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Today I am delighted to introduce Dan Antion’s amazing creations from wood. In addition to being talented at woodwork, Dan is also an author and a blogger. I have included my review of Dan’s latest novel, Poetic Justice: A Rascal Todd Mystery Featuring Brody Thompson at the end of this post.

Dan is currently running a writing challenge on his blog No Facilities. Dan’s Thursday Doors Writing Challenge 2026 involves selecting a photograph which includes a door of some sort, from a gallery and writing a story/poem inspired by the picture. You can either post the story/poem on your own blog or email it to Dan. There have been a wonderful selection of entries this year and its a great challenge. If you are interested in joining in, you can find out more about it here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2026/

Welcome Dan Antion

Tell us a bit about your woodwork hobby? How did you get into woodwork? What draws you to working with wood?

I began working with wood as a child in my father’s shop. He taught me how to use tools. I’d say age-appropriate, but I think he stretched that a bit. I took Woodshop in school every year beginning in seventh grade. I’ve continued the hobby ever since.

I love working with my hands, and wood is both a challenging and forgiving material. Some of the tools I use to shape wood have been around for centuries. Some are modern versions of those tools, but the reward is watching something take shape as I work with it. There’s a special pleasure in using a piece of furniture that you’ve made.

You have made several lovely items from wood. Which one was the most challenging to make?

The most challenging piece I ever made is a small Queen Anne Hall table. The cabriole legs were rough cut on bandsaw and shaped by hand. The top is made from four pieces of Carpathian Elm burl veneer, cut and book matched into a pattern. The drawers — two of which are only 2″(5cm) wide, are assembled with dovetail joints that were too small to be cut with a machine. The wood is mahogany, and it’s stained with an aniline die, which deepens the color without masking the grain.

Please enjoy the three photographs of Dan’s Queen Anne Hall table below:

Do you create wooden items for other people as gifts or are they mainly for your own use?

I owned and operated a cabinet shop for a few years in the early 1980s. I had to close it when the price of insurance rose too high. Ironically, I went back to technology work after that, for an insurance company. These days, I make furniture for myself, family and friends. I haven’t sold furniture since 1985, but I’ve given away quite a few items.

Which piece is your favourite.

My favorite piece is a small writing desk I made almost twenty years ago. I was trying to find a way to use a piece of ungauged slate the previous homeowner left in the garage. I used it for the desktop, and for some slide out extensions. A few years ago, I made a matching bookcase. The bookcase has a drawer, the front of which is made from a scrap piece of that slate.

That’s my desk, and it’s where I’ve written all my books. I start every day at that desk.

Which hobby do you prefer – woodwork or writing? Or are they not comparable because they bring out different artistic skills?

It’s very hard for me to choose between these hobbies. They both let me bring ideas to life in a permanent form, and they both force me to concentrate on the task at hand. In that sense, it’s good to get away from the news and social media. I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I’ve been working with wood. Both hobbies are a part of me.

Dan Antion, the writer

Dan Antion is a talented writer and has written and published several books over the past few years.

My review of Poetic Justice, A Rascal Todd Mystery Featuring Brody Thompson

This book is an interesting collaboration between Dan Antion, a prose writer, and Willow Willers, a poet. It is predominantly a prose thriller but one of the characters is a poet who provides various clues to an old murder in the form of poems left at graves and provided to various other characters in the book. I wasn’t sure what to expect with regards to the inclusion of the poems and was delighted that this unique idea worked so well. It reminded me of my favourite teenage book series The Three Investigators book, The Mystery of the Dead Man’s Riddle. I enjoyed The Mystery of the Dead Man’s Riddle, which includes various clues in the form of riddles, so much I remembered it all my life and read it to my own sons. Poetic Justic was equally entertaining and clever for me.

It was lovely to see investigative reporter, Rascal Todd, and her cat, Bonkers, featuring in this story although Rascal’s role is smaller than in the initial novel. The main character in this book is a writer of successful murder mysteries, Brody Thompson, who is requested to help solve a murder by the deceased’s son, Trevor. Brody was a great character with just the right mix of confidence, assertiveness and cautiousness. Brody is aware of the danger to his own life and the lives of others and tries not to behave recklessly or thoughtlessly. Brody is an excellent researcher and sets about systematically putting various clues, including the poems, together to develop a motive and method for the murder. Naturally, despite his caution, Brody does set in motion a chain of dangerous events and these make for fascinating reading as he attempts to unravel the inputs while dodging bullets and other difficult situations.

This is not a book you can read on autopilot as there are a lot of characters to keep track of and the plot is fast paced and fairly complicated. If you enjoy a book that keeps you on your toes and includes just the right amount of humour, tension, and excitement then you will enjoy Poetic Justice.

Purchase Poetic Justice: A Rascal Todd Mystery Featuring Brody Thompson from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076HMMGHX

About Dan Antion

Retired – Husband, father, author of the Dreamer’s Alliance Series. When I’m not writing, I might be in my woodshop, working around the house or walking around with a camera. I might be having a beer with friends. You can find me on my blog at NoFacilities.com and on Amazon.

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Social Media Links

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
TSL Publications: https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/robbie-cheadle/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robbie-Cheadle/author/B01N9J62GQ
Unsplash profile: https://unsplash.com/@r_cheadle