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JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 6h

The Find by Anna Holmes is a great read.

It has the right mix of thrills and historical intrigue. I think endings are really difficult, but the ending in this story feels almost perfect.

Highly recommended.

Her new release, Dance of the Earth, is out now.

#greatreads

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 3d

They said Let’s Go Play at the Adams’ was “nasty” and “exploitative.”

They were right.

I still can’t shake it.

Horror fans only. The rest of you: run.

Wouldn’t recommend it to anyone I like.

#horror #HorrorCommunity #scary

The cover of 'Let's Go Play at the Adams'.

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JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 4d

My current read is If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland.

Ueland says writers should “waste time” and let ideas simmer.

I tried.

Got anxious.

Boiled instead.

(And that dude on the cover is sooo me).

#BookSky #WritingSky #writingcommunity #writing

The cover of If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland.

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JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 5d

My short story, One in a Million, was inspired by my time at a firm of personal injury lawyers in Manchester, UK.

A dark sense of humour was essential for survival.

Just in time for Halloween, find it in the Treasures of Darkness giveaway:

books.bookfunnel.com/treasuresofd...

#humor #fiction

The Treasures of Darkness banner. Stories that surprise.

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JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 6d

I will be appearing in 'Mucho Millions' in Program B in the Seoul Players 10-Minute play Festival on Saturday, 8th November at 8 PM and Sunday, the 9th at 4 PM.

Snap up your tickets quick to avoid disappointment!

seoulplayers.org/ten-minute-p...

#comedy #actor #theater #seoul

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JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 6d

If there was ever a reason to check out AK Nevermore, you've got one now.

She's now an Amazon #1 bestselling author!

#BestSeller #BookLovers #Amazon

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 10d

My current read is The Trope Thesaurus: Horror by Jennifer Hilt.

I'm halfway in, but think it's quite limited.

I think a Google search of 'horror tropes & examples in popular fiction,' would give you 80% of the content of this book. Not much for $8.

#writingtips #writingcraft #writingcommunity

The cover of The Trope Thesaurus: Horror by Jennifer Hilt.

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JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 11d

One song that inspired me to take up writing (and is also my favourite song ever) is Remember Me by Sea Power.

It's a song about mortality and ageing, losing your identity, and the plea to be remembered.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua4B...

#writinginspiration #mementomori #socialisolation #seapower

The cover of the vinyl record of Remember Me by British Sea Power

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 11d

I wanted to be a lawyer ever since elementary school.

It was either that, an underwater archaeologist or Vanilla Ice part 2.

Yeah, I was grounded.

For the musings of a forty-something fu*k-up trapped in Korea, click the link in my bio to subscribe to my newsletter.

#korea #writerslife #humor

Vanilla Ice wearing shades and a stars and stripes leather jacket.

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JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 13d

I will be appearing in 'Mucho Millions' in Program B in the Seoul Players 10-Minute play Festival on Saturday, 8th November at 8 PM and Sunday, 9th at 4 PM.

Snap up your tickets quick to avoid disappointment!

seoulplayers.org/ten-minute-p...

#comedy #actor #theater #seoul

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 14d

One writer I dip into every so often is Elmore Leonard.

He is an absolute master at deadpan dialogue, dripping with subtext.

The book I recommend is Rum Punch (made into the movie Jackie Brown by Q. Tarantino).

If you only read one crime novel, read this one.

#BookWorm #GreatReads #WhatToRead

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 16d

Just watched the musical Wicked featuring the Broadway cast.

At the final curtain, my 10-year-old daughter turned to me and said,

"It didn't need all that stuff after the interval; they just got greedy."

That's my girl.

#writing #Storytelling #wickedthemusical

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 17d

My current read is The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey.

The opening chapters are a great example of how to give a reader incomplete information that makes you desperate to find out what's going on and, inevitably, to keep reading.

Check it out.

#BookWorm #GreatReads #horror #writingtips

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JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 17d

Check out this incredible offer from Karmen Spiljak!

Karmen is an excellent book coach.

She gave me a developmental edit of my debut novel last year.

Her insights saved me months of banging my head against the keyboard.

tidycal.com/karmenspilja...

#bookcoach #writingcoach

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 19d

My short story, One in a Million, was inspired by my time at a firm of personal injury lawyers in Manchester, UK.

A dark sense of humour was essential.

Find the story in the Free Fiction Feast giveaway:

books.bookfunnel.com/freefictionf...

#shortstory #humor #fiction

FREE FICTION FEAST - A world of stories without the price tag!

Searching for your next favorite story? Look no further! These bestselling authors have teamed up to offer a delightful selection of new books. Available for a limited time.

books.bookfunnel.com

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 20d

My writer buddy AK Nevermore's latest is coming for Halloween.

Karma's a witch.

When witch Jena Seymore returns home to Havers-by-the-Sea to care for her dying aunt, old town politics and prejudices are rekindled.

Go check it out!

#bookworm #ShifterRomance #spicy

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 21d

I don't have to look far for inspiration when I write dystopia: I live barely 25 miles from North Korea.

'Nothing to Envy' by Barbara Demick is not for the faint-hearted but is by far the best book on the Hermit Kingdom.

Highly recommended.

#goodreads #dystopian #Bookworm

The cover of 'Nothing to Envy' by Barbara Demick. It features a young Korean woman on the front.

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 24d

My current read is Treasure Island!!! by Sara Levine.

Yeah, not THAT Treasure Island.

The protagonist, a hapless college graduate, reads the original and resolves to live her life according to its Core Values:

boldness
resolution
independence
& hornblowing.

It's a lot of fun.

#BookWorm #Books

The cover of Treasure Island!!! by Sara Levine.

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 25d

When a sign says:

DO NOT ENTER

DANGER

NO ACCESS

or, as in the photo, 'For your safety, the old footpath is no longer in use,'

Most people would turn around.

Not dad.

My experiences with him inspired my work in progress, Nicksgate, coming soon.

#writingnovels #writerslife #writinginspiration

A warning notice attached to a post next to a gate at the base of a mountain in the Lake District. The sign says 'For your safety the old footpath is no longer in use. Please now follow the forest road!' A seventy-something man is in the background, passing through the gate.

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 26d

My short story, One in a Million, was inspired by my time working at a firm of personal injury lawyers in Manchester, UK.

A dark sense of humour was essential.

You can read the story in the MojoBooks free book offer at:

books.bookfunnel.com/thrillingfre...

#shortstory #fiction #ShortFiction

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · 28d

I enjoyed Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak.

It's a gripping, twisty supernatural thriller.

Great use of illustrations. I can still recall the cold shock of that first drawing of them seated at the table with... well, no spoilers. Read it yourself.

Recommended.
#greatreads #BookWorm #WhatToRead

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · Oct 3

My current read is Good and Evil and Other Stories by Samanta Schweblin.

The best story was An Eye in the Throat about a boy who swallows a battery and has a tracheotomy. He comes to feel as if his whole family is defined by the hole in his throat.

Recommended.

#GreatReads #BookWorm #WhatToRead

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · Oct 2

My short story, One in a Million, was inspired by my time working at a firm of personal injury lawyers in Manchester, UK.

A dark sense of humour was essential.

You can read the story in the MojoBooks free book offer at:

books.bookfunnel.com/thrillingfre...

#shortstory #fiction #ShortFiction

A man on the telephone looking anxious, surrounded by images of people having accidents.

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · Oct 1

💥 What if you knew how to avoid every accident?

Simon Hattersley’s learned every way you might die.

Now he’s almost invincible… or so he thinks.

Read my FREE short story 'One in a Million,' along with many others at:

books.bookfunnel.com/thrillingfre...

#shortstories #fiction #GreatReads

JL Copeland @jlcopelandwriter.bsky.social · Sep 30

AK Nevermore will be at BOOKFEST!! at Still Hill Brewery, Rocky Hill, CT, on October 12th.

Go check it out!

#booksigning
#authormeet