{"id":4477,"date":"2026-09-29T14:59:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T14:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/?p=4477"},"modified":"2026-09-29T15:05:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T15:05:37","slug":"writing-poems-while-flying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/?p=4477","title":{"rendered":"Writing Poems While Flying"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your life journey proves that home isn\u2019t just a place, but a creative space you carry with you, whether you\u2019re writing in Scotland, in the Algarve or drafting poetry at 30,000 feet. Welcome, Marje, and thank you for sitting down with me today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Round Trips<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q<\/strong>: What first inspired your now regular \u2018jumps\u2019 between Edinburgh and Tavira and how do the contrasting atmospheres of Scotland and the Portuguese Algarve influence your creative process?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marje<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trigger came post covid. My husband, David, and I had always considered living abroad, so this was our chance! We\u2019d visited often with our two daughters, and we\u2019d enjoyed spending time there, including charming Tavira, which became our Algarve choice of temporary residence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Edinburgh, Scotland, there are many open mic opportunities, writing workshops, attending authors and poets, and numerous events to inspire and entertain. At a recent poetry event at Toppings Books in Edinburgh, I discovered Fower Pessoas<\/em> in Scots, by Colin Bramwell, \u2018it doesn\u2019t contain faithful translations,\u2019 and is \u2018more like an adaptation,\u2019 of Portuguese Poet, Fernando Pessoa, \u2018his Caledonian connections,\u2019 and \u00c1lvaro de Campos, Ricardo Reis and Alberto Caeiro! I\u2019ve had such fun reading it in a Scottish drawl with my family! Other poetic stimuli include unusually named coffee places, the Edinburgh Festival, the botanical gardens, and the city’s art and culture scene, with its imposing castle providing all the cultural and intellectual backdrop needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Portuguese Algarve, I often focus on the demands of my long fiction. But of course, the wonderful beaches and coastlines pull me away and capture my poetic heart too. I\u2019ve enjoyed writing short pieces about little dogs I\u2019ve met in the Algarve. Chalkie is my favourite; she\u2019s such a character who I met via my tai chi class. You can read about her on my blog here: Advent story \u2013 M J Mallon YA Author and Poet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With several long fiction works in progress: one novel which will complete my YA fantasy, The Curse of Time series<\/em>, one early concept in development \u2013 a romance\/mystery set in Tavira, and a Halloween-style vampire tale, I\u2019m never without something to do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Momentum<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q<\/strong>: Travelling between two different countries multiple times a year can be demanding; how do you manage to maintain your writing momentum while constantly on the move?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marje<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be demanding, but I have an excellent work ethic. I write poems on planes! Travelling is a wonderful impetus for ideas. When you\u2019re on the move, whether it\u2019s a bus, train, boat or plane, you can observe, listen to conversations, and find new characters! It\u2019s a great way to pass the time productively. The major difficulty I find in writing momentum is the competing needs of marketing, which always pull you away from what I want to do, and more recently family needs, which are important and becoming more paramount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Books<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q<\/strong>: For readers who have yet to experience your work, which of your books best captures the multinational spirit of your life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marje<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No single book, but various locations appear in all of them. Notably, the sculptural chronophage clock creatures (Cambridge<\/strong>) and artist Anya Gallacio\u2019s crystal grotto (Wilkieston<\/strong>, Edinburgh<\/strong>) appear in The Curse of Time<\/em> series. The peaceful timelessness and magic of the Cambridge Botanical Gardens, you\u2019ll find in Mr. Sagittarius<\/em> Poetry and Prose. Memoir memories (pre-Portugal) of Edinburgh, Cambridge, Hong Kong, and the Caribbean appear in: Do What You Love.<\/em> During the pandemic, I published an international anthology of creatives entitled This is Lockdown<\/em>, and my short pamphlet of poems, Lockdown Innit: Poems of Absurdity<\/em>. My most recent poetry collection, Shh Purely Poetry, includes quirky observations and sensual imaginings in\u00a0Manchester<\/strong>, Brighton<\/strong>, Blackpool<\/strong> and Edinburgh<\/strong>. In my forest collection, The Hedge Witch and the Musical Poet<\/em>, amongst other forest and nature ruminations, you\u2019ll find me running away from orangutangs in the jungle in Malaysia<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Inspiration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q<\/strong>: How did your personal interest in alternative therapies, Tai Chi and crystal magic inspire the core magical systems in The Curse of Time<\/em> series?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marje<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was younger, I studied reflexology and aromatherapy and was a therapist for a time. Crystals and alternative therapies have always fascinated me. So, it\u2019s no wonder that the crystal grotto inspired me to write about the magical abilities of Krystallos girl Amelina in the Curse of Time<\/em> series. Amelina\u2019s crystal-infused paints bring the creepy-looking caretaker Eruterac to life, and Leanne, a wise mentor, guides her selection of wizard crystals from the magical crystal cottage. Amelina must learn their properties and vulnerabilities to transform into the woman she\u2019ll need to become. As the series progresses, Ryder\u2019s shadow demon forces threaten the safety of her family and ultimately the world. So, the final in the series (with the dragon chronophage), which I\u2019m working on, is best described as a tale of light and dark forces, magic, mystery, adventure, sword and sorcery!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Kyrosmagica<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q<\/strong>: Your main online presence, Kyrosmagica Publishing \/Blog, celebrates the spiritual realm, nature and mystical ideas; how much of your own inward journey or mindfulness practices leak into the inner lives of your characters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marje<\/strong>: I studied a short course in mindfulness whilst I was working in Cambridge in the UK. It zooms in on the minute details, which perhaps others might miss. For instance, the twin brothers in Mr. Sagittarius<\/em> were the result of a brief but meaningful observation in a caf\u00e9. Aspects of their interaction, their dress sense, and obvious care for each other and the natural world spoke to me. So, yes, I\u2019m sure my love of the spiritual realm, nature and the mystical sneaks into the inner lives of my characters. At heart, Amelina is a poet, artist, and musician; she intends to care for and nurture the world, as we poets, artists, musicians, and creative folk always do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Online presence: https:\/\/mjmallon.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MJ Mallon’s books so far: https:\/\/amoz.onl\/79L<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you\u2019re on the move, whether it\u2019s a bus, train, boat or plane, you can observe, listen to conversations, and find new characters! It\u2019s a great way to pass the time productively<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,498,50,123],"tags":[501,499,500,193],"class_list":["post-4477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","category-marjorie-mallon","category-non-fiction","category-picks","tag-flying","tag-marjorie-mallon","tag-portugal","tag-scotland"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4477"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4482,"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4477\/revisions\/4482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eurolit.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}