Home of The Naughty Stories Series
Tony was born in Winchester, Hampshire. His father was a businessman, author and publisher of books, and his mother a theatrical actress, giving him a life-long love of books, theatre and story-telling. A graduate of Edinburgh University, Tony has trodden the line between liberal arts and technology through spells in the music industry, television and digital innovation. Apart from his own books, he writes under the aliases F. M. Frites and M. T. Sands.
Regarding Gates What is in a gate?” It is a point of entry to a space that may be enclosed by a wall or fence. It may prevent or control the entry or exit of individuals. A gate, in short, can be both an entrance and exit. But this is to reduce its significance. Through …
Upon the Mistress Dido If the gnomes dared to have a name for the Mistress, they would call her TWANG on account of the sound her bow makes as she lets loose an arrow. But to any normal observer, the loosening of her bow is only a small part of her peerless repertoire. Indeed, the …
The Wolf’s Howl The Wolf is a strange and fearsome beast; it hunts in packs and kills without mercy. Many creatures in the Garden are afraid of the Wolf. When they hear the howl of the wolf, they quake in their boots, cover their eyes with their hooves or wake crying from a nightmare they …
The Castle of No Love If there are many corners of the Garden that have sunshine and flower, there are others where darkness falls in the daylight. I do not know of all these places in the Garden, but the one I fear the most is the Castle of No Love. You will not be …
Smarm If I have never succeeded in getting to the bottom of their dispute, I have no doubt of it; there has always been something equivocal in the Mistress’s attitude to the Prince. He is a disreputable fellow, she will say when her temper is roused. She will slap her thigh and curse. But if …
Upon Seeming It has often been noted things are not always what they seem. When things are what they seem, we are relieved and indeed gratified. After all, it is only normal to expect things to appear as they seem. Here in the Garden, while there are many things that are what they seem, there …
The Garden Paths One cannot deny, as the poet once said, there is pleasure in the pathless woods. Here in the Garden the pathless parts of the wood are not always safe, although I have no doubt they contain many pleasures. These pleasures one can enjoy from the safety of the paths, and yet the …
On the Garden Strawberries The strawberries of the Garden are perhaps that rarest of rare things. Gnomes, both young and old, will ask me: “What is the magic of strawberries?” To which I reply: “Strawberries are the magic.” As soon as they disappear, they reappear. And yet, paradoxically, whey they disappear, they reappear. Who can …
On Jeu du Mall Who is not familiar with the common garden game played with mallet, ball and hoop? The Garden game is not exactly croquet, but its roots must surely be from the same tree. If I fear I must accept some responsibility for certain irregularities and anomalies in its evolution, the Garden game …