“Straight down this aisle, thirteenth row on the left.” I nod and smile despite the attendant’s somewhat condescending attitude. Perhaps they think I’m dyslexic, I tell myself, staring at the big printed 13 on my ticket. Or maybe they think people with accents can’t read English. “Or maybe they’re just idiots,” I mutter, stowing my carry-on and ( Read more... )

This is a busy, busy week for me, so I'm cheating a little on my posting. I've been thinking of posting the pieces I wrote during exercises at the BYU writers and illustrators conference for a while, but couldn't quite bring myself to do it. Yes, I'm a writer, but I'm a kind of shy, reserved writer who doesn't like to share work much, and certainly ( Read more... )

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First I want to apologise for my lackadaisical posting of late. I’ve been without reliable internet since the 15th of June, when I flew to Utah. I haven’t forgotten “The Twa Sisters”, though, and I’ll put a commentary up soon. So, where have I been exactly? Well…

I flew into Australia on Tuesday morning, after a week in Utah (I’ll post more soon), ( Read more... )

I said I'd look out a list of fairy tales referenced in the commentary for The Golden Bird. I've updated the post to link to these tales in the introduction, but I thought I'd post them here as well.

The Bird Grip - online at children's author Rick Walton's website, excerpted from Andrew Lang's Pink Fairy Book Wheeler, Post. Russian Wonder Tales. ( Read more... )

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THERE was twa sisters in a bowr,    Binnorie, O Binnorie   There was twa sisters in a bowr,     Binnorie, O Binnorie   There was twa sisters in a bowr,         5 There came a knight to be their wooer,    By the bonny mill-dams of Binnorie.      He courted the eldest wi glove an ring,  But he lovd the youngest above a’ thing.      He ( Read more... )

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