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D.W. McAliley

Goodreads Author

Website

http://dwmcaliley.com/

Twitter

DWMcAliley1791

Genre

Science Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy

Influences

Tolkien, King, Jordan, Brust, Goodkind, Twain, Parents, etc etc etc

Member Since

March 2015

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Wisdom from my grandfather: "Take care of people when you can, and they'll take care of you when you can't."

Wisdom from my father: "Live your life so that it doesn't matter what anyone says about you... even if they lie."

I was born in Maryland, spent a few years in California, and finally settled down to grow up in rural North Carolina. Our family lived in a very small farming community in North Carolina where I graduated high school. I attended several colleges before finally arriving at Univ. of North Carolina at Wilmington in the BFA Creative Writing program. From there, I moved to Charlotte where I live now with my wife and family.

I have a degree in Laser Optics and Photonics (basically an optical engineering degree that was light on t ...more

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How do you deal with writer’s block?

D.W. McAliley Write. It doesn't matter about what. Set a daily goal to write "x" number of words, and stick to it. Even if you're writing about what you ate for din…moreWrite. It doesn't matter about what. Set a daily goal to write "x" number of words, and stick to it. Even if you're writing about what you ate for dinner and what a crappy day you had at work.

Writing is like a muscle in your brain. If you suddenly cramp up, and can't write about your main project, stop trying. Write about something else. If you do that for a couple of days, it will get the gears turning and juices flowing, and you'll find you can break through and work on your main project.

Officer of the Watch, my first published book, started this way. It was a random idea I started writing on while blocked out of my main project at the time. The more I worked on it, the more it took on a life of its own, and slowly overtook my other project as my main focus.

You never know where the story's going to take you.(less)

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

D.W. McAliley Connecting with the audience. Knowing that the words I have put on the page create an emotional, visceral reaction in those reading them.

That, and th…moreConnecting with the audience. Knowing that the words I have put on the page create an emotional, visceral reaction in those reading them.

That, and the freedom to let my imagination run away.... and then trying to catch it again.(less)

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Combine Editions
D.W. McAliley’s books

Average rating: 4.13 · 365 ratings · 22 reviews · 4 distinct works

	Officer of the Watch (Blackout, #1) 4.06 avg rating — 216 ratings — published 2015 — 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
	Storm Tide Rising (Blackout, #2) 4.24 avg rating — 108 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
	Zero Hour: Blackout Vol. 3 4.18 avg rating — 33 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
	Emergence: Book 1 of the Red Death (The Red Death Series) 4.38 avg rating — 8 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

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85 posts
D.W. McAliley's Blog

Garden Update: Tomato Frustrations

As anyone who has attempted to grow a vegetable garden can tell you, tomatoes can be some of the most rewarding, frustrating, challenging, and, at times, infuriating plants to grow. They can be temperamental, even fragile, and sometimes you can do absolutely every single thing correctly (or almost correctly) and you still lose your crop. … Continue reading Garden Update: Tomato Frustrations Read more of this blog post »

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Published on August 07, 2020 10:15

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Series by D.W. McAliley

Blackout (3 books)
by

D.W. McAliley (Goodreads Author)

4.13 avg rating — 357 ratings

D.W. is Currently Reading

D.W. McAliley is currently reading

The Demon in the Freezer

by Richard Preston

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jan 25, 2024 03:01PM

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Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, #9)

by Robert Jordan

bookshelves: currently-reading

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D.W. McAliley said: " The only word to describe Jordan's masterpiece of high fantasy incarnated in the Wheel of Time is Epic.... and even that barely scratches the surface. Outside of Tolkien, who occupies a seat of his own as a pioneer in this genre, Jordan stands unmatc ...more "

Oct 16, 2020 08:34PM · see review

D.W. McAliley is currently reading

A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time, #7)

by Robert Jordan

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Jun 27, 2020 09:16AM · see review

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D.W. McAliley finished reading Children of Dune (Dune, #3) by Frank Herbert	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 24, 2026 04:48AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Children of Dune by Frank Herbert. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Children of Dune by Frank Herbert <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">