professional science fiction and dark fantasy writer
I have finally decided I am going to do this for my next big project. I have been interested in this idea for some time. A bit tongue in cheek, but I have called this idea The Great American Hobo Novel for some time. Mostly as a place holder name. I feel there's a lot …
Continue reading "Yes, I am going to write The Great American Hobo Novel"
I had the feeling for sometime my old web page was getting kind of bloated. Way too many pages and too much information crammed on each page made for a difficult reading experience. I have pared it down considerably and now have what I consider relevant and important information for a quick read/perusal. I still …
Okay, it's been a while since an update. It's not like I've been completely lazy. We have a lot of family and personal things going on around here this summer and it has eaten into a lot of my time. I mean, I haven't been camping this summer (much) so that should give you some …
Continue reading "Sorry, but this is not why I write. And I can’t change that."
When I wrote "Alpenglow' I knew I was going to be pushing a boundary or two. Which is fine because that's how I write anyway and that sort of viewpoint always works well in Haxan. I've had several readers remark how this story creeped them out. I can see why and I'd be less than …
Continue reading "Dark Secrets of Blood and Mythical Power in the Streets of Haxan"
As a writer I like all my stories. I would not submit them for publication if I felt they had nothing to give readers. But I have to admit there are some stories that are very important to me for one reason or another. "Fishing the Styx" is such a story. I have always loved …
In the story "Tennessee Waltz" Lisetta Lawrence is the main character. Which is interesting because she was a secondary character from an unpublished novel. But I have know over the years there was more to her story that needed to be told. I am a writer. I talk about writing in this blog all the …
Mark here. The world of Haxan gives me a lot of room to retell stories and do variations. The short story "Wuthering" is such an example. I mean, how many settings lend themselves to a retelling of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights? Well, in my opinion, Haxan does. I had fun writing this story because it …
Continue reading "Wuthering: A vengeful take on Wuthering Heights in the violent world of Haxan"
My new Haxan story "Gepetto's Orphans" has a long lineage. You might say it's as old as the story of Pinocchio himself. Now, truth be told, many stories have been written about a wooden boy who becomes real. But being a dark fantasy writer it's my job to look beyond the ordinary and seek the …
Continue reading "Gepetto’s Orphans: The Emergence of the Lost People Comes to Haxan"
One of the things I have learned in being a writer is measure. Everything must be done in a measured way when you are writing. Even when you are going great guns and your typewriter (or in this day and age your computer) is hot you have to be measured in the way you approach …
Continue reading "Some Personal Thoughts about Writing on Valentine’s Day"
One of the things I like about being a writer is how I can do research about topics that interest me and use that information to generate story ideas. I have always been interested in Viking culture and when I read the Sagas I was taken with the voice used to tell their stories. Being …
Continue reading "The Saga of Ragnar Greenkirtle and the “graskinna” Loki"
I have finally caught up a bit on indie publishing stuff (and other things in life) so I can turn back to the new Haxan novel in progress. I am glad. I was starting to feel I had lost touch with it. I think this can happen if you don't keep looking at a WIP …
Continue reading "Does Going Indie Mean Less Time for Writing?"
Mark here. My story "The Bonebreaker" has a strange germination. It grew out of my first novel Fevreblau in that I cherry-picked a few parts from the book and expanded them into a story. Writers do this a lot in case you didn't know. We write a story about a character and then we might …
Continue reading "Violent Love and Quick Death with a Beautiful AI Construct in Star City, Russia"
I remember when I first began to write the short story "Dead Reckoning" and the challenges I faced. The prompt came from a writing class I was taking at the time. They were talking about an exercise the teacher gave a year or so ago in which he wanted the students to write a scene …
Continue reading "Love, Betrayal,and Recombinant DNA Gone Wrong in Cabo San Lucas"
This morning I did some publishing work. I uploaded a new science fiction/cyberpunk story entitled "Dead Reckoning" to Kindle. I will let you know when the story goes live and give further details for it and Argo Navis Publishing. Last week was a long, stressful week for me for many reasons. I am hoping this …
Continue reading "I am still a writer first…everything else comes second"
I've had a special place in my heart for this story a long time. I like a lot of things about it, especially what I tried to do with the characterization. I am never interested in playing it safe, and this story was my attempt at crossing a line or two, but still with the …
Continue reading "A Very Dark Haxan Story “Alpenglow” has been Released from Argo Navis"
This has been a very busy week for me but a good week. I got a lot done, mostly with Argo Navis, but one thing sticks out. I haven't gotten to work on the novel again. I'm not upset about this turn. I merely note it. I can't do everything at once. I am not …
Continue reading "A Writing Superman…or how I scrambled to get things done before I wigged out"
Tennessee Waltz “Mark Hoover is a writer who never hesitates to go deep, to try to find the core of what it means to be human and take a good hard look. If he has to stare down a nightmare or two along the way, well, that’s just fine.” —Richard Parks, author of the Lord …
My new Haxan story "Wuthering" has been released by Argo Navis. I hope you enjoy the new story! 🙂 Hoover's Haxan stories are a delightful blend of the Western and dark fantasy genres. Once you enter the Haxan universe, you may not be able to leave. —Matthew Pizzolato, editor of The Western Online
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Today I have to work at The Observatory, which is fine because I like that job a lot. But as for my personal life I will be glad when these holidays are over and I can get back on a regular schedule around home. I have let some things lapse because other people have needed …
Hoover's Corner 