Last month, I received a strange email. A reader reached out to ask questions about my prequel, Slice of Sin. At first, I thought she was running a weird roundabout scam, but the more we communicated, the more I realized she was a genuine fan. She read the prequel short story while over at a friend’s house and loved it so much she tracked down my email to ask me three questions: Why did I choose to write the prequel from the villain’s perspective? Why did I name my villain Sin? And above all,...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, Time flies. We have 104 days until the end of the year and 19 days until the release of my debut novel, Disciple of Sin: I’m excited (and nervous), but reviews so far have been great and I have more coming down the pipeline. With only 19 days left, this is the last time I’ll bring up reading my debut novel for free. The process is simple: Log in to StoryOrigin (or create an account). Apply for my ARC. I’ll check your recent reviews and (most likely) accept your application. You’ll...
19 days ago • 1 min read
Imagine a chef fresh out of school, opening up a new restaurant. No customers. No reviews. No reputation. Would you be their first customer? Probably not. This is the experience of being a new author. No one knows who you are. No one really cares. The only fear greater than your imposter syndrome is the fear of the work you spent years on going unnoticed. It's tough out here. You're not only competing with millions of books; you're also competing with everything that grabs a modern audience's...
26 days ago • 3 min read
A few days ago someone accused the cover of my first book, Disciple of Sin, of being AI. I didn't know if that was an insult or a compliment. If you've been here for a while, you know about Leraynne: the Italian artist I've been working with for years to create my covers. She is amazing at what she does and is constantly buried under project requests from repeat customers like me. She takes vacations, not to relax, but to be undisturbed as she creates masterpiece after masterpiece for one...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
I hate running. It's boring, hard on the joints and takes up so much time. Yet, despite this, when my stepdad died, I ran a marathon to raise money for a scholarship I created in his name. Years later, I'm running a new marathon, launching a book series as a brand new author. In many ways, it reminds me of the marathon I ran back then. It's exhausting and takes up so much time. One thing it is not… is boring. Even committed to this full time, managing this launch has been the equivalent of...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, With the ARC campaign for Disciple of Sin in full swing, I've shifted my focus to getting my second book, Rebel's Road, ready for its November release. One of the hardest parts of getting this book ready to launch was creating a cover that conveyed the book's storyline in a static image. My artist and I went through many concepts to capture the sense of danger and constant threat as Jacob and his companions are hunted through open wilderness in a Mad Max style chase. Here's what...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, A week ago, I launched my ARC campaign for Disciple of Sin, Book One in The Last Sin series. It was a major milestone but my work is far from done. As I write, I'm executing my marketing plan for book one, completing the draft for my third book, and doing a final proofreading pass on my second book in the series. The second book, Rebel's Road, is set to release in November, one month after the release of Disciple of Sin. I am very excited for this book! It closes out the first...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hey Reader, After almost three years in the making, my ARC campaign for Disciple of Sin is finally live! As a member of my mailing list, I am giving you early access before my public launch near the end of the month. Disciple of Sin is set to release on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited on October 6th, 2026. Click the poster or button below to apply for my ARC campaign and get your free copy: https://www.jwweld.com/discipleofsin Apply for the Disciple of Sin ARC Note 1: I will be checking your...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Facebook. Instagram. Amazon. Millions of new books are released every year, and there are a million ways to market them. Out of the many different ways, there is one tried and true method to put books in people’s hands: word of mouth. We skip YouTube ads, scroll past sponsored Instagram posts, and ignore Facebook banners, but the honest recommendation of people like us grabs our attention. This word of mouth comes in many forms: reviews from readers, buzz from friends and coworkers, and hype...
2 months ago • 1 min read