writing

Bring on 2026 | Get on with it!

/ J.R. Roper

What a year! I’ve referred to myself as a Dad-Taxi before, but 2025 hit a new level. I’ve been trying to rekindle/awaken my writing groove for a while now and found some glimmers of success over the past few months. I experienced the magic of early morning writing sessions and found a book, Save the Cat Writes Horror, which generated some breakthroughs on my current WIP. Sometime in the summer of 2025, I also asked myself why? What’s the point in doing this work?

Reminding myself of my why for writing was a really important moment this year and it was twofold. First, because it makes me feel whole. I feel better, like myself, when I’m writing regularly. I also remembered myself as a young adult. I didn’t enjoy reading until I discovered Harry Potter and from there, I became a life-long reader and eventually a writer. I am writing for myself when I was thirteen years old, books that would have inspired a love for reading had I never set foot in Hogwarts with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. So what now? The new year presents a great opportunity for letting go of what hasn’t worked and reimagining what my life as a writer could be based on where I am right now, not where I was a decade ago when my kids were in bed before 8 pm and writing past midnight was the norm. 

So what am I working on? Well, it feels like something old (the first draft was finished in 2012), but based on the changes I’ve made, it is essentially a new project. I can’t give up on it until I have given it my all, and this rewrite will be just that. Wish me luck! I’m focusing on the NOW with this project. The only time that really exists is right now. Goals help us determine which direction to travel, but each step happens on a moment by moment basis. My motto for writing this year is: Get on with it. 

If you are reading this, thank you! I wish you peace during this holiday season and inspiration for the year to come. Live now, not in a past you cannot change, or a future that doesn’t exist yet. Whatever you’ve wanted to do, just get started. Get on with it. 

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis

Writing Update

/ J.R. Roper

We are experiencing a false fall here in Michigan and I am loving it. It will be back to summer weather next weekend, but this cool weather has provided a nice reprieve after a scorching summer. I absolutely love fall in Michigan. Warm flannel, changing leaves, and crockpots full of chili all speak my love language. Getting settled into another school year also provides the structure and scheduled focus for me to plan and look forward to my writing time. 

If you know me personally or have become a fan of my work, you know that I have not had a new novel published in years. As time has gone on, I’ve wondered if there is something wrong with me. Why can’t I get another book across the finish line? It felt like I’d release a novel a year for the rest of my life when I was writing the Morus Chronicles. But since the series finished, I have written three full manuscripts that all felt off in some way. Until now.

FINALLY I am working on a rewrite and the story has some real potential. For better or worse, I believe that you are only as good as your next one, and as a result I have a standard for my work that has kept me in a writing limbo. I can’t make any promises or timelines, but it feels good to be excited about a project again. I look forward to sharing progress updates and I hope you are all well. I am grateful for you. Thank you for reading this blog and my work. 

2023 Recap and Happy New Year!

/ J.R. Roper / Leave a comment

I’m not sure what to make of my writing in 2023. I had many days and weeks with no progress and then others with unusually productive hours. I woke at 5 AM for three weeks straight during the early fall (I have never been a morning writer but I aspire to be) and hand wrote thousands of words. And then I just couldn’t. I firmly believe in the power of writing every day, but it has been many years since I came close to that ideal and 2023 was no exception. But, it is dangerous driving forward while looking in the rearview mirror. It is a great way to crash and destroy the future. So, let’s get on with it. After a few highlights of course.

I got to spend a lot of time with my favorite person on the planet this year (my wonderful wife), so I can’t be anything but grateful. I also had the privilege of watching my kids try and succeed at old and new endeavors and grow in many ways. They are growing too fast!

I had two short stories published this year, which provided a great boost for me as a writer. The first story, Communal Fire, was published by Every Day Fiction and is a short ghost story. The second story, The Wicker Demon, was published by Eastern Iowa Review and was my first fantasy story published for the adult market. 

My current project continues to progress and I am hopeful to share it with you sometime in 2024. I had hoped to have the final edit done before writing this post, but I am not quite there yet. Cheers to a new year and I hope we can all block out the noise 2024 is sure to bring and focus on the things we can control and the people we are blessed to have in our lives.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and 2022 Recap

/ J.R. Roper

It’s difficult to believe that 2022 is coming to a close. This was the year of many activities and full schedules, a product of my kids growing older and the post-pandemic reopening of the world–a new season of life as a parent. I didn’t cross off many of my goals for 2022, but I did fully enjoy my time watching others grow and flourish. Here’s to another year of wonderful life in 2023 and hopefully a few more goals met during the next 365 days.

A few highlights from 2022:

Writing and Publishing: My story, The Wicker Demon, was accepted by Eastern Iowa Review for Issue 14: The Elven Collection (I will post when it goes live). I also finished the first draft of a whimsical middle grade novel and submitted a finished project throughout the year.

Mushroom Hunting: My wife and I took a foraging and mushroom identification class and it was one of my favorite activities of the year. We will continue to learn and pursue this passion as a couple.

Books: My favorite book this year was Stop Fixing Yourself by Anthony De Mello. There is a lot of wisdom in this man’s writings. I also loved Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty.

Podcasts: I continue to get the most value out of The Minimalist podcast. I subscribed to the private podcast and they added TK Coleman as a regular, both of which have enhanced my experience.

Movies and TV: My wife a I finally sat down and watched Stranger Things. We absolutely loved it (oh the 80s nostalgia) and binged all four seasons during the months of October and November.

On to 2023! This year I will let go of the things that get in the way of time spent loving my family and working on projects that bring me joy. When there is space, creativity can flourish. Clearing away the physical clutter, emotional clutter, digital clutter, etc. can create a calming environment where I will either be more productive, or even better, at peace.

Thank you for reading. May you be in a calm place in 2023, full of possibility and creativity. Best wishes and big hugs.

My Writing Process: Blog Tour

/ J.R. Roper / Leave a comment

New release date (300x251) (2)I would like to thank the fabulous Kelly O’Dell Stanley for tagging me in this magical blog tour. Kelly is a best friend and has an amazing book on prayer coming out from Tyndale in May 2015 titled The Art of Praying Upside Down. Her book is an exploration of prayer in her own life mixed with a palette of art techniques that merge majestically with new ways to pray. She is an award winning writer and future best seller. I just know these things, so trust me!

A bit about me.

What am I working on?

I am currently putting the polish on my first novel, The Hunter Awakens: Morus Chronicles Book One, which will be released July 8, 2014 from Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing. I am also at work on the second book in the Morus Chronicles. The title is still up in the air.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I am sort of split between adult horror and fantasy for middle grade readers and teens. In terms of my horror, I write simple prose that is thin on description and heavier on mood. I wouldn’t call it terribly dark or gory writing, but more distressing and slightly hopeful.

My fantasy for middle grade and teen readers tends to be easy to read and written with a simple voice. Many in this category are heavy on voice and internal distress. I certainly bring my own unique voice but I want to take the reader on an adventure in the vein of Indiana Jones more than an internal struggle.

Why do I write what I do?

Many of my family and friends are surprised by my horror writing because they see me as a comedy writer but the only stories that flow from my hand in short form are gifts from the dark. I don’t know why. I just go with it.

My fantasy is driven by my first love, Harry Potter. There are no words to express how much that series meant to me. So much that it inspired me to become a writer.

How does my writing process work?

My writing process changes with the season of the year and the season of life. I am a husband, father to two boys under three, social studies teacher, track coach, critique partner, and family member to the wonderful people at CHBB, Vamptasy, and Hot Ink Press #Onehouseunited. Needless to say, I have 25 hours of my day spoken for before I even think about writing. I tend to work a lot during the summer when I am off from school. I also go in spurts during the school year (I wrote 25,000 words in November!). I write best at night from 9:00-11:00 if I can only sit down for a bit and work. Some days I can. Some I can’t. All I know is that I am happiest when I am writing daily and some months that is a reality.

Enough about me! Tagging some of the best authors I know!

Liza Wiemer

Liza just announced that her debut YA novel HELLO? will be published by Spencer Hill Contemporary. Liza is absolutely wonderful, a best friend, and is the hardest working writer I have ever met. She reviews YA books and has fun contests at her whoRUblog. She has two non-fiction books published, Extraordinary Guidance: How to Connect with Your Spiritual Guides & Waiting for Peace: How Israelis Live with Terrorism. Connect with Liza:

Twitter: @LizaWiemer

Website: http://lizawiemer.com/

Blog: http://www.whorublog.com/

Sarah Jayne Carr

In a world short on heroes, we have Sarah Jayne Carr! Sarah is a writer and editor and was the editor for my first short story publication in Dark Light Three, a CHBB anthology. She is the author of the JackRabbit7 series, published by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing. Hunting Hamilton: A JackRabbit7 Novel releases April 25, 2014! Her Grim Reaper series is in progress with the prequel coming out October 3, 2014. I can’t hold back. She holds a special place in my heart and I love her dearly! Connect with Sarah:

Twitter: @SarahJCarr1

Facebook: Like her Page!

The Guardians Fan Page

Website: http://www.sarahjcarr.com/

Jennifer Raygoza

Wity and wonderful, Jen is an up and coming rock star. The Guardians series will be re-released from Vamptasy Publishing starting with The Guardians 1 on April 15, 2014. She has an uplifting personality and makes me smile constantly despite the fact that we are separated by the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and a lot of corn fields. I can’t wait to see her rise to stardom. Connect with Jennifer:

Twitter @RaygozaJen

Facebook: Like her Page!

Goodreads: Author Page