James D. Mills
Morning Edit
Morning Edit is your weekly peek behind the curtain of independent publishing. Host James D. Mills — editor, writer, and small press founder — shares candid updates from his publishing journey, insights on the writing life, and tips on submitting work, navigating the book business, and living creatively. Along the way, James answers listener questions and talks about the books shaping his thinking.
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Episodes
How I'm Handling NaNoWriMo 16.11.2025 18:19
Check out my kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thearcanistsrefuge/novels-of-dusk-and-dawn It's November, which means that it's time for writers to overwork themselves and insight premature burnout! Yes, its time for NaNoWriMo. Today I'm discussing my earnest effort to achieve 50,000 words in one month. It's November 11th, and I haven't even start yet.
Short Books are the Future — Featuring Lee Patton 08.11.2025 58:39
Check out A Valley of Shadow : https://thearcanist.net/novels/avos.html Fantasy authors feel obligated to write giant books in never ending series. Trilogies composed of 800-page tomes litter store shelves. In the days of yore, this was a good thing. Now, with attention spans dwindling, authors are failing to meet the needs of their readers. Lee Patton seeks to impact fantasy by returning to the s...
Perfection vs. Creativity — When to let go (featuring C.D. Jensen) 30.10.2025 21:05
Win free copies of Jensen's books: https://kingsumo.com/g/1j2v5k3/fantasy-book-giveaway-the-crown-and-the-caged-god-by-cd-jensen All too often we get caught up in the idea perfection. Oh no! My first draft is riddled with errors, I need to go back and... we've all been there. Sometimes the pursuit of perfection is a worthy goal, other times it stands in the way of finishing your project. I...
Crop Rotation — Write More and Stay Motivated 17.10.2025 28:01
Good morning fellow writers and welcome to the Morning Edit. Today we discuss my version of the Crop Rotation method of writing project management. If you are overwhelmed by myriad ideas, have a hard time staying motivated, and want to make progress on multiple projects—this is the method for you. Follow my kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thearcanistsrefuge/novels-of-dusk-and-daw...
Journaling the Production of Your Novel 01.10.2025 14:42
Good morning fellow writers and welcome to the Morning Edit. Today we are discussing the merits of journaling your novel project and how doing so can help keep you motivated while you write, and allows you to solve major narrative issues as your write the first draft. To read my own production journal, visit my portfolio: https://portfolio.jamesdmills.com/posts/pr/
Sword & Sorcery in the 21st Century — Featuring Lee Patton 08.09.2025 30:45
Good morning and welcome to The Morning Edit. Today I’m joined by Lee Patton, fiction editor at The Arcanist and author of A Valley of Shadow, a modern reimagining of classic sword and sorcery. We dive into the heart of the sword and sorcery genre and ask: does it have literary value beyond swords, violence, and adventure? How can internal struggle enhance the external narrative often found in the...
Using Literary Theory to Improve Editorial Skills — Featuring Lee Patton 04.09.2025 12:37
Pre-Order A Valley of Shadow: https://store.thearcanist.net Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Edit. This week I'm joined by fantasy author, Lee Patton (A Valley of Shadow). Today we're talking about of our shared experiences studying Literary Theories, such as Formalism, New Historicism, Psychoanalysis, and Post-Modernism and how these things inform our understanding of story as wri...
I Finished My Third Book — Novel Production Post Mortem 27.08.2025 27:00
Follow Novels of Dusk and Dawn on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thearcanistsrefuge/novels-of-dusk-and-dawn Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Edit. Today, I'm discussing my thoughts about finishing Ashen Rider, the third novel I've written and the first I'll be publishing. I discuss the novel's themes and their relation to my life as well as the state of t...
Writing SHOULD NOT Pay the Bills — Featuring C.D. Jensen 22.08.2025 11:26
Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Edit. This week I'm joined by professor and author, C.D. Jensen (The Crown and the Caged God) talking about why he isn't interested in writing for a living. Passion cannot bear the weight of our finances. Read The Crown and the Caged God: https://amzn.to/45KRgVd
Why Fantasy Writers NEED a Community — Featuring C.D. Jensen 13.08.2025 15:47
Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Edit . This week I'm joined by professor and author, C.D. Jensen (The Crown and the Caged God) talking about our need for artistic communities and why they're so integral to the craft of fantasy writing. Thumbnail art by Joyce Maureira, used with permission.
You Need to Network With Other Authors 08.08.2025 18:12
Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Edit. The show where we can have a casual chat about writing and some coffee. This week I dive into my recent experiences networking and the frustrations I've experienced by depending on Amazon for book fulfillment. Subscribe to my Substack: https://jdmauthor.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page Check out the Arcanist: https://...
Small Books are the Future 28.07.2025 13:03
Good morning, and welcome to the Morning Edit. The show where we can have a casual chat about writing and some coffee. This week, I introduce the show, review my submission grind and some recent successes. I also discuss why splitting my massive Fantasy book is beneficial for the current indie market. Matias Trevieso-Diaz Interview: https://magazine.thearcanist.net/the-writing-life-an-interview-wi...
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