Tag Archives: writer

The rules of writing… #1

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Mark Hayes

This is a bit of a rant I know. This is also just my opinion, yours might differ… But if you think any writer should only write that which they personally experience due to their gender, sexuality and skin colour, then yours is an opinion I don’t give much of a damn about, because I believe you are fundamentally wrong Continue reading →

Posted in #amwriting, amreading, amwriting, big questions, humanrights, indiewriter, opinion, quotes, rant, reads, writes, writing | Tagged authors, books, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 2 Comments

Wisdom in word form…

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Mark Hayes

Not done one of these for a while, but I’ve collected quotes for years and occasionally I feel obliged to share a few. We all need a little more wisdom in our life… And some times just need to read … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, big questions, humour, indie writers, quotes, reads, writes | Tagged amreading, quotes, reads, writer | 3 Comments

A special kind of purgatory…

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Mark Hayes

I bought a copy of Barbara Avon’s novella Owl Eyes Motel in a fit of rage spite and with an urge to dress the balance of the universe a little because cretinous arseholes leaving shitty one-star reviews for another human being’s labours of love offends me… Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, book reviews, books, fiction, goodreads, horror, humour, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, opinion, Passing Place, rant, reads, Uncategorized, writes, writing | Tagged bookblog, bookreview, books, horror, reads, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | 2 Comments

NaNoWriMo: Or how to first draft 2022 edition

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Mark Hayes

With the 1st of November a week away here is my usual mildly self-aggrandising of attempting to offer some advice to budding writers, or as it is otherwise known the story of how I wrote my first novel. It is also the story of how I wrote my nineteenth novel. Continue reading →

Posted in amwriting, books, editing, fantasy, fiction, humour, indie, indie writers, indiewriter, nanowrimo, opinion, publication, writes, writing | Tagged nanowrimo, nanowrimo2023, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 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

The Complete Misadventures of Hannibal Smyth

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Mark Hayes

No one who ever dreamed of being a writer dreamed of the day their book was available on Kindle..
When you have the writers dream, you dream of writing and then holding your work in hardback, and any writer who tells you different is a liar. Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, book reviews, books, fantasy, goodreads, Hannibal Smyth, indie novels, indie writers, indiewriter, novels, opinion, Passing Place, pointless things of wonderfulness, publication, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, books, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing | 1 Comment

Another gimlet, please, Ivor. A Guest post from Will Nett

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Mark Hayes

William Nettleton is a fine name. Still a ‘Sir’ in front of it and it brings up images of a big game hunter in the 1800’s with an elephant gun nestled under one arm , smoking a pipe of suspicious … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, goodnews, humour, indie, indie novels, indie writers, opinion, reads | Tagged amreading, amwriting, biography, books, guestposts, humour, reads, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | Leave a comment

Is Steampunk Elitist? A guest Post by Mat McCall

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Mark Hayes

“Why do Steampunks always dress up as wealthy Neo-Victorians? What about the workers and the poor, why don’t Steamers dress up like them?” Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, books, fiction, Harvey Duckman, indie, indie novels, opinion, quotes, rant, reads, sci-fi, steampunk, writes, writing | Tagged amreading, guestposts, opinion, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writerslife, writing | Leave a comment

Talking books…

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Mark Hayes

“Are they available in audio…?” I get asked for the fifth time that day. At which point I start to explain, in my usual fluid, utterly self-confident, and in no way panic-stricken way that unfortunately they are not… I’ll go … Continue reading →

Posted in amreading, amwriting, books, fantasy, fiction, Hannibal Smyth, indie, indie novels, indie writers, novels, opinion, publication, rant, self-publishing, steampunk | Tagged amreading, books, indiereads, newreads, read, reads, sciencefiction, steampunk, writer, writers, writerslife, writing, writingtips | 6 Comments

Numerology and Gargoyles

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Mark Hayes

In the dim distant past, in a more innocent time, before the great pandemic, I was invited to write a story for a new anthology. This was in the Autumn of 2018, before the final draft of the first Hannibal … Continue reading →