Tim Flanagan – Author
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Author Interview – V S Nelson : Part 1
Within the Indie Author Hub, you can learn about other authors, their thoughts and opinions, what makes them tick and how their writing process works for them. All this week I will be releasing segments of an interview I conducted with fellow author, V S Nelson, American author of Paranormal Romance fiction. Have a look at … Continue reading
Featured Posts
On Monday 20th May I will be visiting Hawkinge Primary School in Kent and talking to 41 ten year olds about writing. Using my interactive ‘Story Generator’ model together with some trusty giant sponge dice, I will be working with the kids to create an exciting and structured story. Each child will also receive a … Continue reading
Whilst the men were out fighting battles, the ladies of the Round Table would spend their days completing tapestries and teaching the children. Another of their past-times was playing complex number games. Lady Carden, the beautiful daughter of a physician and wife to the brave Sir Bonfleur, was particularly good at puzzles. So clever was … Continue reading
When I redid the first book cover in the Moon Stealer series, sales immediately picked up in Japan! So, to keep the theme going – here is Book 2′s new cover. Let me know what you think.
Another author recently said to me that they didn’t agree with giving a book away for free, and there are definitely arguments for both sides. After all, you have poured your heart into your book, over months, or even years, why should you give any of it away? You deserve every penny you can make … Continue reading
For the second book in the Moon Stealer series I wanted to explore the land of the faeries, but like most countries and worlds where different cultures co-exist, there is often conflict. Behind every conflict there is usually someone dictating what happens. In this case, the Faerie Queen. In her magical form, the Faerie Queen … Continue reading
Writing your book is the easy bit! No, it really is. The hardest bit has only just started. What are you going to do with your book now that it’s done? Do you think you can wait for people to ‘discover’ it amongst all the other millions of books that are available? Needle and haystack … Continue reading
When a lord had multiple sons, it was sometimes difficult dividing his lands out equally, especially when there was gold buried beneath it. Try the other Mind Games puzzles and don’t forget to like, share and follow this blog.
Following on from the article I wrote at the weekend about whether or not Social Media has become too big to be effective, I thought I would follow up with another article along a similar line. The response I’ve had about my article has been very positive. It seems there are many others having the … Continue reading
I’m a relative newcomer to the wonderful world of social media and had resisted the trend to join until I released my first book through Amazon. At that point everyone said that I must join Facebook and get a blog, and, being a good boy, I did as I was told – after all, I’m … Continue reading
As promised, following on from my previous post this week about the Bank of England, here is an internal map of the building together with the separation of the rooms into sectors and their uses. To gain a greater understanding of the map and the Bank Community, please read The Moon Stealers and The Everlasting … Continue reading
One of the new locations I used in the third Moon Stealer book, The Everlasting Night, is the wonderfully grand building of the Bank of England in London. In the book it has been transformed as a base for a group of survivors trying to rebuild a community following the attack on the human race … Continue reading
This morning I received a letter from Steven Knight, one of the survivors following the devastating attack on our planet by the Moon Stealer creatures. His irregular guest posts provide us with an insight into life in this new world, as well as sharing hints and tips on the most effective ways of surviving. If … Continue reading
Whilst researching some of the background information for The Moon Stealer books, I often came across some interesting bites of information about life during the times of King Arthur. One of which is reproduced here. As young men, Sir Edgar and the other Knights of the Round Table would often pass the time in their … Continue reading
Avalon features in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain. It is the legendary island where the sword Excalibur is forged as well as the place where Arthur is taken to recover from the wounds he sustained following his battle at Camlann. Many traditions claim that Arthur did not in fact die from … Continue reading
In the Moon Stealer book series, everything begins with the disappearance of Peter Crisp, a boy that has an unusual ability that allows him to see things that others cannot. He is known as a Seer. So what is a Seer? Some people are born with the gift of Sight. Not one of the five senses, … Continue reading
Whilst reading through some of Sir Edgar’s old diaries, I came across a puzzle he mentions fondly from the time when he was a young knight. King Arthur’s great wizard, Merlin, enjoyed trying to out-smart some of the knights with this number game. According to Sir Edgar, the correct positioning of the numbers would unlock … Continue reading
I woke this morning to find a notice stapled to my door. It appears to be another piece of information from Steven Knight, survivor of The Moon Stealers. He also left a message on my phone which I have transcribed for you below. SIS ID CARD Friends, I don’t have much time, the creatures are … Continue reading
At the end of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh is Holyroodhouse Palace, a royal palace which is the official residence for Queen Elizabeth II when she visits Scotland. In the first Moon Stealer book, the finale of the hunt for the Silver Bough, culminates in front of the fountain in the courtyard in front of the … Continue reading
A Classy Goblin. My first attempt using the graphics tablet and Corel Painter 12
In the first Moon Stealer book, Sir Edgar and the children are on a quest to find the Silver Bough. Left in the keeping of Sir Hadwyn, the Earl of Rosslyn until his death of Pneumonia in the winter of 2011, they discover his tomb with a riddle engraved around the edge of his shield, … Continue reading
The main guardian type character in The Moon Stealers that guides the children to find The Silver Bough is Sir Edgar Gorlois. A gentle knight from King Arthurs time who was chosen as one of the ‘League of White Knights’ that Merlin performed the Immortalitus spell on that prevented them from getting older. They could … Continue reading
I came across this interesting puzzle within the pages of Historia Regum Britanniae. It’s an ancient map that King Arthur’s Knights used to locate buried gold coins. Where a runic number is etched in a square, it indicates how many coins are located in the squares surrounding that square. There is only one coin in … Continue reading
When I began planning the ‘solving of the riddle’ section in the first Moon Stealer book, I looked for locations that would add interest to the story. Edinburgh provided numerous different possible locations, but one I particularly liked was St Giles Cathedral, home to the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle, an ancient order … Continue reading
There are many different races that live in the underworld, but one I enjoyed writing about were the Ground Dwellers. They are generally short, about the height of a 10 year old child and tend to be quite grumpy by nature. Their ancient kingdom comprised of a network of tunnels and chambers deep beneath the … Continue reading
Just like the locations I use in my books, I also like to include known symbols and imagery that actually exists. This gives the books a bit more of a feeling of realism, even if the subject is pure fantasy. When I began writing about The Faerie Queen in the second Moon Stealer book, I … Continue reading
For the second Moon Stealer book, I wanted to create a new type of human, so came up with Caniards. They are a short race of people that are in tune with nature. They had dark skin, very much like native Americans, with dark braided hair. Every Caniard pairs with a wolf for life. A special … Continue reading
The local legends that surround stone circles often have one thing in common – petrification, or turning humans to stone. The British Isles have the highest number of stone circles in the world, the most popular of course is Stonehenge. There has always been scientific and religious speculation over the origins and purpose of the … Continue reading
I remember the first time I saw the MI6 building. I was on the London Eye and as it reached the top I turned to the west, followed the path of the Thames and saw the peculiar shaped building. I can’t help but wonder what secrets are being discussed behind the green glass and high security. That element of not knowing what’s … Continue reading
I have always been interested in Runic symbols and they seemed like the perfect script to use in the Moon Stealer books. I wanted to create a primative feeling of age as well as wisdom. Runic inscriptions have appeared since the first century when they were etched on objects for practical as well as magical purposes. … Continue reading
Whilst researching mythical creatures for the second Moon Stealer book, I came across a small piece of information about a creature called a Donestre, as well as a couple of pictures. I was looking for a fearsome creature that would make a formidable warrior for the Faerie Queen. In ancient times, they were thought to … Continue reading
In the first book of the Moon Stealer series, Sir Edgar and the children use the Silver Bough to open a portal into another world. This may seem a little far-fetched, but even in reality there have been reports of gateways through to other worlds. There have been numerous reports of portals into other worlds, some … Continue reading
With most of my books I try and include real locations as part of the story. To me they are just as important as the characters that drive the book forward on their journey of development. They also provide a visual backdrop that the reader can imagine, or even go on the web and research. … Continue reading
Some people have asked me about the use of the word Faerie in The Moon Stealer series and why I hadn’t spelt it Fairy? In my mind the word Fairy conjures up a more ‘disney’ like image of small winged human type creatures that fly. It’s all a lovely, cosy image and I wanted to … Continue reading
From the 12th Century onwards, there was a popular belief that King Arthur would return in Britans greatest need. In ‘De Miraculis Sanctae Mariae Laudensis,’ the French cleric Herman mentioned that Arthur still lived, as did William of Malmesbury, in ‘Gesta Regnum Anglorum’ (Chronicles of the Kings of England), after stating that the tomb of … Continue reading
A QUICK INTRODUCTION ….
Welcome to my world....
During the day, I'm Tim Flanagan, mild mannered Podiatrist...
I spend time talking to patients about the weather, how they are feeling and where they are going on holiday, but inside my head wild ideas of fantasy and imagination are spinning uncontrollably. To satisfy the need to get these ideas out of my head, I write them down, and thankfully, some people enjoy reading them. My biggest supporter is my son, James, who reads every single chapter of every book I write with his pencil in hand ready to circle or cross out any errors he finds.
I live and work in Kent, UK with my very patient wife and three children.
