Category Archives: opinion

To be brave is to fear…

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Mark Hayes

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration ~ Frank Herbert That little quote from Dune is one of my favourites, and I have on occasion repeated to myself when I faced … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, depression, goodnews, indie, indiewriter, mental-health, opinion, pointless things of wonderfulness, quotes, self-publishing | Tagged mentalhealth, opinion, quotes, selfdoubt, writer, writerslife, writing, writingtips | Leave a comment

Publishing the self…

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Mark Hayes

Opinions, as the saying goes, are like arseholes, everybody’s got one, and some people are closer to theirs than others. As a rule, therefore, I find I only trust the opinions of those who have first proved not to ride … Continue reading →

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News from the Passing Place…

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Mark Hayes

Morn was tending the bar on a lazy afternoon while the piano player played something which would have been a dirge at another time, but seemed remarkably joyful for some reason. Possibly this was to do with the cat which … Continue reading →

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Research and the novelist

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Mark Hayes

On occasion, prospective writers will ask for advice on how to become a better writer. Join any faceache writers group, and you will see a dozen questions of this type a day. Occasionally those asking such questions will even listen … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, indie, indie novels, indiewriter, nanowrimo, novels, opinion, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, amediting, amwritingscifi, nanowrimo, research, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtip, writingtips | Leave a comment

Stocktaking…

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Mark Hayes

March is here, the daffodils have poked their heads out in my garden, winter is tailing off into spring and the anniversary of the death of Caesar looms soon upon us. It is at this time of year, because some … Continue reading →

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King Solomon’s Mines, She, and the imperfect past…

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Mark Hayes

I enjoy a lot of older fiction, fiction that has stood the test of time and still permeates the zeitgeist of modern literature as it’s influence is still felt in modern fiction. This should come as little surprise to anyone, … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, fiction, goodreads, Hannibal Smyth, indie novels, indiewriter, Lovecraft, mythos, novels, opinion, reads, retro book reviews, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged #scifi, novels, reading, reads, reviews, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writing | Leave a comment

SPAGFTT8: Pdf’s and pirates

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Mark Hayes

I’ve not done one of these ‘helpful’ guides for a long while, this one came about because of a bit of a rant on my part (yes I know that’s hard for regular readers to believe, me, rant, never…). A … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, goodreads, indie, indie novels, indiewriter, opinion, rant, self-publishing, writes, writing | Tagged #selfpub, authors, indie, indienovels, nanowrimo, self-publishing, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtip, writingtips | Leave a comment

The Question of Genre…

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Mark Hayes

I got asked a question a day or so ago on my Goodreads authors page As I don’t get asked too many questions on Goodreads (this is the first time ever), I took my time trying to answer it, and … Continue reading →

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Social ‘media’ Issues…

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Mark Hayes

I am, some may be surprised to learn, others less so, a bit rubbish at social media. I try, God *or fictional sky dweller of your choice* knows I try, but I tend to fall down the rabbit hole half … Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, blogging, fiction, goodreads, indie, indie novels, opinion, pointless things of wonderfulness, publication, rant, self-publishing, writes, writing | Tagged #amwriting, #selfpub, publishing, self-publishing, writer, writerslife, writingtips | 2 Comments

Jianna’s fight…

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Mark Hayes

Way back in 2015 a couple of months after I published my first novel I received a message on facebook out of the blue and completely unsolicited asking me if I would be happy to receive an award as ‘Book … Continue reading →