First, I have to confess that I almost titled this blog “Behind the Curtain of Behind the Curtain,” which would have been ridiculous. Second, if you haven’t read “Behind the Curtain,” my newest short story, head over here to read about it or download it here: BehindTheCurtain-NickHayden. Most of what follows…
Today’s my birthday, so I thought I’d give you a present. I’ve been sitting on this short story for a couple months. This seemed as good a time as any to share it with you. My only request is this–if you read it and you find it enjoyable or interesting,…
Whenever I’m confronted with the task of explaining some fact or idea in a straightforward, clear manner, I get a little worried. I’m good at academic essays, but when I want to condense some important but slippery truth, I tend toward fiction. I was reading Pensees by Pascal a few months…
Round and round I spun. Anne clung to me, laughing, her face pressed against my chest. I sped up. Her giggles bubbled up, and her tiny hands clenched my shirt. The room blurred. I stumbled about in a larger circle, nearly losing my balance. I gyroed my way to the…
A glimpse into one reason you don’t see many blogs from me–beside time issues. Not surprisingly, I wrote this a while ago and have been sitting on it for just the right moment…which isn’t coming anytime soon. ~~~ I have trouble pressing the “publish” button. I’m used to writing stories,…
My slow-but-mostly-steady attempt at publicizing The Unremarkable Squire continues on November 9, 12:00-4:00pm, at the Allen County Public Library. Along with other authors, I’ll be present to discuss my book, sign & sell copies, and attempt to appear knowledgeable about all things writing related. I’ll be sharing a table with friend…
NOTE: This story was written in high school and dug up from the archives after this article. It’s posted as-is, except for a few typos I couldn’t help but correct. Enjoy! ~~~ Uh… Welcome ladies and gentlemen… Whoa! Way too formal. I cleared my throat. Have I got a story for…
An observation I’ve made recently: Back in high school, I routinely turned to first person for stories, especially comedic works. I had a knack for exuberant characters. Dialogue was my first strength as a writer, so a rambling first person narrator was pretty much up my alley. (Like my short…
…you’re in luck! Recently, I was interviewed about my new novel The Unremarkable Squire by my friend and fellow writer Nathan Marchand on his vlog, But I Digress…. We talked inspiration for the novel, examined why it took me so long to finish it, read an excerpt, and discussed various other…
The hallway was dark and full of hiding places. The black shadows halted Anne for a moment, but it was crawling out from its lair. She flung herself out of her room, crossed the great void, and smashed into her parent’s bedroom door. She fumbled with the knob. Scooting, scratching…
I’m convinced most novels are a mixture of random, possibly incompatible ideas. Who knows how many different influences I had while conceiving, writing, and editing The Unremarkable Squire? More than I can list or remember. Still, for fun, I thought I’d list some of the allusion/puns/winks contained within the novel that…
All right, time for a bit of promo because there’s lots of neat stuff going on with The Unremarkable Squire, but only for a limited time. First, it’s Barking Rain Press’s anniversary, so there’s a 50% off site-wide discount going on during September. That includes the one and only newly…