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Hillsboro Publishing, LLC
The Publishing Home of John M Donovan
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An Invitation
Hey there, readers. In an effort to reach more people more directly, I've started a newsletter over at Substack. This platform allows...
John M Donovan
Feb 18, 20231 min read
114 views
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We Also Would Have Accepted "That's Pretty Funny"
I’ve been fortunate in my life to run across very few people who have absolutely no sense of humor. I should say I haven’t run across...
John M Donovan
Jan 22, 20233 min read
55 views
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Coming in 2023: The Smalltown Way, Kerouac’s Ghost, and More
Another in a series of conversations with John M Donovan. Q. Thanks for consenting to this interview. A. My pleasure, more or less. Q. We...
John M Donovan
Nov 30, 20223 min read
70 views
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This Is Why My Wife Frequently Says "I Can't Believe You've Never Done Drugs"
As Cybil Donovan can attest, I have some weird dreams. One recurring theme is that I'm asked to coach a girls softball team again, but...
John M Donovan
Oct 18, 20222 min read
57 views
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Three Writing Rules It’s OK to Break (Unless You Don't Want To)
The other day one of my imaginary fans sent me an email that asked how I could call myself a writer if my blog never had any entries...
John M Donovan
Sep 5, 20224 min read
18 views
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I'm Listening as Loud as I Can
There were fourteen students in my fall-semester section of C&T, or Cultures and Traditions, a required course for Wabash College...
John M Donovan
Jul 19, 20223 min read
42 views
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The Power of Appositive Thinking
Let’s talk about appositives.* To be more specific, let’s talk about appositives and why the hell so many “writers” in the fields of PR...
John M Donovan
Jun 28, 20222 min read
25 views
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The Cemetery Flute
Colby County 911—what’s your emergency? Somebody is playing a flute in Pinefield Cemetery. I beg your pardon, ma’am? I’m hearing a flute...
John M Donovan
Jun 27, 202211 min read
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I Prefer My Spam Fried
I’ve had a profile on LinkedIn for at least eleven years. It’s been an invaluable asset to my professional life, providing me countless...
John M Donovan
Jun 23, 20223 min read
54 views
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In Which I Meet My Younger Self
A scientist friend of mine called me up the other day and said he’d finally perfected his time machine, and since I wasn’t doing anything...
John M Donovan
Apr 19, 20226 min read
35 views
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All We Wanted Was Clean Dishes
Oh, Home Depot, you always cease to amaze me. The dishwasher that came with the house kicked the bucket back in February so Cybil bought...
John M Donovan
Mar 14, 20224 min read
176 views
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The Pipeline: What's In There Now
Despite popular demand, we present another interview with John M Donovan, author of Fluffball! and four other novels. Q. So. What’s new?...
John M Donovan
Feb 15, 20223 min read
23 views
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Fluffball! Reading Group Guide
I recently finished reading Darktown by Thomas Mullen, and recommend it highly to fans of mysteries and police procedurals. I mention it...
John M Donovan
Jan 26, 20222 min read
31 views
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Sorry I'm Late, But...
I’m fairly punctual as a rule. I prefer to be unfashionably early, in fact, and back in college I tended to arrive at a classroom long...
John M Donovan
Dec 27, 20215 min read
22 views
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Fluffball! Receives Participation Trophy
The 2021 Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Award winners were announced last month and Fluffball! was not among the finalists. I...
John M Donovan
Dec 9, 20213 min read
19 views
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In Which Sam Wonders What the Heck is Going On
This is our cockapoo Sam. He's five years old and he's been a lovable curmudgeon since he was a puppy. He's also been in dire need of...
John M Donovan
Dec 4, 20213 min read
34 views
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National Widget Bites (and Other Advertising Tales)
Thirty-seven years seems like a long enough time to spend writing advertising copy and having it peed on by clients, co-workers, and...
John M Donovan
Nov 30, 20215 min read
45 views
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Enough with the Apostrophes Already
A few weeks ago on Facebook I got involved in a thread full of people wailing and gnashing their teeth at the alarming number of...
John M Donovan
Nov 16, 20212 min read
51 views
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The Second Weirdest Story of the Day
On Friday the 15th I happened to be in the Jordan Creek area around lunchtime and decided to treat myself to some Tasty Tacos. Two...
John M Donovan
Oct 16, 20213 min read
96 views
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An Interview with the Business World’s Most Popular Social Media Manager
With dozens of clients all across the United States, Braden McBraden is probably the most sought-after freelance social media manager in...
John M Donovan
Sep 7, 20214 min read
92 views
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