abigailthorneauthor

Broad Beans Part one

Because it’s Easter week, Steve has had a few days to work in the garden. I walked up there at the weekend and the size of the broad bean plants alarmed me. Let me explain, last year we had a bumper broad bean crop. I struggle a bit with broad beans as a vegetable becauseContinue reading “Broad Beans Part one”

Creating a character

Given that characters are the most important element in a story, it is quite reasonable for the reader to wonder where the character came from. I certainly do whenever I come across a character who has made me laugh or cry. In a film, the writer depicts the character as ready-made. We like or dislikeContinue reading “Creating a character”

A little bit of hope.

As usual, not only those in the carnival parade wear fancy dress. It was cold enough for me to wish I had a panda onesie over my clothes. Over the last two weekends, we have seen a variety of carnival parades here in Galicia. In Sarria, we celebrated on Sunday, March 6 a little laterContinue reading “A little bit of hope.”

Normal Service will be resumed as soon as possible

I am so sorry that there has been a lack of anything on this page. The website is undergoing a bit of reconstruction work and I will be back soon.

The End and a Beginning

Can you get so fond of characters that you don’t want to let them go? Well, in my case, yes you can. Alex Whittaker started out as a practice character. I had only ever written a short story before and I wanted to try something longer, so I created Alex, a character with a realContinue reading “The End and a Beginning”

Road trip, Podcasts and Special Offer

Road Trip. I am sometimes wary of Road trips, hours sat in the car followed by the frustration of not finding what you are looking for. Or worse, finding it only to discover that everyone is doing the same thing and we spend the rest of the day in a line of traffic. This oneContinue reading “Road trip, Podcasts and Special Offer”

Inspired by Authors Past.

The lock-down, the weather, the lack of opportunity to meet with friends’ and uncertainty about future finances have all had a dampening effect on my creativity. I claim to exist in a bit of a vacuum, happy with my own company and with such an overblown and vivid imagination that I never run out ofContinue reading “Inspired by Authors Past.”

Landscape stories: The swimming hole

The countryside around my house is like many rural areas in Spain, gradually emptying there is, however, evidence of a former dying lifestyle. People lived on small farms, anything from a single acre. This was subsistence farming where families produced everything in the house or at least the village and money rarely changed hands. Today’sContinue reading “Landscape stories: The swimming hole”

The story behind New Year’s Resolutions.

It was the Babylonians who made the first formal recorded New Year’s resolutions 4000 years ago. In case you don’t know: They built the city of Babylon near the Euphrates river in Mesopotamia. You can find the ruins of the ancient city in modern day Iraq. (Before the war, now I’m not so sure) TheContinue reading “The story behind New Year’s Resolutions.”

One Million Word Challange.

When I started writing, I was very excited about it; I loved the process and felt in my heart that here was something I could be good at. My enthusiasm met very mixed reactions. Some people were excited for me, some had scepticism written all over their faces. Some bluntly told me I was noContinue reading “One Million Word Challange.”