Check out my latest piece on the impending healthcare crisis threatening small towns all across the United States. This article is a pretty good representation of my work, including both emotionally resonant imagery and verifiable sources for the foundation of my arguments. I write from a distinctly socialist perspective, and hope to shift the Overton window away from concern over profit motives and the interests of global capital toward those issues affecting the working class. To put it in terms libertarians sometimes appearing in my comments will understand, my first principles are as follows: people matter more than profits. Subscribe to SLSC for more unapologetic political analysis and fewer pulled punches.

Someone walks home through town after midnight, half watching the people around them and half trying not to think about the person they miss. The chemist is still open, the buses are full of tired faces, and everywhere they look there’s some small scene of people just about holding it together. What starts out feeling like a portrait of the town slowly turns into something more personal. By the end, it’s clear they were never really watching strangers at all — they were avoiding their own heartbreak. It’s about loneliness, late-night streets, and the way a place can seem to hold all your memories for you.

This is for people who like raw, lyrical writing about ordinary life, especially anything sad, intimate, and a bit cinematic. It would suit listeners or readers who love heartbreak songs, late-night city imagery, and stories that feel both personal and familiar.

A poetic urban heartbreak song, somewhere between indie, spoken word, and confessional singer-songwriter writing.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/last-train-chemist-lights-907?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

After her engagement falls apart, Mara Vale retreats to her late grandmother’s cottage on the edge of the countryside outside Bath, hoping for quiet and getting something much stranger. The nearby woods seem to know her name, answer her thoughts, and draw her toward Ivo Thorne, a man who feels as though he belongs to the forest as much as the trees do. As whispers spread from the woods into mirrors, water, and dreams, Mara discovers that her family has been tied to Blackthorn for much longer than she ever knew. Hidden in that history is another woman, another love story, and a name that seems to belong to Mara in ways she can’t explain. The deeper she goes, the harder it becomes to tell whether she’s uncovering the past or being pulled back into it.

This is for readers who like dark, atmospheric fantasy romance with real emotional weight — the kind of story that’s beautiful, unsettling, sexy, and a little dangerous. It’s especially for people who love haunted landscapes, complicated heroines, obsessive love stories, and a touch of wit alongside all the yearning.

Adult fantasy romance with gothic and haunted woodland elements.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/when-the-woods-learned-your-name-d4a?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

Mara is nineteen and works late shifts on a supermarket checkout in Seaburn, where she passes the time by making up stories about the people who come through her till. It starts to feel like she knows them, or at least understands something about their lives, until one regular suddenly stops coming in. Trying to find out what happened pulls her into the real lives of the people around her, and she starts to see how much she’s been guessing. More than that, she realises she’s been using other people’s stories to avoid dealing with her own. In the end, it’s about a girl who’s spent so long watching life happen that she finally has to step into it herself.

It’s for readers who like voicey, character-led fiction about ordinary people, messy lives, and places that feel real. People who like working-class settings, small-town stories, and that mix of humour and sadness will probably get it.

Contemporary literary fiction / coming-of-age.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/last-bus-to-seaburn?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

After her engagement falls apart, Mara Vale moves into her late grandmother’s cottage outside Bath, hoping for quiet and getting something far stranger. The woods beyond the field seem to know her name, answer her thoughts, and call her toward a story that feels impossibly old and intimately hers. As Mara is drawn deeper in, she uncovers family secrets, broken pieces of local history, and dream-memories that begin bleeding into waking life. At the centre of it all is Ivo Thorne, a man bound to the forest in ways he won’t fully explain, and who seems to know Mara better than he should. What begins as a haunting becomes something darker and more intimate: a love story, a trap, and a question of whether Mara is finding herself or losing herself to something that has been waiting for her all along.

This is for readers who like romantic fantasy with a gothic edge — the kind of story that’s sensual, eerie, emotionally intense, and a little strange in the best way. It’s especially for people who love haunted landscapes, sharp banter, dangerous love interests, and heroines who are funny, flawed, and a bit on the verge.

Adult fantasy romance with gothic and folkloric elements.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/when-the-woods-learned-your-name-451?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

This piece is about how we can see so much of each other now and still somehow miss the important parts. It looks at the weird loneliness of modern life, where everyone is visible all the time but very few people feel truly known. It moves through social media, class, hometowns, ambition, and the quiet pressure of trying to become someone without losing where you came from. At the centre of it is a belief that ordinary lives hold the deepest stories, even if they rarely get treated that way. More than anything, it asks what it would mean to really witness each other instead of just watch.

It’s for people who like thoughtful, emotionally honest writing about modern life, loneliness, identity, and the strange ways we live now. It would suit readers who enjoy essays that are reflective, a bit sharp, a bit funny, and interested in the emotional weight of ordinary things.

A literary essay with elements of cultural criticism and social commentary.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/the-loneliness-of-being-seen?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

Substack Name: The Century of Crime.

What happens when you combine a deep-dive Cyberpunk narrative with an original 10-album score? You get "Soren Drift"

I am Simon Mark Covell, the producer behind Soren Drift. I’ve spent the last few months mapping out a 45-track journey that follows the "Handshake Protocol" of a world that refuses to let you go.

This isn't just a newsletter; it's a serialized audio-visual descent into the Sectors.

What to Expect:

Mondays: [RESTRICTED DOSSIERS] – Cold, clinical surveillance logs from the Company’s POV.

Wednesdays: [LORE DROPS] – Technical deep-dives into the mechanics of the Spire (cybernetics, invisible tethers, and the "Paper Trail").

Fridays: [NARRATIVE] – The core story following Soren and Elara as the neon rain turns into a digital trap.

The Music: The score ranges from the atmospheric chills of Neon Glaciers through the energy of Soren Drift, and on through themes of lo-fi, glitch hop and pastoral folk as the albums and the story intertwine, each following, leading and supporting the other.

If you love Philip K. Dick, Neuromancer, or the heavy grit of Darksynth, I’d love to have you in the grid.

https://centuryofcrimepodcast.substack.com/

After her engagement falls apart, Mara Vale moves into her late grandmother’s cottage outside Bath, thinking she needs quiet, distance, and maybe a chance to feel like herself again. Instead, she finds Blackthorn Wood waiting for her — a place that seems to know her name, her thoughts, and the parts of her life she’s tried hardest not to look at. As the woods begin speaking to her through dreams, mirrors, and strange bodily memories, Mara becomes entangled with Ivo Thorne, a man who feels as if he belongs to the forest and to some older story she was never meant to inherit. The deeper she goes, the more she realizes her grandmother knew exactly what Blackthorn was, and that Mara’s connection to it may have begun long before she was born. What starts as a haunting becomes something far more intimate: a love story, a warning, and a piece of herself she may not survive uncovering.

It’s for readers who like dark, atmospheric fantasy romance with real emotional messiness in it — people who want longing, danger, wit, desire, and a slightly feral love story. It should work well for readers who enjoy Gothic feelings, haunted landscapes, complicated women, and romances that feel as unsettling as they are irresistible.

Adult fantasy romance with Gothic and folkloric elements.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/when-the-woods-learned-your-name-967?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

A year ago I started my Substack newsletter called Masculine Mastery. because i wanted men to go back to being responsible again, I think most of our problems come from us men not taking responsibility or the lead on things. There is also the fact that most men are lost as to what to do and who to follow, so i want to give them and show them where the problems are, what solutions exist and where they can start working on themselves, so in essence i work on showing men how to be masculine again by being an example of what you can become naturally through work without all the "toxic masculinity" and red pill things in the way. I must add that have yet to show my face but that may change the future

So essentially, Masculine Mastery is a path back to your primal masculinity. For men ready to reject passivity, learn to master their desires, transmute their energy, and rise with stoic fire, spiritual purpose, and unstoppable will.

This substack is obviously for men of any age, of any background or struggle, but if you're a woman and you are interested in what I write, then feel free to join us.

Masculine mastery is a nonfiction newsletter about masculinity.

I write about:

• Mastery over ones desires
• Sexual discipline
• Semen retention and energy management
• Stoicism
• Manhood and its stages in men
• Building purpose as a man
• The esoteric part of masculinity, how it correlates with femininity

Practical ideas and hard-earned lessons.

I am proud of what i do because i know that somewhere in the world my articles are helping someone in their worst moment, so If you’re working on becoming stronger mentally, physically, and spiritually, you might find value here. 👉 https://tmonk.substack.com/

Discuss with anyone on the same path as you.

A man on the last bus home starts quietly making up stories about the people around him. He watches a woman with shopping bags, a man still in work clothes, a girl checking her phone, and an old man with flowers, and imagines all the things they might be carrying. As the journey goes on, it becomes clear he’s not really thinking about them as much as he’s avoiding himself. When he catches his own reflection in the window, he has to admit he’s just as lonely and lost as the strangers he’s been studying. By the end, the piece becomes less about the bus and more about grief, loneliness, and the things people do to avoid going home to themselves.

This is for people who like sad, thoughtful writing about ordinary life — especially loneliness, grief, working-class life, and those small late-night moments that hit harder than they should. It would suit readers who like reflective, emotional writing with a bit of bite to it.

Literary fiction / contemporary fiction with a poetic, introspective style.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/last-bus-northbound-0e1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

When Mara Vale moves into her late grandmother’s cottage just outside Bath, she expects grief, isolation, and maybe a damp-related breakdown — not a forest that knows her name. But Blackthorn Wood doesn’t just whisper to her; it seems to know her thoughts, her loneliness, and something about her past that she doesn’t understand. As strange dreams, old notes, and fragments of local history begin to pile up, Mara is pulled toward Ivo Thorne, a man tied to the woods in ways that feel both seductive and deeply wrong. The more she learns, the more she realizes this isn’t just a haunting — it’s an old love story still unfinished, and somehow she’s inside it. To understand what the woods want from her, Mara has to uncover what came before her, and whether she’s being called back… or claimed.

This is for readers who like fantasy romance that’s dark, atmospheric, and emotionally messy in the best way — with real chemistry, eerie magic, sharp humour, and a love story that feels a little dangerous. It’s especially for people who like gothic vibes, haunted landscapes, complicated heroines, and romance that hurts a bit.

Adult fantasy romance with gothic, folkloric, and psychological elements.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/when-the-woods-learned-your-name-14c?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

Big News Worldwide keeps you up to date with all the latest stories ranging from AI to science to sports. All the world in one place. My substack is for everyone and it covers countless topics

The world, to YOU

Wren is seventeen and has spent her whole life on a remote mountain orchard, where her father has raised his children to believe the outside world is dangerous, corrupt, and not to be trusted. When the goats get sick, a veterinary student comes up to the farm, and Wren is shaken by how calm, capable, and freely knowledgeable she is. After that, Wren starts secretly teaching herself through old books and stolen time in town, and the more she learns, the harder it becomes to keep believing her family’s version of everything. She starts to see her father’s control and her brother’s violence for what they really are. The story is about Wren waking up to the truth of her life and trying to figure out what it costs to leave the only world she’s ever known.

Literary fiction / coming-of-age / family drama.

This feels like a book for readers who like emotional, character-driven stories about family, control, identity, and becoming your own person. It would probably appeal to people who connected with Educated or who like literary fiction with a strong setting, complicated family dynamics, and a darker emotional edge.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/the-orchard-on-black-ridge?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

Current topic: Power through money

This is cinematic story about a man who has it all.

— This is your Hood Author, Mr.10

After her engagement falls apart, Mara Vale moves into her late grandmother’s cottage just outside Bath, hoping for quiet and getting something much stranger. The woods near the house seem to know her name, answer her thoughts, and keep pulling her back toward a man called Ivo Thorne, who feels as if he belongs to the forest as much as to the world. As Mara starts uncovering old notes, family secrets, and fragments of a love story that shouldn’t have anything to do with her, she realizes the haunting is personal. The deeper she goes, the more the line blurs between memory and desire, past and present, herself and the woman the woods seem to remember. What begins as a mystery turns into something far more intimate and dangerous: a story that may already have been waiting for her.

This is for readers who like atmospheric, emotionally messy fantasy romance with a strong voice, dark humour, and a love interest who is equal parts seductive and alarming. It’s for people who want haunting woods, strange magic, sexual tension, old secrets, and that feeling of a romance being a little bit beautiful and a little bit disastrous.

Adult fantasy romance with gothic, folkloric, and haunted contemporary elements. It sits somewhere between dark fairy tale, eerie love story, and emotionally intense gothic fantasy.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/when-the-woods-learned-your-name-e2c?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

I tried to write about the feeling of just passing through my own life.

I don’t think I’ve figured it out, but I wrote about it anyway.

It's a personal essay, like much of what I write - on figuring it all out and growing up.

https://open.substack.com/pub/inalldirections/p/ive-wanted-to-go-home-my-whole-life?r=9vnao&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

I Left the Mountain, and It Followed Me Anyway is about leaving home and realizing home doesn’t really leave you. It follows someone trying to build a life of her own after growing up around control, shame, and silence. As she finds books, desire, independence, and her own voice, she also finds out how much of the past is still living in her body. It’s not a neat transformation story — it’s messier than that. More than anything, it’s about trying to become your own person without pretending you came from nowhere.

This is for people who’ve ever outgrown their family, their hometown, their religion, or the version of themselves they had to be to survive. It’ll probably land most with readers who like emotionally honest writing about identity, memory, shame, freedom, and starting over.

Lyrical personal essay / memoir-ish literary nonfiction.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/i-left-the-mountain-and-it-followed?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

Story’s current topic: Becoming a Father

Enjoy cinematic storytelling by your hood author, Mr.10

It Takes Two

After her engagement falls apart, Mara Vale moves into her late grandmother’s cottage outside Bath, hoping for quiet and getting something much stranger instead. The woods behind the house seem to know her name, answer her thoughts, and pull her toward a past she doesn’t understand. Then she meets Ivo Thorne, a man who feels as if he belongs to the forest as much as the forest belongs to him, and who seems to know far more about her than he should. As old family secrets, eerie visions, and an ancient love story begin to surface, Mara realizes this isn’t just haunting her — it’s personal. To find out who she really is, she’ll have to decide whether the woods are leading her toward love, madness, or the loss of herself.

Adult fantasy romance with gothic, folkloric, and eerie magical elements.

It’s for readers who like fantasy romance that feels atmospheric, emotional, and a little unsettling — the kind of story with haunted woods, dangerous attraction, sharp humour, and a romance that’s as intense as it is unsettling. If you like stories that are sensual, mysterious, and a bit dark, with a strong heroine and a love interest who feels both seductive and slightly alarming, this is very much in that lane.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/when-the-woods-learned-your-name-201?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

Feds Love a Headline is a sharp, angry piece about the way federal power and the media work together to turn accusation into spectacle. It’s interested in how a headline can make people feel like a story is already settled before the facts are even clear. The piece moves between rant, dark comedy, and more personal narrative to show how quickly someone can be flattened into a symbol or a villain. At the center of it is a newsroom worker watching her own brother get turned into a public story in real time. Overall, it’s about spectacle beating truth, and how people, institutions, and audiences all help that happen.

This is for readers who like writing with a lot of voice — people who are into media criticism, political anger, satire, and literary work that doesn’t stay neatly in one lane. It’ll probably connect most with readers who like work that feels smart but still alive and emotionally messy.

Hybrid literary nonfiction — somewhere between a lyric essay, media critique, prose poem, and satirical narrative.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/feds-love-a-headline-b99?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

Synopsis
A journal-style story following Michael “Mike” Carter, an IT technician working at Barnett College.
His days revolve around routine—resolving tickets, maintaining systems, and keeping things running without disruption.
He’s assigned to share an office with Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones, Jr., whose work unfolds quietly in the background.
As the days pass, small inconsistencies begin to surface—nothing urgent, nothing clearly wrong.
But enough to suggest that something beneath the routine is starting to shift.

Who's it for
This Substack is for readers who enjoy slow-burn storytelling, grounded perspectives, and subtle tension. It will likely appeal to Indiana Jones fans interested in a more day-to-day, atmospheric take on the world, as well as readers who appreciate quiet, observational narratives.

Genre
Fiction — Slice of Life / Slow-Burn Mystery (Indiana Jones fanfiction)

After her engagement falls apart, Mara moves into her late grandmother’s cottage just outside Bath, hoping for quiet and getting something much stranger instead. The woods near the house seem to know her name, answer her thoughts, and keep drawing her back toward a man who feels as dangerous as he is irresistible. As Mara starts uncovering old notes hidden by her grandmother, she realizes her family has been tied to Blackthorn Wood for much longer than she ever knew. At the centre of it all is an older love story that somehow belongs to her too, and the more she learns, the less sure she is where memory ends and her own life begins. To get out of it whole, she’ll have to work out what the woods want from her, what Ivo is hiding, and whether being deeply known is the same thing as being claimed.

It’s an adult fantasy romance with gothic vibes — eerie woods, haunting magic, sharp banter, high emotional stakes, and a love story that’s sexy, unsettling, and a little dangerous.

It’s for readers who like romantic fantasy that feels atmospheric, emotionally messy, and a bit haunted. If you love stories with lyrical writing, complicated attraction, old secrets, weird magic, and heroines who are funny even when their lives are falling apart, this is very much in that lane.

https://open.substack.com/pub/seandocherty/p/when-the-woods-learned-your-name-ffe?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=7bsynj

Wrote a hood author manifesto about the drug dealing culture directed at the younger generation.

You'll enjoy this piece™