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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

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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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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Alex Dolan’s books

Average rating: 3.77 · 486 ratings · 118 reviews · 3 distinct works

	The Euthanist 3.75 avg rating — 416 ratings — published 2015 — 8 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 3.86 avg rating — 70 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

* 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 Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (2014-07-03) by E.M. Carroll	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
Aug 10, 2026 11:39PM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book it was amazing Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman (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
Aug 10, 2026 09:53PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alex Dolan rated a book it was amazing Dracula by Bram Stoker	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
Aug 02, 2026 09:01PM · like
Alex Dolan rated a book really liked it Moonflow by Bitter Karella	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
Jul 25, 2026 09:14PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Moonflow by Bitter Karella. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Moonflow by Bitter Karella <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alex Dolan rated a book really liked it Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine	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
Jul 16, 2026 10:22AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Waking the Tiger by Peter A. Levine. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Waking the Tiger by Peter A. Levine <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alex Dolan rated a book really liked it Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass (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
Jul 11, 2026 10:45PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alex Dolan rated a book liked it Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (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
Jul 03, 2026 11:43PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alex Dolan rated a book really liked it Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia (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
Jun 25, 2026 11:23PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alex Dolan rated a book liked it The 2-Hour Job Search: Using Technology to Get the Right Job Faster by Steve Dalton (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
Jun 18, 2026 12:27PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The 2-Hour Job Search by Steve Dalton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The 2-Hour Job Search by Steve Dalton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Alex Dolan rated a book liked it The Tesseract by Alex Garland	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
Jun 14, 2026 08:46PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Tesseract by Alex Garland. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Tesseract by Alex Garland <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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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

4 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

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“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

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
A Good Thriller: Chat/Banter/Review - May Read	368	118	Jun 04, 2015 01:06AM
A Million More Pages: * Belladonna's vs. Badass Bibliophiles	731	72	Aug 29, 2015 02:51AM
2026 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	110	May 16, 2016 10:50AM
Just For Fun!: A Wick-ed Challenge	156	92	Mar 24, 2024 07:12PM
A Good Thriller: 2015-Early 2026 - NetGalley Books ... Just Had Approved	4245	1334	Feb 27, 2026 01:31AM

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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

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“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

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Alex’s Friend Comments

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message 1: by Ashley (last edited Aug 25, 2016 12:15PM)

Aug 30, 2007 04:25PM

thanks for the add! :D

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Alex Dolan’s Followers (77)

Alex Dolan

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