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636 ratings | 255 reviews | avg rating:4.07

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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,Nathan Ballingru ...more

Member Since

March 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jwdonley

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J.W. Donley is an author, editor, book designer, and publisher living in the Pacific Northwest where the Cascade Mountains meet the Salish Sea. JW is the owner of Dark Forest Press LLC through which he helps to share others’ weird and wonderful works with the world. He is the editor of Scattered: A Dark Forest Press Zine as well as a co-editor for the regional journal HamLit. JW is the author of Cats of the Pacific Northwest and 100 Unusual Prompts for Writers of Horror, Weird, and Bizarro Fiction. 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: 3.76 · 764 ratings · 260 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	Howls From Hell by Grady Hendrix (Goodreads Author), M. David Clarkson, Amanda Nevada DeMel 3.64 avg rating — 411 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) 3.86 avg rating — 230 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 — 67 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) 3.97 avg rating — 39 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
	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) 4.33 avg rating — 6 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
	Scattered #1: A Dark Forest Press Zine by J.W. Donley (Goodreads Author), Leslie Edens, alex D 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
	Not-So-Subdued Stories: An Anthology of Bellingham Fiction by J.W. Donley (Goodreads Author), Leslie Edens (Editor), Kenneth Meyer (Editor) liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 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
	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 — 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

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J.W. Donley's Blog

JW’s Writerly Outpost – October 2026

Welcome back for another issue of JW’s Writerly Outpost. I hope you are all doing splendiferous out there. Myself? I’m doing well and keeping ultra busy as usual. Most of my attention lately has been on running Dark Forest Press. Things have been picking up on that front as we roll into spooky season.

Just this past weekend Leslie and I were part of the Bellingham Local Writers table at Bellingham

J.W. is Currently Reading

J.W. Donley is currently reading

The Dragonbone Chair (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #1)

by Tad Williams (Goodreads Author)

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Aug 25, 2026 04:31PM

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

Love's Labor's Lost

by William Shakespeare

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Oct 17, 2025 05:05PM

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J.W. Donley rated a book Wuthering Frights by Leslie Edens	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
9 hours, 5 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wuthering Frights by Leslie Edens. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wuthering Frights by Leslie Edens <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.W. Donley is now following Leslie Edens Author of Mortals: Heather Despair Book One
Aug 06, 2026 03:11PM · like
J.W. Donley finished reading Camp Crypticon Seattle Writing Contest Anthology : Volume III by Clay Vermulm (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
Apr 24, 2026 09:12AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Camp Crypticon Seattle Writing Contest Anthology by Clay Vermulm. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Camp Crypticon Seattle Writing Contest Anthology by Clay Vermulm <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Apr 24, 2026 09:11AM · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Camp Crypticon Seattle Writing Contest Anthology by Clay Vermulm. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Camp Crypticon Seattle Writing Contest Anthology by Clay Vermulm <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.W. Donley finished reading Cairn (Voices from the Cold Book 2) by Clay Vermulm (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
Apr 24, 2026 09:11AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Cairn by Clay Vermulm. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Cairn by Clay Vermulm <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.W. Donley and 2 other people liked Kayla's review of The Pigeon Lied: "Incredibly fun and short read set in a demon infested PNW. it gives me the feeling of a post apocalyptic episode of Mike Tyson Mysteries"
Apr 05, 2026 10:20AM · see review · 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 and 2 other people liked 👑 💀's review of Dim Shores Presents Volume 2 Spring 2021: "If not for the sublime illustration on the cover, I may not have noticed this anthology to begin with. I offer my highest praise to the artist. And because that enormous beast with a tentacle-like appendage stretching from its head seemed to promise " Read more of this review »
Apr 05, 2026 10:20AM · see review
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 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
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J.W. Donley is now following Christine Morgan Author of The Night Silver River Run Red
Mar 14, 2026 10:27PM · like

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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

13 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

15 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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