Marian L. Thorpe's Blog

While I’ll keep this website somewhat updated, for short stories, poetry, non-fiction, as well as more frequent updates, find me at https://substack.com/@marianlthorpe

By Helen Hollick (With daughter Kathy Hollick) Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not. You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who … Continue reading Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon →

There's a tawny owl calling outside, which is a hint I'm not in Canada.

All villages have their secrets, their dark sides which are never spoken of... Families have them too.

The Ten Worlds #2: Land, by Bjørn Larssen Loss. Love. Land. Happy Never After. (A grimdark retelling of the discovery of Iceland. ) The truth Maya fought for all her life turns out to be a lie a thousand years long. She neither understands nor knows how to wield her hidden power, simultaneously endless and … Continue reading Cover Reveal! →

A spotlight on J.M. Tibbott’s fantasy series, The Pridden Saga. A prickly young game designer finds herself in a medieval world reminiscent of the video games she creates. Magic, dangerous creatures, and political intrigue were fine as a fantasy, but navigating them all in real life is a different challenge. Will Kat find her way … Continue reading What if the world you create becomes real? →

Inspiration and understanding can come from the most unexpected sources. In my other blog, which focuses mostly on writing – mine and others’ – about the natural world, I mentioned, a week or two ago, that I was reading a collection of essays about landscape and place called Going to Ground.  One of these essays … Continue reading A Book Develops, Part VI →

Watching the penultimate episode of Doctor Who last night, I realized (afterwards) that it was a rare hour in which my brain was totally engaged with story as it was unfolding. I wasn’t analyzing structure, looking for breaks in continuity or… well, I was going to say things that didn’t make sense, but then again, … Continue reading Necessary Busyness →

Inspiration comes from many places, some random, serendipitous, some sought out. This week I drove the 1000+ km to and from Cleveland, to see an exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art called ‘Africa & Byzantium’, an exploration of mostly religious art produced in or resident in the lands of North and East Africa influenced … Continue reading A Book Develops, Part V →

Inspiration comes from many places, some random, serendipitous, some sought out. This week I drove the 1000+ km to and from Cleveland, to see an exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art called ‘Africa & Byzantium’, an exploration of mostly religious art produced in or resident in the lands of North and East Africa influenced … Continue reading A Book Develops, Part IV →