LFHS Ed Tech and author Jimmy Juliano has three pieces of writing advice: 

“Writing is a long and unpredictable journey.” 

“Write what you love.”

 “It’s okay to write to entertain and still include deeper themes and issues.”

His writing opinion is a trustworthy one. In June of 2023, Juliano published Dead Eleven, a supernatural horror and mystery novel following an island stuck in the year 1994 with the underlying theme of dealing with loss.

An immediate hit among horror fans, Juliano received praise from well-known authors like R.L. Stine, who blurbed: “Very creepy…you’ve been warned.” 

Dead Eleven was also published in People Magazine’s best book list of the  summer 2023. The book is also to be turned into a TV show; Juliano will not be involved in its production but he will remain the mastermind behind the plot.

“Right now it looks pretty good,” Juliano said about the show’s progress. “We already have directors, producers and writers lined up.”

Juliano is currently working on three novels, all a mix between horror and mystery. His next book, 13 Months Haunted, is expected to come out in 2025. 

Like Dead Eleven, 13 Months Haunted has a number in the title, but it is not a sequel. Juliano said his “gimmick” may be including numbers in all his book titles.

Juliano is preparing for the next few months, diligently making revisions and talking to his editor frequently.

“It’s going to be an interesting eight to nine months; I am about 98% done with the book, but I still need to revise,” Juliano said. 

Once the book has a first draft, it typically goes through three rounds of revisions. Juliano said his copy editor has a “brilliant mind” and “always knows how to make things better.”

Writing Through The Years

Juliano has had a love for writing and creativity even from a young age, asking his teachers to write plays or short stories instead of essays.

“I always loved writing, and took creative writing in high school,” Juliano said. “I always felt in my zone with creativity.”

Juliano majored in creative writing at Augustana College and wrote some books in his twenties, but he was still “figuring stuff out.” In 2013, Juliano discovered a service called “Reddit Nosleep,” an online forum to share scary stories with an immersive environment that allows writers to receive feedback from readers. 

Before finding “Reddit Nosleep,” Juliano was exclusively writing typical YA novels which he considered to be a “square peg, round hole” situation. Once he started writing horror stories, things began to “click.”

Juliano first gained traction in his horror career when he published his story Why I Didn’t Shower For 21 Years on the platform and received positive feedback.

Juliano’s Writing Workshop

Last Friday, Juliano led three presentations for LFHS students that included a “writing workshop.” In this “writing workshop,” Juliano introduced the idea of  “high concept writing,” and coached students to create their own. “High concept writing” is work that is succinctly and easily pitched in about one sentence.

Juliano’s visit to the students was the first of three author visits granted by the LFHS foundation. Toya Wolfe and Candance Fleming will also be working with students thanks to a grant to the library. 

If there is one thing to take away from Juliano’s writing workshop presentation it is that there are ways to overcome issues in your writing that may inhibit you from completing your work. From a young age until now, Juliano admits he has always struggled with writers’ block or having story ideas that fizzle out. But, through workshopping exercises – like “high concept writing” – and his immense passion for writing, Juliano has been able to make a career out of what was once an innocent pastime.