Celeste and the Witch Garden

The Witch Garden is more than just your average, typical back garden – it’s more like a large and diverse, self-contained magical ecosystem, with fields, forests, rivers, villages and towns – even a castle – spread over its lush and green lands. Harper, the clumsy talking owl lives there, as do Alditha the white witch, the Green Man, and Skoros – the less than pleasant, megalomanic steampunk wizard. When a giant flying teacup appears over the Green Man’s nook, Harper is convinced Skoros is up to no good, and reports the matter to Alditha. They discover, however, that the occupant of the teacup (which is really a spaceship in disguise) is actually a humanoid alien called Celeste, who looks about thirteen years old.

“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”

-Terry Pratchett

The Orb Forest

I'm working flat out on a new sci-fi thriller and soundtrack called 'The Orb Forest'.

Androids and genetically-engineered 'super apes' are used as pawns, as two major AI corporations battle it out for a stake in an advanced metaphysical technology that will, ultimately, change the world.

'The android looked back over his shoulder, along the narrow service road that linked Zone 40 of Pumijig Island to the depths of The Orb Forest – the island’s vast, wooded recreation and holographic-pod facility, frequent hangout of Rishni Lab’s android “foot soldiers”, human researchers, and management alike. Swathes of deep bluish-green spruce trees lined each side of the tarmac, and tall firs – their topmost branches rustling and swaying in a faint breeze – reached for the sky. Soon, a bright yellow hoverbike robot would be coming along this route, bringing Cutter a fresh supply of precious Vibrant-7.'

COMING SOON!

“Good books don't give up all their secrets at once.”

-Stephen King

More about Celeste and the Witch Garden

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My latest novel, a children's/young adult sci-fi/fantasy entitled 'Celeste and the Witch Garden', is a distant relative of a fantasy website project I created twenty-five years ago called 'Aliens In My Garden'. My son, Aaron, who was about ten years old at the time, created a range of colourful clay models (aliens, witches, wizards, trolls - and a whole host of other fantasy characters) that I photographed in my back garden, and around which I created stories. It was an excellent father and son project, and we still have all the models in the loft.

Do you have a garden? Has it shown you the Thing yet? Not all gardens do the Thing, of course; and even with those that do, not everyone can see them do it. The Witch Garden does the Thing better than most. Look – this is the Witch Garden. Overgrown grass, flowers, the vegetable patch – the shed, the broken swings, the trees down the far end with dark leaves for shade. Coloured seashells and purple-painted stones peeking out from beneath the ivy-covered walls. Magic runes carved into the fence, and scratched onto the rusting watering can. Nothing special. Nothing to worry about, right? An ordinary garden… There are people who say the whole world grew out of a garden. There are other people who say the whole world is still a garden – a big round garden in the black and starlit backyard of space, big enough to be seen by the creatures who live out there, unaware of us all scurrying about down here, being Important. Of course, if that’s the case, then everything’s relative. Maybe we only see the garden that’s the right size for us. Perhaps, beneath or within the garden we can see, there’s somewhere else, with people and creatures living their own meaningful lives, as unaware of us as we are of them. And maybe, if the sun is in the right direction, and you step lightly on the grass and think tiny thoughts… SHAZAM! That’s the Thing the Witch Garden does. It shows you the Garden underneath.

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And finally....

It's been great working with my present publisher, Richard Mayers, who has helped me bring 'Celeste and the Witch Garden' to market. From February 2023, the novel has been available in paperback and on Kindle. Thank you to Toby French for an amazing cover and map. I'm already working on a sequel to Celeste and the Witch Garden, and also an adult sci-fi thriller entitled 'The Orb Forest (Where Androids Have Souls)'. I aim to compose a soundtrack for the novel in the near future. Four of the tracks are already completed, and have been released as singles, as well as appearing on my 25 track album, 'Music From Slate Bird'.

'Gray Hawk of Terrapin' is a heart-wrenching Y/A fantasy by the celebrated Canadian author Moss Whelan, which introduces the character of Melanie (Mool) Fraser.

Ever since her father’s death, Mool has been talking with an imaginary green lion named Inberl. When Mool’s mysterious uncle gets sick, she and her mother take the train from Vancouver to the inner world of Terrapin, where Inberl is arrested because he’s looking for Gray Hawk. Springing into action, Mool sets out to rescue Inberl. Mool’s know-it-all cousin, Olga, helps track down family friend Parshmander who might know how to save Inberl. They corner Parshmander at home, where they overhear mention of Gray Hawk, but the girls are captured and interrogated. Upon release, Mool feels success when she sees a secret map, finds a hidden bridge and crosses it with Olga. On the other side of the bridge, they find a secret city that keeps Terrapin at war.

Prepare yourself for a wrenching spiritual journey laced with evil, chronicling histories of cruelty, kidnapping, and false imprisonment in search of meaning and justice. There's tears, laughter and profound insight here: an all-around fantastic fantasy!”

My Favourite Books

Each month, I'll feature one of my favourite novels here. This month it's 'Gray Hawk of Terrapin' by Moss Whelan.