Greg Haynes (born Nov. 2nd, 1982) is the author of the “New World” book series, fanfiction writer and youtuber under the name max acorn. Born in Houston, TX, Haynes graduated from Forest Brook high school where he made a small comic book with his best friend title “Dragonball Xtreme”, named after the famous anime “Dragonball Z”. It was in his senior year that he began his small career as a fanfiction author and gained a following both in the Digimon and Pokemon fandoms.

In 2009, he started his youtube channel where he did weekly reviews of professional wrestling under the name “Shintigercurl”. He would appear as a frequent guest on the “Wrestle-cast” weekly podcast and in 2017, was offered a co-host spot on the weekly wrestling comedy show “Riffdown live”.

In the summer of 2017, Haynes gained minor fame when gaming YouTubers “The Game Grumps” read one of his fanfics, “Zelda and Sonic’s Day-out” during on of their playthroughs, gaining a new following among gaming fans.

These days, his channel is more focused on videos about the lore of the table-top board game “Warmachine”, which “New World” takes some inspiration from.

• Where are you from?

I’m from Houston, Tx. Born and Raised.

• Why do you write?

I write because I’ve got a million stories to tell and two hands to tell it.

• What do you write about? 

Mostly fanfiction. But professionally, science fiction and fantasy.

• Do you have a specific writing style?

Hmmm hard to say. When I’m working on my “new world” series, I’d say my style is quirkier. Some have said it reminds them of Doug Adams or Terry Pratchett.

• What are obstacles that come in the way of writing? 

Getting started and finding time to actually work.

• What’s the most memorable thing asked/said by a reader about your work?

Two things that I loved. One was a reviewer who said reading my work got him laid with his girlfriend. The second was when the game grumps read my fanfic on their channel. Got me a lot of fans from it.

• How long have you been writing?

Since about 2000, when I was junior in high school.

• When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?

When I was a kid. Not sure when but I know I had a lot to get out of my head.

• What is your work schedule like when you are writing?

If I’m really into a project, I do it like this: wake up, eat, do some chores, write for a few hours, listen to music, eat lunch, write some more, eat, write one more time and then sleep.

• What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Hmmm probably how I work in unique swears. Like in “new world”, I worked in the word “hells”, since in the book, there are many faiths and thus many hells. 7, in total.

• How long does it take to write a book?

Took me about 3 years to write my first book.

• Do you have suggestions on how to become a better writer?

Just keep writing and keep getting honest feedback from fellow writers.

• What challenges do you come across when writing/creating your story?

Mostly getting how the flow of a story goes. How to get from point A to Point B. I have scenes in my head, and I have to find a way to connect them.

• What do you think makes a good story?

A good balance between interesting characters and a solid story. A story can be bad on a technical level but still have great character and story.

• What does your family think of your writing? 

They are very proud. My nephew loves my book and shares it with his friends at school.

• Do you see writing as a career?

I would like to if I can earn a bit of cash.

• Do you have anything specific you’d like to tell the readers?

If you have a story, write. And when you start writing, don’t stop.

• When did you first consider yourself a writer?

In high school. I wrote a comic book with my best friend. He did the drawings and I wrote the story. I think that was the first time I seriously started writing.