Category Archives: indiewriter

As days grow lighter… coming things

Posted on December 27, 2024 by Mark Hayes

We have past into winter, and the sun has begun its return and the writer within me is excited for the new year to come. My literary year of 2025 is going to begin early with a new Harvey Duckman … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, fiction, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, publication, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, fantasy, fiction, pagan, reads, science-fiction, sciencefiction, steampunk, witchcraft, writer, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

What’s in a name

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Mark Hayes

I do like a good title. For example ‘The Long Dark Tea Time of the soul’ is one of the finest titles ever devised, despite the fact its is my least favorite Douglas Adams book. Admittedly that is like saying a particular orgasm was your least favorite orgasm. Its still a fucking orgasm, ‘The Long Dark Tea Time of the soul’ is still a fabulous Douglas Adams novel. Its just not quite as brilliant as ‘The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’… Continue reading →

Posted in amediting, amwriting, books, fantasy, Hannibal Smyth, Harvey Duckman, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, reads, self-publishing, steampunk, supernatural, writes, writing | Tagged books, fantasy, fiction, reading, sciencefiction, steampunk, urban fantasy, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

Supporting your local itinerant author

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Mark Hayes

I throw words into the wind and what them swirl around me and hope to catch them again, I am a writer, writing is what I do, occasionally quite well, it defines me in many ways and I believe through my writing I add to the zeitgeist of humanity in positive ways.

But I don’t always believe any of that to be true… Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, amwriting, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, reads, writes, writing | Tagged amwriting, books, creative-writing, fiction, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | 1 Comment

A Gentleman

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Mark Hayes

“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 | Leave a comment

Prose poet

Posted on July 26, 2024 by Mark Hayes

I had one of those conversations the other day with another writer on the subject of poetry. The essence of which was they held the opinion all writers should write poetry, I disagreed as I don’t. Except of course when … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, indiewriter, writes, writing | Tagged poem, poet, poetry, prose, reads, writers, writerslife, writing | 5 Comments

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

Creating books

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Mark Hayes

This is an updated article that I originally wrote in 2020 because the subject keeps coming back around, one way or another. Please bear in mind this is written with some humorous intent, but the advice contained within is meant … Continue reading →

Posted in books, editing, indie writers, indiewriter, self-publishing, writing | Tagged books, self-publishing, selfpub, writers, writerslife, writingtips | Leave a comment

Are you ready for the apocalypse? by Liz Tuckwell

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Introduction by Mark : Elizabeth Tuckwell is a fellow Harvey Duckman writer and the aunt of an old friend of mine. These two things are not connected and we were unaware of the second connection till the old friend read … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, big questions, Harvey Duckman, indie writers, indieoctober, indiewriter, opinion, reads | Tagged amreading, amreadinghorror, enviroment, reads, sciencefiction, writers, writerslife | Leave a comment

The Writers Life : An Honest Conversation

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Mark Hayes

What is success, well for me it is readers, it has always been readers. You have to find your own way to judge your success. But as a community writers need to be more honest with each other. ‘Fake it until you make it’ is all very well except that builds false expectations against which we measure ourselves. And that is damaging. Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, depression, indie writers, indiewriter, opinion, writes, writing | Tagged writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 6 Comments

Strange wonders

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Tales of Sanctimonious cults, another of a strange tower that do not want to be seen. A story of madness and elder gods returning in the Tees valley, a tale of a magician appointed to the court of Victoria Sax-Coberg. The strange statement of a life repeating in waves of twenty-seven, a tale of a wyrd in the western deserts cira 1850, a story with Sigmond Freud in a rowing boat and finally Hannibal Smyth, who is his as reliably honest as ever, while carrying and aspidistra. Continue reading →