Keith W. Willis

year in books

Keith W. Willis’s Followers (64)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
Jess Sc...
2,094 books | 313 friends

Jenn Sc...
1,711 books | 407 friends

Annette...
62 books | 872 friends

Al Macy
1,343 books | 337 friends

Thomas ...
1,383 books | 1,864 friends

Suzy Da...
4,420 books | 5,013 friends

Carl
2,426 books | 290 friends

C.B. Mu...
937 books | 1,814 friends

More friends…

Keith W. Willis

Goodreads Author


Born
in Atlanta, The United States
Website

Genre

Influences
Michael J. Sullivan; S. Morgenstern; Christopher Stasheff; PG Wodehous ...more

Member Since
September 2012


Keith W. Willis graduated (long ago) from Berry College with a degree in English Lit. He now lives in the scenic Hudson Valley/Adirondack region of NY with his wife Patty. They have one grown son, Matt, who actually thinks it’s pretty cool that Dad wrote a book.

Keith’s interests include camping, canoeing, and Scrabble. Keith began writing seriously in 2008, when the voices in his head got too annoying to ignore. When he’s not making up stories he manages a group of database content editors at a global information technology firm. TRAITOR KNIGHT is his first published novel.

To ask Keith W. Willis questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Keith W. Willis First: Read, Write, Read, Write, rinse and repeat. Then do it all some more. Read both in and out of your genre. Write out of your genre on occasion. …moreFirst: Read, Write, Read, Write, rinse and repeat. Then do it all some more. Read both in and out of your genre. Write out of your genre on occasion. Stretch yourself, test your limits.

Second: When you've finished that first draft, wiped away both the sweat and the tears and danced the happy dance--put it away. Maybe two weeks, maybe a month. Then pull it back out and read through the entire thing--don't skim, even though you know what it says--with an agent's eye. Don't just say 'Huzzah, it's done' and start querying. First drafts, with rare exceptions, are awful. Reread, revise, refine. If you query your dream agent too soon (as I did) you lose that opportunity. Make sure it's GOOD before you send it out.

Third: Your work will be rejected. Deal with it. If you can't, you're in the wrong line of endeavor. Rejection doesn't mean YOU personally have been rejected. It doesn't mean your work is awful. It just means it didn't resonate with that particular person you queried. If you get feedback, evaluate it for applicability and incorporate it into your revisions if you feel it helps. Feedback is not always helpful--you need to stay true to your vision of the story, not someone else's vision.

Fourth: Find a community. Writing is, generally speaking, a pretty solitary endeavor. But there are millions of other writers out there, all starving for community as well. Twitter and Facebook are great ways to meet up, make friends, and develop a support network that will support, encourage and commiserate with you. But it's a two-way street--make sure you're doing some of that same supporting, encouraging and commiserating for the other folks in your new circle of awesome friends.

Fifth and Finally: Enjoy the ride. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, why do it? Yeah, it's often a tough, tedious, terrible way to spend your time. But the reward of having someone read your words and be moved to smiles or tears or joy or anger by them is an incredible feeling. Exult that you have that story in you, desperately seeking a way onto the page, and that you DO have the skill and fortitude and vision to make it happen. (less)
Keith W. Willis Too many to choose from! But I think I'll have to go with Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson, from Elizabeth Peters' fabulous series of archaeology-…moreToo many to choose from! But I think I'll have to go with Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson, from Elizabeth Peters' fabulous series of archaeology-based mysteries. (less)
Average rating: 4.41 · 125 ratings · 60 reviews · 5 distinct worksSimilar authors
Traitor Knight (Knights of ...

4.31 avg rating — 78 ratings — published 2015 — 6 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Desperate Knight

4.62 avg rating — 21 ratings4 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Enchanted Knight

4.64 avg rating — 14 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
Stolen Knight

4.45 avg rating — 11 ratings2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Enchanted Knight: Knights o...

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating
Rate this book
Clear rating
More books by Keith W. Willis…

Book Five Is One Step Closer to Reality

On May 5th, I turned in the manuscript for Fateful Knight to my publisher, Champagne Book Group. I'll have a new editor for this outing, since Nikki Andrews, who guided the previous volumes through the editing process, had the unmitigated nerve to retire. Hopefully the book will resonate with New Editor as much as the others have with Nikki.


That being said, I'm hopeful that Fateful Knight wil

Read more of this blog post »
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on April 29, 2024 10:51
Well Played
Keith Willis is currently reading
by Jen DeLuca (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating

 
A Curse So Dark a...
Keith Willis is currently reading
by Brigid Kemmerer (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating

 
Kill the Farm Boy
Keith Willis is currently reading
by Delilah S. Dawson (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating

 

Keith’s Recent Updates

Keith Willis is now friends with Jenna
138206473
Keith Willis rated a book really liked it
Let Slip the Beasts by Suzanne Berget
Rate this book
Clear rating
First of all, let me simply say this book is not intended for the squeamish or the faint of heart. Let Slip the Beasts is an excellently written first sci-fi novel that couples an apocalyptical nightmare scenario with biomed-thriller vibes. Ms. Berge ...more
Keith Willis rated a book really liked it
Shadow Beasts by Nellie H. Steele
Rate this book
Clear rating
Shadow Beasts is fast-paced, fun, and definitely quirky. I didn't want to like this story (the character names are just a bit too cute for my taste), but ultimately I got pulled in and kept reading, want to know What Happens Next. The interplay betwe ...more
Keith Willis is now following
4551632
Keith Willis entered a giveaway
Spare by Prince Harry
Rate this book
Clear rating
Traitor Knight by Keith W. Willis
"Traitor Knight was such a fun read! It's a fantasy that takes place in a medieval setting, but it also had elements of romance and mystery. It had dragons, murder, intrigue, treachery, and even humor. Seriously, this book has so much going for it and" Read more of this review »
Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie
" I absolutely adore Tommy and Tuppence. The witty banter, the sense of fun, and the absolute affection and love they have for one another is marvelous. ...more "
Keith Willis rated a book really liked it
The Viking Who Fell Through Time by Maureen Castell
Rate this book
Clear rating
Exiled Viking Tor cursed the gods. The gods were evidently not amused. So Tor and his companions end up in a terrible storm and only survive thanks to a literal deus ex machina--an out of control space ship which mysteriously plunges their longships ...more
Keith Willis rated a book it was amazing
Witness to the Revolution by Kiersten Marcil
Rate this book
Clear rating
Kiersten Marcil's debut Witness to the Revolution is a lovingly and painstakingly researched time-travel, historical fantasy set during the American Revolutionary War. The scenes, settings, clothing, etc are all period-authentic, with the addition of ...more
Traitor Knight by Keith W. Willis
"Spies, battles, romance, and dragons. What more do you want?

M. Willis writes beautifully. He promises swashbuckling adventure and delivers it. I found myself reading in a different voice than I’m used to. One of delight and pure fun. Like someone el" Read more of this review »
More of Keith's books…
Quotes by Keith W. Willis  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“A clamor of rooks exploded through the trees, nearly drowning out the woman’s scream.”
Keith W. Willis

“A clamor of rooks exploded through the trees, nearly drowning out the woman’s scream.”
Keith W. Willis

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”
W. Somerset Maugham

“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It's that easy, and that hard.”
Neil Gaiman

154267 Brain to Books Cyber Convention (FAIRGROUNDS) — 834 members — last activity Mar 05, 2019 07:10AM
Welcome to CyCon! Find more at HTTP://WWW.B2BCYCON.COM We meet "LIVE at The McKinley" April 2019! ...more
182489 Official Book Club for Authors Looking directly for Readers — 769 members — last activity Nov 30, 2023 11:43AM
Welcome to the Official Book Club for Authors Looking directly for Readers
150362 Authors Looking directly for Readers — 2165 members — last activity Jul 01, 2024 02:32PM
What's the main thing that a writer needs? A pen, paper, computer? Nope -- It's someone to read their work and give feedback. This is a group where: ...more
190702 BOOKS, BOOks, Books... — 161 members — last activity Mar 30, 2017 08:49AM
Come talk about books with me!
189285 New Releases for Champagne Book Group — 20 members — last activity Jan 02, 2017 07:45PM
Here I will post all of Champagne Book Group's (http://champagnebooks.com/store/index.php) new books. We have a wide selection that will appeal to an ...more
167114 Good Choice Reading Blog Tours — 195 members — last activity Dec 08, 2015 02:02PM
Looking for more content to share on your blog? Sign up for our book tour site! :) We feature mostly Romance (non-erotica), New Adult, Young Adult.
191728 New Authors Talk Shoppe — 509 members — last activity Oct 15, 2020 03:35PM
Authors come help me define a group where we can get together and talk about the trade.
224746 Ndeye Labadens Book Club — 1030 members — last activity Feb 06, 2023 04:48AM
Welcome Folks! Ndeye Labadens group is dedicated to free promotion, interviews and also discounted book promo! Add this page to opportunities availa ...more
79471 CBG New Releases — 28 members — last activity Mar 19, 2020 07:17PM
New Releases--Get the info, right here, right now. We will be giving away prizes, new release ARC's and other assorted tidbits to different readers ev ...more
More of Keith’s groups…



No comments have been added yet.