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: JT Fader is the fantasy and paranormal pen name of queer, bigender author Leigh Jarrett (she/he). Writing MM+ romance with a speculative twist, JT Fader explores magical worlds, supernatural beings, and otherworldly love stories filled with emotion, grit, and passion.
Their work blends the fantastical with deep character connection, featuring queer protagonists on transformative journeys.
Based on Vancouver Island, JT Fader brings the same heart and authenticity found in Leigh Jarrett’s contemporary work to realms of magic, myth, and epic fantasy.
To stay up to date with JT Fader’s new releases and promos, check out their JT Fader Fantasticalswebsite. If you’re interested in MM+ Contemporary Romance, check out Leigh’s website.
You can also find Leigh on Bluesky
Thanks so much, JT, for joining me!
J. Scott Coatsworth: What was your first published work? Tell me a little about it.
JT Fader: My first book was Callum of Drakkar Coven, where a vampire takes a man as his prey—only to discover love where he expected only blood. It is the first book of three in my Drakkar Coven series. And in my books, vampires don’t sparkle … they feed.
JSC: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?Â
JT: Because I write some MPreg, I have spent some time examining the internal anatomy of the male body and pondering where a uterus would be placed.
JSC: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?Â
JT: I don’t read my reviews unless ARC readers send them to me. I do look at star ratings, though. If I encounter a bad review, I try to learn from it, or frame it as what the reader didn’t like might be exactly what other readers are looking for.
JSC: What does success mean to you?
JT: Success to me means being able to continue writing, something I have a passion for. It’s my escape and my soul-filling activity. I’d be lost and miserable without it.
JSC: How did you choose the topic for Untouchable?Â
JT: I decided to explore darker themes in this series—books where I could really dive deep into trauma and healing. So far, it has provided me with a fulfilling challenge.
JSC: What was the hardest part of writing the book?
JT: Researching the effects of certain types of traumas and how those might present themselves in an individual who is longing to find their way to finding love.
JSC: What character gave you fits and fought against you? Did that character cause trouble because you weren’t listening and missed something important about them?
JT: The main character, Rory, gave me grief. He desperately wanted his entire story to be told, but I had to tone down some of his memories as they were too graphic. We fought it out in my mind until we both felt confident and happy with the result.
JSC: Were you a voracious reader as a child?Â
JT: I loved reading fantasy books. I still do. I spent much of my youth tucked up on my bed with a book. I was also the kid with the flashlight under my covers, reading at night.
JSC: What fantasy realm would you choose to live in and why?
JT: I would love to live in a fantasy realm with horses, magic, epic journeys with perilous tasks, and loads of tantalizing sex.
JSC: What are you working on now, and what’s coming out next? Tell us about it!
JT: I’m working on the second book in this Creekside Valley series. Undesirable, another bear shifter romance about redemption, unexpected family, and the courage to believe in second chances. It follows the second member of a close group of friends, Carter’s journey from tragedy to love in an unexpected form.
And now for AUTHORNAME new book: TITLE:
Some scars are too deep for the eye to see—but not for the heart to feel.
Trauma runs deep in Rory’s bones—deeper than even the powerful bear spirit that stirs beneath his skin. Abused and broken as a child, he’s grown into an omega who trusts no one and recoils from the gentlest touch. Solitude is his armor. Silence, his only companion.
Until Denver walks into his life.
Denver has formed a rare connection with him—he can walk through Rory’s sleeping mind. The first time he slips into Rory’s nightmares by accident, he doesn’t expect to find such raw pain behind the fortress walls. But instead of turning away, he stays … and comforts Rory in the only place he allows anyone close.
Night after night, a fragile bond forms between them in the dreamworld—one that begins to bleed into waking life. But Rory’s past isn’t done with him, and trust is harder to build than bone.
Poignant, powerful, and deeply intimate, Untouchable is a shifter romance about trauma, healing, and the transformative power of connection—both in dreams and in the light of day.
Amazon | Universal Buy Link
Excerpt
For the bulk of my nineteen years, nightmares plagued me. Recalling hands all over me as a child jolted me from my sleep, drenched in sweat, screaming at them to stop—to please stop.
I had never told them to stop while it was happening. I’d never found the courage, and I knew my pleas would be ignored. I’d become their plaything, and I learned to behave like a good boy.
I dragged my hand through my hair, barring the memories, and turned toward the bedrooms. Carter and Jesse were giving me first pick. I knew which room I wanted.
I stepped into the bedroom furthest from the front door.
“You good, Rory?” Jesse stepped up beside me. Not too close. I nodded and hauled my black garbage bag filled with everything I owned into the bedroom.
He left me to it.
I dumped the entire mess on the bed and picked through it, separating out my clothes. There was a dresser against one wall. I stuffed the top drawer full, a sea of black. It was the only color I ever wore. It suited my incurable depressed mood and my longing to be invisible.
Sometimes, if you were quiet and still, and hid inside your clothing, people didn’t notice you. I had practiced those skills throughout my entire childhood.