The Angel Mountain Blog

  Eight years ago, during a spell of foggy grey weather with not a breath of wind, I wrote this little poem: NOVEMBER  Strange times. November's complacent benediction in blackness before dawn, with just a hint of menace? Silence. Day after day A grey shroud over our heads draped from far horizons, flat, heavy, damp as a grimy sponge drawing colour from the land. A leaden sea. Even the stream is low, slow, murmuring. Night after night no stars, no wind, no moon, no rain. Unsettled, I listen. Silence. Then, in the far woods A tawny owl, right on the edge of hearing.

We have been working hard on our project designed to bring the 8-novel Angel Mountain Saga to the screen. Lots of challenges and opportunities! One of the things on which we have needed to concentrate is the perception that diaries (fictional or real) are difficult to adapt for the large or small screen, because so much of the narrative is told rather than shown, and the only things that happen are directly experienced by the narrator. There is something in that. We may never get a clear mental picture of the narrator, because there is no way that he or she would ever describe his or her physical characteristics in a diary intended for personal satisfaction, let alone his or her personality traits. As an author speaking in the “voice” of the heroine Martha Morgan, I had to drop in snippets in reported or remembered conversations about her beauty and her other physical attributes, and had to make it clear from her choice of words that she was passionate and compassionate, erratic and e...

Our MS, Paul Davis, kindly asked this question directed at the Economy Minister.  Sadly, the reply does not answer the question at all, but simply slides around the issue.  Here is the official record. WRITTEN QUESTION FOR ANSWER BY THE MINISTER FOR ECONOMY ON 17 NOVEMBER 2021 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): What mechanisms and finance preferences has the Welsh Government utilised to encourage Welsh production companies to use Welsh facilities and talent for telling Welsh stories to a global audience? (WQ83849)  Dawn Bowden: The Welsh Government’s internal agency, Creative Wales, seeks to maximise the Welsh benefit of all film and TV productions it supports, whether that support is logistical or financial in nature. The Wales Screen team within Creative Wales assists productions by applying the knowledge, expertise, and tools (by managing and maintaining a database) to signpost production companies to utilise crew, and showcase locations across Wales in accordance to...

I posted this on LinkedIn yesterday -- it's a bit of a gripe about the incredibly feeble manner in which Wales is portrayed for a global audience. ==================== Why is there no Welsh Government policy to promote the story of Wales through the broadcast media? One would have thought that would be a no-brainer for any patriotic Government interested in the wellbeing of its own people and in "marketing" its image to a global audience. But apparently this rather simple idea has bypassed the Welsh Government completely. My MS kindly tabled a question on this (WQ83849) in the Senedd, and received the reply that there are NO mechanisms or financial preferences in place that are designed to encourage the telling of Welsh stories to a global audience, in film or TV. This is in sharp contrast to the situation in Ireland and Scotland, and it is extraordinary that the forceful comments made on this matter by Sam Parry, Gareth Leaman, Nina Jones, Angela Graham and others in re...

  The jacket of the last of the Bolinda audiobooks, out on December 1st. On 1st December we'll have a modest celebration for the completion of the Bolinda Audiobook series -- all 8 of the Angel Mountain books narrated by Janine Cooper Marshall and Malk Williams.  On schedule, beautifully narrated and well produced, with a consistent image / marketing theme.  May thanks to Bolinda for a job well done!

NEWPORT AND DISTRICT: THE TOP FIFTY HERITAGE SITES These are the “top fifty” cultural localities in the area, listed for visitors to explore for themselves. Some of the sites have interpretive panels. The sites listed (in no particular order) are mostly within 5 miles (8 km) of the centre of Newport, which means that they are within easy walking distance or cycling distance of the town. N = within the town. OT = out of town. ================================ 1. Newport Castle, the Moat and the Castle Mill (N). The castle is the great symbol of the Anglo-Norman settlement, and the focal point of the feudal system in the Middle Ages. It’s not open to the public, and part of it is used as a private residence. The mill near the castle entrance had an extraordinary water collection system incorporating the moat. After a long period of dereliction, the mill has been rebuilt and transformed as a residence. 2. St Mary’s Church, Church Chapel and Churchyard (N). The church, although now la...