In this episode, Mark reads Chapter Three: “Oh, Brother” of his new book ‘The Shadow of The Wolf’ – the sixth book in his The Wolf and The Vampire book series, which focuses on the mother, daughter, wife, werewolf Olivia Hunter – published February 2, 2026.
What’s it about?
Two Wolves Collide.
Sister and brother, Olivia Hunter and Mark Mayweather – separated from one another all their lives – are once again drawn together; however, their reunion does not unfold as they hoped it would, and as a result they find themselves on opposite sides of a life and death struggle that will expose who they are, what they are, and what kind of a werewolf they both are.
And witness the reunification and the reckoning of the relationship of Olivia Hunter and Vega – The Vampire King. Will their love survive the battle being fought beneath The Shadow of The Wolf?
Year after year, century after century, we the people of the world gather together with our family members and with our friends to celebrate that which we share and that which ties us to one another… year after year, especially at the festive time of the year, we the people of Earth look to the faces of whom we have known for so long for clarity about who and what matters the most to us… year after year, at Christmas time, we the people of humanity – no matter where in the world we hail from – find ourselves in places and alongside others who want what everybody wants: to be able to live our lives how, where, and in what fashion we wish – and the freedom to be who we want to be is the enduring hope of all of us who know how precious our time on this planet is… year after year, things change faster than ever before and in ways that we could never have imagined, and each of us have no choice but to ride the tides of the sea of uncertainty as best we can – because to not do so is akin to giving up, but we as a species have never been the giving up type, because we as a worldwide society have always been a gifting collective of individuals who want every generation, and especially the children of the next generation, to not have to be overshadowed by the actions and the ideals of those of previous times who sought to keep the nations of the world divided… year after year, we the people of the world who only want dialogue and understanding between all sides of the diverse spectrum of cultures and countries that exist around the world – though still remain who and what we are – wish nothing more than each and every one of us to not forget what draws us all to one another on a subconscious level of shared awareness and responsibility to protect and preserve who and what made us who and what we are… year after year, Christmas after Christmas, the world shows just how much of life is a constant cycle of repeating patterns that inevitably always lead to the same result; unless and until we are blessed with a revelation and a reminder that we can stop certain things from reoccurring – such as hate, violence, war, and greed – but only if we stop and realize that we must sometimes relegate some things about us that have previously been fundamental to us in the past, because they have been holding us back; that is why, year after year, no matter what I have witnessed around the world and no matter who we have all lost along the way, I am grateful for the people who have given me so much throughout my life, and I remain resolute in my hope that we can stay true to our core human values of decency, respect, honesty, integrity, and family that will hopefully continue to show any who wish to know who and what we truly are to be a world and a people who are willing to be beacons of light when we are needed and who exist in a state best described as being islands of happiness and peace.
“The Return of The Son”, Chapter Eight of the audiobook version of The Return of The Wolf by Mark Hastings, which is now available to purchase from Amazon in hardback and as an ebook.
“The Xmas Factor” is a poem taken from Mark’s 2025 poetry collection ‘The Storyteller‘ – now available to purchase in hardback and as an ebook from Amazon.
No matter what happened in the hours, in the days, and in the months before, at the festive time of the year those of us who are naturally optimistic and altruistic like to immerse ourselves and fully embrace the Christmas spirit and like to spread some Christmas cheer… no matter how hard things may have been, and no matter what has been endured, Christmas time is always when those young and old like to give, and are given, gifts both big and small, both fun and personal, to show how much their presence and their connection to one another matters.
No matter how old we may feel most of the year, at Christmas time everybody can remember what it was like to be a child – especially when they look at the faces of the children who are the next generation and you see their eyes widen and their smiles grow after they unwrap the gifts that they have been given… no matter who someone is, and no matter where someone comes from, it is always nice to be kind to those who don’t have what you have and also to remind people that – though it may appear that we all live very different lives – that does not mean that we aren’t integral to each other’s happiness.
Christmas is more than Christmas trees, Christmas songs, Christmas cards, Christmas crackers, Christmas dinner, Christmas lights, even Christmas presents, because Christmas is about family – and not just the family of our genetic lineage, because “family” can include the family of friends that we have accumulated over the years who have stuck by us no matter what – and that is why we should never forget who we are, and who each and every one of us all around the world are to one another: one, big, human, family – even though some people sometimes need to be reminded of that fact.
There are lots of ways to celebrate… there are lots of ways to make the world a better place to live in for those who you know, and for those who you may never meet… giving the gift of your time matters more than some people might realise – as does the gift of thinking about others before yourself and being the reason that people feel included… there are many reasons to feel grateful for what, and for whom, you have in your life – and some of the most important and indefinable reasons only become apparent when it is the right time of the year and there is a visceral feeling of hopefulness that can be felt, and which lies at the heart of what Christmas is all about.
‘I’ll Meet You At The Lighthouse’, Chapter Seven – “Everything is Illuminated”: 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.
In this episode, Mark recites his poem “Home Movies” from his 2024 poetry collection ‘The Pathfinder’ – which is now available to buy in paperback and as an ebook from Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/aXnSwxa and you can check out more of Mark’s poems at http://MarkThePoet.Me
The sun has gifted me moments to love all my life - from childhood memories of playing in my garden with my sister, to being taken to Disneyland Florida, to riding my bike around my home village over and over again, to kisses with exes, to sitting outside while enjoying the sunshine as I drink something to quench my thirst; however there isn't a day that goes by when I am not reminded that all the time that we are gifted is precious and fleeting, and it is only when we look back on Summer's gone by that we start to realize the world is constantly trying to teach us something important: none of us stay as we are, because who we were and those who we used to know have become a part of the history of our story and they were never meant to be anything other than what they became.
I can still recall memories of people and places, and I can still remember the lasting impressions that I felt at certain times - but because I don't have the same relationships that I used to have with people, and because I have learned more life lessons than I can count from all the errors that I have made over the years, I now feel a certain detachment as I slowly drift further and further away from where I came from, who I used to be, and who I used to believe I knew.
It occurs to me that I did not think about the end of anything when I was younger, because I honestly believed that things would stay the same way forever - and I can only blame myself for having that childish mentality; however, while growing up, I was truly blessed by a loving family, I was given unforgettable experiences, I grew up at a time when we didn't have as much as children have now but somehow I feel as if we had more, and I slowly but surely felt the awakening of the most important, precious, extraordinary, and phenomenal surge of energy, light, and inspiration - something that sometimes feels like a magical and miraculous power that I have always been fated to wield.
There are times when I do wonder what would have happened if fate had had other plans for me; however, when I am sitting and enjoying the sunshine with my family and with those who know me and still love me, it does not take me long to snap back to the present and realize what a gift time with those whom you share an unbreakable connection with transcends everything.
In this episode, Mark recites his poem “Christmas Special” from his 2024 poetry collection ‘The Pathfinder’ – which is now available to buy in paperback and as an ebook from Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/aXnSwxa and you can check out more of Mark’s poems at http://MarkThePoet.Me
Ever since I was young, capturing moments of time with a camera has been important to me and to my family - especially to my amazing Dad: who used to record home movies of us when we used to go on family holidays to Orlando, Florida, in the United States of America... when I was a boy, my Dad used to take photos of us whenever we would go somewhere together - because to my Dad photographs were like memories, and because my Dad loved his family and he loved sharing his life with his adoring wife and his children whenever he would look back upon the joyous instances that he had captured you could see in his eyes what every second with us meant to him.
Children grow up so fast... families change, especially when things happen that are out of their control... no matter how old someone is everybody always daydreams of the past... as we all move from place to place, and as we all meet new people, we all adapt and to wherever we are and we all find ourselves undertaking new roles - and there are always things that we hold on to which always gives us a jolt of nostalgia every time we hold them again: perhaps something that we had forgotten about that feels like the piece of a puzzle which reminds us of something that once meant the world to us.
Family photos are both wonderful - and yet bittersweet reminders of who we were, where we were, and with whom, once upon a time, when things were different... memorable songs are great to hear again - but whenever you hear a certain song playing somewhere, at some time, everybody always has an emotional reaction, and sometimes a particular song can make you think of someone you have lost but also someone whose soul still feels close enough to touch.
The stories of things and people often times outlast and endure beyond those who they are about, because everybody loves to be entertained by the exploits and the adventures of someone whose memory and spirit is indelible and sometimes tangible - and there are times when the image of something or someone can say even more than a thousand words about them could, especially when someone who is a natural storyteller shows what and who meant the most to them through whom they chose to record and to remember whenever they picked up a camera and captured in every second of their home movies.
markthepoet.me 