As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Point of View: Revisiting the Past

River City OG

Eight and a half years ago, in late September 2015, I started out on a new writing adventure. It was just three months after the now infamous Golden Escalator Ride, and the world still seemed mostly sane. I decided to write a blog serial tale – a circle of friends story about found family, with just a dash of magical realism. It spring-boarded off my novella Between the Lines, and featured a wide cast of Sacramento characters, patterned on people and places I know well here in the River City. The serial ran every week without fail for just under … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Review: Suck a Little Happy Juice

Suck a Little Happy Juice - J. Scott Coatsworth

Just got a great review for Suck a Little Happy Juice from D.B. at Paranormal Romance Guild: Get It On Amazon | Universal Buy Link Unlike most of my reviews, this book isn’t fiction therefore it required me to rethink how I usually review books. So, bear with me as I review my first non-fiction book: Theme: Writing is hard, but it’s also sorta fun. My initial thought was that the author must’ve truly enjoyed writing this book. There’s a lot of humor embedded throughout, which made reading it a lot more fun. This was especially important for me, since for the … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Author Spotlight: Brian Yapko

Brian Yapko

Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work. Today: Brian Yapko is a lawyer who tries to make up for it by writing narrative fiction and poetry. His debut science fiction novel, El Nuevo Mundo, was published in 2022 by Rebel Satori Press. His novella San Damien and the Red Daggers was published in serial form by Bewildering Stories in Spring, 2023;  his short story  Paradox of the Twins was recently published by The Ancible and his novella  Erica Victor will be published in late 2024 by Gypsy Shadow … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Review: Hermit on Mars – Kate Rauner

Hermit on Mars - Kate Rauner

Genre: Sci-Fi, Colonization, Mars Get It On Amazon About The Book The colony thrives, but a discouraged settler craves change. His mother’s call from her threatened habitat sends him racing to save her. Sig’s robots contribute to the colony’s success, but his own life is falling apart. When his mother, living in a remote cavern with a group of malcontents, sends a plea for help, he’s eager to solve her life-support problems. He knows more about technology than a bunch of misfit miners, and probably more than the Hermit, their mysterious benefactor. But he isn’t ready to face the deadly … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Point of View: Being On Brand

brand

In just two more days, I’ll be releasing my book about indie writing, sharing everything I’ve learned over the last seven years. You can preorder Suck a Little Happy Juice here. I’ll be sharing some of my most popular columns that are now in the book to whet your appetite… Every now and then, an author should give some thought to their  “brand”—the sum total of how they are perceived in the world as an author. I had reason to do so recently because of a few unrelated events. First off, in a con panel on “going mainstream,” we discussed … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Author Spotlight: Ef Deal

Ef Deal

Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work. Today: Ef Deal is a musician,a poet, an editor, a video editor, and an author of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. She began writing at the age of 9, teaching herself to type on an Underwood Royal typewriter. Her short fiction has been published in numerous online zines and print anthologies including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and most recently in A Cast of Crows from eSpec Books, Dangerous Waters from Brigid’s Gate, Chris Ryan’s Soul Scream Antholozine, and two anthologies … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

New Release / Giveaway: Down the Line – AG Meiers

Down the Line - AG Meiers - Jake's Bar

AG Meiers has a new MM romantic suspense book out: Down the Line. And there’s a giveaway. Revenge is a Dangerous Obsession. Dean Hunt needs the story of a lifetime—Since his uncompromising attitude got him fired, the investigative journalist is hell-bent to expose the powerful and corrupt Conway family. It’s a career move, and absolutely not a vendetta against the oldest son Noel, who ghosted Dean after a mind-blowing weekend together. Noel Conway needs a new start—After years away, Noel has come home to rebuild the bridges he’s burned. Too bad his past caused a ripple effect he can’t outrun. … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Point of View: The Eight Phases of Writing

writer, frustrated - deposit photos

In a little over a week, I’ll be releasing my book about indie writing, sharing everything I’ve learned over the last seven years. You can preorder Suck a Little Happy Juice here. I’ll be sharing some of my most popular columns that are now in the book to whet your appetite… Almost every author goes through phases when writing a new work, especially a longer one. Although the details may vary a bit from author to author, the broad strokes are probably very similar. Here are mine: Phase One—The New Journey: This is the honeymoon phase. The story is fresh, … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Author Spotlight: Edale Lane

Cold in Murder - Edale Lane

Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work. Today: Edale Lane is an Amazon Best-selling author and winner of Rainbow, Lesfic Bard, and Imaginarium Awards. Her sapphic historical fiction and mystery stories feature women leading the action and entice readers with likable characters, engaging storytelling, and vivid world-creation.    Lane (whose legal name is Melodie Romeo) holds a bachelor’s degree in music education, a master’s in history, and taught school for 24 years before embarking on an adventure driving an 18-wheeler over … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Review: The Merchant Witch – K.L. Noone

The Merchant Witch - K.L. Noone

Genre: Fantasy LGBTQ+ Category: Bi, Demi, Gender Fluid, Ace Get It On Amazon | Publisher About The Book Sometimes heroic swordsmen need money. So Aric and his half-fairy partner Emrys have accepted a job protecting a wealthy cloth merchant’s caravan. But the job’s more complicated than it seems. Em’s fairy father is hunting them, and Em’s trying not to draw attention by using magic. Their client, Lady Caris, has demanded that Em stay in a simple single-gendered human form and not shapeshift — and Aric can see his partner growing more uncomfortable day by day. On top of that, their client’s hiding … Read more