‘The Wolf In You’ by Mark Hastings – audiobook – Chapter Twelve: “Don’t Wake Me Up”

In this episode, Mark recites Chapter Twelve of his 2019 novel, ‘The Wolf in You’: “Don’t Wake Me Up”. ‘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

Happy World Mental Health Day 2023!

In this episode, Mark celebrates World Mental Health Day. World Mental Health Day (10 Oct) is a day to talk about mental health and show everyone that mental health matters. It’s also a day to let people know that it’s okay to ask for help, no matter what you’re going through. Mark talks about some of the personal experiences he has had during his life when his mental health suffered the most. For more information about World Mental Health Day, please check out: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/world-mental-health-day

My Poem “Café Mambo”

When I close my eyes, I can still see
the perfectly unbroken blue sky
and I can still feel the peace
and tranquillity that I felt within
as I sat looking out at the breathtaking view
of the calming and hypnotic waves of the paradise sea...
I can still recall how lucky I felt
to be where I was, with whom I was with,
as we enjoyed the energy
of the moments of stillness -
as we all experienced the sensation
of falling into a trance,
as we listened to the music of the DJ
who seemed to know exactly
what songs to play
and when to play them
and who you could tell from
the smile on their face
knew that they had the best job,
in the best place,
and with one of the best views on Earth
there could ever be...
I can still see the sunlight
sparkling off the spinning mirrored balls...
I can still feel the tender touch of the ocean breeze...
I can still remember what I was thinking
and who I wished were with me,
where I was, so that they, too,
could share what I was feeling with me
that felt more dreamlike
and heavenly than pictures could ever show -
that was what I saw,
that was what I felt,
that was what I can still see
and relive within my mind
when I close my eyes
and I think about my time
on the island of Ibiza,
at the world famous Café Mambo.

‘The Wolf In You’ by Mark Hastings – audiobook – Chapter Eleven: “I had no idea”

In this episode, Mark recites Chapter Eleven of his 2019 novel, ‘The Wolf in You’: “I had no idea”. ‘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

‘The Wolf In You’ by Mark Hastings – audiobook – Chapter Ten: “Where We’re Going”

In this episode, Mark recites Chapter Ten of his 2019 novel, ‘The Wolf in You’: “Where We’re Going”. ‘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

‘The Wolf In You’ by Mark Hastings – audiobook – Chapter Nine: “The Morning After”

In this episode, Mark recites Chapter Nine of his 2019 novel, ‘The Wolf in You’: “The Morning After”. ‘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

‘The Wolf In You’ by Mark Hastings – audiobook – Chapter Eight: “Something Different”

In this episode, Mark recites Chapter Eight of his 2019 novel, ‘The Wolf in You’: “Something Different”. ‘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

‘The Wolf In You’ by Mark Hastings – audiobook – Chapter Seven: “Vega”

In this episode, Mark recites Chapter Seven of his 2019 novel, ‘The Wolf in You’: “Vega”. ‘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

Happy National Poetry Day 2023!

In this episode, Mark celebrates National Poetry Day by reciting a new poem, “The Insight”. Mark also talks about what and who inspired him to become a poet and to write his first poem and what poetry means to him. You can read hundreds of Mark’s poems on his website http://MarkThePoet.Me or by purchasing a copy of one of Mark’s eight poetry collections online from Amazon. And you can listen to hundreds of Mark’s poems on the podcast within an episode of A Poem A Day. Happy National Poetry Day!

My Poem “The Insight”

My father, my mother,
my family, my friends, and I
have shared many amazing
and wonderful gifts of shared experience together -
however, on more than one occasion,
above all the gifts of reciprocation,
the psychic and empathic bond
that I have had with certain people
still continues to thrill me
and to further convince me
that what we think, what we feel,
what we say, what we share
is sometimes inaudible
and only known by those who
we have opened up to
and those who we have
given a part of our soul.

Since I was a child,
I have put my trust in people...
since I was a child,
I have put my faith in fate...
since I was a child,
I have put my heart into a circle
of family who became my world...
since I was a child,
things have changed in some ways -
whereas, in some ways,
some things have remained the same:
one of which being,
I have always preferred
to be early for something 
than to turn up to something,
somewhere, late.

I have always had heightened senses that told me that something was happening
or that something was about to happen
that though it would be out of my hands
whatever it was would have a profound effect on me...
I have always had this gift
to be able to feel what and who
lies beyond the invisible veil
that separates the different versions
of what is called "reality"...
I have always had this instinct about certain things,
even before I knew what they meant -
and I have had experiences
with certain people when we
gave something to each other,
and I know that what we had,
though perhaps short-lived,
meant something at the time.

I have always loved having the secret knowledge
that I could do the seemingly impossible -
that I could go back to the beginning,
relive moments when I was younger,
and revist with the people
who mean the most to me,
as well as return to the places
and to revist the people
I knew from days and relationships gone by,
where, when, and with whom
I am certain I was fated to have known
and to have been given the blessing
of perspective because of
that has only given more power
to my one of a kind insight.

Happy Poetry Day! 😊