20,000 leagues under the sea

February 8, 2019February 8, 2019Leave a comment

Having started “20,000 leagues under the sea”, watched “Aquaman”, “Jaws” & “Blue Planet-the deep” all in the space of 2 days ~ it’s no surprise when I started dreaming of being violently flung about on a boat swept by ominous looking black waves. 🌊

My phone was sliding around on deck, and I had just managed to catch it in one hand with triumph- only to discover my 2 companions were sinking under the tide (we were on our way to attend a party.) Needless to say, I arrived at the party without them… though I did give all my best efforts searching around, it turned into an affair like “The Great Gatsby”, they had different personas and were trying their best to evade me…

I’ve always been intrigued with creatures deep under the ocean. Their bulbous eyes and sharp teeth, their luminescent, transparent bodies, their spongy blob like exteriors… stuff out of nightmares…(which, I love calling up on the projector to show my students just to see their reaction!)

They say an iceberg is largely 3/4 under the surface. There are things below those tranquil waters that are beyond our imagination, and will still continue to lie unobserved.

So when the ‘Nautilus’ arrives and causes havoc in the seas around the world, it’s not hard that it could be mistaken for a narwhal or a cross between a whale/sea unicorn with its impenetrable exterior. It raises panic enough that the best captains rally and send forth a ship ready to capture, and, sadly slaughter this troublesome creature…Only to realise, it’s not a beast at all coming forth from the depths, but indeed a vessel, captained by none other than the infamous Captain Nemo. At this point our 3 protagonists have nothing else to do but sit, wait, and be carried along in an adventure like no other (since they’ve seen too much to be allowed to return home to dry land.) 🙄

Captain Nemo lets our guests into many secrets about the creation of his vessel (as surely it defies science), but we know this is only the beginning. If it’s anything like “5 weeks in a balloon”, I know that there will be no shortage of crazy events, the possible harpooning of sea spiders and giant squids, oxygen shortage, walking on the ocean bed and many, new discoveries.

And…if it’s anything like Dr Ferguson, Kennedy & faithful Joe- hanging onto the last trimmings of their damaged hot air balloon, shot at by arrows above enemy waters and praying to be saved~ we can only hope this Parisian professor & his friends get back safely (along with the unsuspecting sea creatures that cross their path!)

Edge of Silence

December 31, 2016December 31, 2016Leave a comment

As we sit on the edge of silence,

gazing down to what has come before,

unrivalled dreams, stained apricot by passing suns,

like rain through our fingers no more,

mirrored strength, as marble hardens around-

our finest inspirations to fill the void,

as seasons flash, eternal;

never abandoned, relentless, never destroyed,

a memory flits by with her wings of silk,

so transparent and pure in the light,

of shadows that once were, carrying their weight,

or so nobly let dreams alight.

swirl-divider4

Urgent! Illustrator needed!!

January 23, 2016Leave a comment

So, a while ago I posted a cover of my book ‘Caskets of Ice‘, and after much deliberation and much inspired from the wonderful designs I found in “The Sleeper & the Spindle” by Neil Gaiman (Illustrated by Chris Riddell) I have come to the conclusion…..

That I am officially looking for an illustrator for my work. It is action/adventure fantasy, with gothic dreamy aspects with plenty of queens and castles that will appeal to all lovers of fairy stories-though not 100% a fairytale. It blurs the boundaries between dreams and reality from a perspective of a girl who yearns to escape from her daily life, trapped in a world which is far scarier, creepier and sometimes, downright brutal than she ever imagines.

It celebrates the imagination, and when dreams come alive.

All ideas are welcome! Below is the existing cover, designed by the talented Bonnie:

cover final_s_title

Here are examples of some of the illustrations you may see in “The Sleeper & the Spindle”, with their wonderful black and white drawings and gold leaf.

image2 (1)

Please drop me a message if you are interested in collaboration, or you want to know more information about the book. Let’s begin on this magical journey together…

Kate 🙂

A dedication

October 3, 2015October 3, 2015Leave a comment

The cottage has opened its doors to me,

of dreams long foretold,

of poppies and tiger lilies, violets three,

and memories dear to hold

The path is worn through tender days,

the seeds blossomed; overgrown,

through woods and bluebells I long to stay,

o’er moss fair winds have blown

She halts my quiet sighs,

bent down with grains of sorrow,

and beckons me forth on green fields lie,

Where none but Death can follow

Storms rage on in faraway lands

but close stillness and quiet roam

It comforts the voices of my consumed heart;

and tenderly guides me Home.

View from a Castle

September 14, 2015October 3, 2015Leave a comment

Rose Gardens, ‘Hever Castle’ 07.15

The Sky is streaked like an aeroplane runway, double yellow lines at the roadside. Puffs of evaporated whiteness dissipate slowly, absorbed by the hungry mouth of unending blue.

The moat is a still mirror, stone and latticed brickwork sliding about on its surface like a skater on ice. Fingers of ivy snake in brilliant amber and ox-blood, splattering the castle in a web of tattoos.

She thrums her fingers on damp wood, wind battering her skin fiercely as she steps off the drawbridge; into the gloom beyond. ‘Surely,’ she thinks, ‘a queen needs a crown?’…

Flight of Fancy

March 13, 2015March 13, 20154 Comments

Clouds pass above like weightless trains
as you shyly hide among folds of emeralds,
pulling close grey hems that rustle
embroidered with white, baby pink roses
as they shift their symphony to pass through dusk.
Gravel crunches lightly under your heels
as you glide beneath stormy clouds.
Running- faster, through memory’s slippery fog
and the lane strewn with polished glass
grasping the hope of your journey’s end;
and the lonesome figure dressed in white,

-waiting

All Love

March 13, 20152 Comments

I have heard that all ‘love runs deep,
like a river, deeper than the darkest sea’
built on the foundation of harsh experiences
that make us who we are-
Strength, independence, self reliance
it is a fire that courses through my veins
and gives me the strength of a thousand men.
I will never give up no matter how lost,
how scared or tired I feel
I will stay true to myself
because all love –
has to start from within.

That Day

February 26, 20152 Comments

Do you remember the time we went looking for a ring I dropped?
You followed me blindly, peering under tables and chairs
-in a room bathed in twilight.
Knowing all along, I must have dropped it in the streets.
But still you helped me-
fatigued, crouched on small legs
wearing your grin and a defiant
sense of adventure.

That’s love.

Simplicity

February 21, 20151 Comment

Salmon pink splurge over liquid blue.

A tail that flutters like an eyelash,

sinking to the grass in petulant smoke.

Abandon

February 12, 2015February 21, 2015Leave a comment

It was the remnants of a chilly winter
on the cusp of spring,
the freighter ship glowed
a lonely rusty red.
I weaved my arm through yours
seeking warmth from coat sleeves
as it sunk into a darkness
of forbidden murky greens.
Benevolent acknowledgment of
the spirits of the ocean,
a petrified creature;
as the shrill cry of seagulls
wrestled the breath of the wind.

Katewjwhite

Tag: prose