Author: John McCool

John McCool hails from a small town in the great state of Mississippi. He fell in love with writing at a very young age, oftentimes writing stories during class rather than paying attention. Writing is more to him than just a mere hobby, its the way to analyze the world around him. He writes mainly works of science fiction, mystery, and thrillers of many kinds.

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Telling a Story

There’s so many different ways to tell a story. Although I am a writer, that just doesn’t cut it for me. If you really think about it, a writer does nothing more than just record the story that plays on their mind for later use. That’s truly all we’re doing when we sit down at the laptop or notebook. That’s why I usually refer to myself as a storyteller instead of just a writer. There’s so many incredible ways to tell a story that I refuse to limit myself to just one!

Only a few of my readers actually know this about me, but I actually started my journey not as an author, but as a filmmaker. I would spend hours upon hours drafting through short film scripts, some I would submit to festivals, while some I’d actually produce myself. I even won an award for horror for my short film The Outfit which funny enough inspired my debut novel There Came A Knocking. The last script I ever wrote actually won several awards, as well as became a finalist to be produced by a film production company in New Orleans. You can check it out here!

It’s crazy how many choices we have as storytellers as to how we want to deliver it to our audiences. Whether it’s through novelization, film, audio, or even the stage, the possibilities are endless and sometimes a bit overwhelming to those who reach out to me for tips. Here’s the best tip I can give anyone who would like to join me on this journey: craft a story you love and worry about the medium you use late. Trust me, that matters less than getting that story on paper, because that’s the hard part. Once you know what your story is, then you can transform it to the necessary format to pursue your vision.

Now, why am I making a blog post like this? Well, over the course of this year that I’ve “taken off writing”, it reminded me of exactly what that means to even be one. I’m not just a novelist, or a short story writer, of a screenplay writer, or even a playwright. I am all of these combined into one. All of those titles aren’t titles, they’re tools to be used to convey the stories which I craft and develop.

So, here’s the bottom line. I love telling stories and my “time off writing” has been anything but. I’ve been working on some really fun things that I’m so excited to share by the end of the year. Thank you to everyone who has followed along on this journey so far. There are some truly awesome Dark and Mysterious things happening at McCool Mythos.

We’ll talk soon, friends.

– John McCool

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Future Project

Hey Readers!

I hope everyone has been keeping up with their reading goals this year! I haven’t… but that’s okay! Those books aren’t going anywhere, and will always be around when the time is finally right. It seems like the only thing I have time for these days is listening to a chapter of an audio book during my commute to work, or taking in a few pages at 4am before heading out the door. It’s at least something so I can’t complain.

Life has kept me on my toes recently for sure. Between juggling 3 kids, becoming an owner at Mad Goat Coffee, and just the day to day challenges that come with life, it’s easy for hobbies like reading (writing for me) to fall to the side for a brief time. There’s an old gamer saying: Real life always comes first. That’s something that remains true no matter what your hobbies may be. There’s nothing more in this world that I love more than spending time with my family, even if it takes away from writing. Those two things just don’t compare. But I’m still a writer at the end of the day!

Of course, those of you who may know a writer will know that writing simply isn’t just the act of putting words on paper. No, it’s SO much more than that. Between brainstorming story ideas, world building, fleshing out characters, the entire process goes far beyond sitting at the computer. The process of writing a novel is just as many hours thinking about the damn thing as it is actually writing which I feel like is a part of the process not many people talk about. However, I pride myself on being a present father, and I will actively avoid any thought of anything outside of that moment with my kids. It’s all about balance, right?

Now that my youngest is growing like a weed, and actually letting my wife sleep a little bit, I feel the stories creep back into my thoughts. This is a great sign for me. I listen pretty closely to myself, and when the characters start wanting their stories heard, that means I’m almost ready to start putting words down on paper, starting the journey anew. Even though I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus from writing, I couldn’t help myself from dabbling in some outlining on a few projects that I’ve put on hold. Do I have three novels fully outlined? Maybe… Will I have time to write them all? Absolutely not. But that’s okay! Those stories will be told one day, and find themselves tucked nice in cozy on your bookshelves some day.

Now, what to expect in the future from this small time author living in the midwest? Nothing any time soon, but the time has almost come to expand upon the Starbound Ascension series! I’m torn between pushing the story of Locilette into his next phase or touching on the various other happenings across the galaxy. The possibilities are seemingly endless of what Starbound Ascension can offer, which was my biggest reason for spending several months world building it. From hunting down galactic serial killers to protecting a farm on a colonial world, to even dealing with a plague arriving from another distant galaxy, the stories I have shaping up for this series keeps me plenty distracted while I’m at work.

That being said, I was certain that my next novel wasn’t going to be a SBA book, but I was wrong. I have an overwhelming desire to push the narrative of that universe forward any way I can, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to announce what the novel is anytime soon, but the next novel I release WILL be a new Starbound Ascension novel. I’m super excited to continue on with this series that has captured my imagination like nothing else has up to this point, and I’m very thankful for all of your dedicated readers who has followed me on this incredible journey. I hope you enjoy these dark and mysterious tales, because more are on the way!

Follow along here at the Dark and Mysterious blog for the latest writing shenanigans and more on your favorite novels!

–John McCool

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Life Update April 2025

Hey Readers!

Just a real quick update.

Me and my wife welcomed our third child into the world, prompting me to take a bit of a break from the writing world. To be honest, I still kind of consider myself on that break. Giving my family my full attention is the most important thing to me at all times, but especially now that a third little buddy joined the party.

It’s so much fun knowing that one day all my kids will read my books, and hopefully many generations down the line will as well. That’s something that I think about quite often these days. The memory of me will be contained within those pages for decades to come. Isn’t that so strange to think about? You go into an old used book store and you pick up an old fantasy novel from the 70s, knowing that the old author that wrote that probably isn’t with us today. However, a piece of them truly lives on within the world that they created.

This leads me to think about my own books and the time I put into them! I’m not currently* writing anything full time yet. Like I said, spending time with that new baby is waaaaaay more important. Buuuuuut, I do have a few outlines of novels pretty much ready to go. Stories full of adventures and thrills just desperate to leave the prison of my phone’s notebook app, and get out into the hands of an eager reader. They’re gonna have to wait though. I plan on starting my next piece full time soon!

I recently looked at the sales for my two current novels, and I must say that I’ve been blown away by the amount of e-books Echoes From A Distant Star has sold. I appreciate all of you who have taken the time to give this thrilling sci-fi adventure a chance, and the only thing I ask of you is to PLEASE leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. It truly means the world!

I’ve pretty much decided that my next novel is NOT going to be within the Starbound Ascension series, but something stand alone, and on the shorter side if possible. I’ve been finding it damn near impossible these days to write short fiction. I’ll have more information in the coming months, so subscribe to the newsletter and follow me on Instagram for the latest Dark and Mysterious fun!

You’re all amazing.

–John McCool

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Starbound Ascension Lore: Money

The Universe of Starbound Ascension Lore

Money, money, money.

With the universe of Starbound Ascension in its publication infancy, I think it would be cool to showcase some of the lore touched on in the current novel and ones in the future as well. See, I’m a bit of a lore nerd. I remember a few years back staying up a full night studying the expansive and deep lore of Warhammer 40,000, and my God is that deep. That and the intoxicating lore of the Elder Scrolls just sent me down a deep rabbit hole that I simply couldn’t get enough of. The weird thing about lore in a sci-fi universe or a fantasy world is that it’s hidden under the surface most of the time. Unless you want, more times than not you’re never going to know. That’s what makes it so intriguing.

Perhaps it’s just with bigger franchises like the ones I previously mentioned, but for me I like to know the smallest details of the worlds I’m stepping into. Especially ones that I fall in love with. Starbound Ascension is only one novel deep at the time of this post, but goodness do I have lore written up enough to fill three to four. Any author or DM/GM of sci-fi and fantasy can relate. Building a complete world from the ground up is truly one of the best parts about the process, and for me, becomes a bit of an addiction.

Anyway, to kick off this lore we’re going to dive a bit into one of my favorite discussions. Economics! Nahh, I’m not going to bore you. We’re just going to talk about the main currency of the expansive Arkaan Empire: Astrids.

Astrids are paper notes with holographic designs printed on them detailing their stated worth. Each note is infused with trace amounts of asteroids with the specific compound mixture only found in the home Arkaan system. This currency system not only lessens the ability of creating forgeries, but maintains the value of each note by the limited resource of asteroids in the home Arkaan System. A simple, yet effective way to manage the economic flow of an inter-galactic civilization.

With a free market system such as one present in the Arkaan Empire, Astrids exchange hands for endless amounts of reasons that mimic our own. Work salary, paying for dinner, even as gifts, everyone loves money- everyone loves Astrids. Having a solid currency for the exchange of goods and services is the foundation to any state throughout history, and even more so in the universe of Starbound Ascension. Acquiring wealth has pushed society to bigger and better for thousands of years, and that will forever remain true. With a proper moral compass and endless opportunity there’s always the ability for a rags to riches story within the Arkaan Empire.

Now, there’s other species and factions within the galaxy where our stories take place, but they haven’t made themselves known yet on paper. Each one has their own system of value and “currency” that pushes them like any other. Only future adventures within the Starbound Ascension universe will reveal that!

Be sure to subscribe to the Dark and Mysterious blog as well as follow along on Instagram for book giveaways and other cool stories!

–John McCool

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How To Avoid Writer’s Block

There’s nothing worse than sitting down at your laptop after a long day at work expecting to write down all the great ideas that swirled in your head all day, and it happens. You just sit there staring at the screen. Your fingertips are on your keyboard, but there’s no movement. Your hands turn to stone as your eyes glaze over at the white digital paper illuminated on your screen. Trust me, I’ve been there. However, over my short author career (4 years as of this post), I’ve developed a system that keeps me on track and pushes my narrative forward.

It’s nothing too crazy, and is designed to accommodate my EXTREMELY busy life. With all the craziness and chaos that comes with it, there’s very little room in my day to get my writing done. But I’ve done it. I’ve published a book a year for the past 4 years, and I’ve maintained the same system throughout. It may seem small and simple, but I promise you if you stick to it, you will have your dream novel finished in no time at all. You just have to stay to it and maintain discipline. You ready?

500 words a day.

That’s it. That’s all it takes to be an author. You can get that story on paper with just 500 words a day. Now, I know what you’re thinking: John, that isn’t very much. This is the way I see it. 500 words a day – 3,500 a week – 14,000 a month – 56,000 in four months. That’s a manuscript. Every young author that reaches out to me on Instagram asking what their word target should be, I always tell them 50,000. By most standards, that is considered a novel. Now, I’m not saying that your final draft should be that amount, but having a short first draft manuscripts gives you time to build on your story during further drafts. Trust me, your 50k first draft with turn into an 80k-90k in no time. After that first draft is finished, it is far easier to sit down and expand on what you’ve already written instead of trying to craft something from thoughts alone.

Now, here’s the real key. As you’re going about your day at work or school, I want you to think about EXACTLY what you’re going to write before you write it. Imagine the scene over and over again like a never ending loop until the only way to make it stop is to put it on paper when you get home. This exercise allows you to do the hard part of writing before you even have an opportunity to develop the dreaded writer’s block. While I’m at work I will obsess over the minor details I want to include in the current scene I’m writing. This allows me to mentally get myself ready to fire away on that keyboard before I even walk into my house. More times than not, that 500 words turns into 1,000 easy. When you know what you’re writing before you do it, it’s like copying from one paper to the other. Just one is in your mind.

The hardest part of this process is maintaining strict discipline. No matter what, you have got to find a way to get your 500 words done. Laziness is infectious, and if you fall under its spell, it’s so damn hard to break out of it. You have to be strong and imagine the feeling of pressing that publish button on KDP and releasing that story into the wild like a caged animal returning to its home. Dedication, discipline, and self motivation are foundational principles for being a hobbyist indie author. We write because we love it, not for a tiny paycheck.

Discipline = Results.

If you would like to chat about this topic, send me a message! I would love to go over it with you!

–John McCool

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New Year, New Writing

“Echoes From A Distant Star” was officially released a few weeks ago, and it’s been a long, crazy ride! It’s been one of my biggest projects to date, and the most expensive for that matter. A lot of people don’t really know this, but being an independent author comes with a lot of financial cost. In contrast to a signed authors to a publishing company, I have to fork over the entire cost out of my pocket to bring my work to life. This is mainly why I consider myself a hobbyist instead of a “professional” author.

Now, that may be a tad bit misleading. I do consider myself to have professional quality, but I’m not aiming to be a full time writer and make a living off of it. I write fiction because I absolutely LOVE it. I have thousands of stories swirling in my head every single day, fighting for the gift to be placed on paper to become a portal to the real world. However, that’s of course not a realistic thing. I have tons of obligations in my life, so I have to be very selective of the time I allow myself to write, and what I write with that limited time.

For those of you amazing readers who still don’t know me, I’m a busy dude. I manage one of the BEST coffee companies in central Illinois and I’m a Dad of two kids with one on the way. Nothing is more important to me than spending time with my kids, which is why I have such limited time to write, and honestly, I’m cool with that. I’m very proud of the books I’ve written to date, and I’m so excited to share what I have coming up next! It’s still cooking, so you’re gonna have to just wait…

This is a bit of a weird blog post, but things are going great for these little fiction worlds I’ve created, and so many more are coming soon.

Thank you to all you amazing readers that have come along on the ride so far! There’s so many more stories and worlds to share with you in time!

Check out my new novel “Echoes From a Distant Star” on Amazon or Kindle now! Also, don’t forget to leave me a review whether you loved it or hated it. Reviews are the driving forces behind ALL independent authors.

– John McCool

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Chapter Titles Archaic?

Hey Readers!

Been a while since I posted here on the Dark and Mysterious blog. Life has been super crazy for me raising two kids and running the BEST coffee company in the midwest. Anyway, I had a thought this morning during my early morning commute that’s been rattling away in my head all day.

Is there a need for chapter titles?

As I’m finishing post production of my next novel, Echoes From A Distant Star, my mind is starting to shift to the book design, specifically the table of contents. As every novel should have one, I was thinking about if adding chapter titles is a route I wanted to take, or is it even necessary for a modern fiction novel?

So, historically chapter titles were used for signposts in a way to signal important events, plot twists, and character development, but looking at it from a mystery novel sense, is there another purpose it could be used for? A thought I even had was trying to integrate the chapter titles into the narrative of the novel itself, creating an interesting immersion for a murder mystery of sorts set in space.

Every novel I’ve had the pleasure of reading by my fellow indie authors seems to shy away from using chapter titles. In fact, I don’t think I’ve even read a book with chapter titles that wasn’t written in the early-mid 2000’s. I’m wondering if somewhere along the way they became a bit archaic or deemed too insignificant to add much to the novel. I mean, your chapters are already organized numerically with page numbers to go along with them, so is it actually necessary to have each one titled?

I’m curious about what my fellow authors think on this subject.

– John McCool

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There Came A Knocking Post Launch Update

Man, what a thrilling adventure it is being an indie author. When I conceived the idea to make the jump from being a short story anthology author to a full fledged novelist, I was a little intimidated not going to lie. The support I’ve received post launch has been more than I seriously thought I was going to get. I always try to shoot for the moon with everything I do, but keeping a low expectation on reader feedback is a self defense mechanism that I believe most authors have to develop in their journey. That wasn’t the case with my debut novel There Came A Knocking.

I’m not going to sit here and claim it’s a bestseller, cause it certainly isn’t. As of this post it has 16 reviews on Amazon and 52 on Goodreads which I love and appreciate more than anything! Review, either good or bad, are seriously gold for independent authors such as myself. Anyone of my readers that have received a book directly from me will recognize that line. In every book I personally send out, I ALWAYS write a personal letter with that line somewhere in there. I can not stress the importance of reviews for books. Even if you hate it, please review and let me know that! It helps me evolve into the best author I can be.

Reviews go such a long way, but what I enjoy more than anything is when you wonderful readers send me a DM on any of my social media. I love having deep conversations with y’all about the story devices used in my work, and why characters developed the way they did. Of course, those are things that can’t be made public because of spoilers, but after you read it, please send me a message and let’s discuss it and how it made you feel. I’m really interested in that sort of thing.

Anyway, There Came A Knocking is in a great place four months post launch. I’m very happy with its progress, and I’m more than pleased with the reviews all you incredible readers have given it. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, please go give it a read! If you want to hold off, I occasionally do free giveaways to my followers on Instagram, so if you aren’t keeping an eye on that, be sure to give a quick little follow!

What does the future hold?

A writer gonna write. I’m not in a position to announce anything quite yet, but my next novel is deep in the process and it’s…out of this world. Thanks everyone for your continued support!

Remember to read indie and stay creepy! 🤡🔪🩸

–John McCool

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Get “There Came A Knocking” FREE!

Merry Christmas everyone one! From now until December 26th my book There Came A Knocking is FREE on Kindle! Spook up your holiday with this 80s inspired slasher tale that will have you wondering if you actually remembered to lock your door at night.

Grab There Came A Knocking FREE now!

Synopsis: When Fear Knocks at Your Door, Will You Dare to Answer?

Best friends, Jessica and Danielle, are in for the fight of their lives as they fall victim to a home invader. However, this intruder isn’t there to rob them of the little they have. A simple game is all he’s after, and they have no choice but to play.
This horror/thriller calls back to the clown epidemic of 2016, where clown sightings became a regular occurrence for reasons that still remain a mystery.

Get ready to unlock a door to your worst nightmares. Get your copy of There Came A Knocking now and be among the first to experience the spine-tingling horror that will have you checking your locks twice.

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Resurrection of Audio Dramas

“Radio affects most intimately, person-to-person, offering a world of unspoken communication between writer, the speaker, and the listener.”

Marshall McLuhan


Since I was pretty little I always had such a deep fascination with audio dramas. Yeah, I was secretly a weird kid. I remember listening to War of the Worlds for the first time after a deep interest in aliens developed after watching Signs. I would pop the audio on in the background on my computer, and usually play some sort of video game with the sound turned off. Oh the good old days.

Here recently I don’t really have too much time to enjoy TV or even movies really. I’ve considered listening to audiobooks, which I will on occasion on my commute, but I have rediscovered my long lost love for audio dramas. I searched through the deepest depths of Spotify to find some newer ones to dive into, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed with what I found.

The first one that really caught my eye was The White Vault. This is an INCREDIBLE horror audio show that delivers, quite literally, chilling tales from a research station in the frozen tundra of Iceland. The writer was great at writing the dialogue for each of the characters, and the audio engineers set the creepy atmosphere to 100% to set the stage. It was so well written, and was really what inspired me to look into writing audio dramas myself.

What a lot of people really don’t know about me is that I’m a superhero nerd. Yeah, I admit it. Growing up with Spider-Man and Batman has followed me into adulthood, and it’s something I hope I can enjoy with my kids one day. On my search for some new audio shows, I stumbled upon BatmanThe Audio Adventures. Now this one was truly next level in terms of production. The writing is like a mix between the 90’s animated show and the early 1960’s Batman. There was some awesome casting for voice actors too. Seth Myers plays Jack Ryder and Kenan Thompson plays commissioner Gordon. The show is actually created by Warner Bros, so the production value has a great deal of backing, and it definitely shows for the overall product. It’s a true thrill ride from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it for ANY superhero fan whether you are a DC or Marvel fanboy. We can like both brands I promise…

The one I’m actually currently in the middle of as of the writing of this post is Star Trek: Outpost. This is a fan production that you truly could’ve fooled me if you were to tell me this was a professional production created by Paramount. The story follows a StarFleet officer who is assigned his first executive officer position, and is assigned as Captain of his first ship. It’s quite the way to kick off the narrative, throwing the main character into the driver seat as soon as possible. The storytelling is that of true Star Trek fashion. It’s full of adventure, discovery, and the occasional filler episodes that really provides to plot at all except to develop characters a little more. That’s just Star Trek for you, and these fan writers do an excellent job replicating that.

Audio dramas are an old art form, but hasn’t died as some predicted it would. Especially in the age of streaming music and podcasts, an amature can make a solid show with nothing more than great wirting and a smart phone. Believe me, I’m working on one myself. It’s way easier than you think it is. I encourage all of my readers to give audio dramas a try. They can unlock your imagination the same as reading a book, and provide a higher level of immersion than TV could never do. On your next stormy or snowy day, grab yourself a nice cup of coffee, sit down in your comfy chair, and pop on one of these great shows. It’ll send you to worlds you couldn’t possibly imagine otherwise.

-John McCool