books

My book ‘The Wolf and The Vampire’

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Get your copy of my book ‘The Wolf and The Vampire’ – the new collection of my books ‘The Wolf in Me’ (originally published in 2017), ‘The Wolf in You’ (originally published in 2020), and ‘The Wolf in Us’ (originally published in 2022).

When I first began writing ‘The Wolf in You’, I started to imagine that the story that I was telling – starting from ‘The Wolf in Me’ – felt like it could one day become a trilogy of books; however, the more that I wrote, it became clear that I was creating a world of stories that I could expand upon in a variety of ways, and which would all be connected to each other and exist in the same continuity as one another: the supernatural world of werewolves, vampires, ghosts, gods, shape-shifters, and all the other interesting characters that populate many of the stories that I have written.

When I was given the opportunity to republish my books, when it came to republishing my books ‘The Wolf in Me’, ‘The Wolf in You’, and ‘The Wolf in Us’, I thought that this would be a golden opportunity to collect all three books of this trilogy of stories that I had written into one complete volume: ‘The Wolf and The Vampire’.

The books and the stories within ‘The Wolf and The Vampire’ are the tale of Olivia Hunter – a mother, a daughter, a teacher, a lover… a werewolf: the story of someone who has had to live through many different, and sometimes difficult, experiences throughout their life, but who has always overcome whatever, and whomever, they have had to face. This is also the chronicle of Vega – The Vampire King – and their love for Olivia Hunter, and what happened when two worlds collided and were forever intertwined with the destinies of The Wolf and The Vampire.

It gives me great pleasure to once again share the story of Olivia Hunter and Vega – The Vampire King – in this new 500-page hardcover collection, which allows anyone to read and experience the thrilling and epic love story of two supernatural individuals whose relationship and connection to one another would go on to have an impact upon the entire world.

You can get your copy of ‘The Wolf and The Vampire’ from Amazon now!

The Eternal Boy – republished

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Get your copy of the republished version (hardcover version) of my third book, and my third poetry collection, ‘The Eternal Boy’, which was originally published in 2015.

‘The Eternal Boy’ symbolises another step upon my journey as a poet, as a writer, and as an author – as well as me attempting to capture the change and the evolution in myself that I felt I was going through at the time, and also my exploration of some of the many states that we all sometimes have to live through at different and varied stages in our lives.

There are poems within ‘The Eternal Boy’ that I think about all the time, and which I think perfectly capture who I am and who I always want to be.

Get the new hardcover version of ‘The Eternal Boy’ here!

-Mark

My Poem “Sounds and Voices”

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There are some sounds
and there are some voices
that for some reason
always stand out
above all others…
there are some sounds
and there are some voices that,
when we hear them,
are immediately able to transport us
within our minds to a particular place
and to a particular time…
there are some sounds
and there are some voices
that are like music to our ears,
because we can hear within
some sounds and some voices
something akin to magic -
because what we hear
can make us feel something
that we might not have felt before,
or remind us of what we once felt
at a point in our lives that seems
a long time ago, and far away from
where we now finds ourselves…
there are some sounds
and there are some voices
that are so unique and so timeless
that any imitation of them
could never hope to capture
why some sounds and some voices
will resonate in the same way 
that they always will.

Composers have their own way of composing…
musicians have their preferred instrument
and their favourite style of playing…
singers have their own way of singing…
actors have their own method
when they are acting…
artists have their own process
when they are creating…
writers have their own reasons
why they write what they write,
as well as when and where they write -
and most of the time their ideas about
what they write about
seem to come to them
as if from out of nowhere,
as well as being a combination of
both the familiar and the new,
as if being repeated, remixed,
and remade from a different point of view.

Some sounds and some voices
stay with us all our lives…
some sounds and some voices never change,
even as we grow older…
some sounds and some voices
last longer than others
because they have something about them
that says more about their source
that can be definitively described…
some sounds and some voices
we return to time and again
because they fill us with joy,
happiness, hope, echoes of memories,
love, and experiences,
as well as recollections
of times of sadness, loss, grief,
and wishes that we could
return to somewhere,
to once again be with someone,
because we would give anything
to have more time to say
what we wish we had said
when we had the time to say it,
because there are some sounds
and there are some voices
that we could never forget.

I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse – September 10, 2024

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Hi, everyone!

So, I have another book coming out on September 10th, 2024, called “I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse”.

This book and its story has been in the works for almost 10 years – in fact, this story, at least Chapter One, was the first short story I ever wrote. So, why did it take me almost 10 years to finish it? Well, because I thought I had finished it. However, after I returned to this story and its characters, I was compelled to follow the story to a new conclusion and destination that I had not anticipated before.

I will most likely go into further detail closer to the publication date as to what I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse is about – but, for now, I wanted to share my new book’s synopsis and the link to where you can pre-order your copy of the ebook from Amazon.

Both the paperback and hardback versions will be available to order on September 10, 2024 – so watch this space for links to where you can purchase my book physically on Amazon in the coming weeks.

Synopsis:

“The story of two best friends and soulmates, whose love for one another is tested to its limits, and whose one of a kind connection ultimately takes them both on a journey to somewhere beyond the horizon. However, nothing and no one can stop them both from fulfilling their life-long promise to one another: to meet each other at The Lighthouse.”

Pre-order your copy of the ebook version of I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse here: https://amzn.eu/d/05vxwyBB

-Mark

‘The Doorman’ – Hardback and Author’s Preferred Version – Out Now!

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The Hardback and Author’s Preferred Version of my book ‘The Doorman‘ is Out Now on Amazon. This is the first book of mine that has been published as a hardback, and since I recently returned to this book and the story of “The Doorman” in audio-form on my podcast, I decided to iron-out all the creases that may have found themselves within the original paperback and kindle version and release a polished version of it – my Author’s Preferred Version, to be precise. This new version of the book is not that dissimilar from the version I released last year, however this new, improved, and preferred version features a new cover and some minor changes here and there. But, here it is… again: the story of “The Doorman”, Simon Starling, Reader’s World (a real place, I might add), of stories within stories, and lost love. This book and this story is so me – perhaps more so than any of my stories and books that I have had published thus far.

Happy reading! 😊

Short story: “The Man in Blue” (2018) by Mark Hastings

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The complete short story “The Man in Blue” from Mark’s 2018 short-story collection, ‘Playing God’, about a young runaway called Jean, who has been living on the streets for over a year after running away from an abusive home life. Then, one day, Jean meets a mysterious “Man in Black” who wants to give Jean the gift of a new life; however, when the “Man in Black” is confronted by his past, in the form of his powerful father, he is forced to return home – but the “Man in Black” does not plan to stop being who he believes he was always meant to be, doing what he was always meant to do without a fight. ‘Playing God’ is a collection of “Seven stories… Seven perspectives… Seven experiences… about One Man in Black, one Man in White… Seven morality tales of one immortal Rebel, Hero, Friend, Fan, Father, Son, Playing, God”. You can read Mark’s poetry on his website http://MarkThePoet.Me, and you can purchase all of Mark’s books of poetry, short-story anthologies, and novellas on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HjAJMC

Echoes and Reflections: “From Me to Us”

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In this episode, Mark reflects upon his literary journey from his first novel, ‘The Wolf In Me’ to one of his most recent books ‘The Wolf In You’ – essentially the beginning and the end of the main protagonist of the books of his literary world of stories: Olivia Hunter. Mark talks about and compares the experiences of writing a story that eventually becomes a book, which eventually continues into another story in another book, and how, over time, a share story universe can naturally come into being. Mark also talks about the equally valid and yet different experiences of reading a story by an author and listening to a story read by an author, and how rich and informative those experiences can be for readers, listeners, and authors also.

‘VEGA – The Vampire King’ by Mark Hastings – Chapter Eighteen: “Dedication”

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In this episode, Mark recites Chapter Eighteen of his 2021 novel, ‘VEGA – The Vampire King’: “Dedication”. ‘VEGA – The Vampire King ‘ is the prequel/sequel novel to Mark’s novels ‘The Wolf in Me’ and ‘The Wolf In You’ and gives answers to the questions: What it is like to be immortal? What it is like to have lived for centuries? What it is like to be supernatural? What it is like to be from another reality? What tales could be told by someone who has seen the end of one world and the beginning of another? One man has all the answers to those questions, and more: Vega – The Vampire King! You can read Mark’s poetry on his website http://MarkThePoet.Me, and you can purchase all of Mark’s books of poetry, short-story anthologies, and novellas on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HjAJMC

‘VEGA – The Vampire King’ by Mark Hastings – Chapter Ten: “The Vampire Messiah”

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In this episode, Mark recites Chapter Nine of his 2021 novel, ‘VEGA – The Vampire King’: “The Vampire Messiah”. ‘VEGA – The Vampire King ‘ is the prequel/sequel novel to Mark’s novels ‘The Wolf in Me’ and ‘The Wolf In You’ and gives answers to the questions: What it is like to be immortal? What it is like to have lived for centuries? What it is like to be supernatural? What it is like to be from another reality? What tales could be told by someone who has seen the end of one world and the beginning of another? One man has all the answers to those questions, and more: Vega – The Vampire King! You can read Mark’s poetry on his website http://MarkThePoet.Me, and you can purchase all of Mark’s books of poetry, short-story anthologies, and novellas on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HjAJMC

‘The Wolf In You’ by Mark Hastings – audiobook – Chapter Six: “Book Day”

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In this episode, Mark recites Chapter Six of his 2019 novel, ‘The Wolf in You’: “Book Day”. ‘The Wolf in You’ is the sequel novel to Mark’s 2017 novel, ‘The Wolf in Me’, and continues the story of Olivia Hunter – a mother, a teacher, a lover, a werewolf still trying to find a way to walk a line between two different and divergent worlds, who has to fight every day to find the strength to do what must do, and the strength to be who and what she is destined to be. When Olivia Hunter and her daughter, Melissa, begin a new life, in a new house, in a new place, new and dangerous threats reveal themselves from the shadows and push Olivia and the Wolf within her to the limit; however, along the way, Olivia finds a new love in the shape of a mysterious and enigmatic man who is not what he seems, and who himself is fighting a fight for survival. You can read Mark’s poetry on his website http://MarkThePoet.Me, and you can purchase all of Mark’s books of poetry, short-story anthologies, and novellas on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HjAJMC