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Point of View – The Copyright Jungle

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copyright - deposit photos

The recent Anthropic AI settlement has me thinking a lot about copyright. I’m in the US, and we can register our works with the US copyright office. It’s not hugely expensive – about $45 if you do it before publication and $65 if you do it after the fact. But US copyright law also says that if you indicate that a work is copyrighted – by including a copyright page – then you are covered by copyright protections without having to formally register. So it’s not always been necessary to do the paid registration to enjoy copyright protection in the … Read more

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Serial: Down the River – Chapter Sixty-Three

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Down the River Header

I’m finally revisiting the characters from The River City Chronicles nine years after their original timeline. I’ll be running the series weekly here on my blog, and then will release it in book form at the end of the run. Hope you enjoy catching up with all your faves and all their new secrets! Today, we’re finally at the end, so of course there’s a wedding. But don’t worry… there’s still the epilogue next week… < Read Chapter 62 Join my email list to get my weekly newsletter with notifications of new chapters. Chapter Sixty-ThreeWedding Cakes Ben tapped at Lorelei’s … Read more

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Point of View: A Character Experiment

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Characters - Deposit Photos

Characterization has long been my Achilles heel. I grew up reading, big idea science fiction and fantasy, and that’s what I always wanted to write. I had the big ideas, but when I first started my writing career, I didn’t know how to craft compelling characters. I’ve spent the last ten years working on it, using some helpful books filled with character exercises, making story Bibles to track my character info and helping me get inside their heads, and studying how compelling characters are created in books and other mediums. I’ve come a long way, but it’s still a challenge … Read more

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Author Spotlight: Edale lane

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Edale Lane

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: History. Mystery. Heroines worth falling for. From windswept battlefields to candlelit conspiracies, Edale Lane crafts sapphic historical fiction, mysteries, and fantasy brimming with action, romance, and intrigue. An award-winning author with an MA in history, she brings every era to life with rich detail, unforgettable women, and stories where love and danger walk hand in hand. Thanks so much, Edale, for joining me! J. Scott Coatsworth: How long on average does it … Read more

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Serial: Down the River – Chapter Sixty-Two

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Down the River Header

I’m finally revisiting the characters from The River City Chronicles nine years after their original timeline. I’ll be running the series weekly here on my blog, and then will release it in book form at the end of the run. Hope you enjoy catching up with all your faves and all their new secrets! Today, Gio comes home from Italy with Stella and Sole, and gets a big surprise… < Read Chapter 61 | Read Chapter 63 > Join my email list to get my weekly newsletter with notifications of new chapters. Chapter Sixty-TwoComing Home Gio hugged Dante tightly. “Thanks … Read more

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Point of View: Sac Anime!

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Booth Crew - Sac Anime Summer 2025

Just got back from a weekend selling books at Sac Anime, and wanted to share some of my fave cosplays and pics of us and the booth! First off, our merry crew: And the pretty pretty booth: And now onto the cosplay! Hope you enjoy this vicariously!

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Author Spotlight: Jessamyn St.Clair

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Jessamyn St.Clair

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: Jessamyn St. Claire is an up-and-coming author of dark and thrilling gay fiction with plenty of action and steam in her stories. She lives with her family in the South, and is aiming to live her best writing life. Find her posting on Facebook, her Substack, or updating her Goodreads! Thanks so much, Jessamyn, for joining me! J. Scott Coatsworth: When did you know you wanted to write, and when did you … Read more

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Serial: Down the River – Chapter Sixty-One

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Down the River Header

I’m finally revisiting the characters from The River City Chronicles nine years after their original timeline. I’ll be running the series weekly here on my blog, and then will release it in book form at the end of the run. Hope you enjoy catching up with all your faves and all their new secrets! Today, both Ben and Carmelina want to get married at the same time in the same place. How’s that going to work? < Read Chapter 60 | Read Chapter 62 > Join my email list to get my weekly newsletter with notifications of new chapters. Chapter … Read more

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Point of View: Road Trip Report

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I just got back last week from my road trip to WorldCon Seattle. I hadn’t initially intended to go – well, initially initially, yes. But because of the expense and distance and all that, I’d decided to cancel the trip a couple months ago. But since then, a few new writing-related things have happened, and so I changed my mind and headed to WorldCom to see what I could make happen there. Due to some sage advice from good friends, I made a concrete plan of things I wanted to accomplish, and figured out how to do each of them. … Read more

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Author Spotlight: Toni V. Sweeney

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Toni V. Sweeney

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: Toni V. Sweeney has lived 30 years in the South, a score in the Middle West, and a decade on the Pacific Coast and now she’s trying for her second 30 on the Great Plains.  Since the publication of her first novel in 1989, Toni divides her time between writing SF/Fantasy under her own name and as the pseudonyms Tony-Paul de Vissage, TS Snow and Icy Snow Blackstone.  Currently, Toni has written … Read more