Category Archives: storyteller

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18 April, 2025

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fiction, storyteller, writing

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New Book Published

Hello, everybody. My science fiction crime drama, Code of Murder, has been published and is now available on Amazon in e-book and paperback formats. 🙂

Here is the back cover copy:

“In a near-future metropolis where technology blurs the lines between life and death, Detective Cordell Washington is thrust into a maelstrom of brutal murders and digital horror. When a series of meticulously staged crime scenes and eerie links to a legacy serial killer emerge, Cordell finds his grasp on reality and justice slipping away. With the ominous Genesys System promising eternal life yet concealing ominous secrets, every revelation forces him to confront not only a twisted killer but also the darkness within himself. As stakes reach a fever pitch, Cordell must decipher clues that could either shatter his world or deliver him from the relentless nightmare threatening to consume him.”

If you like crime, thriller, mystery, or science fiction, or just reading (maybe?), I invite you to check it out. 🙂

Of course I’m back to thinking it’s terrible. 😦 I was just looking at all the releases on Amazon and just noticing I’m just a tiny voice in a sea of yelling and screaming writers wanting to be heard. Yeah, I’m “special.” Just like everyone else. I only hope that people like it and don’t think it’s complete shite. I would hate for big crime junkies to read it and give me terrible reviews and say it’s awful. 😦 I guess we’ll see.

Anyway, I am happy I finished it and it’s up and out there. The next one that I will be publishing is my science fiction space opera novella. I’m nervous about that one, too. (Me? No!)

Happy reading,

J

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4 April, 2025

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determination, self-portrait, storyteller, writing

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In Line with the Best?

Hello! I’m back.

And I’ve been writing furiously! Hurray!

Surprising, isn’t it? In my last post, I said I wasn’t going to think about what other people are doing anymore, and I’m not. So, I finished my space opera novella and I finished my science fiction crime drama. 🙂 I’m very pleased. Now I’m getting ready to publish them both.

I broke down and bought AutoCrit. You know, that really popular editing/critiquing/whatever software many writers use to help them with their work. I wasn’t going to pay for such a thing, but I really want my work to be the best it can be. Well, I used it’s fiction analyzer tool on both my novels and I was shocked, utterly shocked, to see that my overall “score” for both of them was in the percentile: “in line with bestseller expectations.” I was very happy and surprised. (Because I think my writing is shit, remember.) I was floored. Still, I made many edits and took many of the software’s suggestions and improved both works. I am now happy and pleased with both of them. I hope other people will like them.

I am going to move on to writing the first book in my cozy mystery series. 🙂 I also have another crime comedy book I am working on, too. That one has a vampire in it. It’s fun. 🙂 I am quite motivated to write. I am liking this feeling a lot. I am having fun again! ❤

-J

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28 January, 2024

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determination, storyteller, writing

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BElieve In YOUrself

For the longest time (months, years even), I have struggled with my writing. I have had a hard time picking up the pen or typing on the keys. I have felt my writing is, quite frankly, utter shit.

I have constantly been comparing myself to other writers. Whether it’s not writing as prolifically as others or thinking their work is better, I just seem to have been measuring myself to everyone else. And I’ve been doing it for a long time.

I’ve also been making ridiculous, unattainable, unrealistic goals. Like, I have to write 5 books and 20 short stories, no excuses, by the time I’m 40 (which is only a few years off). Why? Because apparently that would make me a *real* writer/author. *That* would make me as successful and comparable to other authors.

You can kinda see where this makes you become miserable as a writer. The other day I realized, guess what? Somewhere along the lines here, writing stopped being fun. It started to become a chore and work. And I already write and edit for my day job so I definitely don’t want to feel that way about my personal life.

Because writing…writing is my soul. I am meant to write. I am meant to tell stories. I’ve always known it.

So when that stops being fun. Well, that’s a problem.

I told M about this and he agreed completely and said he saw this in me. So the other day I just said “F it,” and I just went for it. And I ended up writing about 3500 words to my sci-fi crime drama. And you know what? It felt amazing. I had fun. I didn’t care. I just wrote my story and I loved it.

And I still feel that way. I’m just going for it. I’m gonna write when I want to. I don’t care what so-and-so is doing or how many books and stories whoever put out, or how whatshername’s book is doing on Amazon. I’m going to write my stories.

And I’m gonna publish my stories and books when I’m good and ready and I know people will like them because I believe in them. And I believe in me.

-J

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12 July, 2021

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determination, fiction, prose, short story, storyteller, writing

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New Book Available

Hi everybody!

My short story collection, Nine Tales, is now available on Amazon. The e-book version will be up and available in a couple days.

Check it out! 🙂

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9 January, 2021

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storyteller, The Novel that Will Get Me Published

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Professional Review!

Hey everybody!

It’s been a while since I last updated. A LOT of stuff has been going on…

*ehem.

BUT.

Back in April 2020, I entered the Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. They recently announced the winners and runner-ups. I didn’t win or place, but I got my commentary back and I thought it was really great! So I wanted to post it. 🙂

(Scale of 1-5, 5 being outstanding, 1 needing improvement)

Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 4

Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 4

Production Quality and Cover Design: 5

Plot and Story Appeal: 4

Character Appeal and Development: 4

Voice and Writing Style: 5

Judge’s Commentary: This cover hooked me from the start, as did the blurb on the back. I think the production of this cover design and the inside of the book is well executed and the cover art especially will hook the right readers for this story. I really enjoy this type of fiction in which the setting and characters are at once so relatable and similar, and yet something is very, very, askew in their situations so that you know it’s a bit of a problematic situation for them! While this type of alternate America story might be a little close-hitting to the obscurities of our current reality, I didn’t mind reading it and thought it was interesting and clever in the way the plot turns and twists. I would have liked a bit more character development throughout the plot, and to see a bit more of the city and world fleshed out, but I thought the idea of this book was quite interesting. There were a handful of fun moments where things took a turn I was not expecting and I was surprised at how some of the characters responded but in a good way. I like being surprised in that way by stories like these. It was great fun!

Here’s a link to my book if you’re interested: The Underground Dogs by J.C.D. Kerwin

Now I hope to really get moving on completing my other space opera novel and some short stories I have milling around in my head. I haven’t written in a while so I really want to. Maybe this is some motivation I need!

🙂