"Torture me all you want" - movie quote (Reservoir Dogs)

"Sweet & sour chicken" - is my favourite Chinese food

No. 461 bus - 461 was the collar number of my father when he served in the Police

Blankrook School: Est. 1606 - 1606 was my collar number when I served in the Police

New York Mets baseball cap - the Mets are the favourite team of my friend Kate

Eagle House - in my primary school, we had a House system. I was Eagle House Captain. Our colour was blue.

Falcon House - named after my favourite bird of prey (peregrine falcon).

"Movie club night is Monday" - when I was at university, I was a member of a movie club that met on Mondays.

Astroturf crazy golf course - 'Astroturf' was invented for the Houston Astros baseball team for their stadium the 'Astrodome'. I am a fan of the Astros.

Mr. Michael Dobson - was my actual sports teacher in secondary school.

"A grand total of £19.77" - I was born in 1977.

Ford Focus - my first car.

"Forty-six, sir" - my age when I completed the book.

Salt-n-vinegar crisps - my favourite flavour!

7.7 million - I was born in '77.

8.01 p.m. - my daughter's birthday is 1st August.

'Whispers' Chinese takeaway - play on 'Chinese whispers'

Margaret (the 'poltergeist') - my wife's middle name.

"Good morning thrill seekers" - TV quote (League of Gentlemen)

"rubbish Yorkshire accent" - I am from Yorkshire.

"RADA wannabe" - I auditioned (unsuccessfully!) at RADA.

"I beg to differ with you, young man" - movie quote (Three Men and a Little Lady)

"We're not in Kansas anymore" - movie quote (Wizard of Oz)

"Follow the yellow brick road" - movie quote (Wizard of Oz)

"Ignore them" - TV quote (Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere)

Ghost Whale - mythical Japanese creature.

Bare-fronted hoodwink - hoax bird.

Dungavenhooter - mythical American crocodile.

Dodo - extinct Mauritian bird.

"Thanks for waiting" - movie quote (Eddie Izzard: Glorious)

Fresh Caladrius eggs - the Caladrius, according to Roman mythology, is a snow-white bird that lives in the king's house. It is said to be able to take the sickness into itself and then fly away, dispersing the sickness and healing both itself and the sick person.

Humblebums bakery - The Humblebums were a rock band whose members included Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty, the latter's biggest hit being 'Baker Street'.

Banshee - a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing and shrieking.

English Brownie - in English and Scottish folklore, a small, industrious fairy or hobgoblin believed to inhabit houses and barns. Rarely seen, he was often heard at night, cleaning and doing housework; he also sometimes mischievously disarranged rooms.

Myrmecoleon - the Myrmecoleon or Ant-lion is a fantastical animal from classical times with the head of a lion and the body of an ant.

Scottish Trow - a trow is a malignant or mischievous fairy or spirit in the folkloric traditions of the Orkney and Shetland islands. Trows are nocturnal creatures. They venture out of their  earthen mound dwellings solely in the evening, and often enter households as the inhabitants sleep. 

“And it is goodbye from Mee” - TV quote (The Two Ronnies)

The Venus Arms public house - named after the Venus De Milo statue which, ironically, has no arms

"Code 1512" - my wife's birthday is the 15th December

“I have not missed a bit since 1947” - my dad was born in 1947

The Screaming Madness - play on 'The Trembling Madness', a public house opposite where my wife used to work

Arguments Yard - named after a street in Whitby

"Are we having fun yet?" - move quote (Universal Soldier)

"Run, you fools" - movie mis-quote (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring)

Spider-Man socks - my favourite Marvel character

Bronze handle in the shape of a cocker spaniel - my sister owns a cocker spaniel (called Buddy)

Nationals cap - Rose used to live in Washington DC, home of the Washington Nationals baseball team

‘DURGA – HERE…..HEL...’ - movie reference (Batman Returns - 'Hell Here')

'Arrows from the Dark’ book - considered to be the first trashy romance novel - published in 1909 by Mills and Boon

"Emergency. There is an emergency going on" - TV quote (Red Dwarf)

York Minster - York is my home town

Edinburgh Castle - much of the book was written on the train between York and Edinburgh

“Do I look like a butler?” - 'Kaiata' means 'butler' in the Maori language

"stuffed animals full of sand" - movie quote (Eddie Izzard: Glorious)

Drinking fountain with a spout in the shape of a dolphin’s head - there is a dolphin head fountain near to the theatre group where I am a membe, in the village of Escrick near York

Oakland Athletics baseball cap - the Oakland A's compete in the same division as the Houston Astros, the team I support

Amalfi coast - my wife and I holidayed in the Amalfi coast in 2019

Leighton Buzzard - link with the bird of prey theme running throughout the book

"Come again" - TV quote (The Simpsons)

"Twenty-three" - my son's birthday is the 23rd March

The bell in the castle tower tolled thirteen times - 13 was my football shirt number when I played as a goalkeeper

"I am getting too old for this" - movie quote (Lethal Weapon)

"It's hardly the Maldives" - my wife and I honeymooned in the Maldives

Sky Rat - play on the word 'pirate' (in the sky)

'Ephemera' - literally means 'a thing that exists for only a short time'

Wings of a kestrel - link with the bird of prey theme running throughout the book

“I’m welling up with tears" - movie quote (Monsters University)

“Here kiddies, kiddies,” - play on words movie quote (American Psycho)

"Loose lips sink airships" - play on words - 'Loose lips sink ships' is a phrase that originated on propaganda posters during World War II

Twenty-first (cell bar) - my birthday is 21 January

"It is time" - movie quote (The Lion King)

Sky-shaking Thunder - In 1044, the military book Wujing Zongyao described a weapon known as Zhen Tian Lei (Sky-shaking Thunder). This is known as the prototype of the modern hand grenade and was made by packing gunpowder into a ceramic or metal container

Quercus Antiquities - Named after 'Acorn Antiques', the fictional soap opera created by Victoria Wood (Quercus is the Latin genus for the Oak)

Divine Fire - The mid-14th-century book Huolongjing describes cannons that fired shells (pào) made of cast iron and shaped like a ball. Inside they contain half a pound of 'divine fire' (gunpowder)

“Ready to face the enemy?” - movie quote (Four Weddings and a Funeral)

Ivory Hall - elephant tusks are made from ivory

"The girl reached for a single torch that was flickering on the wall" -  Every good story has a flaming torch being carried down a dark corridor!

“Danger is my middle name” - movie quote (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery)

"It's Stanley. After my grandpa." - Stanley Parker was the name of my grandpa

'Turtle Feather' - Turtle was the world's first submersible vessel with a documented record of use in combat. Its first attack attempt was made on 07 September 1776 on HMS Eagle

“Father!” - TV quote (The IT Crowd)

Houston Astros cap - my baseball team

“I am getting too old for this” - movie quote (Lethal Weapon...again!)

Chocolate butterfly bun - a baking specialty of my mum

“Leave.” Punch. “Those.” Punch. “Kids.” Punch. “Alone!” - song lyrics (The Wall by Pink Floyd)

"That little bitch had cracked her tooth" - TV quote (Friends)

"burgundy-coloured door that appeared intact. It was wrought from steel" - Blackpool Tower is made from steel and painted burgundy-coloured

Lancaster University - where I studied for my degree

Orange mocha Frappuccino - movie quote (Zoolander)

Mug of Ovaltine - a favourite of my wife

“He was getting too old for this” - movie quote (Lethal Weapon...again!)

Charred vulture leg - link with the bird of prey theme running throughout the book

“Thank you for joining us,” she whispered giddily. “For the rest of your life.” - movie quote (Die Hard)
 
Year Six artwork display depicting Henry VIII and his six wives - this was an actual project I did in Year Six at school
 
Seattle Mariners cap - the Mariners compete in the same division as the Houston Astros, the team I support

He was whistling a number from the musical ‘Cats’ - 'Memory' is the signature song from the musical 'Cats' - a foreboding of what was about to happen...

Contotally fused - a phrase introduced to me by my wife

Dijon Ketchup - song lyric (Barenaked Ladies - If I had a million dollars)

I’ll be going back home to Wakefield - my two children were born in Wakefield

Stuffed Norwegian Blue - TV quote (Monty Python)

Fillet steak / Carbonara / Tikka Massala - three of my favourite meals