Click here for your FREE ebook: The SPARREW One-Year Anniversary Ebook!
****************************************************
SPARREW ISSUE FORTY-EIGHT
Welcome to the SPARREW Newsletter!
The newsletter for Self-Publishers, Authors, Readers, Reviewers, Editors and Writers!
Welcome to the January 2026 issue of the SPARREW Newsletter! So glad to have you on board!
This is our fourth year of the SPARREW Newsletter! Happy Birthday to us!
And happy 2026!
If you’re like many writers, you probably created a new writing goal for the new year. And if you’re like many writers, you might have flaked on that goal a time or two. I know I did, but it was only because life got busy! But you know what? I may have gotten knocked off track, but I got back on it! And you should too!
Falling behind or not showing up for something doesn’t mean the end of your plans. It’s just a setback. What matters is that you get right back at it as soon as possible!
Missed a day of sending out pitches every day? Get back to it again the next day!
Run into a hurdle with that novel you’re writing? Make a note of it and keep writing the rest of it!
The point is that you do not give up on your goal. Stick to it no matter what.
There are bound to be days when you can’t do what you planned to do in order to meet your writing goal – and that’s okay! There are bound to be days when you’re too sick or too stressed out to write anything at all – and that’s okay! (Take care of YOU first.)
But no matter what happens, get back on track with that writing goal you set for yourself. It doesn’t matter if you miss a day working on your goal or run into barriers that seem impossible to overcome; what matters is that you keep going. Stay on the path you set for yourself in order to achieve your writing goal.
That’s what I did, when I missed a day of working on one of my WIPs. I got busy working on at least one of them the next day!
No matter what kind of barriers you run into, don’t give up on your writing. Don’t give up on your goals. Dust yourself off and try again tomorrow.
We’ve got a great issue for you this month!
I recently connected with author Andrew Johnston on Facebook, not realizing that he was a self-published author! Andrew was kind enough to set aside some time to be interviewed for this newsletter. He shares some great tips and tricks he has picked up in his years as a self-publisher!
You’ll also get to meet author John B. Rosenman. I have known John for several years, having connected with him when I first joined the indie author scene as a new author at Gypsy Shadow Publishing. John is a former GSP author who has continued to write some awesome science fiction novels. Check out my interview with john in the author section to learn all about his new book, Every Breath I Take.
It’s not uncommon for writers to have some other skills up their sleeves. One such writer is Christy Aldridge, who many know to be a cover designer and the owner of Grim Poppy Designs. After coming across several of Christy’s short stories published in various anthologies, I knew I had to learn more about Christy the Writer! Christy was kind enough to set aside time to be interviewed for the writer section of this newsletter.
Jerry Blaze is back with a new article for this issue! In “"New Year’s Resolutions: What Will You Do This Year?" he explores the issue of writers setting a New Year’s resolution!
And guess who else is back with something new for SPARREW? The lovely Carolyn Howard-Johnson was on a sabbatical, but now she’s back and with a great tip about always learning something new, just as she did when she was working on her new book, Word by Word. You won’t want to miss this column!
I hope you enjoy this issue! Feel free to drop me a note or connect with me on social media! I'd love to connect with you!
Enjoy this issue!
New post at Dawn Colclasure’s Blog:
"Reading Books Can Help You Write Books – and Fix Story Problems"
Catch up with me online!
Check out archived issues of the SPARREW Newsletter here:
https://sparrewarchives.blogspot.com/
All current issues will be posted on my website here:
https://www.dmcwriter.com/the-sparrew-newsletter
****************************************************
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!
The SPARREW Newsletter is now a paying publication!
If you have an article you think might fight our needs, please send it our way!
We are interested in articles on the following topics:
Self-Publishing
Authors (interviews, articles promoting new releases, book marketing and promotion, website building and pointers, etc.)
Anything to do with books (analysis, reviews, breakdowns, etc.)
Book Reviewing
Editing and Editors
Writing
Each article should be no more than 2000 words. Must include a headshot and bio with your submission. Payment is $10 through PayPal, on publication. Reprints welcome and you retain all rights to your work. You grant SPARREW Books the right to reprint your article in a future ebook edition as well as the right to promote your article online.
Submit your work to Dawn at DMCWriter@gmail.com with "SPARREW Submission" in the subject line. Please submit your article as a .doc or .docx file. No PDFs. Any articles not relevant to the newsletter will be deleted unread. Please send your best work; articles will be published as-is.
****************************************************
ATTENTION WRITERS OF BOOKS AND ASPIRING AUTHORS!
A new publishing company is in town! This indie press specializes in horror, but it is also open to books in other genres.
Twisted Dreams Press is a brand new independent publisher accepting submissions of short story collections, novelettes, novellas and novels from authors in a variety of genres!
Check out the new website to find out all the details!
Be sure to follow us on our Facebook page and our other social media platforms, which are all easily accessible from our website and Facebook page.
Please like our Facebook page
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our news
****************************************************
MY JANUARY SUBSTACK POSTS:
You Can Either Write or Have an Excuse Not to Write
Make Your Writing Goal Work for You
How to Write When it's Too Painful to Write
REMINDER! Best Practices for Keeping Track of Deadlines
THANK YOU…
Thank you, WritersWeekly, for publishing my article "6 Different Ways to Promote the Same Book" in the January 2, 2026 issue of WritersWeekly!
Thank you, First Chapter Plus Magazine, for publishing my article, "Science Fiction Novels Set on Polluted Planets" in the January 2026 issue! My article is on page 18.
****************************************************
NEW!
Motivational Quote: “If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.”―Jim Rohn
****************************************************
SELF-PUBLISHER CORNER
Self-Publisher Interview with Andrew Johnston
1. What can you tell me about your experience as a writer?
It has been difficult for roughly ten years. I was always worried about what others thought and tried to fit in. I wanted to be traditionally published and still do. I went indie in 2024 and after a year and two months, sold 1,025 books. My biggest concerns now are working on my craft and sales consistency. I have basically become a small business owner. Ultimately, I want to open up an indie bookshop.
2. What made you decide to write a book?
I write books to have a purpose in life. I’ve written each book with the intention to create worlds and inspire more reading. This feels like a good purpose to serve.
3. What circumstances brought you to the decision to self-publish your book?
I was tired of the goal posts being moved. I didn’t want to write what MSWLs wanted and knew if I did, it wouldn’t matter.
4. What has your experience as a self-publisher been like?
It was rough until May of 2025. I went viral, gained followers, and have had several interviews. My two biggest issues have been building an audience and sales consistency.
5. How do you respond to the negative stigma attached to self-publishing and self-published books?
I ignore stigmas and move forward. People will think what they want.
6. What is one very important lesson you have learned as a self-publisher so far?
You have to maintain a positive attitude. You’ll lose yourself in doubt and misery otherwise.
7. What do you know now about self-publishing that you wish you knew at the beginning?
I know why they say publishing is slow and respect it. Rushing will lead to future problems, and I have had more than my share.
8. A lot of authors of self-published books have reservations about promoting and marketing their book. Some even feel that it is a form of vanity or self-importance. What is your opinion about this?
You will never sell books or grow an audience if you do not promote. I am of a similar opinion and sometimes feel it’s why I am ignored online. However, authors need to understand that they are more than creatives. They are small business owners. You don’t pay for a cover, editing, and formatting just to allow your book to collect dust on KDP.
9. How do you promote your books and what form of book promotion has worked the best for you?
I post links with entertaining descriptions. I try to get on podcasts. I will also participate in local events. I reached over one thousand sales doing this and bringing up my books in conversations.
10. What are some other important things you have learned as a self-publisher?
Be consistent, patient, and positive. Write what you want and write more than you do anything else. There is no point in marketing and promoting if you don’t write. Authors need to have a balance, and you can’t have one without any writing.
11. Do you feel that self-publishing is a viable choice for other authors?
It's viable for people who are driven and serious. You are taking on all the responsibility. It becomes no longer viable when you don’t put in the work.
12. How do you feel that self-publishing their books has helped many unknown authors finally get the recognition their books deserve?
Recognition is earned. You cannot receive it just because you wrote a book and put it online. You have to promote, enter contests, engage with people, and put yourself out there. Recognition is earned and received once you have put in the work.
ABOUT ANDREW:
Andrew Johnston is a fantasy author from southwestern Pennsylvania. He is the author of The Scorched Hunter, The Ignited Moon, and The Discarded Knight. Andrew studies history and hangs out with his nephew when not writing. All of his books contain autistic representation as he is on the spectrum. His website is www.authorandrewjohnston.com.
AUTHOR CORNER
Author Interview with John B. Rosenman
1. When did you start writing?
I’ve been writing or making up stories almost all my life. When I was really small, my father used to tell me bedtime stories, and that was one of the influences that started me scribbling. Back then, there were no TVs or computers, so I crawled under the covers at night and listened to The Shadow, Inner Sanctum, and The Fat Man on the radio. Those programs were particularly scary in the dark, and they fired my imagination. I recall drawing cartoon panels with crayons when my fingers were barely large enough to hold them. One cartoon strip – I think it was Mandrake the Magician, featured an ominous character called The Dark One, and I terrorized my family by posting warning notes in the backyard signed The Dark One. In them I warned that if they didn’t obey my commands and leave a dollar on the picnic table, that terrible things would happen to them. Well, that’s a form of writing, isn’t it? You can see that even when I was four, five, or perhaps a bit older, that my dark, creative bent was obvious.
2. What was your journey towards becoming an author like?
Rough and painful, joyful and exultant. But usually, somewhere between those two extremes. When I was forty, I wrote a tell-all novel about my teaching job that my wife warned me not to write, and sure enough, after it was published, it cost me two jobs. I’ve submitted a lot of stories and received a lot of rejections. So far, I’ve published two dozen novels and two hundred short stories, most in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. For a while, I was Chairman of the Board of the Horror Writers Association, and used my contacts with writers to network and promote my fiction.
I’m a pantser and make things up as I go along, and over the years, I have relied heavily on the critiques of fellow writers. For twenty years, I belonged to a writers’ group whose criticisms enabled me to publish dozens of manuscripts. I tend to be relentless and stubborn, so as long as I have faith in a story or novel, I keep submitting it for publication. Do you know, one of my poems, a 13 liner, was rejected 49 times. Did I give up? Nope, never. I licked my wounds and persisted. On the 50th time, I struck paydirt, and for cash, too!
3. What can you tell me about your latest book? (Feel free to include an excerpt.)
Every Breath I Take is the second book in a series. (Check out the series at this link) The first book is A Breath of Fresh Air. They were both inspired by the fact that I have (suffer from) sleep apnea. In the first novel, I gave my protagonist my exact symptoms, which include near-death experiences struggling to breathe as I slept. Then I capitalized on the fact that on an assembly line, once in a million or a billion or a trillion times, something goes seriously wrong or wonderfully different. That’s the case with Mac, Michael’s intelligent sleep apnea machine. Man, it’s the Industrial Revolution on steroids. Much of the rest of the series is fueled by my mistrust of the government. Does it have our best interests at heart? Nah! The Government and its agents relentlessly pursue Michael Windsor and his mechanical sidekick Mac for the psychic and other powers that Mac possesses. Can they escape or will they be caught? And how can they possibly survive?
John B. Rosenman
A Tense Scene From the Novel . . .
Yes, the man seemed authentic and down-to-earth, Michael thought. He could do so much with so little, communicate a whole inward drama with a smile or a twitch of an eyelid. But wasn’t that what a good politician did? He made you believe in him.
Exactly right, Mac agreed. The President is a good politician. It’s how he got to the top of the mountain.
He’s a performer.
Maybe, but Michael was sensing an opportunity. For months, he had run from the Government, from the Feds who wanted to rape him for his gifts. What better remedy was there for him than to go to the supreme leader of that Government, the biggest fish of all, and plead for help? And to do it now before that man sat down to eat?
Michael started forward, only to feel a strong hand grip his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Nat shake his head.
“Don’t do it,” Nat said.
Michael yanked away, hearing Mac repeat Nat’s words.
Don’t do it!
But he had to try when he had the chance, the best chance he might ever have. He had to do it now before the man sat down and began to stuff his face.
Michael took a step toward the President, then another. As he did, he caught something odd out of the corner of his eye, something that didn’t fit. He stopped.
One of the customers had stepped toward the President and raised his hand. Even if the grenade-shaped item he held wasn’t a weapon, it had no business being there because the Feds or Secret Service always removed suspicious objects or potentially dangerous items from people’s pockets in situations that involved the President. Possibly, Michael was mistaken and it was nothing. The Feds just didn’t screw up.
But something in the man’s smile said otherwise.
Maybe there’s two assassins, Mac said. Not just one!
Michael spun and lunged toward the man, seeing his arm go back and come forward to throw the object directly at the President. At the last moment, Michael managed to strike the man’s wrist, deflecting the object and sending it spinning.
An instant later, it exploded, blasting people into the air and filling the terrace with smoke. Michael came down, striking the floor with his head. The last thing he remembered before he passed out was the shrill sound of screams, punctuated by gunshots.
4. What sort of methods do you use for book promotion?
Well, you’re looking at one method. I do interviews. You can find videos of some of them on my website. I also participate in book signings at festivals, writers’ conferences, and bookstores. For example, in three weeks, I will join a writer buddy of mine at Marscon, a science fiction and fantasy conference in Norfolk, VA. Most often, I post ads for my books online – Facebook, Linkedin, X, Nextdoor, and so on. I also have a blog and produce an occasional newsletter. I have to confess, though, that I’m not particularly good at book promotion. There are some methods and opportunities I don’t use much or use at all. But if you get me to talk about my writing, watch out! Once I start, I can talk your ear off.
5. Where do you get your ideas for stories?
Sometimes, I get them from the tiniest of seeds or a mere wisp of an idea. For example, one day the word “dreamfarer” popped into my head. What is a dreamfarer? I wondered. Well, you have seafarer, and wayfarer and starfarer. So . . . why not a dreamfarer who travels in dreams and has exciting adventures? From that miniscule germ I concocted a dystopian, three-book, post-World War III world where people are placed into dream machines and have the dreams of their precise choice when they turn thirty-two. My current two-novel series was inspired only by the fact that I have sleep apnea. Often the source of my inspiration is as insubstantial as a shadow. Other times, it may be prompted by something more tangible, such as an editor’s invitation to an anthology. This is the case, for example, with the two stories I published in the Weird Western collection, Something Wicked This Way Rides, published by Dark Owl Publishing, LLC.
6. What are you working on right now?
Sadly, I’m not. I’m 84 years old and appear to be running out of ideas. Perhaps your readers can suggest something. Wait. Something’s coming . . . A man finds a deluxe, gaudy, gift-wrapped Idea Machine. The only problem is, it’s locked, and he doesn’t have the combination. What can he do?
7. Any advice for other authors?
Read, read, read the best as well as the worst so you can tell the difference and are also well-read. Read widely, not just in the genres or subjects you like but in areas you may even dislike or see as irrelevant.
Write, write, write, and take a few courses or workshops in creative writing. Join a good, critique-oriented writers’ group and get constructive criticism. Avoid groups whose members praise each other too much and pat their pals’ backs. Even if it hurts and bruises your sensitive ego, seek out honest and perceptive criticism and learn to critique yourself.
Finally, get out into the world a little and live! Collect experiences that will deepen your wisdom and enrich your writing.
ABOUT JOHN:
John was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1941 and has been married to his wife Jane since 1967. They have two children, Lori and David. In 1970, John received his Ph.D. in English from Kent State University. From 1982 to 2011, he was an English professor at Norfolk State University where he designed and taught a course in how to write science fiction and fantasy. He is a former Chairman of the Board of the Horror Writers Association and has published 200 stories in places such as Weird Tales, Whitley Strieber’s Aliens, Fangoria, Galaxy, Endless Apocalypse, The Age of Wonders, and the Hot Blood erotic horror series. John has published two dozen books, including Sci-Fi action-adventure novels such as Beyond Those Distant Stars, Speaker of the Shakk, A Senseless Act of Beauty, Alien Dreams, and the Inspector of the Cross series (Crossroad Press). He also published a four-book box set, The Amazing Worlds of John B. Rosenman (MuseItUp Publishing). In addition, he has published two mainstream novels, The Best Laugh Last (McPherson & Company) and the Young Adult The Merry-Go-Round Man (Crossroad Press). Recently, he published the Dreamfarer trilogy with Mystique Press. It consists of Dreamfarer, Go East, Young Man, and Dreamchaser. A personal note: John has sleep apnea, and his health condition inspired A Breath of Fresh Air and Every Breath I Take, published by Mystique Press.
AUTHOR NEWS:
"What Should Poets and Poetry Publishers Do After a Book Wins an Award?" by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
via Greetings from Greenwich Village!
"What Should Poets and Poetry Publishers Do After a Book Wins an Award? Part 2" by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
via Greetings from Greenwich Village!
"What Should Poets and Poetry Publishers Do After a Book Wins an Award? Part 3" by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
via Greetings from Greenwich Village!
"The New Rules of Book Publicity" by Anne Robertson
via Writers In The Storm
"The Pros and Cons of Launching a Book Without a Publicist" by Heather Sweeney
via Jane Friedman
REVIEWER CORNER
My Reviews:
Dawn Reviews Books:
Rebellions in Space: The Dominion series is a trilogy of a galactic uprising against tyranny
Reader Views:
“You Are a Strategist” by Sara Lobkovich
“Analog Synthesis” by Christopher Fried
“The Human Beneath the Hero” by Jeann Hardcastle
“And Now, Back to Me” by Rita Lussier
“Piece by Piece” by Sheryl Hauk
“The Body Can Tolerate” by Loria Mendoza
“Matthew’s Journey” by William Joseph Birrell
“Love, Life and Mother Nature” by James C. Glassford
“From Steam to Silicon” by Anonymous
“Dazzling of Birth” by Stewart Addington Saint-David
Other Book Reviews:
Enter the Magic of Roshani Chokshi’s Latest YA, “The Swan’s Daughter” by Kiersten Bjork
“Laura Dave Delivers Another Unputdownable Thriller” by Kristin Keaton
“The Making of a Visionary in “The Architect of New York”” by Natalia Kavale
““Bad Baby” Launches a High-Octane New Thriller Series” by José H. Bográn
“Colleen Hoover’s “Woman Down” Is a Thrilling Descent Into Desire and Consequence” by Krista Beggan
“Grief, Sisterhood and the Quiet Power of Rosie Storey’s “Dandelion Is Dead”” by Sunday Juliet Adaku
“Scott Eyman’s “Joan Crawford” and the Making of a Hollywood Legend” by Linda Hitchcock
“A Glamorous Facade Cracks in Alyssa Sheinmel’s Chilling Mystery” by Michael Ferry
"Epeolatry Book Review: Blood in the Bricks, ed. Neil Williamson" by Dianna Sinovic
"Epeolatry Book Review: Sonic The Hedgehog: On the Go Volume One by Ian Flynn" by Lucas Dantes
"Epeolatry Book Review: Writhe by Abby Vail" by Joseph Pietris
"Epeolatry Book Review: Pyres by Kev Harrison" by Joseph Pietris
Book Review: Phantasma by Kaylie Smith (Wicked Games Book 1)
Book Review: The Blackened Blade by Isla Davon (Blackened Blade Book 1)
Book Review: How to Fake it with a Fae by Amy Boyles (Seven Suitors for Seven Witches Book 1)
Book Review: Phantom by H. D. Carlton
Book Review: Black Friday by James Kaine
Book Review: Aaron's Mate by Abigail Raines (The Quinton Shifters Book 1)
Book Review: A Sovereign’s Scorn by Luke W. Logan (Dragon's Dilemma Book 1)
Book Review: Dungeon Incursions by Adam Bright (Dungeon Incursions Book 1)
Book Review: Sucker Punch by Alta Hensley (The Riot Crew Book 1)
“Escape the Writer’s Web” by Colleen M. Story
“Longevity for the Lazy” by Dr. Richard Malish
“Solitary Walker” by N.J. Mastro
“The Witch Behind the Washbasin” (Vol 2) by Genevieve Carroll
“The Road Unveiled” by Tim Bishop
“Blue Door Café” by Kate Butler
“Nebulous Vertigo” by Belle Ling
“Nali’s Wager” by Virgil C. Jones, III
“The Burin Girl” by Kathy McWilliam
“The Blues and Billie Armstrong” by Roy Dufrain, Jr.
“Two Crowns, Three Blades” by Robert A. Walker
“The Exemplar” by Josh Chetwynd
“Prop and Friends: Paula Parks the Pelican” by Emeka Enu
“Holy Denver” by Florence Wetzel
“The Third Estate” by D.R. Berlin
“Must: Becoming the Person You Are Meant to Be” by Stephen Rue
“Nhaka Yenyu: Your Inheritance” by Patrick Makokoro
“Permission to Be You” by Alaina Love
“Voices Within” by Lana Stasek
“Her Inconvenient Elegy” by Rita Hanner-Ward
“Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams” by Jim Cross & Jim Millman
“The Great Dane” by Suanne Laqueur
“All the World’s a Stage… and I got crappy seats” by C.S. Fitzhugh
“Whiz Kid” by Joel Burcat & David S. Burcat
“Worry’s Whispers” by Mia Mason
“Prophets of War” by Jack Brown
“Sací Kids: The Magic of Red” by Pamella A. Russell
“The Conductor” by James A. Hillebrecht
“Loving Remains” by Esmeralda Stone
“Death by Decent Society” by Malcolm J Wardlaw
“Sham Shamus” by Charlotte Stuart
“Reflections of Her” by Lesha Fite
“Life and How to Live It : Near Wild Heaven” by Chaz Holesworth
“Pippin’s Night-time Adventure” by Julia Seaborn
“When Will I Sea You Again?” by Brandi Card
“Kellie Koala” by Lizabeth Flood
“Letter to Home from the Sandbox” by Scott G.A. Metcalf
“The Prisoner of Venice” by Rich Meyrick
“Dockside Secrets” by Terry Overton
“You Are SUPER, Penny!” by Candace Laskowski
“White Jasmines” by Hasti Saadi
“The Tail That Told the Truth” by Jory Perry
“The Seer” by Raquel Y. Levitt
“The Banana from Space” by Olga Podoprigora
“Sunrise Undefeated” by Jim Mahler
“A Boy with a Torn Shirt” by Diane Green
“The Wise Marie, Paradise Edition” by Natasha Brune
“The Buddha Transformation” by St. Emilia
“The Voice I Couldn’t Ignore” by Johanna Frank
“The Long Fire Season” by Garry Rogers
“An Unrealistic Life” by Elena Hiatt Houlihan
“One Last Dance” by Mardo Williams
“Dear G_d: A Conversation with G_d While on the Road to Recovery” by Nancy W.
“Breaking Even” by Morty Mittenthal
“Ali-Poo and Bella-Roo Go to the Zoo!” by Robert Joseph
“The Healing of Flynn” by Charles Buday
“The Cherayroos” by S.P. Doran
“Osiris Rising” by Milos Davidovic
“Finding Foxtale Forest” by Madeleine Hewitt
“It’s Not All Love and Light” by Samatha Carter
“Die-Hard Atheist” by Louisa Peck
“Unicorns Can Be Deadly” by Charlotte Stuart
“Fox in the Footlights” by E.F. Winters
“America’s Lifeline for Better Health” by Bala Kumar
“180°- Big Picture, Small Details” by Tudor Matei
“Something’s Fishy!” by Dr. Mark Morgan
“The Healer’s Daughter” by Myriana Merkovic
“Game’s Got Girls, Girl’s Got Game!” by Bryant Hill
“The Impossible Paper” by A.D. Burns
“What the Fire Left Behind” by Malcolm K. Rowe
“The Ascent” by Christopher Walker
“Grumpy Gnome” by Peter Wiholm
“The Perfect One” by Shelly M. Patel
“Bodega Botanica Tales: Carmen” by Maria Rodriguez Bross
“The Destiny of Our Stars” by Greta McNeill-Moretti
“Layered Leadership” by Lawrence R. Armstrong
“Restitution” by Tamar Shapiro
“Questions God Asks” by Bryan Kevin Dunham
“Letters from the Sand” by Scott B.A. Metcalf
“A Taste of Kindness” by Brionna Middlebrooks
“The Matryoshka Murders” by Kay Williams & Eileen Wyman
“Heavy Weight of Darkness” by JM Erickson
“Soul Can You” by Lisa Gilbert, MD
“Between Tungsten & Gold” by Taryn Skipper
“Wagon of Worries” by Ruthie Godfrey
“Out of the Night Came She” by Patrick Shannon
“Drop Dead Cadillac” by Gabriel F.W. Koch
“The Red Light” by Brandon Pawlicki
“Journey Beyond the Veil” by Wanda W. Jerome
“Alice Ball Finds a Cure” by Michele Oglesby
“Für Elise” by Mark Splitstone
“But One Reply” by Robert L. Decker
“Looked Down Upon” by Jordan Lopez
“Right Prayers for Now Times” by Camille A. Sprauve
“The Scott Boys” by S. Scott Anderson
“The Home Within” by Nina Aziz Justin
01/06/2026 Guest Review from Craig Brownlie!
01/08/2026 Guest Review from Craig Brownlie!
01/12/2026 Guest Review from Craig Brownlie!
01/16/2026 — Warn’s Wrap-Up: NEVER BE LONELY AGAIN by Carietta Dorsch
01/17/2026 - Danielle's Dark Corners
01/19/2026 Guest Review from Craig Brownlie
01/20/2026 Guest Review from Tamika Thompson: COVEN OF THE EAST
Extra Book Reviews:
Book Review: "Alakazam" by Mia Dalia
via Lachlan's Book Reviews
My Two Cents (Book Review): THE STATION MASTER by Desiree Horton
via S.E. Howard Blog
A Review of Absolute Flash: Of Two Worlds
via Book Reviews and Articles from H.W Johnston
via The Guardian
Calls for Reviews
I’d love to find reviewers for my books! Contact me at DMCWriter@gmail.com if interested.
READER CORNER
BOOK BLOGS:
NEW IN BOOKS:
"The Unexpected Benefits of Reading at Random" by Elspeth Wilson
via Literary Hub
"Invasions! Part 1" by Elana Gomel
via A Guide to Unreality
"Polyamory, regrets and revenge: changing the story on infidelity" by Erin Somers
via The Guardian
via The Guardian
NEW BOOKS
Sandra Cox
Genre: Western Romance
Rebecca Griffiths
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Stefan Merrill Block
Category: Biography & Memoir
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage
Belle Burden
Category: Biography & Memoir
The Windsor Legacy: A Royal Dynasty of Secrets, Scandal, and Survival
Robert Jobson
Category: Biography & Autobiography
Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy
Chris Duffy
Category: Self-Improvement and Inspiration
Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He Built
Gayle Feldman
Category: Arts & Entertainment Biographies & Memoirs
Always Carry Salt: A Memoir of Preserving Language and Culture
Samantha Ellis
Category: Language Arts & Disciplines
What Do You Do When You're Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle
Jonathan Bernstein
Category: Biography& Autobiography
Being Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History
by Andrew Burstein
Category: History
On Fire for God: Fear, Shame, Poverty, and the Making of the Christian Right - a Personal History
by Josiah Hesse
Category: Biography & Memoir
An Introduction to General Relativity and Cosmology: Theory, Observations, and Applications
Steven A. Balbus
Category: Physics & Astronomy
When Worlds Quake: The Quest to Understand the Interior of Earth and Beyond
Hrvoje Tkalčić
Category: Earth Science
Dynamics and Astrophysics of Galaxies
Jo Bovy
Category: Physics & Astronomy
A Veritable Household Pet: A Horror Novel
Viggy Parr Hampton
Genre: Horror
Written by Jean-Baptiste Andrea, Translated by Frank Wynne
Genre: Literary Fiction
Xiaolu Guo
Genre: Coming-Of-Age Fiction
Paula McLain
Genre: Historical Fiction
Max Allan Collins
Genre: Mystery/Noir
The Murder at World's End (Stockingham & Pike #1)
Ross Montgomery
Genre: Mystery & Detective
Katie Bernet
Genre: YA Thriller & Suspense
Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Thriller
Digital Inc.: From Print to E-Book-Inside the Transformation of the Book Industry
Richard Curtis
Category: Economic History
Your snake ate my snake: some uncollected love letters
Justin Lacour
Category: Poetry Collection
V.J. Randle
Genre: Murder Mystery
Natasha Madison
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Jocelyn Dexter
Genre: Psychological Thriller
By Various Authors
Genre: Anthology
By Various Authors
Genre: Anthology
Cool Dork: The Joy of Being Bipolar and Aspie
Jessica Harman
Category: Short Story Collection
Rosie Storey
Genre: Women's Fiction
The Magic of Untamed Hearts (Wild Magic #3)
Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Agri Ismaïl
Genre: Political Fiction
Kathleen Boland
Genre: Women's Fiction
Vanessa Lawrence
Genre: Women's Fiction
Sara Levine
Genre: Literary Fiction
Karl Ove Knausgaard
Genre: Literary Fiction
The Bookbinder's Secret: A Novel
A. D. Bell
Genre: Historical Fiction
Divine Ruin (A Sister Holiday Mystery, #3)
Margot Douaihy
Genre: Mystery
Carolyn Newton
Genre: Historical Drama
Nick Roberts
Genre: Horror
Caught In The Web - A Dark Web Horror Anthology
By Various Authors
Genre: Anthology
David Guterson
Genre: Literary Fiction
Lynn Cullen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Gabriel Tallent
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rebecca Wait
Genre: Coming-Of-Age Fiction
Larissa Pham
Genre: Literary Fiction
Written by Brenda Navarro, Translated by Megan McDowell
Genre: Literary Fiction
Jennette McCurdy
Genre: Women's Fiction
Written by Fausta Cialente, Translated from the Italian by Julia Nelsen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Malcolm Kempt
Genre: Crime Fiction
Maria Ingrande Mora
Genre: YA Fantasy
Nancy Savage
Genre: Contemporary Suspense
R.A. Clarke
Genre: Fiction
Upside-Down Love: A Memoir in Two Voices
Sari Bashi
Category: Memoir
Rickey Rivers Jr
Genre: Flash Fiction Collection
Gerald Yelle
Genre: Fiction Collection
Deepa Anappara
Genre: Historical Fiction
Candace Robb
Genre: Mystery
A Blackened Heart, A Blackened Soul
John Ward
Genre: Horror
The Eddie Poe Adventures: The Jungle Book
Joe Mynhardt
Genre: Children's Horror
Steven Pajak
Genre: Horror
Demigod of the Deep (Book Three in the Office of Supernatural Directives)
Russell James
Genre: Supernatural Historical Fiction
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Revenge (Jason Bourne Book 22)
Brian Freeman
Genre: Suspense and Thriller
James Patterson and Adam Hamdy
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Simone St. James
Genre: Suspense & Thriller
Wildwood: A Novel (Book 2 in the Northwoods series)
Amy Pease
Genre: Crime Thriller
The Viper (A Zig & Nola Novel) (Escape Artist Book 3)
Brad Meltzer
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Matthew Quirk
Genre: Thriller
First Do No Harm: A Lydia Chin/Bill Smith Mystery
S. J. Rozan
Genre: Mystery & Detective
It Should Have Been You: A Novel
Andrea Mara
Genre: Suspense & Thriller
The Secret Sharers (An Inspector Chen Mystery Book 14)
Qiu Xiaolong
Genre: Police Procedural
The Song Remains: Led Zeppelin-inspired poems
B F Jones
Category: Poetry Collection
Written & illustrated by Natalia Shaloshvili, Translated from Russian by Lena Traer
Genre: Children's Book
CL Bledsoe
Genre: Fiction
Clare Thompson
Genre: Murder Mystery
Through A Spyglass Darkly (The Adventures of Jehanne Dark Book 1)
G. Scott Huggins
Genre: Fantasy
Neptune's Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire
Julian Sancton
Category: European World History
Eve MacDonald
Category: Ancient History
The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy
Susan Wise Bauer
Category: History
The Einstein Vendetta: Hitler, Mussolini, and a True Story of Murder
Thomas Harding
Category: History
The Great Resistance: The 400-Year Fight to End Slavery in the Americas
Carrie Gibson
Category: Slavery
The Warhead: The Quest to Build the Perfect Weapon in the Age of Modern Warfare
Jeffrey E. Stern
Category: 20th Century U.S. History
Worlds of Islam: A Global History
James McDougall
Category: History
The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s
Jason Burke
Category: World History
Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World
Jane Ziegelman
Category: History
Advance Britannia: The Epic Story of the Second World War, 1942-1945
Alan Allport
Category: World War II Military History
Matthew F. Delmont
Category: Military History
Futures: Short Science Fiction Stories
Eric Fromley
Genre: Story Collection
Redemption at Christmas: Piper Falls Christmas Series
Claire Davon
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Close To Evil (A Kari Blackhorse Mystery, Book #8)
Blake Pierce
Genre: Mystery
Jealous Rage (Monsters Within, Book 2)
Sav R. Miller
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Once Vanished (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book #23)
Blake Pierce
Genre: Mystery
Go Away (A Kate Valentine Mystery, Book #4)
Blake Pierce
Genre: Mystery
Rick Partlow
Genre: Science Fiction
Elves vs. Aliens: Omnibus 3 : Parts 9-12
M.A Ray and Michelle John
Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy
ABOUT REVENGE (Book Two of ABOUT RAGE)
Erin Banks
Genre: Crime Fiction
by J.N. Chaney and Rick Partlow
Genre: Science Fiction
Rebecca Rowland
Genre: Horror
Russell James
Genre: Thriller & Suspense
So Ruthless (A Faith Bold Mystery—Book #27)
Blake Pierce
Genre: Mystery
Ben Farthing and KH Johnakin
Genre: Horror
Jacob Shea (The Unadjusteds Book 11)
Marisa Noelle
Genre: Coming of Age Sci-fi Dystopian Action Adventure
Heir Apparent (House of Gray Book 2)
Isabel Campbell
Genre: Paranormal and Urban Fantasy
Book Pages & Murder Wages: A Lila Bennett Cozy Mystery (Mysteries of Mount Pleasant Book 4)
Audrey Alden
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Donna Everhart
Genre: Historical Fiction
Sara Stridsberg
Genre: Literary Fiction
Maggie Horne
Genre: YA
Aoife Josie Clements
Genre: LGBT Horror
The Seven Daughters of Dupree: A Novel
Nikesha Elise Williams
Genre: Literary Fiction
George Saunders
Genre: Literary Horror
A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing: A Novel
Alice Evelyn Yang
Genre: Literary Fiction
The Case of the Murdered Muckraker (Harriet Morrow Investigates #2)
Rob Osler
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Sparking Fire Out of Fate (Forging Silver into Stars #3)
Brigid Kemmerer
Genre: YA Fantasy
The Hour of the Wolf: A Memoir
Fatima Bhutto
Category: Memoir
John Sara
Category: Horror Poetry Collection
Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises
Katie Benner & Erica L. Green
Category: Politics & Social Sciences
American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate
Eric Lichtblau
Category: Social Science
The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game
C. Thi Nguyen
Category: Self-Improvement & Inspiration
Chuck Klosterman
Category: Sports
Attensity!: A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement
The Friends of Attention
Category: Politics & Social Sciences
Storm at the Capitol: An Oral History of January 6th
Mary Clare Jalonick
Category: American Government
Junglekeeper: What It Takes to Change the World
Paul Rosolie
Category: Science & Technology
Getting to Reparations: How Building a Different America Requires a Reckoning with Our Past
Dorothy A. Brown
Category: Civil War History
Eight Million Ways to Happiness: Wisdom for Inspiration and Healing from the Heart of Japan
Hiroko Yoda
Category: Self-Improvement & Inspiration
Crash Landing (Boy's Own Starship Book 2)
Christopher G. Nuttall
Genre: Middle Grade Science Fiction
Ashley Elston
Genre: Suspense & Thriller
by Andromeda Romano-Lax
Genre: Suspense & Thriller
Lucy Clarke
Genre: Thriller
Laura Turzo
Genre: Fantasy
Edited by Joe Mynhardt
Genre: Horror Anthology
EDITOR CORNER
Tricky Edits from Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Editing Because We Must
The More You Know…About Editing
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson,
author of the HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers
Including the soon to be released Word by Word: A Vocabulary for Success
Many of us have been hearing about how if we only publish the “right way” we can spend all our glorious days doing just what we like, writing and going on book tours at the expense of our publisher wince the early days of writing careers. Some of it is an exaggeration and some of it is an…mmm, untruth. But the real damage is it keeps us from growing in ways that make us better at what we have chosen for our careers or our hobbies. I was reminded of that as I worked on a final edit (and index!) of the book mentioned in my byline above:
“We will always have more to learn. We mere mortal writers should strive to learn enough about editing that we’ll pick up on errors our editors overlook. Even better, we can gain the confidence to disagree with an editor—even a powerful one assigned to us by the best of the Big Five. Our voices will be stronger for it when one of those editors agrees with us that our book will be stronger without that particular change—or better still, that it’s evidence of a voice growing stronger. That same confidence might also make us more amenable to new ideas and new skills that great editing can plop right into the center of that forward arc nudging us ever upward.”
I hope some new words you find in my coming book Word by Word to be released in early summer by Modern History Press become tools you can apply to your own success story. Find the entire series on a special Series Page offered by Amazon at no cost to authors who publish their e-books digitally using their KDP.
In the meantime, this new book will be tested in a new pre-release giveaway by WinningWriters.com who is offering it as a giveaway as they continue in their search for ways to help writers build outstanding platforms with their own marketing of their services, contests, free newsletter and more—many marketing tools described in my The Frugal Book Promoter, the flagship book that has been helping authors for more than two decades and is now in its third edition, also from Modern History Press
My thanks to Dawn Colclasure for her support by sharing my tricky edits, many of them directly from the pages of the second full book in that series, also in its third edition. I have been with SPARREW through thick and thin from its first edition in her generous #SharingwithWriters effort as part of giving back to the publishing industry that has done a difficult but great job adjusting to the new model presented to us with the advent of the internet and digital printing. Hooray! It is big enough to accommodate all kinds of publishing and most of the preferences of forward-looking authors. Some of those authors—like me—have tried so many publishing models I’ve lost track. Thanks for coming back here and wherever you can keep benefitting from “the more you know.”
MORE ABOUT CAROLYN
Once a month Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares something writer-related she hopes might save some author from embarrassment (or make the task of writing more fun or creative). The third edition of The Frugal Editor from Modern History Press includes a chapter on some of the words most misused by the very people whose business it is to know them. It is the second multi award-winning book in her multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers. The Frugal Editor has been fully updated including a chapter on how backmatter can be extended to help readers and nudge book sales.
This article is an excerpt from a new vocabulary book written especially for career-minded authors that WinningWriters.com will give to those who enter their 2024 #NorthStreetBookPrize. Carolyn has been a sponsor since that contest’s introduction. This book is among the several value-added benefits Winning Writers contestants and winners are offered at no extra charge. Carolyn’s book will be released in early 2026 by Modern History Press. Find the entire series on a special Series Page offered by Amazon.
Carolyn blogs sporadically on editing at The Frugal Editor and at her SharingwithWriters blog on other aspects of the publishing world and welcomes guest posts with ample author credit lines and links and welcomes guest posts complete with credit lines and ample links for her guests. She also tweets writers' resources and tips at her Twitter account using #FrugalBookPromoterTips hashtag.
New in Editing:
"10 Underused Punctuation Marks That Are Worth Using" by Matthew Adams
via Writer's Digest
A New Year's resolution reset: Learn when it's OK to use 'and me'
Are ‘hopium’ and ‘copium’ nope-iums?
What a fetching Labrador retriever!
Has the verb ‘progress’ progressed?
WRITER CORNER
Interview with Writer Christy Aldridge
1. Have you always been a writer?
I think I’ve always been a writer, even before I understood what that meant. As a kid, writing felt less like a hobby and more like a compulsion, something I did to make sense of the world, to cope with it, or to reshape it into something I could survive. Stories were a place I could put things I didn’t have language for yet. Long before I thought of writing as a career, it was already how I processed fear, grief, love, and curiosity.
2. When did you realize that maybe writing was actually a "thing" you could do, get published and even sell?
That realization came slowly, and honestly, with some resistance. For a long time, writing felt too personal to be “professional.” But once people started responding to my work, really responding, emotionally, viscerally, I began to understand that what I was doing mattered outside of myself. The shift happened when I realized stories don’t have to be perfect to be powerful. They just have to be honest.
3. What was your first sale as a writer and how did it feel to sell your work?
My first sale felt surreal. There’s something deeply vulnerable about letting something you made in private exist in the world, and then having someone pay for it. It was validating, yes, but also terrifying. It meant the work was no longer just mine. It belonged to readers now, and that responsibility stayed with me.
4. How has writing helped you in other areas of life?
Writing has taught me patience, resilience, and how to sit with discomfort instead of running from it. It’s helped me articulate boundaries, confront trauma, and understand people—even the ones who hurt me. Writing also sharpened my intuition. When you spend years listening closely to your own internal voice, you get better at recognizing when something feels wrong or true in real life.
5. What was your biggest accomplishment as a writer?
Honestly, continuing. Publishing books, building an audience, and sustaining long-form projects are all meaningful, but the real accomplishment is persistence. Continuing to write through burnout, grief, doubt, and fear. Continuing even when the work feels too strange, too dark, or too personal. Staying committed to my voice, even when it didn’t fit neatly anywhere.
6. Who has inspired you the most in the writing field?
I’ve always been drawn to writers who understand dread and intimacy as two sides of the same coin—voices that linger rather than shout. Shirley Jackson’s quiet menace, Stephen King’s empathy for flawed people, the classics and their sharp, unsettling truths like Jane Eyre or even The Picture of Dorian Gray, the classic authors are among my favorites for that reason. But I’m also inspired by contemporary horror and gothic writers who refuse to sanitize female rage, grief, or desire. Writers who let women be monstrous and tender at the same time.
7. What are some of the challenges you have faced as a writer and how did you overcome them?
Self-doubt has been the biggest challenge, especially the feeling that my work was “too much” or “not enough.” Too dark. Too slow. Too strange. I overcame it by realizing that trying to please everyone was killing the work. Once I stopped sanding down the sharp edges and leaned into what made my writing unsettling and emotional, things began to click.
8. What is the best writing advice you have ever received and why do you feel it is important?
“Write the thing you’re afraid to write.” That advice matters because fear is usually guarding something important. The stories that scare us to tell are often the ones readers feel most deeply. Safety doesn’t make memorable fiction, honesty does.
9. What sort of writing do you do now?
I primarily write horror, Southern Gothic, folk horror, psychological horror, with a strong emotional core. My work often centers on women, inheritance, bodies, transformation, and the quiet horrors that live inside families and small towns. I’m also deeply interested in serial storytelling, journals, and layered narratives that feel intimate and secretive.
10. Where can we find some of your work online?
Much of my ongoing work appears through my Patreon and serialized projects, as well as on platforms like Amazon. I also share art, excerpts, and updates through social media, where my visual work and writing often intersect. I have Facebook and Instagram under my name!
11. What advice do you have for aspiring writers thinking of taking the leap of getting their work published?
Don’t wait for permission. Don’t wait until the work feels perfect. Publishing isn’t a finish line, it’s a conversation. Start it. Learn as you go. Protect your voice, but stay curious. And remember that rejection isn’t a verdict on your talent; it’s part of the process of finding the right readers.
12. What are your final thoughts about being a writer?
Being a writer isn’t about productivity or accolades, it’s about attention. Paying attention to what hurts, what lingers, what refuses to stay buried. Writing is an act of witness. Sometimes it’s lonely. Sometimes it’s cathartic. But it’s always honest. And for me, it’s not something I chose so much as something that refuses to let me go.
ABOUT CHRISTY:
Christy Aldridge writes with a Southern Gothic soul—tales steeped in haunted houses, cursed bloodlines, and the kind of grief that lingers. When she’s not conjuring stories from the darker corners of the South, she’s wrangling four cats, two dogs, and the occasional demon (one currently housed in the body of a particularly spiteful Chihuahua). She’s also the founder of Grim Poppy Designs, where she crafts book covers that look like they crawled out of the crypt with style. Christy believes in ghosts, bad omens, and the power of a good story to leave a reader just a little bit haunted.
New for Writers:
via Writers's Substack
“How to Create Your Own DIY Writing Retreat on a Budget” by Dan Brotzel
Via Funds for Writers
"Writing and the Domino Reaction" by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer
via Writers On The Move
"Becoming a New Writer in the New Year" by Greer Macallister
via Writer Unboxed
"Renee Nicole Good, murdered by ICE, was a prize-winning poet. Here’s that poem."
via Literary Hub
"What Developmental Editing Does for New Authors" by Jenn Windrow
via Writers In The Storm
via BadRedhead Media, LLC’s All Things Book Marketing!
"Don’t Feel Like Writing? Do This for 60 Seconds" by Colleen M. Story
via Master Writer Mindset
"Writing Horror Taught Me About Letting Things End" by Raven Tomes
via The Butchered Writer's Substack
"Catching Continuity Errors in 1, 2, 4—strike that—3 Easy Steps" by Andrew Welsh-Huggins
via Writer's Digest
"A Tale in Two Parts: Top Tips for Writing a Duology" by Sadie Turner
via Writer's Digest
"Finding Strength in Rejection: Turning Setbacks Into Success as a Writer" by Deanna Martinez-Bey
via Writer's Digest
"What is Literary Fiction? 11 Tips for Writing in this Genre" by Natasha Khullar Relph
via The Wordling
"What Is Narrative Nonfiction? [Definition + Examples]" by Natasha Khullar Relph
via The Wordling
"Three Things Your Character Needs from the Beginning" by E. S. Foster
via MetaStellar
"The Crucial Ingredient Your Story May Be Missing" by Tiffany Yates Martin
via Jane Friedman
"8 Paying Science and Tech Markets for Freelance Writers" by Karoki Githure
via WritersWeekly
via The Writer's Workout
"4 Tips to Writing a Marketable Kid's Book" by Karen Cioffi
via Writers on the Move
"Some Thoughts on Writing a Book" by Stuart Z. Goldstein
via Reader Views Blog
"Story Stakes: When to Reveal Them—and Why Timing Is Everything" by K.M. Weiland
via Helping Writers Become Authors
"YOG’S LAW — or a Literary Writer's Guide to Getting Paid, Part 1"
via Greetings from Greenwich Village!
"YOG’S LAW — or a Literary Writer's Guide to Getting Paid, Part 2" by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
via Greetings from Greenwich Village!
"YOG’S LAW—or a Literary Writer's Guide to Getting Paid, Part 3" by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
via Greetings from Greenwich Village!
"YOG’S LAW—or a Literary Writer's Guide to Getting Paid, Part 4" by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
via Greetings from Greenwich Village!
"YOG’S LAW — or a Literary Writer's Guide to Getting Paid, Part 5" by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
via Greetings from Greenwich Village!
"YOG’S LAW — or a Literary Writer's Guide to Getting Paid, Part 6" by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
via Greetings from Greenwich Village!
"YOG’S LAW — or a Literary Writer's Guide to Getting Paid, Part 7" by LindaAnn LoSchiavo
via Greetings from Greenwich Village!
“How to Find Your Writing Community” by Deborah Whittall
Via FundsforWriters
"Finding the Heart of a Protagonist: Body, Mind, and Soul" by Sarah (Sally) Hamer
via Writers In The Storm
"A Different Kind of Strength: Platform Building for Writers" by K.B. Cooper
via Reader Views Blog
"How to Balance Research and Writing" by Ratika Deshpande
via Authors Publish
"Lighten Your Creative Load: A New Year Invitation" by Lisa Normal
via Writers In The Storm
"Ways to Make The Pitch, A Writer’s Selling Point" by Ellen Buikema
via Writers In The Storm
"How to Use Character Tropes Without Writing Cliches" by Angela Ackerman
via Writers In The Storm
"What Really Happens When You Stop Writing" by Colleen M. Story
via Master Writer Mindset
"Revision, Not Reinvention" by Angela Yuriko Smith
via Authortunities
"Scams Targeting Writers Get More Sophisticated" by Joe Ponepinto
via Beyond Craft
"There Is No Closure: Stop Organizing and Start Writing" by Allison K. Williams
via Adventures in Writing
"“Kill Your Darlings”: Tips and Tricks for Cuts in Revision" by Evelyn Moskovitz
via The Writer's Workout
"How to Describe Layout & Position" by Chris Winkle
via Mythcreants
"How to Figure Out What Your Character Wants (and Why It Matters for Your Story)" by Jessica James
via Writer's Digest
"Agent in Your Pocket: Writing Goals You’ll Keep" by Jessica Berg
via Writer's Digest
FEATURE ARTICLE
By Jerry Blaze
Another year has come and passed. Now, it’s 2026!
First, Happy New Year!
Second, and more on point, what kind of goals do you hope to achieve in this new year? New novels? New short stories? New book collections?
It seems like some have already set out to flame and smear others over past ills. Literally day one of the new year, we saw a publisher attack another publisher and effectively catch serious heat for it. Now who knows what the future holds for indie publishers in the horror world? Personally, I’d like to see more people self-publish their works rather than rely on indie publishers who don’t seem able to stay afloat or can’t let go of past slights.
Maybe we should hope for less drama in the new year? Is it possible?
I’d like to think so.
As with every year in the world of literature, I personally plan to write and write as many books as I can. I intend to continue writing horror and erotica and maybe some bizarro.
I look forward to exploring new publishing avenues and trying new subgenres of horror. I intend to answer anthology calls with short stories, maybe even start a few calls myself to get aspiring writers out in the world.
Maybe you’ll write a novel, your first full-length factory standard novel (50,000 words or more)?
Maybe you’ll write a collection of short stories all centered around zombies or vampires or werewolves?
Maybe you’ll start a new pen name and tackle options you didn’t have available before because everyone thinks you can only write one subgenre?
However, and I think most people can agree, I think a big new year’s resolution should be to promote, push, market, sell and advocate for new releases that aren’t their own.
I personally intend to spend a majority of my year endorsing other writers, something that I feel that we as a community should do on the regular.
After all, writing is not a competition.
You should not be competing against others in the horror community for the bestseller list or trying to make a name for yourself by bad-mouthing or cutting off others just to sell a couple of ebooks. We are a community.
A community is a group of like-minded people coming together to create something.
The horror community has been ravaged with drama and torn apart the last few years because of trivialities and serious issues alike.
It’s never going to heal if we don’t come together to help each other when we need it the most. And it’s not going to hurt you to push someone else’s book.
In fact, I intend to make use of paid promo services to promote others' books. Yeah, that’s right, I’m going to pay to have someone’s book made available on a newsletter for a day. I might do this once a week or more than that. I intend to see others achieve the same kind of fame and success that I’ve discovered.
I think a strong new year’s resolution for me is to return to enjoying the writing process. I spent too much of last year trying to crank out books for deadlines and scraping my brain for ideas; this year, I’m going to enjoy the situations, write out the books I want to read and give the public something worthwhile.
So it’s my opinion that we all focus on helping each other and writing our own books while simultaneously spending less time on drama, what’s new in the gossip world, and trying to belittle each other in hopes of securing a few page reads.
After all, we’re in this together, we’re all here for the same purpose that we’ve found in ourselves. We want to tell a story. We want to give readers something to enjoy. I see it in a lot of newbies and first-time writers, they want their story to be read, so why not give them that extra push that a lot of us got when we first started?
You don’t need to give up on writing your own best story, kindness costs nothing and lasts forever if done right. Focus on writing, concentrate on bringing out your best and learn to help others along the way; it’s really all that simple.
And I’m not simply saying this to the people out there that have been in the community for a year or three; I’m also saying this to the big names, the successful writers who’ve been at this for years and years, the people who everyone knows.
EVERYONE NEEDS TO COME TOGETHER.
So, what’ll it be?
What’s your new year’s resolution?
ABOUT JERRY:
Jerry Blaze is an award-winning author of Horror and Bizarro fiction.
After achieving success in the erotic market, Jerry decided to undertake Extreme Horror/Splatterpunk/Bizarro fiction writing and released several books. Some of his books have been bestsellers on Amazon. He has been awarded the 2025 Golden Wizard Book Prize and the Literary Titan award.
Jerry is a fan of Grindhouse and exploitation films from the 70s and 80s, often modeling his work on them. He currently lives in the American Midwest, but travels often to get inspiration or to run away from angry mobs.
***************************************
Thanks for reading! See you next month!