When you think of progressive rock music, it is very easy to get locked into the stereotype of long straggly hair, interminably long solos of everything that they can get their hands on, concept albums where the whole recording is ‘a track’, rambling conversations about things being ‘silver’ and ‘gold’, or inventing languages for artistic […]
The new novel, A Time of Goodbyes, is now available on Kindle, as well as paperback. The further adventures of the lead miner, Owain and his family can now be added to your collection via the usual outlets. This brings all the current e-books up to date My next adventure in the New Year, is […]
One of the scenes in the book, A Time of Goodbyes, shows Owain’s encounter with the ‘Tithe Wars’. It’s a concept totally alien to us, but was part of a larger question on religion and the state in the 19th Century. Although prevalent in Ireland, it hit Wales and to a lesser degree rural England. […]
A Time of Goodbyes – Historical Background
The novel, ‘A Time of Goodbyes’ takes the story of Owain Thomas onwards from his young adult days in ‘The Turn of the Wheel’. The tale is of Owain and his family, amid the changing times of the late 19th Century. People in their lives come and go, as age and circumstances dictate. The story […]
This Tuesday (16th November), Radio Aber will be broadcasting my interview with COAST band members Paul Eastham and Finlay Wells. It will be available via www.radioaber.cymru and afterwards, via a podcast. Those who have become accustomed to my novels will wonder how this all came to pass and so I thought I would […]
It’s time to announce another novel! I am very pleased to announce the sequel to ‘The Turn of the Wheel’, entitled ‘A Time of Goodbyes’. The story of Owain Thomas and his family continues forward. It begins with a full house; Owain and Ceri, baby Dafydd, Mam, Owain’s sister, Myfanwy and Ceri’s twin brother, Gwilym. […]
After the blog post about my Great-Aunt, Laura Evans-Williams, I was asked if I could do some more posts about that family – and so, I am continuing with another of my Nain’s sisters. She had two sisters and four brothers. Laura was the eldest girl. The middle sister of the brood was Eleanor. She […]
‘Finnish Boys’ review
I recently received this review from an Estonian writer, about ‘Finnish Boys’. It does get into the book’s plot and it is refreshing to see someone else’s view of the story. Siiri ‘gets it’ in my view and has a great way of putting it too! But enough from me, make your own mind up! […]
Influences and Inspirations
Did you know there are only seven stories in the world? Some would claim there are even less, but it has been acknowledged there are seven basic paths that a plot will follow in a story. These are put simply: man against man. man against nature. man against himself. man against God. man against society. […]
Much has been written in modern times of ‘Hedd Wyn’, the poet/farmer from Trawsfynydd, who was posthumously awarded the chair at the 1917 National Eisteddfod in Birkenhead. Ellis Humphrey Evans was a poet of renown and answered the call to arms to save his brother being conscripted. His taken bardic name, Hedd Wyn, means ‘blessed […]