Tag Archives: fiction

Oh… you’re just self-published?

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Mark Hayes

Oh… your self published, that’s wonderful, tell me about your book… Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, indie writers, indiewriter, publication, self-publishing, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Maybe, just maybe…

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Mark Hayes

A storm is brewing in the mid Atlantic and the airship Maybe’s Daughter is caught up in the middle of it. Benjamin West is hanging from a cargo net after someone tried to kill him. Eliza Tu-Pa-KA is trying to save the airship, unaware of West’s plight. Meanwhile in a realm beyond the mortal world, the soul of a dead man faces a stark choice.

Hopefully Perkins will put the kettle on before it all goes too far… Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, books, fantasy, Hannibal Smyth, indie novels, indie writers, novels, sci-fi, steampunk | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Not Committing Ritualised Murder

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Mark Hayes

The first bit of news is of a Free anthology. Yes FREE, on kindle and Smashwords and other places. Now normally the moment I talk about a free book I develop a nervous tick because no book is free, it all costs the writers, editors and publishers those most vital of resources, time and energy. Giving books away for free feels like a betrayal of the artist and a betrayal of the art… It is part of the malaise of the industry, because no one truly values that which is free*. However in this case the free anthology was created specifically to be free. It was also, ahem, my idea… Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, books, fantasy, fiction, Harvey Duckman, horror, indie novels, indie writers, rites, sci-fi, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dear Edgar 54 ~ Some Words With a Mummy

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Mark Hayes

What could be more Victorian than desecrating bodily remains and destroying another cultures heritage for the purposes of entertainment… Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, horror, humour, Poe, reads | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dear Edgar 53 ~ The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Mark Hayes

Truth, as the old saying goes, is stranger than fiction. It is also on occasion harder to believe. Fiction has the advantage of the internal logic of the story. Truth has to actually be true, even if that truth is … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, fantasy, Poe, pointless things of wonderfulness, reads, retro book reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Casting Auguries

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Mark Hayes

I have other stories to write, other tales to tell, more blood to shed. These are now told and the blood is ingrained in the pages. Euryale guards her temple, the last survivor climbs the hill, the Men in Dark Tweed are waiting, the final proof of god sits between the light of four stars on a planet called midnight, the book herder waits for the rustle of pages, the Sibel calls her coven to dance around the stone, and Miss Maybe has a most unsuitable suitor. All the while no man waits for the daughter of the sea. Continue reading →

Posted in books, horror, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, urban fantasy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Curse of Amateur Dramatics

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Mark Hayes

Holly Trinity is awake, which never bodes well for the old city. Armageddon may be round the corner. But at least she gets to go to the theater. Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, indie novels, reads, urban fantasy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Publishing Iceberg

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Mark Hayes

Or of all the typos in the world why did you have to walk into mine… Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, indie writers, indiewriter, publication, self-publishing, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Minoan Dreams

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Mark Hayes

a window on humanity soul, our pagan past, and the mythology that is the seed from which we grew. Yes these are modern interpretations and yes the are based on mere fragments, but even so these stories remind us of who we once were, of a common past. Something we all need once in a while. Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, pagan, quantum pagan, reads | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dear Edgar 46 ~ The Premature Burial

Posted on November 28, 2025 by Mark Hayes

In 1844, the second great cholera pandemic (1826 – 1837) had been over for seven years, fear of the disease had not lessoned and minor outbreaks had continued to occur. More importantly perhaps than the minor out breaks that the … Continue reading →

Posted in amediting, Dear Edgar, Goth, horror, reads | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment