I've joined the Goodreads Author Program and you can visit my author page as well as my new book, BLOOD & WOLF.

How to buy Blood & Wolf.

For me social media should be about engagement.

Do you look for rules behind every magical thing? I prefer a little mystery myself!

Welcome to the new Judith Vila, gothic author, site! If you've visited me before, welcome back! You'll see some changes here, reflecting my new focus on historical/Gothic/romance/mystery/horror mashups. Please be sure to wander around this site, and haunt me on Substack: Romance at a Dark Wood's Edge , where I share updates about my writing adventure. But if this is your first visit, know that I write Gothic. Why? Because in every great gothic tale the story requires somethi

It's spring! The traditional time of new beginnings! With that in mind, I'll be making some changes to my website over the next few weeks. While I haven't fully plotted out my every move, you'll see adjustments in the days ahead. Why Make Writing Website Changes My purpose is to align my identity, voice, and digital presence with an authentic "brand promise" —the experience lovely readers, like you, can expect from my books. While I have only one fiction book today-- Blood &

Blood & Wolf by Judith Vila Writing a novel is definitely a lonely journey--I know because, writing as Judith Vila , I just released my gothic/romance/mystery/horror mashup, Blood & Wolf . And from the early days of playing with the concept in my head to this moment when the book is in the hands of lovely readers, I remember often feeling like I was all by myself. But the truth is: I wasn't alone . Yes, the responsibilities of writing, revising, testing and re-writing again a

I'm delighted to share with you an audio snippet from my upcoming gothic/romance/mystery/horror mashup.

A writing group can be super helpful if you're working on, say, a book. But a writing group can be helpful in so many other ways, too. It comes down to the mindset you bring to the group.

Does your author name align with the nature of your book? Here's my adventure.

What a honor to host LOIS WINSTON, a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author! She has words of wisdom for writers!

The sister relationship is unique, combining deep emotions with complex dynamics. And in a gothic tale, it can be a pivotal part of the book.

Here are a couple of podcasts where you'll get recommendations for gothic-vibe books and films.

I'm sharing a few gothic-y writing prompts to spark icy fear and smoldering passion. Try these for yourself and your group! Or suggest some new ones!

Boomers, Gen X and Millennials find something captivating about gothic literature. Here are my ideas why gothic is relevant for different age groups, and I'd like hear what you think, too.

I'm a die-hard gothic fan, and in this post I share the features that I believe make gothic stories so alluring!

2026 is going to be a great year! We're almost at mid-January and it's time for me to share my priorities for 2026. I'm curious if you're developing your creative-side, too--so please let me know in the comments below what you're working on this year. Instead of going through individual goals, I've grouped my hopes and dreams into two broad priorities: Continue to explore Gothic and spooky literature. January is International Gothic Reading Month for starters, and I'm rerea

If you want to start your writing journey in 2026, it can feel overwhelming. I've got three suggestions to help you get started.

Use this FREE author brag sheet to achieve your writing goals in 2026.

Smashwords End of Year Sale! Hooray! I’m excited to announce that my books, The Write Group and From Draft to Craft: A New Writer's Guide to Feedback , are available as part of the Smashwords 2025 End of Year Sale ! If you're a new writer, both books will help you start off 2026 ready succeed in your writing. The Smashwords 2025 End of Year Sale is your chance to get my books, along with books from many other great authors, at a discount. To access the Smashwords sale, clic