Life and death were in the ruins. The old cottage was filled with a riot of primal green ferns and stinging nettles. The only bright… The post The Ruins appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingAuthor: Mark A. Rayner
mark a. rayner: Alpha Max won an award for best cover design!
Great news: my latest novel won an IndieReader Discovery Award for the Best Cover Design (fiction)! This is exciting news – I knew I’d found… The post Alpha Max won an award for best cover design! appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: The Paternoster
I was late. I’d arrived in Prague just that week, in 1993, and I was still figuring out how to get around. I thought an… The post The Paternoster appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: The Zipper
Probably the most deranged convergence of chaos theory and existentialism I ever faced was a carnival ride called the “Zipper”. This gas powered, g-force monster… The post The Zipper appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Review: A Time and a Place, or, How I Was Tuckerized
Full disclosure: Joe Mahoney is a friend of mine and we host a podcast together, so I may be a little biased. But let’s start… The post Review: A Time and a Place, or, How I Was Tuckerized appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Protected: The Blue Finger of Fate
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. The post Protected: The Blue Finger of Fate appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Advice for Writers: 15 Cheeky Quotes
Here’s fifteen of my favorite bits of advice for writers, from a collection of writers I admire. You’ll note there’s not a single bit of… The post Advice for Writers: 15 Cheeky Quotes appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Advice for Writers: 15 Cheeky Quotes
Here’s fifteen of my favorite bits of advice for writers, from a collection of writers I admire. You’ll note there’s not a single bit of… The post Advice for Writers: 15 Cheeky Quotes appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Satire and Her Ugly Siblings: Parody, Irony and Sarcasm
One of Hollywood’s most enduring images of satire is of Slim Pickens as Maj. T.J. “King Kong,” cowboy hat in one hand, h-bomb gripped in… The post Satire and Her Ugly Siblings: Parody, Irony and Sarcasm appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: 10 Mind-Blowing Reads About the Multiverse
In a real sense, you could argue that every book is another reality. The best of them certainly feel like self-contained worlds, and when you… The post 10 Mind-Blowing Reads About the Multiverse appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Darkness and its delights
Essay: 3:30 min read “Wait, wait, what are you doing?” “I’m, you know, acting,” I said to my acting professor, Fred Euringer. “No, no, you… The post Darkness and its delights appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Non-Euclidean Emergency Medicine Show
This is a straightforward, if non-Euclidean, scene I cut from my fourth draft of Alpha Max. I thought it was fun, but it didn’t move the plot along much and I was able to cut it down to a couple of sentences in the sixth (and final) draft. You don’t
Continue readingmark a. rayner: What is indie publishing? And should you care?
These are two excellent questions, but if you’re a reader, the second question is the one that really matters the most. Do you need to… The post What is indie publishing? And should you care? appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Three more great reviews of Alpha Max
The great reviews continue to come in for Alpha Max! Naturally, it’s nice for a writer to get positive comments and reviews, but really what… The post Three more great reviews of Alpha Max appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: What is the multiverse?
If you’ve ever gazed up at the stars, knowing that you are only seeing a tiny fraction of our galaxy, and then realized the Milky… The post What is the multiverse? appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Amazing Stories loves Alpha Max
So, once upon a time there was this incredible maniac. He invented stuff like The Isolator and was really into home brewing radio sets. Oh,… The post Amazing Stories loves Alpha Max appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Launch day reviews of Alpha Max
Launch day is always a nail-biting affair. So, in an attempt to keep a skein of control on this thing, I thought I’d list the… The post Launch day reviews of Alpha Max appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a. rayner: Early rave reviews of Alpha Max
Wow, there are some early rave reviews of Alpha Max, which I just have to share! Reedsy Discovery Reedsy Discover has a wonderful and beautifully… The post Early rave reviews of Alpha Max appeared first on mark a. rayner.
Continue readingmark a rayner: Bad Chemicals & Babel Fish: My Favourite Humorous Science Fiction Books
Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. This may be a controversial choice to top a list of humorous science fiction books, but I have… The post Bad Chemicals & Babel Fish: My Favourite Humorous Science Fiction Books appeared first on mark a rayner.
Continue readingmark a rayner: 42: win and wear the ultimate answer!
The ultimate answer in sterling silver form: 42 I thought this would be a cool thing for fans of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy… Continue Reading42: win and wear the ultimate answer! The post 42: win and wear the ultimate answer! appeared first on mark a rayner.
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