A return to the river
October 4, 2019
Autumn returns, as does my writing. … More A return to the river
Tag: amwriting
To Whom It May Concern…
February 18, 2019
Yes. This.
No politics, just dogs in the snow
February 4, 2019
Might not be writing too many long polemics for a few days – day job to go back to after a busy weekend off, boiler to get working, house to clean after the weekend influx of friends, relatives and dogs (all of which was fun of course, if exhausting!), aged parents to sort out, again, … More No politics, just dogs in the snow
The Flying Monk
February 3, 2019
A pub full of alcoholic psychics, an apprentice witch who prefers vacuum cleaners to broomsticks and a ghostly black dog that houses the spirit of an eleventh century monk called Eilmer, who history states once built himself wings and flew from the roof of the Abbey, and who has been trying to recreate the feat … More The Flying Monk
A little housekeeping
February 1, 2019
I’m doing a bit of tidying on the blog site, slowly converting all the old posts to the new ‘blocks’ format, which on balance I do like. Hopefully it will make it read and work better. I haven’t really delved into the depths of WordPress formatting before – I really should have done, of course, … More A little housekeeping
Full Fact on Brexit
January 29, 2019
Full Fact (for me, THE fact-checking organisation), and Brexit. … More Full Fact on Brexit
The Writer: Episode #8
January 27, 2019
You don’t have to write like this to be a writer, but it helps. … More The Writer: Episode #8
Feel Like Giving Up? Read this.
January 24, 2019
Sound advice from one of the top bloggers. … More Feel Like Giving Up? Read this.
Water Rail, Ninesprings
January 23, 2019
Well, the Water Rail is still at Ninesprings, the jewel in South Somerset District Council’s Yeovil Country Park. He was certainly there last year, so the theory is that he’s overwintering here. He likes the shadows of the scrub at the bottom of the stream, just before it enters the lake. Park by the playground, … More Water Rail, Ninesprings
Why Brexit became A Thing, and who is ultimately to blame.
January 21, 2019
A series of links aiming to show how we got into this mess in the first place, and who is ultimately to blame. … More Why Brexit became A Thing, and who is ultimately to blame.
Vaping – the truth. Kind of. So far…
January 16, 2019
A collection of non-aligned links to the current research on vaping. … More Vaping – the truth. Kind of. So far…
Walking in the footsteps of giants Pt2
July 28, 2018
Continuing the tour of some mostly lesser-known Beatles landmarks. … More Walking in the footsteps of giants Pt2
Walking in the footsteps of giants Pt1
July 27, 2018
Part 1 of an alternative tour of Beatles landmarks. … More Walking in the footsteps of giants Pt1
In search of the Great Breach Wood
December 8, 2017
High up above Dundon Fort, one of Somerset’s many hill forts, are a collection of glorious woods that surround a small gorge, known as the ‘The Great Breach’. The little village of Compton Dundon sits on the road that winds through the edges of the Somerset Levels from Yeovil to Glastonbury and beyond; at the … More In search of the Great Breach Wood
In search of… Max Tovey
May 11, 2016
A walk through Norton Covert at Ham Hill hill fort, Somerset, following the route taken in ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’. … More In search of… Max Tovey
In search of Sampson’s Wood
May 5, 2016
Another slice of beauty to be found within the municipality of Yeovil. … More In search of Sampson’s Wood
We’ve caught a witch, may we burn him?
April 29, 2016
When being factually correct doesn’t really help anyone. … More We’ve caught a witch, may we burn him?
Joseph of Arimathea – an alternative grave?
April 28, 2016
Was Joseph of Arimathea not in fact buried at Glastonbury, but instead on St Michael’s Hill, Montacute? … More Joseph of Arimathea – an alternative grave?
Joseph of Arimathea – the alternative journey to Glastonbury
April 21, 2016
Most people with an interest in mythology know of the legend that Joseph of Arimathea came to Britain after the crucifixion and built the country’s first church at Glastonbury, but not so many know the alternative beginnings and ends to the story. No-one really knows how the legend started, and Joseph wasn’t mentioned in the … More Joseph of Arimathea – the alternative journey to Glastonbury
An enviable lifestyle, apparently…
April 15, 2016
I recently had someone connect with me on LinkedIn who turned out to be a huge Bionicle fan. It’s not the first time, and it is quite satisfying to hear from these guys who grew up with the toys ten, fifteen years ago, although not as satisfying as royalties would have been of course… 😉 However, in his post-connection … More An enviable lifestyle, apparently…
The real witch Of Hamdon Hill
March 17, 2016
The story of the witch that supposedly haunts Somerset’s Ham Hill is well known locally, but, as I have now discovered, everyone I’ve heard it from has got it completely wrong. But the real story is actually even more fascinating. Alastair Swinnerton is the author of ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’, a Young Adult novel set among the myths … More The real witch Of Hamdon Hill
The Somerset Tsunami
February 8, 2016
You may think there’s been a lot of flooding in the last few years, but nothing comes close to the devastating Somerset floods in January 1607. Back in 2014, you could look out from Ham Hill, Somerset, the largest hill fort in the country, and see the flooded Somerset Levels in all their ‘glory’, but thankfully that’s been … More The Somerset Tsunami
Getting back out there
February 3, 2016
It’s not been the best month. The death of anyone close to you is always a blow, but that of your oldest and best friend is more like being repeatedly hammered by Mohammed Ali. But life must eventually restart, and my book ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’ needs attention. The sequel needs starting of course, but before … More Getting back out there
Bionicle redux, in a way…
October 26, 2015
I am once again immersed in alien worlds, creating whole civilisations and their histories, which as ever involves a lot of staring out of the window, and the odd beer here and there. My Lego Bionicle credentials seem to have reached a German games company, and for the last few weeks I have been back and … More Bionicle redux, in a way…
Teenage dyspraxia, anxiety and PTSD within ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’
October 22, 2015
The character of fourteen year old Time Traveller Max Tovey arrived one night, while idly watching something on TV that I wasn’t that interested in. My gaze wandered to the door next to the TV, wondering how many people had walked through that door in the life of the house, imagining the ghosts of occupants … More Teenage dyspraxia, anxiety and PTSD within ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’
Solidarity, of a kind
September 13, 2015
I don’t normally do this kind of thing, but one of my new-found gang of fellow writers just posted about being suckered into doing some chain letter post thing called 7-7-7-7. The idea it seems is to post seven lines from seven lines down on the seventh page of one’s book, then get seven other … More Solidarity, of a kind
Bionicle – my actual part in its origins
September 7, 2015
The Wikipedia page about me says that I’m known mostly for my involvement with Lego Bionicle. Obviously I hope one day that will change to ‘author of ‘The Flying Monk’ and ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey‘, but for now, Bionicle is arguably my biggest ‘claim to fame’. Not that you’d know it if you looked on Lego’s … More Bionicle – my actual part in its origins
The Multiverse of Max Tovey – Review
September 6, 2015
Originally posted on Today We Did:
The Multiverse of Max Tovey by Alastair Swinnerton, e-book, 220 pages, published by European Geeks Publishing in 2015. Fourteen year old Max Tovey has some issues. He has been experiencing a terrifying recurrent dream, hallucinations of the distant past, and now his parents are taking him to Ham Hill…
Publication day
August 31, 2015
So, the day finally came. After twenty five years of being distracted from book writing by the animation industry, my first novel ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’ is actually released. It’s a strange feeling. Obviously every novelist dreams of being sat in a book shop at this point with eager purchasers queuing around the block, but not all of … More Publication day
Dialogue and punctuation
August 29, 2015
This might get a bit geeky and OCD, but bear with me! An advance reviewer of ‘The Multiverse of Max Tovey’ emailed me, concerned that I wasn’t putting enough commas in my dialogue. Yes really. So for instance, where I had written “Get out of here Max!”, he suggested that it should be “Get out of here, … More Dialogue and punctuation
Alastair Swinnerton 