258 ratings | 14 reviews | avg rating:4.75

Brian’s Year In Books

Brian’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Brian’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

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Brian Yansky

Goodreads Author

Born

I live in Austin, Texas, The United States

Website

http://www.brianyansky.wordpress.com

Twitter

BrianYansky

Genre

Humor and Comedy, Fantasy, Horror

Influences

Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Christopher Moore

Member Since

November 2009

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I write supernatural horror suspense comedy (a mix of dark humor, quirky, silly humor and satire.), .

I love many kinds of stories. I especially love off-beat, quirky stories with unusual characters and settings that have a sense of wonder and humor.…Falling in love with stories saved me from a life of crime (I’m only sort of kidding; they did save me from something). A lot of my main characters are adopted. Like them, I was adopted. I seem to write often about identity. I live in Austin, Texas. I have no horses or cowboy hats. I do have a 125 pound sheep dog. I’ve taught college, been a bartender and waiter and am now a full-time writer.

I've had five novels traditionally published and something like fifteen independently published. My ind ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Brian Yansky When people ask what my one piece of advice would be to new writers, I always say get a dog. A dog makes you take walks. And walks are excellent place…moreWhen people ask what my one piece of advice would be to new writers, I always say get a dog. A dog makes you take walks. And walks are excellent places to think. And what you will think about it is often what you're working on--the first draft and many subsequent drafts and revisions and so on. The problems, the different kinds, encountered at all stages of writing will be worked on when you walk. So that would be my number one piece of advice. Get a dog. Very important.

My number two would be the tried and true-- which lives up to its billing both as tried (you can't be writer if you can't write--a pretty photo won't do it) and true--it just is--write and also read, which sounds kind of uninspired except that it is REALLY the best advice. Writers become writers by writing. They learn by writing. They learn by their mistakes and they figure out things and they become better. Reading helps. You have to read, but writing is #1 way to get better.

I wrote five novels before I was published. I wrote five novels where I was learning how to write. I thought they were good at the time. I loved writing them. But they weren't really very good. When I figured out why, little by little, I got better. I'm still working on getting better with everything I write.

I was looking at this youtube by Brandon Sanderson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pLdI...
Check it out for inspiration. He wrote 12 novels and hadn't made a penny off of them. He thought the first five were practice but he thought the sixth was very good and he felt like he knew what he was doing. He felt that way about the subsequent novels he wrote, too. But none of them were published. Finally, though, someone did agree to publish #6 which was called Elantris and it became a big hit. Now he's a bestseller.

We've all heard these stories. They're rare but what I like about Sanderson's is that he just kept writing. Twelve books. Whether you traditionally publish or publish independently, you still have to deal with finding an audience. That can be hard. A lot of it is random. A lot of it is luck. What you can control though is your work, your writing, your learning how to write better each book. So the simplest advice---keep writing--is still the best as far as I'm concerned. Write what you love and what you really want to write. Be aware that your writing isn't perfect and keep looking for ways to improve. You'll find your way and you'll love what you're doing.(less)

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Can you tell us a two-sentence horror story?

Brian Yansky He was pushed down the stairs and he died. As his spirit was pulled out of his body, he looked up and at the top of the stairs and saw the very last p…moreHe was pushed down the stairs and he died. As his spirit was pulled out of his body, he looked up and at the top of the stairs and saw the very last person in the world he would expect to see.(less)

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Brian Yansky’s books

Average rating: 4.05 · 8,190 ratings · 758 reviews · 31 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Librarian of the Haunted Library (Strangely Scary Funny #1) 3.76 avg rating — 2,839 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Librarian and the Book Thief (Strangely Scary Funny #2) 4.22 avg rating — 892 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Librarian and the Time Machine (Strangely Scary Funny #3) 4.37 avg rating — 579 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Librarian and the Witch (Strangely Scary Funny #4) 4.36 avg rating — 496 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Librarian and the Devil (Strangely Scary Funny #7) 4.44 avg rating — 342 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Librarian and the Monster (Strangely Scary Funny #6) 4.39 avg rating — 330 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Librarian and the Dark Angel (Strangely Scary Funny #8) 4.39 avg rating — 316 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Librarian and the Knife of Death (Strangely Scary Funny #5) 4.28 avg rating — 313 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Librarian and the Magician (Strangely Scary Funny #9) 4.49 avg rating — 283 ratings — published 2024 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences 3.35 avg rating — 331 ratings — published 2010 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Brian Yansky…

300 posts
Brian Yansky's Blog

All You Need To Know About Characters In A Few Short Paragraphs

You need the reader to connect with your characters. There are lots of ways to do this but if they don’t connect to your characters, they won’t care about your story. You know I’m right. Think of your own reading of books or watching of shows and movies. Sure, an interesting story is important, but if you don’t care about the characters, you’ll give up on the story.

The way to get a reader to c

Series by Brian Yansky

Strangely Scary Funny (9 books)
by

Brian Yansky (Goodreads Author)

4.09 avg rating — 6,390 ratings

They're Here (3 books)
by

Brian Yansky (Goodreads Author)

4.06 avg rating — 425 ratings

Alien Invasion (2 books)
by

Brian Yansky (Goodreads Author)

3.40 avg rating — 389 ratings

The Poe Detective Agency (3 books)
by

Brian Yansky (Goodreads Author)

4.03 avg rating — 306 ratings

Brian is Currently Reading

Brian Yansky is currently reading

Bob's Saucer Repair (Bob and Nikki, #1)

by Jerry Boyd (Goodreads Author)

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Feb 28, 2025 07:44PM

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Grave Talk

by Nick Spalding (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 17, 2024 03:07AM

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The Pram

by Joe Hill (Goodreads Author)

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Jul 08, 2024 08:00AM

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Brian’s Recent Updates

Brian Yansky wrote a new blog post All You Need To Know About Characters In A Few Short Paragraphs You need the reader to connect with your characters. There are lots of ways to do this but if they don’t connect to your characters, they won’t care Read more of this blog post »
Apr 13, 2025 08:14AM · like
Brian Yansky is currently reading Bob's Saucer Repair (Bob and Nikki, #1) by Jerry Boyd (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 28, 2025 07:44PM · like
Brian Yansky finished reading In the Heart of the Fire (Nameless: Season One, #1) by Dean Koontz (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 19, 2024 04:06AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of In the Heart of the Fire by Dean Koontz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — In the Heart of the Fire by Dean Koontz <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Brian Yansky finished reading The Widow's Husband's Secret Lie by Freida McFadden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 18, 2024 09:05PM · like
Brian Yansky is currently reading The Widow's Husband's Secret Lie by Freida McFadden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 14, 2024 03:32AM · like
Brian Yansky finished reading The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 14, 2024 03:32AM · like
Brian Yansky is currently reading The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 04, 2024 06:53PM · like
Brian Yansky is currently reading Grave Talk by Nick Spalding (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 17, 2024 03:07AM · like
Brian Yansky is currently reading The Pram by Joe Hill (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 08, 2024 08:00AM · like
Brian Yansky is currently reading The Librarian of the Haunted Library (Strangely Scary Funny #1) by Brian Yansky (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 17, 2024 03:18PM · like

More of Brian's books…

Quotes by Brian Yansky (?)

“It takes less time for them to conquer the world than it takes for me to brush my teeth. That's pretty disappointing." Jesse from ALIEN INVASION & OTHER INCONVENIENCES.”
― Brian Yansky

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“You don’t mess with someone’s dog. You just don’t.”
― Brian Yansky, The Librarian of the Haunted Library

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“I’m pretty sure heroes don’t whine. They quietly endure cold, fireless nights. Further proof I’m no hero.”
― Brian Yansky, Homicidal Aliens and Other Disappointments

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See all Brian Yansky's quotes »

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Brian’s Quotes

“It takes less time for them to conquer the world than it takes for me to brush my teeth. That's pretty disappointing." Jesse from ALIEN INVASION & OTHER INCONVENIENCES.”
― Brian Yansky

3 likes