story of five, it will open up and really become a tale worth following, because like everything I write, the first couple paint one picture, but the reality is always so very different.

Rise of the Raven, is now available in digital and printed format, and I really do hope, you find it surprising and exciting.

The Arrival, and almost Departure, of Abigail.

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It is funny really as I look back on what has been the most stressful and heart-breaking week of my life, and then cast my mind back to last year.

The rise of the Covid virus sent shivers down my spine, as I got to see something not unsimilar to the rise of the Red Death, and realised very quickly that my thoughts back in the mid 1980’s were actually pretty accurate, as an unknown virus swept across the world creating havoc. Back in March 2020, it was frightening to watch the news media, and see some of my theories about the fragility of life become a reality.

People around me were scared, jobs were threatened, schools closed, and everyone went into survival mode, and spending stopped as people stayed home, and a whole new reality of life became apparent. We all wore masks, if we had to leave the house, something we all did with much trepidation. Business crashed, including my own, it was a difficult and frightening time to be alive.

Suddenly I had a lot of time on my hands, and so I focused on writing. Getting the last part of HTTK out was a priority, even though I knew few would sell as people sat on their cash, just in case their employers crashed also. I got the book out in July, but was not expecting a great deal, and in order to stay focused, I wrote another related story that went back to the very beginning of Heirs to the Kingdom, which I do hope to publish this year.

With that over with, I had to occupy my thoughts, we came out of the lockdown, only to find ourselves back in another one, so I did what I could with VCP, and then turned back to writing, and a project I shelved back in 2017. Back then I really wanted to write this book, but I was so tied up with Kingdom, it was not possible, I have a file filled with outlined ideas, and story plots, and in mid-October, I was sifting through it, when I came across what was at the time simply labelled ‘Students.’

For those not in the know, as I do keep a lot of my life private, I worked on and off for over twenty five years counselling, and in that time of talking with every generation, I have been privileged enough to gain a lot of insights, to areas of life that are not often visible to most of us.

I read through what was the synopsis for the book, it was late at night and I was really feeling that need to write, which I lovingly refer to as having itchy fingers. I reached the end of the synopsis and quickly realised this would actually make a great start to a story, and would create almost a full first chapter, and that was it, I reached the end, hit enter to drop a line and continued to write for the next five hours, creating notes on the story as I went. Somewhere around dawn, I collapsed into bed mentally exhausted, with a list of main characters, a rough sketched village map, and the first two chapters.

Abigail's Summer by Robin John Morgan. ISBN 978-1-910299-27-2

That became the pattern of my life for the next two weeks, I hammered away everyday making a few more notes, but basically, I was writing blind and, in the dark, just making it up as I went along, never knowing what the next chapter would be about. For myself, it felt like freedom, and reminded me very much of writing the Bowman of Loxley back in 2007, which was the same inspired and intense experience, and I was loving the fact I was writing something nothing at all like Kingdom.

The editing watered it down a little, it was real, very gritty, a little spicy, and had lots of twists and turns in it to keep the reader guessing, and the most wonderful thing about it all, was it contained lots of slightly tongue in cheek, and a little naughty humour. I have always struggled to write humour, Harry in Kingdom was not always an easy thing, and I would spend hours putting each little section riddled with misunderstanding together. Abigail was so different, it just flowed out of me as I thought back to all the stupid and bizarre moments of my own life, and that of friends.

What emerged was a book that whilst not as elaborate and heavily layered as Kingdom, still had a lot of great sub plots and layers, that would all weave through the story to the final ending. I hoped it would provide a good twist, and really engage the reader to take a long hard look at their own life and the lives of those around them. From the few to date that have read it, I think it has worked really well.

I will not deny, the book is very modern and fresh, and very off the cuff, and gritty, and for a lot of readers, I am assuming there will be a few WTF! moments, but I actually like that, books should make people think, and even with Kingdom, I created similar scenarios.

Abigail and her crazy friend Birch, encounter so much unpredictable madness, that it is my hope it keeps the story flowing, so far those who have read think it does, but ultimately the jury is still out on that. The last month of editing and formatting was such an exciting time for me, I guess with Kingdom I have become a little jaded, after 14 years and eight books, and not as excited as I should be, but this book had me chomping at the bit as the deadline drew closer, and seeing it formatted was thrilling, and even more so, as this was the first time, I was putting a digital version out at the same time.

Abigail's Summer, Print and Digital

Digital Kingdoms are coming soon, there has been a lot of set backs getting the right distribution, but that is now sorted and settled, and the Kingdom stories are almost ready, I just held back a little as I wanted to give Abigail a good run first. The day approached and I got the first test print, and it looked amazing, it was also so much fun to work on the cover, as my wife took on the task of cover design for me, and she produced such a great relevant and fantastic picture for it. I really was so excited, and could not wait for the moment when we hit the button, and it was published.

My joy was short lived, the following day when the book appeared on Amazon, it was listed as unavailable, with the comment “We do know when or if this item will be back in stock.” I could not believe it, and checked straight away with the distributor, but it was available and ready to print, it made no sense at all. The following day, June 13th, the book was offered, but the delivery time was ‘one to two months’ Again my happiness was crushed. I checked again with the distributor, they were quite insistent the book was available, as it could be printed and shipped within 3 to 5 working days depending on the number of orders coming in.

Currently Unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock

All I can say is, when you are an author and you have put your heart and soul into a book, to experience this, is devastating. No reader is prepared to wait between one and two months for a book. I tried to contact Amazon, which as an author or publisher is impossible, their email no longer works, and their phones lines ring and ring, and when you do get through to the call system, you go round and round, all they are interested in is customer calls, not authors. It was frustrating and gut wrenching, my chances of selling my book were zero, it was literally dead in the water. I tried chat, and got a robot, and again got the same run around, it was impossible to get past it, because there is no chat box to write in, you just have generic answers to press, and no hope of speaking to a human being, and talk to someone who could help me. I cannot write how soul destroying it was to have to go through it. I spoke to another author on a forum who I know quite well, they told me, “They want you to publish with them and use their POD service, if you don’t, get used to this.” Another author told me. “It happened to me, and the only way I could get back on the platform was to give them an even bigger discount.” They added. “My book sells for twelve pounds, and at the end of all of it, I get just one pound and forty pence, after paying the print costs, Amazon takes the rest which is massively more than I make.”

Usually despatched within one to two months.

All Authors use POD (Print on Demand) it is an advanced system which means as you buy the book, it is printed and shipped automatically. Amazon has no reason to list any of our books for more than one month’s deliver time, they simply chose to, because they are a multi billion dollar company that rules supremely over the book world, and no one is big enough to challenge them, and so they can do as they wish, which means delaying delivery of anyone’s books, and it is wrong and it sucks.

Just like last year, it felt like my books were running in sync with my stories, last year I saw a virus not unsimilar in its spread to the one I created for Kingdom, and my latest book Abigail’s Summer, focus’s on the bullying tactics of those who feel they can control everything, and Amazon certainly do when it comes to book sales.

I really love Abigail’s Summer, the characters are probably not what you expect from me, but they really are wonderful, so much so I reached the end of the first book, and knew I could not walk away from them, and so wrote another four stories that took them from their first glorious summer together, right through ten years of life, friendships and troubles. What is now the Curio Chronicles will come out over the next few years, I was lucky, I wrote all of them before the first was even published, so they are done, apart from a few tweaks.

Working hard with VCP at the moment, I am working to make sure I never get hit in the face again. Abigail’s Summer will be available world wide and with a fast delivery to ensure anyone who wants to read it will do, it will take a few weeks to get it set up, but that is ongoing as I write, and in future I will not bother what Amazon does, as I will promote the hell out of the VCP links and do it myself.

To those of you who have stood by me and supported my writing since 2009, I would ask, that if you do read Abigail’s Summer, (If you actually get it before Summer ends) and you do enjoy it, because it is very different from HTTK, please help, share the links, talk, tell your friends, and encourage them to buy it or download it. I am one guy sat at a desk who loves to write, and create great stories, but at the moment that is threatened, as without sales, I will not be able to make it through, and will ultimately have to stop writing. I am working 18-hour days to get this book known and out there.

My story is not a lone one, as other authors have reached out with the same story, and I am helping them to follow my lead and build websites with their own delivery distribution worldwide built in. No one should bend to a bully, and Abigail’s Summer shows that, and I will back up my words in the book 1000%. There is a line in it that feels so appropriate at the moment, and you will find it in chapter thirty-two, and it simply reads.

ADULTS BULLY TOO!

My thanks as always to those who have supported my writing, I hope you all have a peaceful Summer.

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.

Life and Darkness.

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It was always my hope that within the pages of HTTK the characters would take on a life that felt real. I wanted the readers to form a bond with the characters as if they were real people within their lives, and so a great deal of my time writing this story was put into thinking each and every movement of the characters, and their reactions, which I hoped breathed life into them.

HTTK albeit a fantasy story, is in my mind about life, the normal everyday life that we all live in the time that we have. Life has many wonderful things, such as love, family, companionship, laughter and joy, but it also has its fair share of hurt, betrayal, sorrow, jealousy, and heartbreak. We are taught that life has to be a balance of both, and have many sayings such as, “taking the rough with the smooth,” and even though we may talk to others about their pain and suffering, I find it is often the case that people hide their own fears and pain, by burying it deep inside them in fear of the shame that they will appear less complete or weaker than those that surround them.

HTTK has many themes, but one underlying theme has been within the pages since the very start, and that is of course the darkness that is hidden from everyone. Throughout this story spanning eight books, every so often a little of the darkness hidden deep within has seeped to the surface, and this was shown in book one with betrayal, and two and three especially in the manner in which Mason’s soldiers conduct themselves. All of these served the purpose of showing a much deeper layer hidden inside the story that I hoped would serve to prepare the reader for the final two books. Greed and Power also show the darkness within people, and that has been very obvious within the tale since the start, and so these were my vehicles that would provide the truth of life, and clues to the final book in the series.

It is well documented, that in order to write Kingdom, I took much of my life experiences and that of others I had observed, and wove them into a fantasy series of books, using my characters as the vehicle to deliver my message, so if you take some time, and having read all eight books and follow the darkness, you will find that the final book comes to the most natural conclusion possible for this story, although I am sure at first reading that will not appear to be the case, and you will spend a little time pondering the way the book comes to its close.

In order to fully understand this, you have to go right back to book one and look at the actions of the green lord. He had watched for a long time, and seeing how out of balance the world had become, he decided to act, hence the Red Death virus that wiped out the largest percentage of mankind. Evil had spread through the lines of men, and they were blamed for all that was wrong, and so he took action to halt it for good. The opening of book eight begins with our old lord as he ponders everything, and in doing so he begins to realise he has made a mistake, for there deep within everything was a darkness hidden from everyone.

For myself personally, I feel that at some point in life, we too sit as the green lord does, and we all take some time to reflect on our past and on the life we have lived, and it is in these times that we begin to see that at some point in our life, we too have had to deal with a circle of darkness that surrounded us. Our lives do slip out of balance, and it is usually in these times that we suffer silently with our own dark thoughts, as our mind tries to deal with the experiences that we have had, and in most cases it is within the hours of darkness that our greatest fears creep into us, and we see the truth of not only our own lives, but also the lives of others. These are our own times within the circle, and they are powerful moments hidden from view, veiled from the rest of the world, and book eight is the book that finally brings these moments to the surface as everyone feels its effects and loses a little faith.

Without revealing any spoilers for the final book, I am sure those who have read the book will be a little surprised at the way this book comes to its close. I think I am right in saying it will be unexpected, although the clues have been there if you look for them.

The pace of the final book is very different from the rest, it is irregular as it weaves and twists through the highs and lows, and is filled with doubt and confusion. Book three was pretty dark in places, but this book takes that to a whole new level, you start to realise that the Specialist’s are jaded from over a year a hard fighting and they have lost a little of their zest, I think Rowan says it perfectly when he states, “he has seen things no man should have to witness” and just for the quiet contemplative man he is to suddenly admit that, shows the fatigue they all feel. He too is looking back and seeing his own personal circle of darkness and finally having to deal with it, as is Robbie, Rayne, Runestone, Jade and Sapphire.

Book eight reveals just how badly out of balance everything is, and it is not just a world view, or a natural environmental view, although they are important themes within all eight books, this time it on a personal level, and it does shake the inner most foundations of everyone’s beliefs, and that is why the ending of this book is the right one.

The only way to survive is to try and return things back to balance, there has to be light, but in order to keep the scales level, there also has to be some darkness, and this book looks at the way that can be achieved, and I am sure the last page of the book will highlight that perfectly.

Heirs to the Kingdom by Robin John Morgan

Heirs to the Kingdom was always meant to reflect life as it is today, and whilst it is wonderful to live in a fantasy that involves families, love, desire, friendship, simple living and compassion, sadly life today has too much of exploitation, violence, rape, war, and greed for wealth and power. Take a moment to study history and it reveals the great evils of the past that men have committed on their own race and other races. History shows how we have destroyed and exploited nature for gain, persecuted each other for power and control, and committed acts of horrendous evil. There was no coincidence in Opal saying “Look to the past,” her message was always to look deeply into the darkness and cast the light on the truth.

Life no matter how much you want to avoid it contains a great deal of pain and injustice, I know I have lived it myself, and witnessed it in the lives of those who have surrounded me. I have walked in my own circle of darkness and suffered, and I have fought on through it to find the light again, and I have accompanied many others on their own journey through the darkness into the light. What I have learned on these many journeys is that we do not always have control over it, we certainly hide most of it and wrestle alone as we deal with it, and sometimes, it is not us who can finally banish it, sometimes it takes another at our side to finally rid us of it.

We are never completely alone, we may feel it at times as the pressure mounts, but no matter how dark things become, if we have the courage to face the darkness and reach out, all of us find the help we so desperately need, be it a friend, professional or family, and that is the heart of the story that is Heirs to the Kingdom.

Heirs to the Kingdom by Robin John Morgan is a complete fantasy Adventure series that is available to purchase from Amazon and all other online book sellers.

Yuletide

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  On the late afternoon of December 21st, he had returned, and with Runestone, they led the vigil in the old stone circle above the stockade and celebrated the Winter Solstice, and the going down of the sun on the shortest day of the year.

  Rune had smiled with joy as they headed back to the Mere in the darkness, and placed a fat heavy log on the fire to banish the darkness and celebrated with wine and ale. It was a time of family, and together they decorated the house with fresh holly and mistletoe, and Rune laughed with delight as Robbie carried in a large potted pine, to decorate with small decorations made of woven straw, and biscuits hung on red ribbon.

  The tree was topped with an elaborately made five pointed star of silver, which was their first ever Yule gift as a couple, and made by Jade’s skilled hand.

   All round the house candles burned, casting a warm flickering glow across everything, as the house rang to the sound of Rune, as she giggled with happiness while she prepared the meal for all the family who would be arriving shortly.

            Taken from “The Queen of the Violet Isle, HTTK Book Four.”

Green Man Yule.

Yule for me is time of darkness and light. At this time of year I always yearn to be alone and reflect on my year and my past, something that is not as possible now as I have a family. Before 2008 when I worked alone, I would always close up my shop at the end of the day of selling Christmas trees and wreaths, and walk home in the cold crisp air. On many occasions, I would divert from the road, and walk along the dark silent canal pathway, my mind lost in thoughtful reflection of my year. I think it was on one of those long walks home that I formulated what was to become the opening passage of book four, a section of which is at the top of this article.

The above passage from HTTK BK four, is based on real life events, and something I was a part of in my teenage years with a wonderful group of hippies, who changed my life, and showed me a way of living that was more in tune with who I was, and less in tune with the expectations of my family at that time. We numbered eight, of which today only three of us still live spread across three different countries, and on this day more than ever, I remember them and miss them dearly.

One figure more than any stands out for me, for she was the oldest of all us, and in many ways she became the focus of the character Steph in my books. I shall not name her out of respect for her family, for she walked from this realm and into another many years ago, and yet such was the power of her kindness and wisdom, I have never forgotten her, an feel privileged that I had a part in her life .

With her husband she made jewellery, and bags from cloth, she even knitted all of us warm hats and scarves, which she usually presented us with on Yule. Her husband was a Druid, and it was from him I learned a great deal of tree lore and the rituals of a Celtic past. My Steph figure was indeed a mother figure to all of us, even though she was only five years older than us, but even so her wisdom for her young years was honest, open, and deeply insightful. She gave me a lot of good advice at a time when I was lost, insecure, and looking for direction, and it was through her wisdom, which has stayed with me always, I think I found my way back into my love of plant lore and eventually writing.

I remember one Yule celebration and telling her how one person in my family life referred to me as the Scarecrow, and she smiled and asked how I felt about that. I was pretty scruffy at the time with my long tatty hair, faded Led Zeppelin tee, afghan coat, and patched pants, I told her it felt insulting and unjustified, and she simply smiled and asked, “are you ill at ease with the way you dress?” No I protested, I love how I dress, and her reply was simple, “Then embrace the Scarecrow, if you embrace it, then it will no longer feel unjust or an insult, I would say, it could be a compliment.” She gave a sly giggle and it made sense.

One particular member of my family expected our whole family to conform to her standards, I had refused to, and as a result of my teenage rebellion, I had embraced my free living side and joined the throng of growing hippies across the UK. She was appalled at it and refused to entertain me until I cut my shoulder length hair and changed my attire. Scarecrow was meant to be an insult, a means to shame me into conforming to her will, and so I embraced it and became more extreme, and whenever the insult was fired at me by herself or one of her pillar of society friends, I simply stood still and lifted my arms out in a Scarecrow pose. (I smile as write this)

It worked wonderfully, and soon the comments stopped. Embracing the Scarecrow took away my insecurity, and gave me the courage for the first time in my life to actually make a stand for who I was, and who I wanted to be. It felt like a life changing moment in my life at the time, and today as I look back, I can see how much of a difference it has made to the person I have become.

Every year on December 21st and 22nd, we all made our way to her house, and as the light of the day faded, all the lights in the house were extinguished, and we would gather around the hearth of the old open grate fire. She would say a small blessing and thank the world around us for the gifts of life, and the bounty of the wilds, and then she would lean forward and light the kindling stacked in the chimney grate. Once the fire began to burn, she would take a large cut log out of a basket, and place it on the fire to burn slowly over the coming days. Candles were lit from the burning fire and placed all around the house, bringing light to every room.

Once the fire was burning, and the house filled with light, her husband would carry in the tree of scots pine, one year we even had a holly bush in a huge pot, and we would all take part in the decoration of the tree. There were few baubles, and only a short string of electric lights, all the rest of the decorations were small neatly wrapped packages bearing the names of each of us, and special cookies that hung on red ribbons. Even now I still find it to be one of the most magical parts of my life, which is why many years back when I wrote the above passage for the fourth book, I wanted to save that very important moment of my life within its pages.

Drink mead and hail the Ancestors.

Yule was a time of friends and feasting, and all of us stayed together for the two days and laughed, talked and got quite drunk as I remember, I almost danced once such was the power of the home brew.

It is a memory filled with light, but also for myself edged with darkness, for I miss those wonderful people deeply at this time of year. Heirs to the Kingdom is more than just a story, it is the combination of a life, of love for people, and the adventures that are woven through all of my life of experience. I realise for most people it is simply a tale of adventure and fantasy, but I can assure you it is so much more than that, it is filled to the core with a life as real as your own, carefully written from hidden truth of a time long since gone, when people cared about each other and love had a true meaning between not just lovers, but true friends. The world has changed so much since that time, which is why it was so important for this memory to be kept alive in print.

On this day I gather my family around my own fire, and light a candle to light the darkness and pay tribute to my friends, and those other important special people I have lost from my life. Alone later I will sit and toast them, and then for a sad while I shall sit alone and remember them.

Whether you follow Yuletide or not, I send out my blessings and goodwill to all of you, may you walk on green paths with the trees above you, to keep you all safe from the storms of life next year and beyond.

Yuletide blessings to you all.

March 21st 1918

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“Too many good men have been wounded or lost in battle. Too many mothers have wept at the loss of their sons, those left standing this day will call themselves the victors, but no one has won here, for if the price to be paid is the spilled blood of good men, then there can be no victory for anyone. War is caused by those few who yearn for greed or power, and their blood is always too precious to spill on the grass, so innocent men die in their place. Those that start wars always survive them with greater riches or power, and many families weep for the loss of their young. Tell me Rowan, where is the honour or victory in that?”
Robert of Loxley “Heirs to the Kingdom Book Eight.”

 

 

On the thirteenth of April 2018, I travelled with my father to a service at Manchester Cathedral.

 

Manchester Hill Remembered was a tribute to those who were wounded or killed during World War One, on a small hill just outside the town of Saint-Quentin in Northern France, on March 21st 1918.

 

For myself it was a chance to fit yet more pieces into the puzzle of my family history, and learn a little more about a man I never met, as he died before I was born, my grandfather. For my father, it meant a great deal more, for he remembered the man who returned from war and conceived a male child, who he would grow to love and then lose by age nine. I cannot imagine how my dad felt watching the show, all I could think of was how awful it was that one day after his ninth birthday, he would lose his own father, due mainly to his wounds that he received in service to his country on that cold stark hill in Northern France.

My grandfather William Morgan.

Private William Morgan, was one of many members of 16th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment that fought a brutal fight through fog and mustard gas, which resulted in him being shot in the head and left for dead, on what today is known as Manchester Hill. After the battle where the Germans took 1500 prisoners of war, my grandfather was listed as missing in action. I cannot say how horrible that must have been for my grandmother, who would have waited in hope for a miracle, and prayed her husband was not dead.
It was sometime later that she discovered that my grandfather had been taken by the Germans to a hospital where he was tended to and nursed, and thanks to their compassion, he finished the war as a prisoner, and returned home after a lasting deal for peace was reached. It was after the war in 1938 that my father was born, and then later in 1964 I came along. Thanks to the German forces I am here today, it could have been a very different story if they had left him to die on the battlefield.

 

168 members of the Manchester Regiment stood against a massive German army that day, and only 17 managed to make it back to the British camp when it was done. 79 lost their lives, and the rest were wounded in the brutal fight, or taken prisoner by the German forces. It is startling to realise that they were mostly aged 18 to 21 years old.

 

The total number of killed and wounded during World War One, both military and civilian, is generally estimated to be about 37 million. There were16 million deaths and 21 million wounded. The statistics for those who died include 9.7 million military personnel and about 6.8 million civilians. Allied losses were 5.7 million and the opposing forces about 4 million. Just to put that in perspective, that is a about half the population of the UK today.

 

Most people are unaware of these statistics, most people do not even realise that this year marks the hundredth anniversary of the battle of Manchester Hill, or even that World War One lasted from July 28th 1914, until November 11th 1918. I have asked a lot of people of late, as I knew a while ago I had been booked a ticket for this event, hardly anyone I know remembered that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One. How quickly it has faded out of the memory of the masses, and maybe that is why we are still starting wars all over the planet.

 

Tonight I stood in a cathedral in the heart of Manchester, and I witnessed many relatives who attended, talk with reverence about their family members, but the thing that left me lost for words, was that all of them were grandchildren of lost soldiers. My father was the only person there who had lost a parent who had fought in the Great War; it was a surreal feeling as I watched the startled and amazed looks of those who spoke to him.
As I sat on the train tonight travelling home, I thought of my daughter. She is nine years old, exactly the same age as my father was when he lost his dad, and I could not bear the thought of her having to deal with the loss of me. How could anyone ask that of a nine year old? My father grew up watching his dad deal with shell shock and mustard gas poisoning, and the after effects of being shot in the head, in one of the worst days of fighting in World War One. He saw how it affected him, even though he was only nine, he learned to understand that, even though his dad never talked of any aspect of the war, and it breaks my heart to think of that.

 

All my life, I have studied the effects of war, and those of you who know me in person, know how opposed to war I am. For ten years I have been writing Heirs to the Kingdom, a series about life set to a backdrop of fear and war. I have explored all my thoughts and feelings throughout the books, and as you can see from the passage above, which will be in the final book of the series, I cannot and do not understand why we cannot learn the wisdom we have gained from fighting two world wars, let alone all those that have followed.

 

No one wins in war. It is easy as Brits to fill our chests with pride, and boast about how we won two World Wars, but did we really?

 

37 million dead, how is that a victory?

 

A whole generation wiped from the slate forever, and 37 million families destroyed with grief. Was it not bad enough we did not learn from one World War, and we had to have another 20 years later? If we cannot look to the past, to learn for the future, how can we even call ourselves a race of humanity?

 

Too many have forgotten that our free speech and democracy were bought and paid for in the blood of two world wars, we must learn to move forward in understanding of that sacrifice, and strive to live in peace. Schools betray our children by not teaching them enough of our history, so they too can learn the lessons of our past and prevent them from being our future. It bothers me that Gallipoli, The Somme, Manchester Hill, Dunkirk, and Normandy are no longer important aspects of modern education, no one should forget that most of those soldiers who died, did so to make a difference in the world, and give all of us the freedom to live as we have chosen today.

 

I shall not forget this night, watching a proud son share the story of his brave father, and I shall never forget the sadness on his 80 year old face as he did so, for it was clear how much he has missed his father. I have been anti-war and a flag bearer of personal freedom for most of my life, but tonight it hit me hard. For it was whilst I stood in the beautiful surroundings of Manchester Cathedral, a sacred place to so many, I watched a screen about those brave men and I realised why I have so much freedom. My grandfather survived the war, I am so lucky as from that brave recovery my father was born. But as the names of those who lost their lives slowly slid up the screen before me, I understood that those were the names of the men that gave me their freedom to live as I chose, and it is a mighty precious gift indeed.

 

We should never forget them.

 

There is no victory for a country that has to pay such a high price, as the blood of our sons on the grass of a distant nation.