As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Nita Round

Nita Round

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, Nita Round – Nita has been writing all of her life in one form or another, and loves telling stories. In fact, her head is so full of stories she is grateful to let them out to play. Once out, more stories jump in to fill the space. She lives in the heart of England with her wife and their King Charles Cavalier, Rosie. Thanks so much, Nita, for joining me! J. … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Point of View: When Life Kicks Your Writer Ass

Scott determined

Hey all, Rough week. LOL… Not in a bad way, really. I celebrated my 49th birthday, and launched a brand new version of our gay weddings site that we’ve been working in for six months. But that project sucked all the air out of the room, and I’m just starting to recover this week. It made me wonder… how do we, as writers, get back on track when life throws us a curve ball? For me, it’s mostly a matter of grit and determination, and finding the time to write again. But there’s also the matter of getting your head … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Wendy Rathbone

Wendy Rathbone

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, Wendy Rathbone – Wendy Rathbone lives with a cat, three dogs, and her partner of 36 years, Della. She has been writing since the age of twelve. She lives in the high desert of southern California. Thanks so much, Wendy, for joining me! J. Scott Coatsworth: Tell me about a unique or quirky habit of yours. Wendy Rathbone: I will tell you two. 1. I do not watch television news ever…at all. … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Point of View: My Obsession With Wingfic

flight - pixabay

When I was a kid I used to buy and sell gravity I knew how to fly, and I would teach you for a fee Broke every window in my hotel heart When I was only five years old The twelve years scared But I’d hear the same voice echo in my mind It’d say, “Son, you’ve got an angel.” That’d chase the devil out the mind. –Preacher, by One Republic I want to fly. I’ve always wanted to fly. I have dreams about it. Sometimes it’s kind of an antigravity thing, where I just float up into the air … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Martha Allard

Martha Allard

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, Martha Allard – Martha J Allard is a writer of contemporary and dark fantasy. Her short fiction has appeared in magazines like “Talebones” and “Not One of Us.” Her story “Dust” won an honorable mention in “Year’s Best Science Fiction,” 19th edition, edited by Gardener Dozois and her story,”Phase” was nominate for a British Science Fiction Award. Thanks so much, Martha, for joining me! J. Scott Coatsworth: Do you have any strange … Read more

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Point of View: Edits, Edits, Edits

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

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Asta Idonea

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

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Point of View: In the Weeds

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

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Terry Poole

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

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Point of View: How I Build Worlds

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