449 ratings | 58 reviews | avg rating:4.36

Alex’s Year In Books

Alex’s 2024 Year in Books

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Alex Dolan’s Followers (75)

Alex’s Bookshelves

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Alex’s Friends (495)

Christine

3,644 books | 1,816 friends

Chelsea

1,940 books | 2,795 friends

Hailey

5,353 books | 1,523 friends

Kris V

2,494 books | 357 friends

Diane

3,063 books | 46 friends

Kathy Gange

978 books | 1,130 friends

Joanne Hale

4,745 books | 284 friends

Carmen Lansdowne

469 books | 52 friends

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Alex Dolan

Goodreads Author

Born

in Boston, MA, The United States

Website

http://www.alexdolan.com

Twitter

alexdolan

Genre

Thriller, Suspense, Fiction

Member Since

April 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/alexdolan

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Alex Dolan is the author of The Euthanist and The Empress of Tempera, both published by Diversion Books. He also hosts the show “Thrill Seekers,” part of the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network, which reaches more than 3.5 million listeners. His short fiction is featured in the anthology The Swamp Killers (Down & Out Books), and he is the creator of the audio drama “The Patron Saint of Suicides,” produced in partnership with Audiohm Media. Visit www.alexdolan.com. ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Alex Dolan I trudge through it. Some days, that means slagging through a few hours of garbage before I feel like I've written anything worthwhile.

I feel like it…moreI trudge through it. Some days, that means slagging through a few hours of garbage before I feel like I've written anything worthwhile.

I feel like it happens more when I'm going through the "blank canvas" syndrome—in other words, it's easier for me to freeze up at the beginning of a project, before I've defined the characters or the story. When this happens, I don't force myself to write prose, and instead work on the elements of the story or the people. That way, I can keep moving forward on a process that feels more mechanical and requires less creativity.

For example, I can take a notebook and brainstorm interesting character names. Often, I'll fill out biographies for each of the main characters, where it's easier for me to plug in information about someone's life history. When I have all of that figured out, I'll play around with an outline for the book. So if I'm having problems writing a chapter, I can always go back to my outline, and figure out, with what I know about my characters and the situation, how I can move that scene forward.

Basically, if you find yourself having writer's block, I'd recommend stripping your book down to its smallest elements, and work on those, rather than overwhelming yourself with a blank page (or screen).

If that fails, read. Letting the creative part of your brain rest can be healthy, and sometimes reading a book can spark something interesting.

If that fails, get out and do something. That's not meant to be glib. Sometimes your brain is simply fried, and it might be time to stimulate it with something other than your laptop screen. Ultimately, life experiences are going to fuel your writing anyway.(less)

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Alex Dolan The obvious answers are always "keep writing" and "keep reading." But I'd really recommend finding a mentor. You could start by taking a class and con…moreThe obvious answers are always "keep writing" and "keep reading." But I'd really recommend finding a mentor. You could start by taking a class and connecting with your teacher, or if you're already working on a manuscript, finding an editor who really knows the craft and understands the kind of book you're trying to create.

Don't be afraid to approach people before you commit to working with them. If you're spending money, you should make sure you're comfortable with the person who will be giving you feedback on your work. Don't be discouraged if it takes you a while to find the right one. I've gone through my share of bad haircuts before finding the right salon. For something as important as your writing, you'll want to make sure you have the right person.

I'd recommend that you find a person with a deep knowledge of writing craft, and someone who respects your work enough to improve it without changing its fundamentals. Also, you want to have basic chemistry with them, so you like each other enough to work together.

A good mentor will encourage you to push yourself, and inspire you to write. Ultimately, you want to create the best book you can. A good mentor can help accelerate your development so you can get to a publication faster.(less)

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Alex Dolan’s books

Average rating: 3.77 · 479 ratings · 118 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Euthanist 3.75 avg rating — 408 ratings — published 2015 — 6 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
	The Empress of Tempera 3.87 avg rating — 71 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
	Aspecific Sculpture 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	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 Euthanist by Alex Dolan (2015-06-02) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 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

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

64 posts
Alex Dolan's Blog

What's in an obituary? Ask Jill Orr

LISTEN NOW SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN LATER

In her debut novel, The Good Byline,Jill Orrpresents herself as a fresh voice to the thriller genre. The book centers around a young woman who is obsessed with obituaries, only to find herself forced to write an obituary for her best friend. It's a wonderful mystery, but also a refreshing does of humor in a genre that can be at times, fairly morose.In the intervie Read more of this blog post »

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Published on May 02, 2017 10:55

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Alex’s Recent Updates

Alex Dolan rated a book really liked it Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering by Malcolm Gladwell	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
Jan 10, 2025 03:36PM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book it was amazing The Haunted by Bentley Little	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
Jan 03, 2025 11:34PM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book really liked it The Ghost Tree by Christina Henry (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
Dec 30, 2024 03:29PM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book really liked it The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman	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
Dec 23, 2024 06:06AM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book really liked it The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami	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
Dec 22, 2024 09:41PM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book it was amazing The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe	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
Dec 20, 2024 02:50PM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book really liked it The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving	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
Dec 20, 2024 02:47PM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book really liked it The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay (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
Dec 20, 2024 02:40PM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book it was amazing The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter, #2) by Thomas Harris	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
Dec 20, 2024 02:39PM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book liked it The Turn of the Screw by Henry James	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
Dec 20, 2024 02:39PM · like

More of Alex's books…

Quotes by Alex Dolan (?)

“When someone is repulsed by the sound of body noises like eating, there’s a name for that. Misophonia.”
― Alex Dolan, The Euthanist

3 likes

“Kali. That’s the name I used with clients. Kali is the four-armed Hindu goddess of death. She has been appropriated by hipster flakes as a symbol of feminine power. Maybe that’s fair too. But make no mistake. Kali is a destructress. In one of her hands she holds a severed head.
I know, I know, so fucking dramatic. I’ll admit to a little cultural appropriation for choosing a name like that.”
― Alex Dolan, The Euthanist

tags: kali, the-euthanist

3 likes

“Are you going to do anything stupid?” he asked. I looked around the room and marveled at having landed myself in this pickle. “Stupider than this?”
― Alex Dolan, The Euthanist

2 likes

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A Good Thriller: Chat/Banter/Review - May Read	368	118	Jun 04, 2015 01:06AM
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2025 Reading Chal...: My own little corner 2016 (LindsayIL)	12	92	Jan 01, 2016 04:06PM
A Million More Pages: Lumi Meets The Mystery Machine	181	109	May 16, 2016 10:50AM
A Good Thriller: Share Your Review	10161	2244	May 02, 2023 07:48AM
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Just For Fun!: A Wick-ed Challenge	156	91	Mar 24, 2024 07:12PM
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Alex’s Quotes

“It's a funny phenomenon. You can never visit your own funeral, but if you want to see how people feel about you, commit a crime.”
― Elizabeth L. Silver, The Execution of Noa P. Singleton

14 likes

“And if you press us, be sure we’ll press back. Because the two of us are as vengeful as the Old Testament.” I”
― Alex Dolan, The Euthanist

1 likes

“Death should feel special, so I always dressed for my final meetings.”
― Alex Dolan, The Euthanist

1 likes

“We could have been miserably married for all the attention we paid one another.”
― Alex Dolan, The Euthanist

1 likes

“the beauty of stuff. Somewhere, someone’s always making more of it.”
― Alex Dolan, The Euthanist

1 likes

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Alex Dolan’s Followers (75)

Alex Dolan

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Popular Answered Questions

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Alex’s Recent Updates