Tag Archives: writers

Crafting books…

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Mark Hayes

A wise man probably once said, It’s one thing to write a novel, and quite another to make a book. Which is true, as far as it goes. A novel is a long series of words placed one in front … Continue reading →

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Reviews… The slow-crushing of an authors soul…

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Mark Hayes

One morning, a few months ago when I originally wrote this blog post I woke to three new reviews of my novels, all written by the same reader a close friend who has been promising to do the reviews for … Continue reading →

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The great Lock-down novel…

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Lock-down has, converse to what many of us imagined when it began, been an unproductive time for most writers I know, myself among them. Surprisingly while a lot of writing involves voluntary spurning the rest of humanity to isolate yourself … Continue reading →

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Fiscal realities of publishing… and the pursuit of happiness… 1 year on.

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Mark Hayes

‘If everything you do and everything you are is in pursuit of money, then you are already bankrupt.’       ~ Cake, Ink, Collective. Last year, around this point in time, I published a blog post called Fiscal realities of … Continue reading →

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A dichotomy of cheesecake and boots

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Mark Hayes

As you lovely readers may be aware I am in the middle of writing the third Hannibal Smyth novel ‘A Squid on the shoulder’, which is, I am told, eagerly awaited. But in writing the third Hannibal novel I have … Continue reading →

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Steampunk issues

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Given current events I feel, rightly or wrongly, the need to have a conversation I have meant to have for a while. A conversation about Steampunk, a genre, subculture and in some cases lifestyle choice with which I have a … Continue reading →

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The Subjectivity of Humour

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Mark Hayes

The problem with humour is it is subjective, occasionally some readers do not get a joke, because at the end of the day what one reader is amused by another may not be. My Hannibal Smyth books are somewhat satirical … Continue reading →

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The devil made me do it…

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Mark Hayes

Some would have you believe that audio books are the future… and to an extent they are right, at least for some people. Indeed one of the most common questions I get asked by a certain section of friends and … Continue reading →

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Writing around COVID

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Mark Hayes

The escapism of fiction is essential in our world right now, but for many authors COVID-19 has caused something of a headache. I’m not talking about the closure of bookshops and the postponement of events where we were intending to … Continue reading →

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POV matters… it does

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Mark Hayes

One of the writing issues we encounter most in the manuscripts we receive here at Sixth Element is POV (point of view). Whether from new writers or some of the most experienced published authors, it doesn’t matter… POV is still … Continue reading →

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