Haden's Mill

Haden's Mill are a series of books that begin with a question we've all considered: What if I had chosen differently? What other alternate realities might have unfolded? This book series transforms that universal wondering into something tangible and profound. Each book presents a version of author Haden Snjougla's life as it might have unfolded had he followed a different path—if certain moments of decision had gone another way. They explore the depth and meaning possible within an ordinary life viewed through multiple lenses. A physicist in one book, a family man in another, a solitary thinker in a third—each alternate Haden faces recognizable struggles with work, purpose, relationships, and meaning. The true insight emerges when these alternates are considered together. We begin to see how certain qualities remain consistent across vastly different circumstances, suggesting something essential about identity that transcends specific choices. Meanwhile, other aspects shift dramatically, revealing how deeply context shapes who we become. Written with thoughtful attention to emotional nuance, these books invite you to consider your own alternate paths without regret or fantasy—not to escape your life, but to understand it more fully. They suggest that meaning isn't found in having made the "right" choices, but in how deeply we engage with whatever path we're on.

At its heart, Haden’s Mill is a body of work designed to explore alternate paths in life through storytelling. We can think of it as a conceptual space or framework rather than a single linear narrative. In practical terms, it is a series of books (or novellas) centered around the same protagonist – Haden Snjougla – each book imagining a different trajectory for his life. This means that instead of one definitive biography for Haden, Haden’s Mill presents several, each set in motion by distinct circumstances or decisions. One story might depict Haden if he had pursued one career or lived in one place, while another places him in a contrasting environment or set of relationships.

The name “Haden’s Mill” itself evokes a place where raw materials are transformed – as a mill grinds grain into flour, this project grinds the raw material of one human life into multiple narratives. It’s a fitting metaphor: Haden’s singular existence is put through the mill of imagination and comes out in different forms. These forms are not fanciful escapades detached from reality, but grounded variations of a plausible life. Haden’s Mill as a conceptual space allows all these variations to coexist side by side in the reader’s mind, inviting comparison and contemplation.

We are, in essence, provided with a small personal multiverse – a set of parallel lives that all belong to one man. Through this structure, the work as a whole examines what remains constant in Haden and what changes, depending on the “grist” fed into the mill (the situations, challenges, and choices that differ in each telling).

Importantly, Haden’s Mill is a body of work unified by core ideas and one central character, rather than a sequential saga or a series of adventures. There is no requirement to read these books as one continuous storyline (in fact, they intentionally diverge), nor is Haden consciously traveling between these lives. Instead, each book stands alone as a complete and separate exploration of a life Haden might have lived.