Getting Back In The Viking Mood

Starting work on the second draft of Berserker! means I am well and truly back in the Viking mood :)

Sheringham

The above photo was taken in Sheringham in Norfolk last year. My afternoon there was a bizarre experience, as I will explain in my next post...

Berserk! Starting Work On Draft 2

With the bulk of the writing for The Verry Volk sorted and all of the photography for the book completed, it's time for me to get stuck into the second draft of Berserk! I printed out a hard copy of the first draft last night, so now it is time for me plough into those words  and hopefully harvest something pretty damned good from them...

Penclawdd

A couple of images taken from my childhood village:

Me In The Sunshine

I love this picture of yours truly. The picture was taken on Cefn Bryn, which is known as the backbone of Gower - the setting of my next book, The Verry Volk.I will be using this image in my 'About the Author' section of the book.

Toadstool Promo For The Verry Volk

Bliss

Taking a break 😎

A Smile In The Sky

Although most of my creative writing is set amongst woodland habitats, my favourite environment by far is the coastline.  (I have, in fact, written one novella that is based on the sea and that particular book, Lore, was the most enjoyable of my books to write.) I find a real spiritual need to be near the sea and would find myself unhappy if I had to live more than a moderate walk's distance from a beach. There is something uniquely invigorating, both physically and mentally, about the sight of a vast seascape, the sound of roaring waves and the scent of salt laden. I find my senses expand when at the seaside and my thoughts broaden creatively. Visiting a beach lifts the spirit and can reset a mood that is starting to dip.

And so it was this evening when, despite the physical tiredness of having just completed a full day's work, I felt the call of the and headed down to the nearby coast for a picnic with my wife.

The sun was still shining and warm when we arrived a little after 7p.m., the breeze just a gentle stirring of air, and we found ourselves a lovely quiet little spot on the clifftop overlooking the sea. The birds sang excitedly abound us and the sound of the rolling waves. some fair distance beneath us, was gentle and edifying. I was looking forward to sitting back, taking in the surroundings and generally mellowing out as I watched the sea hopefully for a rare sighting of a dolphin or two. 

Not quite as tasty as it looks. Expected a lot more fizz despite its warning

A nice spot to sit and chill and watch the setting sun

But, just as I lowered myself to the ground to settle for the next hour or so, I noticed something in the sky I had never seen before in my fifty-three years of life - an upside down rainbow! From that moment, the coast became a background ambience to the spectacle in the sky above us.

A circumzenithal arc

This upside down rainbow, a smile in the sky, was quite startling to the eye, especially as I was not even aware of the existence of such thing. The technical name for them, I discovered after a quick Google search, are
Circumzenithal arcs and they are formed by the presence ice crystals in the clouds. They are especially prevalent when Sundogs are also on display, as indeed they were this evening 😊

Sundogs framing the setting sun

It was a beautiful evening, spent in the best of company, nourishment for the soul. And, already, I can feel the call of the sea stirring in blood again...

Betty Church Woods

Here is another photograph from my upcoming book on the local faery folklore in my neck of the woods. This is a photo of Betty Church woods (named after the woman who made her home amongst the trees here). The woods were in deep shade when a shaft of evening sunshine suddenly hit this tree and turned the scene into something rather magical :)

Betty Church Woods

Cwm Ivy

This is one of Gower's quietest spots - Cwm Ivy. Here, a man out walking the marshland fringe, happened upon a group of dancing Verry Volk beneath the large outcrop of limestone rock. The Fae were none too pleased when the man, enchanted by their sweet music, joined them in their merriment... 

Verry Volk Sunset

Over the next few posts, I thought I would share a few of the images that I will be using to illustrate my next book - The Verry Volk. This is a guidebook that features the faery folklore of the locales I inhabited and explored as a child. The main text is already written and is currently being typed up, although I do have to write an introduction to the work, which I have yet to start :( 

First up, here is a photograph of the sun setting behind the dunes on one of my favourite beaches - Broughton:

I did toy with the idea of having this photograph as the cover image for the book, but I am still quite fond of the last design I made for the guide. I am definitely going to use it as a promotional image for book though:

Promo for The Verry Volk

The image will appear on the rear cover of the The Verry Volk, however. Here is how it is looking this evening:

Rear cover design for The Verry Volk