The Ink Well

Title: The Journey Began Before I Knew It Did.
Date: Friday, September 12, 2025

The truth is, my journey as a writer started long before I called myself one.

I didn’t sit down one day and say, “I’m going to be an author.”
It was there in the late nights. In the quiet thoughts that wouldn’t let me sleep. In the scars I carried but didn’t yet know how to name.

When I was younger, I thought writing was just something I did on the side. As a singer and songwriter since my pre-teens, I always had scribbles in notebooks, scraps of dialogue and lyrics, half-finished stories and poems. I didn’t see it as a path.

But looking back now, I realize the path had already begun. Every story I jotted down, every report I had to write, every time I turned to words to explain something too heavy to carry. Every song I wrote that screamed out my emotions. All of that was training. Practice. Unintentional, but real.

It’s strange how a journey can start without you noticing. You think you’re just passing time, but really you’re sharpening your blade.

What I didn’t know then is that scars have their own language. They shape how you tell a story, whether you want them to or not.

My voice as a writer wasn’t built in classrooms or writing groups. It was built in life, through the mistakes, the laughter, the pain, and the late-night conversations that stuck with me.

By the time I realized I was on this road, I was already too far along to turn back.

That’s what this space — The Ink Well — is about. Looking back at the steps I didn’t realize I was taking, and looking forward to the ones I choose now.

My debut thriller, FADE, is proof that the journey was happening all along, even when I couldn’t see it.

And for those who want to dig deeper into the shadows behind my stories, remember: The Ink Well always hides a password for In the Lab. Because some experiments aren’t meant for everyone.

Mondays will alternate between The Ink Well and In The Lab posts.

— Ev10!

Title: Release Date Change
Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Some ghosts take their time. After talking with my team and seeing where FADE is at in its final stages, I know this story needs a little more time to be exactly what I promised you: a thriller that cuts deep and stays with you. The new release date will be All Hallows’ Eve. Thank you for your patience — and as a thank-you, here’s an exclusive first look at the opening lines of FADE.

His life was worthless. Why had he begged for it when it was worth so little? The thought gnawed at the young thief as he lay face-down in a dumpster, blood pooling in his mouth, gunshots from a .357 magnum still ringing in his skull.

- Fade by Ev Newman

Title: Whiskey, Coffee and Late Nights: My Writing Rituals

Date: September 29, 2025

Some people meditate before writing. Others light a candle, sit at a perfectly arranged desk, and summon their muse like they’re opening a séance.

Me? I juggle between coffee cups and whiskey shots like a man running two marathons in opposite directions.

Mornings start with coffee. I am such a coffee snob or addict. By the third cup, my heart’s pounding out a rhythm that could probably qualify as percussion for a garage band. This is when my “serious writing” begins: typing furiously while pretending the caffeine shakes are a deliberate stylistic choice.

But nights… nights belong to whiskey. Just one (okay, sometimes two. I do have two hands). It’s not about inspiration so much as bribery. I tell myself: If you just finish this scene, you’ve earned a pour. Somewhere between the second sip and the clink of ice, the words loosen. Characters stop giving me the silent treatment. Plot holes don’t look so wide. And if the whiskey doesn’t fix it, well, there’s always more coffee waiting for tomorrow.

Of course, none of this erases the exhaustion of balancing work, family, and writing. Most days I feel like I’m either too tired to write or too stubborn not to. Stubborn usually wins. It’s the secret ingredient no one talks about in the recipe for finishing a book: caffeine, alcohol, and sheer mule-headed refusal to quit.

But here’s the other truth: in the darkest of times, I’ve found humor even in the most traumatic moments. It’s been my way of coping. Sometimes I weave that same humor into my writing. Distasteful, you might say? Then why are you laughing!!!

I do try to stay organized through the chaos. Whenever an idea strikes, I plant it in its own little folder in my “What The…?” database. It’s like a greenhouse for half-formed thoughts. I don’t know which ones will bloom, but at least I’ve given them soil to grow in.

So if you’re picturing me at 1 a.m., hunched over the keyboard with coffee stains on my shirt, a glass of whiskey nearby, and a desktop screen full of oddly named folders… congratulations, you’ve cracked the code.

Because at the end of the day (or night), the truth is simple: whatever keeps the words coming.

- Ev10!