Features
Point of View: It’s Done.
I just completed the next step in a journey that began something like twenty years ago, when I sat down to write my first queer sci fi story. The story “Oberon” opened with a graphic (for me) sex scene, and involved a strange world called Oberon – commonly known as Split because it is literally half a world. I didn’t finish it at the time – in fact, I sketched out just a few scenes, and then put it on the shelf with a bunch of my other unfinished works. But it was a milestone for me. I had recently … Read more
Author Spotlight: T.A. Creech
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, T.A. Creech – I am a house-parent to a rambunctious small child and happily mated to an equally rambunctious military spouse. My adventures in writing began with fanfiction, and once I was hooked I never looked back. Thanks so much, T.A., for joining me! J. Scott Coatsworth: When did you know you wanted to write, and when did you discover that you were good at it? T.A. Creech: When I was a wee … Read more
Point of View: How I Edit
Hey all, I am breathing down the neck of my first completed novel in twenty years. “Sciatháin” (which many of you may know as “Oberon”) has been through some serious twists and turns to get to this point. I started the story that eventually led to this novel in the mid-nineties. It was the first “gay” story I ever wrote (or at least began), with a sexual opening sequence that was, in a way, my coming out as a writer. I shelved it after a few scenes – well, I shelved pretty much my whole writing career – for a … Read more
Author Spotlight: Carrie Pack
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, Carrie Pack – Carrie is the author of two novels—Designs On You and In the Present Tense—and a part-time college professor. She recently left her job in marketing to actively pursue her writing career. Her early career focused on advertising, journalism, and public relations while she also did freelance writing for businesses in the nonprofit sector. Carrie lives in Florida, which she fondly calls America’s Wang, with her husband and four cats. … Read more
Point of View: Writing a Successful Serial
I’m about forty three chapters into “The River City Chronicles“, and am also part of the group serial tale “Marionettes in the Mist” over at Mischief Corner Books. I was just having a conversation with another QSF writer yesterday – someone who is about to embark on a serial project of his own. And it got me thinking – what have I learned in the process of doing two serial fiction projects? So here, in no particular order, is my accumulated wisdom on the subject. 
1) Keep Good Notes: This is by far the most important rule of writing … Read more
Author Spotlight: K.C. Faelan
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, K.C. Faelan – KC is a writer of M/M and LGBT Fiction. Her stories are character driven, with a touch of humor, romance, and all the fun that entails. She believes in HEAs, or at least a strong HFN, where the characters in her stories must work for their HEA, but in the end get their love match. KC loves food and will often incorporate scenes of cooking or eating in the … Read more
Another Great A More Perfect Union Review
Author Noah Willoughby reviews Flames and the anthology A More Perfect Union: On AMPU: The anthology is very well-compiled and well-written. Though all stories are fictional, each one has clearly put true-to-life experiences into their stories. The main characters and how they relate to one another and react to the situations around them shows that each author has put a piece of himself into their story. While all the stories are different, they follow the same theme: love is love. The same theme rings true for this whole anthology. I highly recommend this one! Rating: 4.5 stars On Flames: … Read more
Point of View: Taking a Stand
I’ve given a lot of thought to our current political environment and the state of this election. As a writer, I’m supposed to have this special “writer persona”. One that doesn’t alarm anyone, that doesn’t ruffle any feathers–one that focuses solely on the promotion of my work. I get that. Who hasn’t been disappointed to learn the political views of one of their artist heroes? I remember vividly how terrible I felt when I learned that Orson Scott Card, the sci fi writer who thrilled and amazed me with “Ender’s Game” and “Speaker for the Dead”, had literally called for … Read more
Author Spotlight: Natsuya Uesugi
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, Natsuya Uesugi – Natsuya Uesugi is a systems analyst and white hat hacker and has worked in the design of aerospace, semiconductor and financial systems. With a Master’s Degree in International Management and a minor in Japanese, Natsuya has been around computers most of his life. He also studied animation and game design in art school where he finalized the character designs and personalities for the main characters of grydscaen. He enjoys … Read more