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J.Q. Crawford | Dark Fantasy Writer

@chaptersoncaffeine

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I write stories about complicated people
Dark fantasy | Japan life | caffeinated woes
Currently writing Waltz of the Jaded
on @chapterloom ↓

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Hi. We’re friends now.

I want to know the authors who are just as deeply, unnecessarily, delightfully obsessed with their stories as I am.

What's one weirdly specific thing currently living in your author brain?

I'll go first: I'm extremely invested in the tiny details of the world I'm building for my dark urban fantasy, Waltz of the Jaded. And yes, some of them will probably never make it onto the page.

Comment yours and find another author in the replies to make a new writer friend!

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Welcome to Day 1 of the #authorvisibilityquest (Dual-track edition)! A 5-day marketing challenge for writers who want to be more intentional with their content and connect with their readers and other authors!

Let's have a good time 🖤

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#writerlife #author #bffapplication #fantasyauthor by @chaptersoncaffeine

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a month ago

#QuestPit

WALTZ OF THE JADED is a dark urban fantasy set in a futuristic Tokyo focused on psychological tension and an all-consuming relationship, where power has a physical cost, and intimacy is both dangerous and inevitable.

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COMING SOON TO @chapterloom!

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Hi, I'm J.Q. I write character-driven, dark fantasy focused on grief, trauma, and moral descent where characters are shaped by their past, forced into impossible choices, and must decide who they become after losing everything.

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#DF #F #A #W by @chaptersoncaffeine

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3 months ago

📣 WANTED: THE FIRST WITNESSES OF WALTZ OF THE JADED! 📣

Every story starts somewhere, and I'm looking for a handful of readers who want to be part of Waltz of the Jaded's journey from the beginning.

I'm officially opening applications for The Jaded Inner Circle: a small group of founding members who will follow my ongoing dark urban fantasy on @chapterloom, get access to exclusive content, and help introduce the story to new readers.

Here's what you can look forward to:
🖤 A complimentary Chapterloom tier subscription
🖤 Exclusive character insights and worldbuilding
🖤 Behind-the-scenes content and bonus snippets
🖤 Reader discussions, theories, and fun promo challenges
🖤 A chance to support Waltz of the Jaded as it is written

Just bring your love of stories and a willingness to help this one find its people.

The book is still a work in progress, and that's part of the fun! You'll be there to witness the journey as it unfolds.

🖤 Limited founding-member spots available.
🖤 Application closes on November 2nd.
🖤 iOS is required for the Chapterloom subscription.

Interested? Fill out the application through the l/i/n/k in my b/i/o!

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#WaltzOfTheJaded #authorstreetteam #urbanfantasy #darkfantasy #indieauthor by @chaptersoncaffeine

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a day ago

Here's a little update on five of my projects, their opening lines, the worlds I'm building, and where they currently stand.

From a neon-soaked Tokyo to a haunted seaside town, apparently I have a thing for putting my characters through it.

Which project caught your attention first?

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J. Q. Crawford is an author based in Japan, writing dark, atmospheric stories with morally complex characters, immersive worldbuilding, and emotional stakes. She is currently serializing Waltz of the Jaded, a dark urban fantasy on @chapterloom.

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#fantasybooks #fantasyauthor #gothicromance #novella #indieauthor

Tokyo doesn’t let you fall apart. It keeps you alive long enough to become something worse.

Rowan Hummel-Owusu has spent her life holding herself together—balancing a quiet existence with a dangerous, secret power that pulls her further from who she used to be. But when she stumbles into a pattern of brutal, impossible crimes, she uncovers something far bigger than she was ever meant to see.

The city is changing. People are disappearing. And beneath it all, something is rewriting what it means to be human.

Then she meets him.

Someone sharp, reckless, and entirely too comfortable in the dark corners Rowan has spent her life avoiding. As their paths entangle in a game neither of them fully controls, rivalry turns into something consuming.

A royal messenger has lost every memory of the monstrous deeds he committed under a blood-moon possession. Cassira—one of the only survivors—recognizes him, yet he does not recognize her. When they are forced to travel together, she sees flickers of the man he could be and the monster he might still become. His eyes reveal stories he can’t remember, and she’s the only one who knows the truth.

Aphelia has always lived in the shadow of her twin, a sister whose strength and fire she never believed she could match. But when her twin seizes the throne of Xytherra and descends into madness, Aphelia must rise from self-doubt to confront the one person who knows her better than anyone.

Among galaxies where realms burn and love blooms in the unlikeliest of places, Aphelia discovers courage through sacrifice, friendship, and a found by @chaptersoncaffeine

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2 days ago

I'm an ending-first kind of writer. I like having at least some idea of where my characters are going before I start figuring out how they're getting there.

Fun fact: all my projects started because I imagined the ending first and wanted to figure out how my MCs got there.

Do you plot from the ending backward, or do you discover your ending as you write?

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J. Q. Crawford is an author based in Japan, writing dark, atmospheric stories with morally complex characters, immersive worldbuilding, and emotional stakes. She is currently serializing Waltz of the Jaded, a dark urban fantasy on @chapterloom.

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#plotting #writerlife #authorinprogress #writingtips #fantasyauthor by @chaptersoncaffeine

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3 days ago

A little glimpse into life lately 🖤

It's a balancing act because writing is something I want to make more room for, but it's also something I'm building around an already full life.

Some days are productive. Some days I'm just happy I managed to get a few hundred words down. And some days, the writing has to wait while I go out and actually live a little.

I'm learning to appreciate all of it. The ordinary days are part of the story, too.

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J. Q. Crawford is an author based in Japan, writing dark, atmospheric stories with morally complex characters, immersive worldbuilding, and emotional stakes. She is currently serializing Waltz of the Jaded, a dark urban fantasy on @chapterloom.

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#writerlife #lifeinJapan #fantasyauthor #authorinprogress #fantasybooks by @chaptersoncaffeine

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5 days ago

A little reintroduction, because there are probably a few new faces around here 🖤

I'm Jayde: a writer, reader, creative, and someone who has never been good at having just one interest.

This little corner of the internet is where I share the writing process, the stories I'm building, the things inspiring me, and the occasional glimpse into life beyond writing my stories!

If you're new here, welcome! And if you've been around for a while, consider this your invitation to tell me something I don't know about you yet.

Let's make some new internet friends. What's one oddly specific thing about you?

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#fantasybooks #fantasyauthor #speculativefiction #writerlife #lifeinJapan by @chaptersoncaffeine

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8 days ago

The cover is finally here and I can't stop looking at it! @shiawasekat did amazing work and I'm so grateful I got to work with them and my book come to life!

I go deeper on how my cover came to be on my Substack, so head on over to learn a bit about the cover, the story, and...read the first chapter!! 🖤

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J.Q. Crawford is an author based in Japan writing dark, atmospheric stories with morally complex characters, immersive worldbuilding, magic, and emotional stakes. She is currently serializing Waltz of the Jaded, a dark urban fantasy set in Tokyo on @chapterloom, and sharing her journey as an author.

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#coverreveal #writerlife #darkfantasy #fantasybooks #fantasyreads by @chaptersoncaffeine

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8 days ago

We’re accepting applications for new author friends!

Sometimes you just want someone who understands the joy of getting way too excited about a fictional character, or wants to rant about your plot at midnight.

Bonus points if you’re the kind of person who will celebrate someone else’s tiny writing wins as if they just signed a six-figure deal.

Tag an author who needs some new writer friends!

↓↓↓

@sm.sloane: S. M. Sloane, an aspiring fantasy author who is currently writing her Southern Gothic fantasy. It’s a tale that blends African-American folklore with paranormal elements.

@a.world.of.ink: E. M. Warden is a professional copywriter and aspiring author de-romanticizing the writing and publishing processes. Her Substack, Almost Published, is for anyone who wants candid advice and a look behind the creative curtain.

@ravensecho.writing: Mina West weaves her career adventures as a wildlife biologist with her love for fantasy, and has been doing so for nearly two decades. She hopes to reconnect her readers to the natural world through the written word, and thrives in the space where science meets art. Her debut eco-fantasy novel, Heartfire, will be released April 6th, 2027.

@chaptersoncaffeine: J. Q. Crawford is an author based in Japan, writing dark, atmospheric stories with morally complex characters, immersive worldbuilding, and emotional stakes. She is currently serializing Waltz of the Jaded, a dark urban fantasy on @chapterloom.

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#writerlife #fantasyauthor #fantasybooks #writingcommunity by @chaptersoncaffeine

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4 days ago

If any of my projects have a chance of seeing the light of day, an editor is needed!

What's your worthwhile writing investment? by @chaptersoncaffeine

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6 days ago

She’s finally here 🖤

After months of planning, writing, overthinking, and wondering if this story would ever become a book…I get to show you the cover of Waltz of the Jaded by @shiawasekat. This project has taken me further into my writing than anything I’ve done before, and seeing it exist like this feels a little surreal.

Tokyo, Morphos, Rowan*, and all the chaos I’ve been carrying around in my head. Now you get to see it, too. Waltz of the Jaded is being serialized on @chapterloom, and this is only the beginning!

*@a.world.of.ink (Character Artist for Rowan (FMC))

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J.Q. Crawford is an author based in Japan writing dark, atmospheric stories with morally complex characters, immersive worldbuilding, magic, and emotional stakes. She is currently serializing Waltz of the Jaded, a dark urban fantasy set in Tokyo on @chapterloom, and sharing her journey as an author

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#WaltzOfTheJaded #coverreveal by @chaptersoncaffeine

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9 days ago

A glimpse into the world of Waltz of the Jaded 🖤

Would you add this to your TBR?

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J.Q. Crawford is an author based in Japan writing dark, atmospheric stories with morally complex characters, immersive worldbuilding, magic, and emotional stakes. She is currently serializing Waltz of the Jaded, a dark urban fantasy set in Tokyo on @chapterloom, and sharing her journey as an author.

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#aesthetic #serializedstory #bookaesthetic #darkromance #urbanfantasy by @chaptersoncaffeine

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10 days ago