October is finally here and us writers know what that means: NaNoWriMo is almost here! That one month of hecking typing while running on steady diet of caffeine which has the ability to bring together writers across the world. For those of you who are new to the concept, NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel …
Author: J. L. Willow
J. L. Willow is the author of The Scavenger, the short story collection A Weighted Soul, and the Amazon bestselling novel Missing Her. She graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Engineering in mechanical engineering and a minor in engineering management. While she spends her days working in her field of study, her nights are spent dreaming up new thrilling (and often horrifying) tales.
COVER REVEAL: The Scavenger
It's been a long time coming, and it's finally here! I am proud to announce the cover design for my debut novel, The Scavenger! It's everything I've hoped for. I love the simple design, the city skyline in the letters, the color scheme -- pretty much everything about it. It perfectly captures the tone of The Scavenger. …
Self/Traditional Publishing
If I’m going to be honest, I didn’t actually know that self-publishing was an option when I first started writing The Scavenger. I was still under the impression that writers sent a printed copy of their manuscript to a publishing house and then (within a few weeks) would receive a letter back of either acceptance …
Theater and Art
If you’ve been pretty regular about reading my blog posts (thank you if you have, it means a lot to me!) you’ll know that I love theater. I’ve done a decent amount of productions and have been blessed to have seen more than my fair share of Broadway productions. As my writing and acting matured, …
My Decision to Write Under a Pen Name
As much as it would have been nice to be born with the angelic surname of ‘Willow,’ in real-life that is not the case. Don’t get me wrong; I love my real last name (it’s definitely a conversation starter.) But having something a bit simpler would fix a lot of mispronunciations and mix-ups. My real …
Time Flies — or, Rather, Runs Away
Unless you're a full-time writer (and very few of us have the honor of holding that title), finding time to write in day-to-day life can be pretty challenging. I have a tendency to overbook myself, then keep myself awake at night thinking of all the things I didn't have time to do during the day. …
Bookworm Reviews: Shattered Blue
Title: Shattered Blue Author: Lauren Bird Horowitz Genre: Fantasy, Romance Review: I actually had the honor of meeting this author back at Book Con, and it was also how I was introduced to the Light Series. Lauren is very sweet and has a beautiful website, so be sure to check it out here! The book …
Author WIP Tag
Way back in June, Jordan from Just Write nominated me for an Author WIP Tag! Although it took me a long time to get to it, I did not forget. I'm finally ready to take on the challenge! So, here we go! What is the working title of your book? Well, for a pretty long while …
Choosing the Perfect Beta Readers
Finding Beta Readers for your manuscript is no easy task. For those of you who don’t know, this is the technical term for people who read a writer’s work before it’s published and give feedback (a book guinea pig of sorts). Editors can be used in a similar way, but Beta Readers are usually free …
Three Things I Learned From Hiring a Manuscript Editor
When I originally started writing The Scavenger, I had always assumed I wouldn’t have the budget for a professional editor. It had never really been a question after I had started looking at prices and saw what people could charge. But as I continued drafting and editing my work, it became more and more apparent …
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J. L. Willow 