David Castleton's Blog
December 19, 2016
2 new blogs - the stranger side of Christmas?
Hi everyone,
Two new blogs here just in time for the festive season. Have you ever wondered how our slightly bizarre cultural figure of Santa Claus evolved? Was he invented by Coca-Cola? Who was Old Father Christmas and how was he different to Santa? http://www.davidcastleton.net/single-...
Do you know that someone born on Chrsitmas Day couldn't see ghosts or spirits, be hung or die from drowning? There have been some odd ideas about Christmas over the centuries and this blog looks into Six Strange Facts about Christmas. http://www.davidcastleton.net/single-...
Have a most excellent Yuletide and prosperous New Year!
All the best,
David.
Two new blogs here just in time for the festive season. Have you ever wondered how our slightly bizarre cultural figure of Santa Claus evolved? Was he invented by Coca-Cola? Who was Old Father Christmas and how was he different to Santa? http://www.davidcastleton.net/single-...
Do you know that someone born on Chrsitmas Day couldn't see ghosts or spirits, be hung or die from drowning? There have been some odd ideas about Christmas over the centuries and this blog looks into Six Strange Facts about Christmas. http://www.davidcastleton.net/single-...
Have a most excellent Yuletide and prosperous New Year!
All the best,
David.
October 24, 2016
Two new blogs!
Hi everyone,
With Halloween approaching, I thought I'd share the links to a couple of blogs on my website that should fit this mysterious time of year. One gives us a brief rundown of the origins and history of Halloween, from its misty beginnings in Celtic Britain and Ireland to its status as a modern festival celebrated across a complex globalised world. ( http://www.davidcastleton.net/single-... )
My other blog investigates the whole culture of what we might call 'the gothic' and the centuries-old influence it has had on everything from architecture to music to literature. The blog also suggests the gothic may well be due a resurgence in our dark and trying times. ( http://www.davidcastleton.net/single-... )
Happy reading and don't be shy to let me know what you think!
David.
With Halloween approaching, I thought I'd share the links to a couple of blogs on my website that should fit this mysterious time of year. One gives us a brief rundown of the origins and history of Halloween, from its misty beginnings in Celtic Britain and Ireland to its status as a modern festival celebrated across a complex globalised world. ( http://www.davidcastleton.net/single-... )
My other blog investigates the whole culture of what we might call 'the gothic' and the centuries-old influence it has had on everything from architecture to music to literature. The blog also suggests the gothic may well be due a resurgence in our dark and trying times. ( http://www.davidcastleton.net/single-... )
Happy reading and don't be shy to let me know what you think!
David.
April 9, 2016
Hello!
Hi everyone,
In this first blog post, I just want to say hello and tell you a bit more about my book 'The Standing Water'. It's my first novel and it's set in the remote countryside of northern England in the 1980s. It concerns two boys, Ryan and Jonathon, who become convinced their headmaster - the brutal Mr Weirton - is a murderer. (The reader is kept on edge throughout the book, wondering whether these suspicions are a simple childhood fantasy or whether there might, in fact, be more to them.) In what they see as a harsh and hostile environment, the boys are determined to survive and protect the special gifts and talents they are beginning to realise they have been blessed with. The book is narrated in a dreamlike tone, seen through the eyes of the boys, who are poised on that edge between a fantastical childhood world - which blurs the mythic and magical with the everyday - and a more rationalistic adult outlook. Dramatic, gothic and darkly humorous, the book ranges over religion and politics, legend and folklore, tradition and modernity, as it unwinds in richly poetic prose.
Well, that's my take on the book. I'd absolutely love to know what you think and read your reviews and comments. And if there's anything you'd like to know about my writing, please don't hesitate to send me a question. Oh, I should just mention that my book is currently available as an e-book on Amazon, though it should soon be available on other websites and in print format too.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
All the best,
David Castleton.
In this first blog post, I just want to say hello and tell you a bit more about my book 'The Standing Water'. It's my first novel and it's set in the remote countryside of northern England in the 1980s. It concerns two boys, Ryan and Jonathon, who become convinced their headmaster - the brutal Mr Weirton - is a murderer. (The reader is kept on edge throughout the book, wondering whether these suspicions are a simple childhood fantasy or whether there might, in fact, be more to them.) In what they see as a harsh and hostile environment, the boys are determined to survive and protect the special gifts and talents they are beginning to realise they have been blessed with. The book is narrated in a dreamlike tone, seen through the eyes of the boys, who are poised on that edge between a fantastical childhood world - which blurs the mythic and magical with the everyday - and a more rationalistic adult outlook. Dramatic, gothic and darkly humorous, the book ranges over religion and politics, legend and folklore, tradition and modernity, as it unwinds in richly poetic prose.
Well, that's my take on the book. I'd absolutely love to know what you think and read your reviews and comments. And if there's anything you'd like to know about my writing, please don't hesitate to send me a question. Oh, I should just mention that my book is currently available as an e-book on Amazon, though it should soon be available on other websites and in print format too.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
All the best,
David Castleton.
