567 ratings | 279 reviews | avg rating:4.94

more photos (3)

Laura J.W. Ryan’s Followers (93)

Laura’s Bookshelves

to-read (521)
currently-reading (4)
read (575)
african (1)
america-contemporary-fiction (37)
american-classics (2)
arc (1)
art-books (44)
australian-authors (3)
book-covers-with-my-artwork (7)
See all bookshelves »

Laura’s Friends (135)

Anna Walls

153 books | 282 friends

Christy Stewart

7,275 books | 2,608 friends

Janet

1,347 books | 1,919 friends

Jim Fonseca

1,226 books | 5,001 friends

Sharon

3,627 books | 876 friends

Michele

29,842 books | 5,118 friends

L.S. Popovich

13,307 books | 1,377 friends

Sheri

3,088 books | 1,165 friends

More friends…

Laura J.W. Ryan

Goodreads Author

Born

in Lyons, NY, The United States

Website

https://laurajwellner.substack.com/

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Arts & Photography, Poetry

Influences

Joyce Carol Oates, Harper Lee, John Cowper Powys 21508 ...more

Member Since

September 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/laurajwryan

edit data

Laura is an artist, a writer, and a photographer. She lives in an old farmhouse on top of a windswept hill in Upstate New York with her Fred of 30 + years, their son, and a few ridiculous cats. She is BFF with a wee donkey named Elizabeth and her tinier goat friend, Tessa - these little buckets of sunshine live happily in a very big barn across the road. There was once “one dog named Max,” but sadly, he has gone where the best of good boys go after a long life of sniffing for stories during walks around the acre.

Laura has independently published her books using the pseudonym Laura J. W. Ryan. Her two literary fiction novels, "Dusty Waters, A Ghost Story" (2009) and "The Fractured Hues of White Light" (2010) - the two "girls" are different - ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Laura J.W. Ryan questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

Laura J.W. Ryan As a craft, writing is a very emotional endeavor, at least for me it is, and I love what I do. Reading books is an immersive experience and readers ar…moreAs a craft, writing is a very emotional endeavor, at least for me it is, and I love what I do. Reading books is an immersive experience and readers are looking to put their brain somewhere else for a spell. But with that said, it really depends on what the writer is writing about, non-fiction informational or technical books wouldn't require much feeling, tho' a passion for the subject would be a must to prevent it from being too dry (I've read some mighty dry as a bleached bone in the desert, and what makes it worse, it's something that I need to read, and good grief reading something like that makes my brain freeze, I have to hit the reset button to maybe absorb some of it.) Fiction is traditionally an exploration of the human condition, which explores the spectrum of feelings that happen in a lifetime, and often can be a roller coaster ride of ups and downs throughout the narrative. In some cases a writer is using writing to tease out their feelings about "that thing" that's been itching their brain, why they feel strongly about something, or not. It's the "how come?" of it. Writing is a very personal art form, very internal while one is composing a piece, a poem, a short story, or an epic novel; it's immersive, it's frustrating, it's madness, but you wouldn't want to do anything else, otherwise, you'd be miserable. I don't know if this answers your question, it's a curious one tho' and I'm glad you asked!(less)

flag

2 likes · like
Comment

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Laura J.W. Ryan The act of writing is the best part of being a writer. Pen to paper—I have a permanent callous on the first knuckle of my middle finger from clenching…moreThe act of writing is the best part of being a writer. Pen to paper—I have a permanent callous on the first knuckle of my middle finger from clenching my pen (or pencil) so tight during the hours I spent writing. In all of the creative endeavors that I have accomplished as an artist, the act of putting my thoughts down on paper is (and always has been) very special—it is vital to my creativity to write things down. It doesn’t matter if what I’ve written is any good, it’s just doing it that is important. Even tho’ I struggled with my penmanship in school and goodness knows I really wanted to have nice neat handwriting like the other girls in my class, but being a lefty, I couldn’t manage it to save my life. The side of my hand would be black (or blue depending on the color of the ink) by the end of the day. I used to lay my head down on the desk to hear the sound of the pencil lead scratching on the paper (I still do sometimes!) I always carry around blank books or one of those black and white speckled composition books (salt n’ pepper notebooks) to write down everything that popped into my head—stories, poems, diaries, or just meaningless scribbles about nothing and everything. As much as I adore my laptop and love the whole technology that has made the writing life simpler—I always go back to the basics when I write. (less)

flag

2 likes · like
Comment

See all 13 answers from Laura J.W. Ryan…

Combine Editions
Laura J.W. Ryan’s books

Average rating: 3.57 · 88 ratings · 33 reviews · 2 distinct works

	Dusty Waters: A Ghost Story 3.55 avg rating — 71 ratings — published 2009 — 6 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 Fractured Hues of White Light 3.65 avg rating — 17 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

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

242 posts
Laura J.W. Ryan's Blog: Laura J. W. Ryan, Author

When the Universe Flicks You in the Ear

A new poe-umm, I wrote it on July 17th, and tidied it up a bit since.

When the Universe flicks you in the ear,
it’s not doing it to be a jerk,
it’s letting you know one thing,
“I see you.”
And it’s dissatisfied with the things you’ve done
and things you’ve been saying,
but you’ve been given the gift
of a second chance to change your ways.
The Universe is also telling you
to mind your "Ps" and "Qs" or next t Read more of this blog post »

View more on Laura J.W. Ryan's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on July 24, 2024 05:28

View all 242 posts »

Laura is Currently Reading

Laura is currently reading

Moby-Dick

by Herman Melville

bookshelves: books-i-ve-read-multiple-times, i-ll-read-it-again, 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

Sep 01, 2008 02:43PM

Laura is currently reading

A Book of Days

by Patti Smith (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading, non-fiction, perfect-gift-books, diary-journal-memoir-biography, art-books, photography

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 21, 2024 03:44AM

Laura is currently reading

A Responsibility to Awe: Poems (Oxford Poets)

by Rebecca Elson

bookshelves: currently-reading, poetry

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

Laura said: " I've been reading this book for months. Poetry books tend to linger on my currently-reading pile for a spell because I savor them. Also, poetry books can't be read from cover to cover like novels. I read it forwards and backward and do random drop-in ...more "

Dec 27, 2022 04:22AM · see review

rss
Laura’s Recent Updates

Laura has read Hard Times by Charles Dickens	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
Apr 06, 2025 12:38AM · 1 like · like
Laura and 1 other person liked Ericka Seidemann's review of Never Let Me Go: "I posted this review on Amazon. Even though I hadn't written a review since 2006, I felt compelled do so with this one! I won't rehash the book's plot - or lack thereof, as some reviewers complain - because to do so would reveal too much that would de" Read more of this review »
Jun 21, 2024 07:47AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Laura is currently reading Moby-Dick by Herman Melville	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
May 26, 2024 05:54AM · like
Laura rated a book it was amazing 2666 by Roberto Bolaño	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
This book is quite a fascinating reading journey, one in which the reader must surrender to the author's telling of the tale and trust them to be an excellent guide. It ended in the almost full-circle, "life goes on" way in which such books with imme ...more
May 21, 2024 04:45AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of 2666 by Roberto Bolaño. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — 2666 by Roberto Bolaño <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Laura's books…

Quotes by Laura J.W. Ryan (?)

“Apathy is the overrated protection of that rock you are hiding under.”
― Laura J. W. Ryan

tags: apathy, fear, hiding, rock

2 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Book title game	17027	5044	Jul 28, 2024 07:30AM
Goodreads Authors...: * Introduce Yourself!	22726	25247	Dec 22, 2025 12:34PM

Laura’s Quotes

“His eyes were bright, and, indeed, he scarcely knew whether they held dreams or realities...and in five minutes she had filled the shell of the old dream with the flesh of life... ”
― Virginia Woolf, Night and Day

22 likes

“The novel is the affliction for which only the novel is the cure.”
― Joyce Carol Oates, The Faith of a Writer: Life, Craft, Art

7 likes

“There's an epigram tacked to my office bulletin board, pinched from a magazine -- "Wanting to meet an author because you like his work is like wanting to meet a duck because you like pâté.”
― Margaret Atwood , Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing

tags: authors, disappointment, epigrams, fandom, on-writing, similes, writers

377 likes

“If God Speaks Through Burning Bushes, Let's Burn Bush and Listen to What God Says.”
― Lorrie Moore

6 likes

“Why, man alive, Laura! Just look about you a little. What do you see? A world full of common people! All of 'em born and all of em' going to die! Which of them has one-tenth of your good points! Or mine! Or anyone else's, as far as that goes - gosh! Everybody excels in some one thing. Some in many!”
― Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

41 likes

More of Laura’s quotes…

Laura’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-4) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 4: by Laura

Sep 28, 2023 04:56AM

Patry wrote: "Hi Laura, So good to see you here! Both you and your book are looking gorgeous!
Patry"

Hi Patry! OMG it's been years. I was thinking of you this morning while composing a post for my Substack. I hope you are well. All is well here, I'm retired from the day job, and I'm loving the freedom to make art and write, play with my wee donkey and tinier goat, and hang out with my Fred. Life is good. Take care, (((hugs))) Laura

reply | flag

message 3: by Katherine

Apr 20, 2010 06:42AM