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Author Archives: Mark Hayes
Music and words
Passing Place remains the book of which I am most proud. I love all my novels but this one is the one with the most blood in the ink, the most slivers of my soul between its pages. Its a tale of loss and love, of hope and grief , and of choices, the choice we all have….
Also, there really is a forest in the cellar. As well as a Dryad waiting tables when she is not in the back garden with her tree. A gunslinger with a tale of the mythology in the old west. An Inuit whose spear is dropping blood on the bar and speak of tears like diamonds. The wisest doorman in all the universe who will teach you many things, including how to drink brandy the right way. A girl in the corridor with eyes in her hands. A literal devil called Lyal. A grey man form a grey world marveling at the colour in the swirl of his mop water. A chef who understand how to may causality sandwiches. Continue reading
Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, fantasy, fiction, indie novels, indie writers, novels, Passing Place, reads, sci-fi
Tagged amreading, books, fantasy, music, playlist, reads, sciencefiction, writerslife, writing
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The fate of Eels
When inspiration flows, it creates cycles. We might think about this as being akin to other natural cycles, like the way water moves through the world. Inspiration is supposed to flow and move, hoarding it doesn’t work. The person who jealously guards their creative energy will find they have less of it, not more. Continue reading
Posted in amreading, humour, opinion, pointless things of wonderfulness, politics
Tagged blog, eels, interviews, music, politics, songwriting, writing
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Dear Edgar #22 The Fall of the House of Usher
The themes of three earlier stories in particular are each echoed in this story, those being Morella, Berenice and Ligeia. Which is not to say that Edgar was obsessed with putting female characters into soporific states that seem death like, decaying, and wasting away, but it is a theme that comes up time and time again in the early tales. What is odd is that these themes were so prevalent before the wasting disease that would take his wife from him not many years later was diagnosed. Equally the male characters in all these stories react to these tragedies with obsession and madness that echoes how the death of Victoria was to plunge him into a deep alcohol fuelled depression and began his own downward spiral to an early grave.
Occasionally life imitates art in dreadful ways. Continue reading
Posted in book reviews, Dear Edgar, Goth, horror, opinion, Poe, reads
Tagged amreading, book-review, books, Dear Edgar, gothic, horror, Poe, reads
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Dear Edgar #21 The Man That Was Used Up
All of which is no way as humorous in these latter days than it was intended to be when Poe wrote it and as much as Poe needs to be read with him being ‘of his time’ in mind, sometimes that excusing of the writer doesn’t make the reading of their tales any easier. Continue reading
Posted in amreading, Dear Edgar, humour, Poe, sci-fi, steampunk
Tagged amreading, book-review, books, Dear Edgar, Poe, reads, sciencefiction, writing
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The Cultist Prayer
I was raised in The Church of England and thus I learned The lords prayer by rote, as one does when your are sent off to Sunday school every Sunday to listen to bible stories and be taught about the great beard in the sky, my prospective salvation, hell and what not…
I am sure those raised in the Cult of Cthulhu experience much the same. Continue reading
Posted in big questions, books, cthulhu, dreamlands, horror, Lovecraft, rites
Tagged call of cthulhu, cthulhu, Lovecraft, reads
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Redux: Beguiling darkness: Tethered
This is a fabulous ride of a novel, through a dark gritty fantasy landscape, with strong characters, betrayals, surprises, shocks, a whole world of imagination to explore and wonder at. There will I am sure be more to come, and I was delighted to go back to it and see how much what had been a good book when I read the early draft four year ago has been revise and polished into something so much more than it was. Continue reading
Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fiction, reads, steampunk, supernatural, writing
Tagged book reviews, book-review, books, fantasy, fiction
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Holly Trinity and the apocalypse
Ben Sawyers ‘Holly Trinity’ is a wonderful creation, the protector of York who sleeps below the city until needed, then raises her umbrella and does battle with the supernatural forces that plague the city. Often, of late, listening to Kate … Continue reading
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After the end…
One in two of us will be affected by dementia in our lifetime. Families living with the condition are often left feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and alone. With your support, together we can provide vital specialist dementia nursing services, so more families can access our life-changing support and live as well as possible, for as long as possible. Please donate today and help ensure no one faces dementia alone. Continue reading
Posted in amreading, big questions, books, dystopia, fantasy, Harvey Duckman, writes, writing
Tagged amreading, books, fiction, life, poetry, reads, sciencefiction, writing
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A Gentleman
“It seems to me, that the use of lockpicks should fall under the remit of a gentleman’s valet, rather than the gentleman himself.” Benjamin West grumbled just after he snapped his second pick in quick succession. Continue reading
Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, fantasy, Harvey Duckman, indie novels, indiewriter, steampunk, Uncategorized
Tagged amreading, amwritingscifi, book, book-review, books, fantasy, steampunk, steampunk fantasy
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The End of the world is not the Ragnarök
My axe is cold, frost crisscross’s the handle and the fingers that hold it, but the blade is sharp still and blood still flows in he that would wield it.
The Ragnarök is over, we are what remain Continue reading
Posted in amreading, books, fiction, Harvey Duckman, indie, indie writers, pagan, reads, supernatural, writes, writing
Tagged amreading, amwriting, books, fiction, Harvey Duckman, Post Apocalypse School of Teesside, reading, reads, writer, writing
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