Author Archives: Mark Hayes

About Mark Hayes

Writer A messy, complicated sort of entity. Quantum Pagan. Occasional weregoth Knows where his spoon is, do you? #author #steampunk http://linktr.ee/mark_hayes

Friday Things…

Posted on May 3, 2024 by Mark Hayes

‘No matter how short you may be, you are always tall enough to reach the ground.’ Yesterday i voted, I did this despite the fact I was voting for two things I fundamentally disagree with. The first of these was … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | Leave a comment

Harvey’s not dead/Men in Dark Tweed

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Mark Hayes

Over the last several years I have been involved in the Harvey Duckman Anthologies project. First as a writer, occasionally a mentor and then latterly as part of the editorial staff . I have spoken of it here more than … Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, amreading, amwriting, fiction, Hannibal Smyth, Harvey Duckman, indiewriter, men in dark tweed, steampunk | Tagged amreading, book reviews, books, fiction, reads, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 1 Comment

Men in Dark Tweed 8

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Mark Hayes

The Men in Dark Tweed were created on a whim while I was working on my current WIP novel, a Victorian Urban Fantasy entitled ’Lucifer Mandrake and the Hanoverian Proxy’ The new, somewhat nefarious Home Secretary sets up a plain clothes … Continue reading →

Posted in humour, men in dark tweed, Uncategorized | Tagged humour, men in dark tweed, steampunk | Leave a comment

Forgotten forests

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Mark Hayes

The nexus of my identity is not external to me. This was a hard lesson, long to be learned, over many years and to an extent still unlearned. Coming to the realisation that what makes you you, and understanding that … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, books, reads | Tagged amreading, books, pagan, paganism, reads | 3 Comments

Our Lady of the Peat Bog

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Mark Hayes

Our Lady of the Peat Bog* *A short piece inspired by Jessica Law The lady of the Bog does not give out swords, that her sisters job, the one who hangs about in lakes. The lady of the Bog hands … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading | Tagged amreading, childrens books, nature, reads, writers, writerslife | 3 Comments

The Men in Dark Tweed 7

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Mark Hayes

Posted in a cast of several, amreading, humour, men in dark tweed, steampunk | Tagged men in dark tweed, steampunk, writing | Leave a comment

The Men in Dark Tweed 6

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Mark Hayes

Posted in amwriting, books, Hannibal Smyth, men in dark tweed, steampunk | Tagged humour, men in dark tweed, reads, steampunk | Leave a comment

Dear Edgar #18 Blackwood

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Mark Hayes

‘How to Write a Blackwood Article’ and ‘A Predicament’ are two parody’s written by Poe and published in the same edition of the magazine, American Museum. One serves as an introductory piece for the other and in effect they form … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, books, Dear Edgar, Poe, pointless things of wonderfulness | Tagged amreading, Dear Edgar, Edgar Alan Poe, Poe, reads, sciencefiction, writing | Leave a comment

Marrakesh Musings by Will Nett

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Mark Hayes

North Africa. This is not the Africa of Sir William Nettleton III infamously lost explorer and drinker of gin. This is another Africa. The Africa of endless desert dunes and the epicentre of French colonialism. You would be mistaken however … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, Europe, humour, indie writers | Tagged reads, travel, writer, writerslife | Leave a comment

The Maggot of Salamanca

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Mark Hayes

Occasionally while happily writing away, you write yourself into unexpected corners. For example, in my current main work in progress ‘Lucifer Mandrake and the Hanoverian Proxy’, the plot requires a hole in the arcane wards protecting Queen Victoria’s court. As … Continue reading →