631 ratings | 255 reviews | avg rating:4.08

J.W.’s Year In Books

J.W.’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at J.W.’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to J.W.’s 2025 Year in Books

J.W. Donley’s Followers (58)

J.W.’s Bookshelves

to-read (23)
currently-reading (5)
read (732)
did-not-finish (0)
2019-ha-mount-tbr-challenge (28)
anthology (22)
art (4)
biography (2)
bizzaro (14)
books-i-ve-worked-on (7)
See all bookshelves »

J.W.’s Friends (212)

Matthew Gleason

1,404 books | 30 friends

Stephen Jones

0 books | 1,627 friends

Danger

1,023 books | 3,625 friends

Cassie Daley

1,733 books | 575 friends

Alex Wolfgang

725 books | 117 friends

Molly

1,447 books | 77 friends

Timaeus Bloom

51 books | 21 friends

Stephanie

994 books | 239 friends

More friends…

J.W. Donley

Goodreads Author

Born

in Concord, MA, The United States

Website

http://JWDonley.com

Twitter

jwdonley

Genre

Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Influences

Clive Barker, Laird Barron, Stephen King Thomas Ligotti ...more

Member Since

March 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jwdonley

edit data

J.W. Donley—HWA and HOWL Society member—lives in the Pacific Northwest where the Cascade Mountains meet the Salish Sea.

J.W. is the author of the novelette Cats of the Pacific Northwest and the brand new 100 Unusual Prompts for Writers of Horror, Weird, and Bizarro Fiction with contributions from John Langan, Carlton Mellick III, Shane Hawk, and many more.

His short stories have appeared in anthologies from Dim Shores, HOWL Society Press, PIT, Chuckanut Editions, and on Creepy, a Horror Podcast.

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask J.W. Donley questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
J.W. Donley’s books

Average rating: 3.77 · 728 ratings · 252 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	Howls From Hell by Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author), M. David Clarkson, Amanda Nevada DeMel 3.65 avg rating — 400 ratings — published 2021 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	AHH! That's What I Call Horror: An Anthology of '90s Horror by Chelsea Pumpkins (Goodreads Author) (Editor), S.E. Denton, Bridget D. Brave (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 221 ratings — published 2023 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cats of the Pacific Northwest by J.W. Donley (Goodreads Author), Leo Corbett (Illustrator) 3.62 avg rating — 63 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Howls from the Scene of the Crime: A Crime Horror Anthology by Jessica Peter (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Timaeus Bloom (Editor), Cynthia Pelayo (Goodreads Author) (Foreword) 4.03 avg rating — 34 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dim Shores Presents Volume 2 Spring 2021 by Sam Cowan (Editor), Mike Adamson, Randee Dawn (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	100 Unusual Prompts for Writers of Horror, Weird, and Bizarro Fiction by J.W. Donley (Goodreads Author), John Baltisberger (Goodreads Author), Patrick Barb (Goodreads Author) 4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Environmental Sampling: A Practical Guide to Writing Plans it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Pigeon Lied it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scattered #1: A Dark Forest Press Zine by J.W. Donley (Goodreads Author), Leslie Edens, alex D 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scattered: A Dark Forest Press Zine by J.W. Donley (Goodreads Author), Bridget D. Brave (Goodreads Author), John Baltisberger (Goodreads Author) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by J.W. Donley…

22 posts
J.W. Donley's Blog

Find That Critique Group

Happy New Year!

How is everyone doing out there? I’m doing well. Keeping busy as always. I’m working on a handful of projects between my personal writing and publishing projects for Dark Forest Press including fresh edits on a handful of short stories for my own collection coming out in 2026. Busy busy.

Today, I will cover the best advice for any writer just starting on their writing journey. But I

J.W. is Currently Reading

J.W. Donley is currently reading

Oil!

by Upton Sinclair

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Mar 16, 2026 10:16PM

J.W. Donley is currently reading

The Return of the Shadow: The History of The Lord of the Rings, Part One (The History of Middle-Earth, #6)

by J.R.R. Tolkien

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 04, 2026 01:37PM

J.W. Donley is currently reading

The Tarot Architect: How to Become the Master Builder of Your Spiritual Temple

by Lon Milo DuQuette (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 03, 2025 03:36PM

rss
J.W.’s Recent Updates

J.W. Donley rated a book really liked it Homebody by Christine Morgan	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 16, 2026 10:16PM · like
J.W. Donley is on page 109 of 170 of Homebody Homebody by Christine Morgan progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 15, 2026 09:51PM · like · see status
J.W. Donley rated a book it was amazing Chopping Spree by Angela Sylvaine (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 15, 2026 09:49PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Chopping Spree by Angela Sylvaine. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Chopping Spree by Angela Sylvaine <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.W. Donley is now following Christine Morgan Author of The Night Silver River Run Red
Mar 14, 2026 10:27PM · like
J.W. Donley rated a book really liked it The Great and Secret Show (Book of the Art #1) by Clive Barker (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Awesome book, but there were some serious lulls in pacing. At times it was hard to stay interested enough to keep reading.
Mar 14, 2026 10:17PM · like · see review
J.W. Donley liked Jess Hagemann's review of Vicar of Fists: "This book is like a lost chapter of the John Wick franchise. Imagine you become pope by killing the last pope. And now everyone else who wants to be pope is after you! Tons of fun and with a lot of heart to temper all the splatter."
Mar 09, 2026 09:58PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Vicar of Fists by John Baltisberger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Vicar of Fists by John Baltisberger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.W. Donley is now following Matthew J. Gleason Author of When Vampires Attack!
Mar 09, 2026 09:54PM · like
J.W. Donley and 1 other person liked groundbreakingdot872's review of Crevasse: "Excellent and thrilling. Just the book I needed to get me out of the mid-Jan slump. All the more impressive considering this is the author’s debut. Will read more if published :))"
Jan 18, 2026 04:40PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Crevasse by Clay Vermulm. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Crevasse by Clay Vermulm <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.W. Donley liked Kimijo's review of Crevasse: "When Greg and Quinn vanish during a climb in the remote Southern Pickets, eerie voices and a shadowy figure hint at dangers beyond the natural. Search-and-rescue expert Ellie Jensen races against time to find them but on these haunted peaks, survival" Read more of this review »
Jan 18, 2026 04:40PM · see review
J.W. Donley rated a book it was amazing Holy Daimon by Frater Acher	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 09, 2026 11:26PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Holy Daimon by Frater Acher. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Holy Daimon by Frater Acher <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of J.W.'s books…

J.W.’s Quotes

“I used to write as an escape. There’s no escape. There’s just me sending my voice into the dark, waiting for an echo." – Laird Barron”
― Laird Barron

14 likes

“I am better off than he is,—for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows; I neither know nor think that I know.”
― Plato, Five Dialogues

16 likes

“First, you are not selling what you think you are. Second, if all you’re using your list for is selling, you’re doing everything wrong.”
― Tammi Labrecque, Newsletter Ninja: How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert

0 likes

“If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the universe.”
― Joe Rogan

tags: evolution, live, universe

166 likes

“Accept as the days and nights go by that you are a walking skeleton, an ambulatory miracle of meat. New thoughts come, but they arrive from beyond the foam, beyond the foam, beyond the foamy sponge of your brain.”
― Jon Padgett, The Secret of Ventriloquism

4 likes

More of J.W.’s quotes…