scott

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Point of View: Edits, Edits, Edits

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Scott

It’s an inevitable part of writing. When you send off your finished manuscript to the publisher, as any writer will tell you, there’s a palpable sense of relief. Your long writing slog is finally over, and you can turn your attention to something else. If only that were true. You know how they say “for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction”? Well, for every manuscript, there’s an equal (and sometimes opposite) edit. or three. Edits are the boomerang of the writing world. I really can’t complain. Well, obviously I can. LOL… but edits are a part of life … Read more

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Asta Idonea

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Asta Idonea

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, Asta Idonea – Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J Markus) was born in England but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages. Thanks so much, Asta, for joining me! Giveaway One commenter to win an e-copy of my MM Sci-Fi novella Fire Up My Heart: J. Scott Coatsworth: If you were stuck … Read more

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Point of View: In the Weeds

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writer brain

It’s official. I’ve gone off the beaten path. I had such great intentions – my book was all plotted out, and I knew exactly how it was going to go, chapter by chapter. Then my writer brain got bored with it all. Writer brains are fickle things. They will insist that there’s nothing there when you sit down to write at a perfectly reasonable time in mid-afternoon. Then they will wake you at midnight because a great idea has been had. A writer’s brain will pour forth a torrent of words, making you feel really good, for once, about being … Read more

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Terry Poole

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Terry Poole

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, Terry Poole – Terry makes her home between the two massive lakes that bisect Manitoba in central Canada. She’s always written in one form or another. Her very first book, at age five, consisted of stick figures drawn upon a roll of adding machine paper. When Terry isn’t writing (which isn’t often), she can be found crocheting, making handmade soap or hanging out on Facebook. Thanks so much, Terry, for joining me! … Read more

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Point of View: How I Build Worlds

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world building - pixabay

Morning all! As I am knee-deep in fleshing out the world of Titania for “Lander”, the sequel to “Skythane”, I thought it would be fun to share how I create worlds, especially on the sci fi/fantasy side. I usually start with an overarching feature that makes the world interesting to me, and I hope to my readers as well. In Skythane, it’s the concept of a broken world – a half-sphere hanging against the inky blackness of space. In my forthcoming “The Stark Divide”, it’s a man-made cylindrical world that arches up all around the reader, almost claustrophobic in its embrace, … Read more

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Author Spotlight: Heather Rose Jones

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Heather Rose Jones

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, Heather Rose Jones – I first met Heather at RainbowCon 2015, and have been impressed by her intelligence, depth of knowledge and wit ever since. Thanks so much, Heather, for joining me! J. Scott Coatsworth: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Heather Rose Jones: My first vocational ambition was to be a bird. My mother later wrote up a picture book story about that when … Read more

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REVIEW: Skythane – Rainbow Gold Reviews

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Skythane

One more review for Skythane – a great, in-depth one from Marc at Rainbow Gold: I can strongly recommend this book to all who love scifi, fantasy and romance. All three aspects are combined in a wonderful way and while it took me a bit to get into the story, it was worth it to wait until the book had drawn me in. Reading this book felt like traveling to a different planet – a place the author brought to life with beautiful and rich descriptions of a futuristic city with advanced technology and an alien wilderness with strange and … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Driftwood, or the Art of Writing a Sequel

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driftwood - pixabay

I just embarked on a new first for me – writing a sequel. My novel Skythane came out in February, and the next one, Lander, is due out in February 2018. So I’m working through the new one now. And man, it’s hard! LOL… The Netflix effect has been in evidence now for a couple years in series fiction – the idea that the author should have the whole series ready to go when the first book launches, so they can release them quickly, one after another, to allow people to binge read the series and not have to wait too long for the next … Read more

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Alexis Woods

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Alexis Woods

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, Alexis Woods – An avid reader and colorful dreamer, it was only a matter of time before taking pen to paper, literally. Notebooks are filling. Thanks so much, Alexis, for joining me! Giveaway Alexis is giving away an ebook copy of Lion’s Hero, but if reader has already read and reviewed Lion’s Hero, she will provide Hammer’s Thief or another of her books. Comment on this post below for a chance to … Read more

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Point of View: Reaching Your Community

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Scott - Milk and Cookies

Hey all, I’m still a little high after last night’s inaugural Milk and Cookies event in Sacramento. About six months ago, Pat Henshaw, Christopher Koehler and I banded together to create a new local group for writers of queer fiction – The Queer Sacramento Author’s Collective – or QSAC. Our idea was initially just to have a place for local authors to hang out and start building our own version of the Algonquin Round Table – an exchange of ideas over french fries and salad. But then we started thinking a little bigger. Sacramento’s a fairly small town, but we’re … Read more