Tag Archives: steampunk

Monomania et le gothique

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Mark Hayes

If a Gothic tale needs one thing to make it a truly Gothic tale, it needs an antagonist in the grip of a profound monomania. Obsessions and obsessional manias are among of the principle building blocks of gothic literature. Be … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, books, fantasy, Goth, horror, indie, indie novels, indie writers, novels, opinion, Poe, reads | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Breaking Reality in Gloucester by Nimue Brown

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Introduction by Mark Nimue Brown is one of my favourite authors and one of my favourite people. Despite this I invariably mispronounce her name, I’m a bit useless like that, I read a word and how it sounds in my … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, fantasy, fiction, indie novels, indie writers, indieoctober, reads | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Observations… by Roz White

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Mark Hayes

As is my want in October I have opened up the blog to guest posts, in part to encourage those shy retiring beasts writers to leave there shells and case a little light on the thoughts that pass for what … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, fiction, indie writers, indieoctober, steampunk | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Short Review Friday

Posted on October 6, 2023 by Mark Hayes

In a effort to get on top of the list of books I have read, intend to review, but have not reviewed yet pile, here is a short review lacking my normal wittering preamble, you will probably not be disappointed … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, reads, steampunk | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Kraken’s of Venice…

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Mark Hayes

A review of the Clockwork City by Shelley Adina

This is a delightful read, it keeps you turning pages, as it gently moves along, and then makes you turn them as things start to go badly for our two heroines. Because when things go bad, they go down hill quickly. And once that starts happening it hard to put the book down as you care about the characters, which is the real strength of the novel. It makes you care. Continue reading →

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An old beautiful thing and a terrible one

Posted on August 8, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Last weekend I was in Stroud attending their annual steampunk event, doing the author thing and a certain amount of prating about. It was a lot of fun, as such events always are. On this occasion I took with me an old beautiful thing and a terrible one. Well a stack of terrible ones, but lets talk about the old beautiful thing first.. Continue reading →

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Hopeless Recordings

Posted on July 29, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Probably because there was no one competent available I was asked to record the Ominous Folk of Hopeless Maine performance at Rising Steam 2023. So I did… Continue reading →

Posted in music, pagan, steampunk | Tagged , | 2 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 →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, cthulhu, fantasy, fiction, Hannibal Smyth, horror, indie, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, Passing Place, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, supernatural | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Playwriting

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Mark Hayes

So this is me, a writer of novels and short stories who doesn’t perform…

Then for reasons I wrote a play and even more weirdly I performed in it. I’d deny everything, but it was filmed and someone put it on You tube. So enjoy the one and only time I will be caught performing, and my sole and last venture in to Play writing. Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, Lovecraft, mental-health, rites, steampunk | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The battle of the bottle bridge

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Mark Hayes

Originally posted on The Hopeless Vendetta:
By Mark Hayes In the aftermath of broken bottles and stamped on night potatoes no one was entirely sure what had happened. No one even admitted to having been there. The most anyone would…

Posted in amreading, fantasy, fiction, reads, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment