Category Archives: fiction

Micro Fictions

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Mark Hayes

I don’t like micro fiction. I say this not to denigrate it as entertainment or indeed as an art form. It is simply a personal thing. If pushed as to why I don’t like it then I will admit that … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, dystopia, fantasy, fiction, goodreads, Harvey Duckman, horror, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, opinion, reads, Uncategorized | Tagged amreading, bookblog, books, flashfiction, Harvey Duckman, reads, writerslife, writing | 2 Comments

The Talented Child Dilemma

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Mark Hayes

I’m a little tired and world wherry when it comes to ‘talented child’ stories. This may seem a little harsh, indeed it is, but as the basis for a plot it has been around along time, particularly in fantasy, sciFi … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fantasy, fiction, goodreads, indie, indie novels, indie writers, novels, reads, steampunk, supernatural | Tagged amreading, bookblog, books, reads, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | 6 Comments

The Hydrogen Cigar

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Mark Hayes

‘Helium is a bit of a sticky wicket you see. Had you requested Hydrogen that would have been easy,’ Sir Robert had been informed by his chief science officer. The scientist, whom Sir Robert suspected was a man who would … Continue reading →

Posted in books, fiction, goodreads, Hannibal Smyth, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amwritingsteampunk, fiction, indiereads, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk | Leave a comment

A message from The Sanctimonious Order of the Willing Sacrifice

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Mark Hayes

We, The Sanctimonious Order of the Willing Sacrifice, must regrettably start this annual meeting by apologising, but once again, for the tenth year running, we have failed to secure a year king. While there are of course be those who … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, cthulhu, dreamlands, druidry, fantasy, fiction, goodnews, goodreads, horror, humour, indie, indie writers, indiewriter, mythos, opinion, pagan, pointless things of wonderfulness, rant, reads, rites, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, druids, fantasy, fiction, newreads, pagan, reads, writer, writers | 4 Comments

The Other Elves…

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Mark Hayes

Lord of the Rings, was perhaps the greatest mythological whitewashing job ever undertaken. The works of Old Grandpapa Tolkien drew heavily on Nordic, Germanic and to a lesser extent Celtic mythology, though it changed a great deal in doing so. … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, druidry, Europe, fantasy, fiction, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, mythos, novels, reads, Uncategorized | Tagged amreading, books, darkages, fantasy, indiebooks, reads | 5 Comments

Illuminating observations of the perils of an indiscreet life…

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Mark Hayes

For reasons, that have never been explained to me, at Pudsey (the small town between Leeds and Bradford and somewhat merged into both these days), in the large park behind the swimming pool, just up past the aviary, this is, … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, druidry, fiction, goodreads, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, pirates, reads, steampunk, supernatural, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, childhood, druidry, druids, fantasy, reads, steampunk, steampunk fantasy, writers, writerslife, writing | 5 Comments

Five years of Passing Place

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Mark Hayes

Five years ago my personal favourite of my novels, and the one I will grudgingly admit to being most proud of Passing Place was release. I say grudgingly because all my novels are little slithers of my soul and, excepting … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, big questions, book reviews, books, Esqwiths, fantasy, fiction, goodnews, goodreads, Hannibal Smyth, Harvey Duckman, horror, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, opinion, Passing Place, publication, reads, sci-fi, self-publishing, steampunk, supernatural, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, fantasy, newreads, novels, reads, sciencefiction, speculative fiction, steampunk, urban fantasy, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 1 Comment

Sailing on an Hourglass Sea

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Mark Hayes

Not too long ago I reviewed Mat MaCall’s The Dandelion Farmer. I was I think now perhaps a little too gushing in my praise of the novel, the first of a trilogy of which the second The Hourglass Sea is … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fiction, goodreads, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, publication, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, amreadingscifi, bookreview, books, reading, reads, reviews, sciencefiction, scifi, steampunk, writerslife, writing | 4 Comments

The Craft…

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Mark Hayes

Just to get the obvious apology out of the way, sorry, this post is not about the 1996 cult classic teenage witchcraft movie, it is instead about the craft of writing. Though that said there is a line that can … Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, amediting, amwriting, fiction, humour, indie writers, nanowrimo, quotes, writes, writing | Tagged nanowrimo, quotes, reads, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | Leave a comment

Fact Vs Fiction, by Dr Tamara Clelford

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Mark Hayes

Todays offering on Guest Post Wednesday, the first of a new series of guest posts I’ll probably manage to put out on Thursday’s, is from a fellow Harvey Duckman writer and tapdancing physicist, Tamara Clelford, who’s has one of those … Continue reading →