My first full-length novel

illustration by @j52o

The idea for the novel came about in early 2012, some time after finishing my creative writing course. I wanted to write a 'psychedelic' fantasy with a unique concept that was thematically rich.

So, what's it about? Well, without giving too much away...

The story chronicles the adventures of a young man named Jason Rooke, who after running away from his hometown to avoid siphoning, is left aimlesss and vulnerable in a world he knows little about.

When a friend of his father’s, Augustus Shade, entrusts him with a rare map, he goes on a quest to find the Bubble Blower, a mysterious character he believes might hold all the answers.

In his encounters with the people of Foxcote and Temperance, he learns the importance of friendship, and human morality. But the tension caused by his dealings with the towns begins to build and with it the true relationship between power and knowledge is revealed...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BUBBLE-BLOWER-Ashley-Russell-ebook/dp/B00K56V1TS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409931456&sr=8-1&keywords=the+bubble+blower

Barcelona, Wu-Tang wisdom & cognitive maps

Last month my girlfriend and I went to Barcelona. We covered a lot of it by foot. When I'm in a place/city I like to be able to memorize its geography. I have realised that one of my abilities is forming a strong, reliable cognitive map of my surroundings.

This reminded me of something the RZA wrote about in his book, THE TAO OF WU, where he made reference to a British study about cab drivers in London who by 'mastering the streets in that city, they actually increased the size and changed the structure of their brains.' This enlarged 'the hippocampi - which is part of the brain that handles memory.' He makes a good point that practicting this gives 'a sense of perspective-of the size of the world, the scale of the universe, the place of man.'