My guess is that Martin is the person who has written most words about Hopeless. He’s done this steadfastly week by week over many years, with The Squid and Teapot providing the backbone of this blog. 

Hopeless, Maine was a project started by Tom Brown many years ago. Various people have been involved with it in the past. After I (Nimue) got involved, Martin was the next person to make a substantial commitment to the project, and he’s been here ever since, sharing tales.

What I love about The Squid and Teapot stories is how they’ve opened up island life. While some of the characters from the graphic novels show up here and there, the cast in these tales is huge. We get insight into what living on Hopeless is like for its (relatively) normal citizens. Other contributors who have come in to write stories have expanded on this population, but Martin is the one who initially opened up this territory.

There were long stretches when other work pressures and lack of inspiration meant that I wasn’t writing much for the blog. It made a huge difference having this steady supply of stories to keep the blog alive. That I was able to jump back in with Mrs Beaten tales some years ago, and had the motivation to keep the blog viable is very much down to the existence of The Squid and Teapot.

Being the island’s pub, The Squid and Teapot has become an iconic setting that many other contributors have alluded to in their stories. It’s a key part of island life. Martin is also responsible for the existence of the night soil man and the traditions surrounding that job. He’s responsible for the Gydynap hills, and for developing the history of the island as well.

The Squid and Teapot usually goes out on a Tuesday.