Categories
The Long Way Home The Turn of the Wheel

Frongoch mine – an interpretation

Having written the Frongoch trilogy (‘Turn of the Wheel’, ‘A Time of Goodbyes’ and to follow – ‘A Light in the Darkness’), it does feel sad in some ways to think that the mine no longer stands as it did in its glorious years. Not that I wish for tons of spoil, toxic with base […]

Categories
The Long Way Home

The Long Way Home pt5: The Abermule disaster

At the end of ‘The Long Way Home’, Dafydd Thomas is involved in a railway accident at Abermule. This is based on a real event that happened one hundred years ago this month. As the last of a series of blog posts giving background to the novel, it is only fitting to put a spotlight […]

Categories
The Long Way Home

The Long Way Home pt 4: The Armistice

According to the history books, the Great War ended on November 11th 1918. We commemorate this every year on Armistice Day, which has become a focal point for remembrance of all people killed in war. However, the Long Way Home has a scene taking place at the point of the armistice. This is a deliberate […]

Categories
The Long Way Home

The Long Way Home pt3: Poperinge and Talbot House

In The Long Way Home, the story focusses on Dafydd Thomas’ journey through the Great War in the Railway Operating Division – and his emotional ties back home. He is posted to the western front at a depot in Poperinge. This was one of only two Belgian towns not invaded during the war and was […]

Categories
The Long Way Home

The Long Way Home: Part 2 – Call-ups, confusion and Censors

Some more snippets: One factor that grew in this country in the early years of the Great war, was the nationalistic fervor for which it was received. A combination of jingoistic press, advertising campaigns and peer pressure. People from all walks of life joined and recruitment centres sprang up in all towns. As a rule, […]

Categories
The Long Way Home

The Long Way home now available outside UK

My new novel has been released in the UK in paperback form, but now is available to customers in many other countries without the need for expensive international shipping. I have now released the book on the Amazon KDP service, for people who live outside the UK. If a customer buys the book through their […]

Categories
The Long Way Home

Kindle version of long Way Home now available

After quite a lot of work by my good friend, Mike Clark of NFCW and a lot of reading up by me today… the novel has now been released as an e-book for Kindle readers. Kindle Unlimited subscribers can download it for free, which sounds a bit of a raw deal for me – but […]

Categories
The Long Way Home

Long Way Home – Back story part 1: Railway workers, white feathers and women in the Great War.

My aim is to write a series of short essays, to provide some background to the period in which ‘Long Way Home’ is set. Dafydd Thomas was always destined to have a career in railways, since he first appeared in his father’s story. (Book one of which – Turning of the Wheel is on course […]

Categories
The Long Way Home

Long Way Home – Q & A session

Q; Does the story continue from where we left off in ‘By the Banks of the Rheidol’ A: Yes, but there is a ten year lag from the end of that book. ‘Long Way home’ starts in 1915, with Dafydd returning to Aberystwyth. After ten years, he has worked his way up to being a […]

Categories
The Long Way Home

The Long Way Home – the sequel to By the Banks of the Rheidol

After a gap of a few years, I have published the sequel to ‘By the Banks of the Rheidol.’ The story is set ten years hence, where Dafydd has managed to secure a transfer to Aberystwyth as a fireman. Convinced he has moved on from his failed romance with Gwen, he soon finds that lingering […]