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J.D. Kaplan

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.thedreamside.com

Twitter

jedeleh

Genre

Fantasy, Science Fiction

Influences

Charles DeLint Neil Gaiman ...more

Member Since

January 2008

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JD currently lives in Woodstock, Illinois with his wife, two kids and very insecure Golden Retriever, Max. He has worked in the software industry for nearly 18 years after a period of failing to publish his poetry. At this stage in life he's actively trying to change careers again to be a full time author of fantasy and science fiction novels. ...more

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What inspires you while you write? :)

J.D. Kaplan Music! My grandmother used to say that music was her religion and there's definitely something to that for me as well. It's not the lyrics but the emo…moreMusic! My grandmother used to say that music was her religion and there's definitely something to that for me as well. It's not the lyrics but the emotions that music conjures that starts my creative process. The Scary Girls was born while I was listening to Veruca Salt, The Mars Volta and Nine Inch Nails. Waking Dreams came out of an odd mixture of Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and Mahler's 1st Symphony.

My next book so far has been written entirely while listening to Zoë Keating and Brahms' Double Concerto. And perhaps a little The Pretty Reckless on the side.

Thank you so much for stopping by!(less)

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What inspired you to start writing?

J.D. Kaplan Reading did it. I started consuming fantasy and scifi novels at a young age, reading a couple a week, often at the expense of my studies. While my cla…moreReading did it. I started consuming fantasy and scifi novels at a young age, reading a couple a week, often at the expense of my studies. While my classmates and friends were idolizing sports heroes, musicians, and actors, my heroes were Stephen R. Donaldson, Frank Herbert, JRR Tolkien and Isaac Asimov. I wrote my first book at 12--a novella that was dreadful and shortly after finishing it I stuck it in the back of my closet and never saw it again. I still have this nightmare where my mother shows up at a book signing with it in hand and passes it around proudly while I try to hide behind a couch and think about a pseudonym that might allow me to keep writing. But I was dedicated to it. Actually finished it. Never stopped writing after that. (less)

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Combine Editions
J.D. Kaplan’s books

Average rating: 4.11 · 47 ratings · 19 reviews · 2 distinct works

	Waking Dreams: The Torment of Colin Pierce 4.08 avg rating — 39 ratings — published 2013 — 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
	The Scary Girls 4.25 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2015 — 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.

16 posts
J.D. Kaplan's Blog

Strong female characters

I'm particularly drawn to these types of characters. Mercy Thompson is probably one of my favorite protagonists in anything I've ever read. She's not carrying around a dominating power or ability that makes her inherently powerful. She is a woman with some abilities that often takes on significantly stronger enemies because it's the Right Thing to Do. Her motivations when she faces off against mon Read more of this blog post »

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Published on January 20, 2019 07:56

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J.D. is Currently Reading

J.D. Kaplan is currently reading

Kill the Dead (Sandman Slim, #2)

by Richard Kadrey (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 27, 2013 09:25AM

J.D. Kaplan is currently reading

NOS4A2

by Joe Hill (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 27, 2013 09:08AM

Topics Mentioning This Author

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J.D.’s Quotes

“Life is but a dream, within a dream.”
― Shakespear

27 likes

“The world is indeed comic, but the joke is on mankind.”
― H. P. Lovecraft

3274 likes

“Only the phoenix rises and does not descend. And everything changes. And nothing is truly lost.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 10: The Wake

745 likes

“CHORONZON: I am a dire wolf, prey-stalking, lethal prowler.

MORPHEUS: I am a hunter, horse-mounted, wolf-stabbing.

CHORONZON: I am a horsefly, horse-stinging, hunter-throwing.

MORPHEUS: I am a spider, fly-consuming, eight legged.

CHORONZON: I am a snake, spider-devouring, posion-toothed.

MORPHEUS: I am an ox, snake-crushing, heavy-footed.

CHORONZON: I am an anthrax, butcher bacterium, warm-life destroying.

MORPHEUS: I am a world, space-floating, life-nurturing.

CHORONZON: I am a nova, all-exploding... planet-cremating.

MORPHEUS: I am the Universe -- all things encompassing, all life embracing.

CHORONZON: I am Anti-Life, the Beast of Judgment. I am the dark at the end of everything. The end of universes, gods, worlds... of everything. Sss. And what will you be then, Dreamlord?

MORPHEUS: I am hope.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes

tags: competition, cunning, insight, outwit, wisdom

783 likes