thornemoore

The Cold Dead Hand of the Written Word

The pen is mightier than the sword. There is an element of truth in that. The moment words are written down, they somehow acquire a power that can be quite overwhelming, as if they instantly become Fact. “I read somewhere…” “The newspaper say…” “Look, it’s written here in black and white…” Written words can beContinue reading “The Cold Dead Hand of the Written Word”

History, Legend, Myth and a Broken Obelisk

There have been many occasions when I have seen or heard something, a single image, that immediately inspired a potential story. There’s the ruined cottage two fields down from my garden. There’s the dark lane I used to walk along, coming home from Junior School, where all sorts of unpleasant people might be lurking. There’sContinue reading “History, Legend, Myth and a Broken Obelisk”

The Pheasants’ Revolt

I’ve always had a lot of birds in my garden. I’ve always had a pleasant view from the kitchen window, across a wooded valley to a quaintly derelict farmhouse. Then the quaintly derelict farmhouse was bought and the new owner set up a pheasant shoot. Come the autumn, local farmers gather to take pot-shots atContinue reading “The Pheasants’ Revolt”

Virtues, Vices and Heroics

True to my policy of always bringing Jane Austen into any post if I can, our Jane once suggested, when writing Emma, that she was creating a heroine whom no one would like except herself. Oddly, although many readers might find Emma’s snobbery rather ridiculous, they don’t mind her at all. The Austen heroine thatContinue reading “Virtues, Vices and Heroics”

Illustrious Ancestors

One of my ancestors was made a freeman of the borough of Pembroke. I know this because it’s recorded in his parish register. Now what I know about people being granted the freedom of the borough is that it is a significant honour reserved for those who have done something of great value to theContinue reading “Illustrious Ancestors”

A Word to the Wise

Nearly every writer I know uses Microsoft Word. I didn’t always use it. Not sure what it was I did use when I gave up on pen and ink and began writing on an Amstrad word processor (oh the joy of delete and paste), but since then I have always used Word. Hard not to,Continue reading “A Word to the Wise”

Wild Ramblings: flying high

Birds fly. It’s the thing everyone knows about birds: they fly. Yes, yes, penguins and ostriches – okay there are exceptions. But by and large, we think of birds as flying. There are some who really do. Crows, gulls and birds of prey, for instance, have taken to the air like fish to water. Show-offs.Continue reading “Wild Ramblings: flying high”

I, She and Two Tenses

Some people hate books written in the first person. Some don’t, including me. As a reader, I am not bothered one way or the other, as long as it reads appropriately. Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë are both fine by me. So, as an author, I will choose to write in either, but which IContinue reading “I, She and Two Tenses”

Tales my Great Aunt told me. 2: fame and infamy.

My colourful great aunt in Cardiff passed on many tales about my Welsh family, and I quickly concluded, even as a child, that they were mostly fairy tales. Her stories did not begin with “Once upon a time,” and end with “They all lived happily ever after.” They were more hints, a word or sentencesContinue reading “Tales my Great Aunt told me. 2: fame and infamy.”

Country wisdom… or not

Oak before Ash, we shall have a splash.Ash before Oak, we shall have a soak. This, according to country lore, dictates whether the British summer will be a time of scattered showers or torrential downpours. If there were any truth in it, we are about to experience a phenomenally dry few months. I have knownContinue reading “Country wisdom… or not”