628 ratings | 254 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.

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J.W.’s Friends (211)

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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

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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.

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J.W. Donley’s books

Average rating: 3.77 · 724 ratings · 251 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	Howls From Hell by Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author), M. David Clarkson, Amanda Nevada DeMel 3.65 avg rating — 398 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 — 220 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) 3.60 avg rating — 62 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	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
	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
	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
	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 — 2 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

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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

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

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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

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Dec 03, 2025 03:36PM

J.W. Donley is currently reading

Love's Labor's Lost

by William Shakespeare

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Oct 17, 2025 05:05PM

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J.W.’s Recent Updates

J.W. Donley wrote a new blog post 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 writi Read more of this blog post »
Jan 23, 2026 04:16PM · 1 like · 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 and 1 other person liked N.J. Gallegos's review of Crevasse: "Adventure sports horror! When hikers and climbers go missing in an isolated, treacherous mountain range, the truth of their disappearances is more frightening than one might imagine; a supernatural being is at fault. Vermulm did a great job with this" 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">
Jan 04, 2026 04:16PM · like · view books
J.W. Donley is now following Frater Acher Author of Holy Daimon
Jan 04, 2026 01:38PM · like
J.W. Donley rated a book really liked it The Lost Road and Other Writings (The History of Middle-Earth, #5) by J.R.R. Tolkien	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 04, 2026 01:37PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Lost Road and Other Writings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Lost Road and Other Writings by J.R.R. Tolkien <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.W. Donley has read The Pigeon Lied by J.W. Donley (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
Dec 19, 2025 10:59AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Pigeon Lied by J.W. Donley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Pigeon Lied by J.W. Donley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.W. Donley finished reading Scattered: A Dark Forest Press Zine by J.W. Donley (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
Dec 03, 2025 03:10PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Scattered by J.W. Donley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Scattered by J.W. Donley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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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

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