What does your URL mean?

My URL doesn’t “mean” anything, really. It’s actually my first three initials (J, R, and R) spelled out in a somewhat creative phonetic fashion. It started years ago as an oh-so-clever twitter handle and has now spawned to take over my entire internet existence. It has nothing to do with either Tolkien or pirates, although I do enjoy both.

What are some of your favorite books and/or authors?

If you put a gun to my head, I’ll tell you my favorite book is The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Of contemporary authors, I’m fond of Dave Eggers, Michael Chabon, Mark Danielewski, Haruki Murakami, and the late David Foster Wallace, among many, many others. I have a separate lit blog, where I write about books I’m reading, post quotes that struck me, and drop the occasional book porn.

What are some good writing blogs to follow?

I can’t really answer this question. I don’t know you, and I don’t know what kind of writing you like. I know what kind of writing I like, and I know I found the blogs I enjoy by searching for them myself, and I don’t want to deprive you of the joy that comes from discovering someone. You shouldn’t just blindly follow a blog because someone (including myself) recommends it. There are a number of writing-based reblog-blogs that aim to spotlight great writing and writers. There’s a full list of them here (as well as a bunch of other helpful links and information).

How do I get more followers?

Be nice and post good stuff. You might check out some collected tips and tricks here. Tumblr is socially driven, so the more you involve yourself with people’s projects and support other writers, the more support and involvement you get yourself. Communities are funny that way.

How many followers do you have?

More than a thousand, less than a million.

Will you promote me?

I can’t promote everyone, therefore I promote no one. It’s fair that way. Additionally, I make my living on the internet, and as such am defined by my web presence, and this blog is part of that. As such, I only “promote” projects in which I’m personally involved in some way.

Do you accept submissions?

I do not. This is my private site. I am founder and current Editor-in-Chief of A Literation, a digital literary magazine. You are welcome and invited to submit there whenever our submissions are open.

Do you work for Tumblr?

I do not. I am a tag editor for the poetry, prose, and lit tags. All that means is I have the ability to “feature” up to 10 pieces a day under each of those 3 tags. That ability is more properly viewed as an enhancement to my Tumblr account, and does not mean I work for or am affiliated with Tumblr in any way.

Will you read or critique my work?

No. I read what I read and I’ll comment if I feel compelled to, but what I read on Tumblr I do on my own time, and I don’t like it when people try to tell me what I should do with my time. I am willing to edit and/or substantively critique work for a fee. If you’re interested, send me an email.

Do you answer all messages?

No, I don’t. I wish I could! Would you like to pay me to respond to messages on Tumblr? We could arrange that. But seriously: this FAQ exists for a reason. I’m a friendly person and I do enjoy meeting new people, but please be respectful of my time, and be patient as it may take me several days to respond.

I have turned off the option to receive anonymous questions: trust me, it’s better this way. I respond to all Tumblr messages privately. If you do not have a Tumblr account and would like to send me a message, please use the email button conveniently located at the bottom of the sidebar.

Follow 4 Follow?

Haha. No.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Life, and the living thereof. There are stories all around you — you just have to open your eyes, your ears, and your mind.