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Author Spotlight: John Paul

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John Paul

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: I am John Paul. I started writing short stories in college, writing endless articles for my school newspaper. Years later, with the birth of the Internet I started publishing my own blog. I always found a reason to write until I let life get in the way. My vault of unfinished novels grew over the years while I let corporate America keep me busy, then the stories sat in a corner collecting … Read more

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Serial: Down the River – Chapter Fifty-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, Carmelina gets the surprise of a lifetime in the Roman foothills… < Read Chapter 52 Join my email list to get my weekly newsletter with notifications of new chapters. Chapter Fifty-ThreeA Million Bright Stars Daniele drove his cousin’s car through the Italian foothills, winding their … Read more

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Point of View: The (Scary) Art of Self Promotion

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scared - deposit photos

Most of us writers are, by nature, solitary beasts. We are happiest when holed up in our writer caves, interacting only with people whom we control – our characters. Although many writers I know claim it’s the other way around! We decide what they are feeling, where they are going, and how and when that journey ends. Woe to the character who crosses an angry writer! We engage with them when we are ready, and there are no critics (outside of the inner one) to tell us we are doing it wrong. Sooner or later, though, we finish a story, … Read more

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Author Spotlight: Ef Deal

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Ef Deal

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: Musician, poet, editor, video editor, and author of steampunk, fantasy, and horror, Ef Deal has been writing and composing since she was nine years old. Her short fiction has been published in numerous online zines and print anthologies including The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Dangerous Waters from Brigid’s Gate, Chris Ryan’s Soul Scream Antholozine, two anthologies from Speculation Publications, and four anthologies from e-Spec Books. She is currently public relation … Read more

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Serial: Down the River – Chapter Fifty-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, Ben goes to see his long-estranged mother at a local Czech-Italian restaurant – and it’s not at all what he expected… < Read Chapter 51 | Read Chapter 53 > Join my email list to get my weekly newsletter with notifications of new chapters. Chapter … Read more

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Point of View: On the Downhill Run

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downhill skiing - deposit photos

Over the last decade that I’ve been a serious writer (defined as someone who loses sleep at least three nights a week because their writer brain won’t shut up), I’ve become accustomed to the various stages of my writing projects. There’s the initial honeymoon phase, where I’m convinced I have a fantastic idea and nothing is going to stop me from writing this amazing book that everyone will be clamoring to read. Then there’s the coasting phase, when everything is running smoothly. Sure, it’s not as exciting as it was at the get-go, but the story is unfolding nicely, and … Read more

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Author Spotlight: Mikko Rauhala

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Mikko Rauhala

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: Mikko Rauhala is a Finnish SF author making their foray into the English speaking world. They often write their stories in both languages, which can get frustrating when there’s no one else to blame for the occasional double entendres. Informed by their master’s degree in intelligent systems, they’re most at home in hard science fiction settings, though they’re not exclusive and like to cross genres. Whether the subject is steam powered gnomes … Read more

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New Release / Giveaway: Office of the Lost – J. Scott Coatsworth & Kim Fielding

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Office of the Lost - J. Scott Coatsworth & Kim Fielding

J. Scott Coatsworth & Kim Fielding have a new MM fantasy romance out, Chaos and Order book 1: Office of the Lost. And there’s a giveaway! When Perfection Collides With Chaos, Sparks Fly Crispin Eladrin, desk fae at the Office of the Lost, could find a needle in ten haystacks. His desk is so neat it would make an accountant blush, and he’s never failed to complete a recovery mission. He has no idea how adorable he is, especially when he’s at his most annoyingly officious. Enter utterly chaotic Leopold Lane. His life is a masterclass in disastrous events–and it’s about … Read more

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Serial: Down the River – Chapter Fifty-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, Gio meets a relative he never knew existed… < Read Chapter 50 | Read Chapter 52 > Join my email list to get my weekly newsletter with notifications of new chapters. Chapter Fifty-OneThe Moon Rises Only for You “Mamma?” The woman stared at him, clearly … Read more

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Point of View: The Real Meaning of Pride

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I spent the weekend with some dear friends of mine… six of the other authors in our Queer Sacramento Authors Collective group. It was Sacramento Pride weekend, and it was a bit crazy, especially on Saturday morning. On the same day, there were three hge events planned in Downtown: the first day of the Sac Pride Festival, the No Kings Rally one block away at the Capitol, and the UC Davis graduation two blocks away at the King’s basketball stadium. Parking was at a premium, and we arrived four hours before the opening time to make sure we snagged a … Read more