Category Archives: books

Steampunk issues

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Given current events I feel, rightly or wrongly, the need to have a conversation I have meant to have for a while. A conversation about Steampunk, a genre, subculture and in some cases lifestyle choice with which I have a … Continue reading →

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Truth in fiction

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Good fiction, good science fiction in particular, explores truth. In the case of good science fiction it often explores an uncomfortable truth by taking a concept and building upon it an extreme example of where that truth might lead. Really … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fiction, goodreads, indie, indie novels, indie writers, novels, opinion, pointless things of wonderfulness, politics, reads, rights, sci-fi, writing | Tagged #scifi, bookreview, books, indie publishing, indienovels, indiewriter, newreads, psycology, reads, reviews, sciencefiction | 5 Comments

Nitschewo : Whatever

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Mark Hayes

If your Russia is as rusty as mine you probably won’t know Nitschewo more or less translates as ‘Whatever’, an expression used throughout these memoirs by both the Russians and the author “You are only a plennie” Wilhelm Max Rose … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, books, goodreads, humanrights, indie, indie writers, indiewriter, opinion, reads | Tagged bookblog, bookreview, books, obsession, reading, reads, reviews | 1 Comment

Indie Friday roundup

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Mark Hayes

You have probably never heard of #IndieFriday . There could be many reasons for this, perhaps you don’t religiously venerate hashtags, for example, though that would seem to be a heresy within the church of the internet…. Perhaps while interested … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, druidry, fantasy, Hannibal Smyth, Harvey Duckman, humour, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiefriday, indiewriter, novels, pagan, reads, sci-fi, steampunk | Tagged art, blogging, blogs, cutebabysloths, goodreads, happiness, humanity, humour, indie publishing, indiebooks, indiefriday, indiewriter, reads, wordpress | 1 Comment

Narrative Complexities…

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Mark Hayes

As is perhaps to be expected when writing a series of novels narratives can become complex. While the central characters may well be there all the time, particularly in the case of a first person narrator, other come and go … Continue reading →

Posted in amediting, amreading, amwriting, books, Esqwiths, Hannibal Smyth, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged #scifi, amwritingsteampunk, Canadian steampunk, narative, sciencefiction, short stories, steampunk, steampunk fantasy, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

A look back at Indie April

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Last month as you may be aware I threw the doors of the passing place wide open to a series of guest posts from indie writers of all kith and kin. The brief i gave them all was simple, write … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, cthulhu, dreamlands, druidry, dystopia, Esqwiths, goodnews, goodreads, Harvey Duckman, indie, indie novels, indie writers, IndieApril, indiewriter, mental-health, opinion, pointless things of wonderfulness, publication, rant, reads, sci-fi, self-publishing, steampunk, supernatural, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, amediting, amreading, amreadingscifi, amwritingscifi, amwritingsteampunk, authors, indie publishing, IndieApril, indiebooks, indienovels, indiewriter, interviews, nanowrimo, scifiscarbrough, self-publishing, short stories, spectulativefiction, spirituality, spooky, steampunk, stories, wisdom, writer, writerslife, writing, writingcommunity, writingtip, writingtips | Leave a comment

The Subjectivity of Humour

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Mark Hayes

The problem with humour is it is subjective, occasionally some readers do not get a joke, because at the end of the day what one reader is amused by another may not be. My Hannibal Smyth books are somewhat satirical … Continue reading →

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A Tantalising Titillation of Tantamount

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Introduction by Mark Todays Indieapril post is an exert from the truly wonderful ‘Tales from Tantamount’ the fictional (we assume and hope in many ways) record of the town of Tantamount By Meredith Debonnaire. This exert is from the original … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, indie, indie novels, indie writers, IndieApril, indiewriter, mythos, novels, opinion, pointless things of wonderfulness, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, supernatural, writes, writing | Tagged humanity, humour, indie publishing, IndieApril, indiebooks, indienovels, indiewriter, reading, reads | 1 Comment

WELCOME TO SINNEPORT

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Mark Hayes

WELCOME TO SINNEPORT Indie April gust post By Nils Nisse Visser, and with a little help from his friends Not long ago I had a rather wordy guest blog on The Passing Place called ‘Creative Osmosis’. I listed a number of … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, Canadian steampunk, fantasy, fiction, indie, indie novels, indie writers, IndieApril, indiewriter, novels, pointless things of wonderfulness, publication, reads, steampunk, supernatural, writes, writing | Tagged books, indie, IndieApril, indiebooks, indiewriter, reads, smugglepunk, steampunk, steampunk fantasy, stories, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 1 Comment

Speculating on Emi…

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Mark Hayes

There is nothing wrong with reading something that is predictable, trite, the average fare, boy meets girl, boy hates girl, girl hates boy, boy argues with girl over a foolish misunderstanding, boy goes and does something foolish, girl realises she … Continue reading →