Category Archives: rites

Music to write to, Blood on the page

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Mark Hayes

When I write, I write to music. I have mentioned this before…

The music changes, depending on mood, and what I am writing. But in this case this is a post about music with a theme… Continue reading →

Posted in music, rites, writing, writing music | Tagged music, writerslife, writing, writing music | Leave a comment

Quantum Pagan

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Mark Hayes

If there is a god, god is not the ant. God is not forest, or even the multitude of forests. God doesn’t exist on the scale of the infinite. Traditional religion is looking in the wrong place. God isn’t in the infinite, god is in the quantum. Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, big questions, Goth, indie, pagan, rites, steampunk, supernatural | Tagged cyber, Goth, pagan, quantum, quantum pagan, sciencefiction, steampunk, techno-pagan, thoughts, writer | 3 Comments

The Brave and the Odd guest post by PJ Martin

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Folklore and the truth about Kevin the gerbil , but mostly folklore Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, fantasy, fiction, humour, indie novels, indie writers, IndieApril, indiefriday, opinion, reads, rites | Tagged folklore, IndieApril, indiebooks, reads, urbanfantasy, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

Auguries

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Mark Hayes

A storm was coming, dark things on the horizon, a great gnashing of teeth, dogs and cats doing unnatural things together. That sort of thing, nothing specific, just general ominous stuff. But whatever was brewing it wasn’t the Earl Gray… Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, books, dreamlands, fantasy, fiction, horror, humour, indie, indie novels, indie writers, Lovecraft, novels, reads, rites, steampunk, supernatural, writing | Tagged amwriting, amwritingscifi, amwritingsteampunk, books, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

The Guest Runes…

Posted on October 24, 2022 by Mark Hayes

Somehow I have ended up hosting a discussion panel on Runes, there relevance to dark age culture, what the Victorians did with them and the difference between New Age pseudo-mythology and actual historical facts and ancient cultures… This is fascinating stuff. Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, fantasy, fiction, indie, indie writers, opinion, pagan, reads, rites, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, magic, reads, ritual, runes, spirituality, steampunk, supernatural, writer, writerslife | 1 Comment

Wyrd particles and Spooky Runes

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Mark Hayes

A Book review of Wyrd by Kieth Healing. A book on the the concept of the Wyrd and the ancient Anglo Saxon Runic alphabet, its use in divination, as well as the runes connections to the Wyrd. Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, big questions, book reviews, books, druidry, goodreads, indie, indie writers, mental-health, pagan, publication, reads, rites | Tagged books, druidry, druids, magic, new-age, pagan, reads, runes, writing | 5 Comments

Darker Ages

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Mark Hayes

There is an industry around romanticised paganism, its nothing new, it has been going on for decades, indeed more than decades, the Victorians were romanticising Britian’s past two centuries back. But there has been a particular raft of ‘cuddly’ paganism … Continue reading →

Posted in druidry, fantasy, fiction, horror, indie novels, indie writers, pagan, rites, supernatural, Uncategorized, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, darkages, druidry, fantasy, folklore, newreads, pagan, reads, supernatural | 2 Comments

Whitby, Witchcraft, and Goth-boots

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Mark Hayes

Whitby, the north Yorkshire coastal town that’s half fishing village, half haven for everything alternative, strange and draped in black crushed velvet. The once quite little harbour below a cliff top abbey first gained a reputation as something more than … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fantasy, fiction, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, pagan, reads, rites, sci-fi, writes | Tagged amreading, reads, sciencefiction, supernatural, urban fantasy, urbanfantasy, writers, writerslife, writing | 2 Comments

Return of the Hopeless Kickstarter

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Mark Hayes

Its no great secret to any regular reader that I have a certain love for the Island of Hopeless Maine. The fictional collaboration begun by of Nimue and Tom Brown. A collaboration that generously extends to others whom get to … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, books, Canadian steampunk, cthulhu, druidry, fantasy, fiction, humour, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, pointless things of wonderfulness, rites, sci-fi, steampunk | Tagged amreading, amreadingscifi, books, hopeless, kickstarter, reads, steampunk, steampunk fantasy, writing | 1 Comment

The music of type…

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Mark Hayes

“Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!” ~ Bram Stoker Music has always been a big part of my creative life, despite my utter inability to play any of the many guitars I own, or … Continue reading →