point of view – Page 25 – J. Scott Coatsworth

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POINT OF VIEW: I’m a Hybrid Author

May 14, 2018 by scott

Hey all, It’s official. My first self published book is coming out on May 30th. “The River City Chronicles” has been in the works for two and a half years. I will soon be a “hybrid” author – one with stories published both traditionally and by myself. When I first sat down to write “River City,” the story of a bunch of friends in Sacramento as a serial tale on my blog, I had no idea where they’d end up a hundred and two chapters later… or that I’d end up here. with “River City” as my first self publication. … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Punch Drunk and Slap Happy

April 23, 2018 by scott

I have to admit, I approached the prospect of writing today’s column with a bit of trepidation. It’s almost never a good idea to write sleepy. I spent a lot of yesterday afternoon and evening prepping my first book for self publication – “The River City Chronicles” should come out in about a month or so, date to be announced soon. Then I spent the rest of the night in bed obsessing over what I still had to do. You see, I have this condition called writer’s’s brain. In the clear morning light, it’s obvious that most of the stuff I … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Stepping Off the Ledge

April 9, 2018 by scott

Hey all, I’m about to step off the ledge. To take the plunge. To dive into the great unknown. I am about to become * gulp * a self publisher. I have two projects already teed up for this year, with more to come if things go well. The first is the long-awaited publication of “The River City Chronicles” in book form – my 102 chapter online serial that ended last October. It’s been a long slog to get to this point for this, my love letter to Sacramento. I just got the preliminary cover art from Kelley York, a … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Riding the Writing Roller Coaster

April 2, 2018 by scott

I am two weeks away from sending Ithani, the final book in the “Oberon Cycle,” to my beta readers, and I am in full-scale freak out mode. OK, maybe not full scale. I still have all my clothes on. It has proven more challenging than I expected to write the series ender – there are so many loose ends to wrap up, and it’s necessary to both ramp up the volume and to keep tight reins on a story that caps off my first complete trilogy. I got within two chapters of the ending and realized something wasn’t right. I … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Days of Despair, Moments of Grace and Beauty

March 26, 2018 by scott

These are trying times for most of the people I know. Our country is in a shambles. The headlines dominating the news would have been unthinkable just two years ago – a porn star threatening to describe a sitting president’s “junk.” A US senator berating kinds for trying to stop gun violence. An unchained Russia meddling in other countries’ affairs with impunity, changing elections, supporting discord, and killing expatriates on foreign soil. Closer to home, Mark and I have friends dealing with parental loss, cancer, and depression. In the midst of the longest run of economic “prosperity” in decades, we … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Connected

February 19, 2018 by scott

Today would have been Joyce Peterson’s 100th Birthday. Joyce was my grandmother on my mother’s side, and she passed away six years ago at the age of 94. She was an amazing woman, gifted and beautiful. I always thought she looked a little like Cabbot Cove’s Jessica Fletcher, but unlike Angela Lansbury’s most famous character, she didn’t leave a path of dead bodies and mystery in her wake. What she did leave was a legacy. My grandmother was a very creative person, like much of my family. She painted and sketched and made all kinds of art – her hand … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: T-Minus Seven for My First Second

February 5, 2018 by scott

I’m about to reach another milestone as a writer. As I put it to my Dad this evening on the phone, next Tuesday I’ll be releasing my first second book. Let me explain. I’m in the middle of writing not one but two trilogies – the Oberon Cycle and Liminal Sky. The second Oberon book, “Lander,” is coming out on 2/13, so it will be the first time I’ve had the second book in a series come out. I have no idea what to expect, other than having been told that the second book never sells as well as the … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Things That Make Me Happy

January 29, 2018 by scott

Hey all, January was a difficult month for me personally, as readers of this column will know. Life moves on, though, and carries us with it. So for today, I want to step back, take a deep breath, and share some of the things that make me happy. 1) Snuggling in Bed With My Honey: This and hot showers are two of my favorite things. Feeling Mark’s warmth next to me, once the triumphs and trials of the day are over, centers me and makes me happy. Until I get too warm and need my own space. LOL… I think … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: The Holy Sh!t Moment

January 22, 2018 by scott

Every novelist works a little differently. Some write books by the seat of their pants, riding the crazy writing train to wherever it takes them. Others make meticulous outlines before ever putting a word on the page, and know exactly where they’re going and how they will get there. I suspect that most of us are somewhere in the middle. Icertainly am. I start with a loose outline. I know how the plot will lay out, generally, and the steps along the way. But I also allow for that rarest of beasts – the “Holy Sh!t Moment (HSM).” It’s the … Read more