Markus, is a character from the Harmon Sueno novel, United, who came to me when I heard about the Pentecostal snake handlers in the Appalachian mountains quoting this verse from the Gospel of Mark, Mark 16:17–18 ‘17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick …
I have various degrees of affiliation with the characters of the books I write. The experience of being the character, occupying their bodies, mind, and spirit is not a unique experience unto me. Many, if not most writers of novels, short stories are granted this gift when they scribe the narratives of their stories. However, for me, this experience …
I just received the pencil sketch of the cover of A Flickering Light Called Fate, by Iho Grace from Amber Coubrough my cover illustrator today. She’s due with her third child, so the effort to get this sketch out is simply heroic. I’m so grateful that she has given me a glimpse of what the cover will look like. There is a …
My whakapapa on my father’s father’s side of the family goes back to Opunake, Te Atiawa (Taranaki Maori Iwi/tribe). I’ve felt that connection flowing through my veins like a persistent warmth for my entire existence in my body, but not as strong as when I came back to Te Ika a Maui in late 2002 from Vancouver, …
In my writing process, I will often take nights, days, and weeks away from a narrative of a novel so it can formulate for me. Holding down a very physical day job means that I’m reluctant to come home and write at night. I wrote Sanctum (2nd edition) in a blur of nights, over months of toiling away as it flowed …
Part of creating the Oho Ake Books publishing and the creative universe was to get as much exposure for the work as possible. Naturally, given the market for ebooks, I would want to find a platform on the internet that would allow me to have the largest distribution across the planet, with numerous retail sellers (not just Amazon …
In 2008 I was told by spirit to make book trailers when such forms of media and marketing were non-existent, or in their fledgling status. The concept of visualising a book synopsis felt more like creating a showreel for feature films or television series. With the help of Preston McNeil at Executive Beige and sound engineer James Jackson, I conceptualised, created, produced, directed, …
The system of planetary control has become overt. What is being played out on a global stage is a fake plandemic, but the consequences felt by the populace are real. The term lockdown in the prison vernacular, is an experience where all prisoners are confined to their cells after a disturbance in the facility. This …
I’m not an imaginist whose craft demands that they are working every day, and sometimes night. I have a full-time job that has nothing to do with the creative universe of Oho Ake Books. When the inspiration comes to me, I am drawn to my keyboards, books, and use the internet to flesh out what it is …
I only have one true literary inspiration. That is Clive Barker. I hungrily devoured his imaginative fiction with a ravenous appetite, and my understanding of how prose and poetry could be amalgamated began to take shape. I was stunned at his use of language, often writing down words that I had never seen written, nor heard spoken …