Features – Page 79 – J. Scott Coatsworth

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POINT OF VIEW: After the War

November 9, 2020 by scott

So I didn’t “win” Pitch Wars. My regular readers will know that I first entered this annual mentorship contest last year with “Dropnauts,” hoping to snag a mentor who would help me rework the manuscript for the Pitch Wars Agent Showcase in the spring. I didn’t even get a request from my four chosen mentors last year, and it sent me into a spiral of despair and not-writing that lasted for months. I wasn’t even going to enter this year, but a friend encouraged me to try again. So I buckled down and powered through my latest novel, wrapping up the … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories – Warren Rochelle

November 9, 2020 by scott

Warren Rochelle has a new collection of gay fairy tales out: “The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories.” And there’s a giveaway! Fairy tales. We all know the traditional stories, right? Prince Charming, the hero, fights evil, wins the princess, happily ever after. Three sons, three wishes, witches, dragons, a quest, and happily ever after. These stories are part of our cultural fabric. We retell them, over and over, and the stories change in the retellings, to reflect contemporary culture, such as Princess Charming, heroes and heroines as people of color. It has been only relatively recently that queer folk have … Read more

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: M.D. Neu

November 8, 2020 by scott

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, M.D. Neu – M.D. Neu is an international award-winning inclusive queer Fiction Writer with a love for writing and travel. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley (San Jose, California) and growing up around technology, he’s always been fascinated with what could be. Specifically drawn to Science Fiction and Paranormal television and novels, M.D. Neu was inspired by the great Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Stephen King, Alice Walker, Alfred Hitchcock, Harvey Fierstein, Anne Rice, and Kim … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Writing Short

November 2, 2020 by scott

For most of my life I considered myself a novel writer. Novels were my preferred reading length – I love getting lost in an epic story with lots of room to explore. Give me five-hundred pages, a thousand even, and let me roam in your world. And if it’s an epic series of 10+ books? I am so there, with reading glasses on. So it’s curious that I find myself writing lots of shorts these days too. Don’t get me wrong. I still LOVE novels (reading and writing them), and have two in progress with a third soon to be … Read more

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Eliot Grayson

November 1, 2020 by scott

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, Eliot Grayson – I’m an editor by day and a romance writer by night, at least on a good day. I’m more of a procrastinator by day and despairing eater of chocolate by night when inspiration doesn’t flow and my day-job clients are driving me to insanity. Go ahead and guess which of these is more common. My steady childhood diet of pulp science fiction, classic tales of adventure, and romance novels … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Expression: Telepaths Rising – Colin D. Vaughn

October 29, 2020 by scott

Colin D. Vaughn has a new queer multi-racial sci fi book out: “Expression: Telepaths Rising.” And there’s a giveaway! It’s the year 2113. Telepaths are real. They’re exalted. Feared. Hunters. Hunted. Kingmakers and slaves. With his expression, Ken is catapulted into the ranks of a tiny elite. With immense telepathic potential, he will have to learn how to use his powers and whom to trust. And quickly. Because there are enemies, both within and without, and they’re not going to wait. Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN Giveaway Colin is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour: a Rafflecopter … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Legacy – M.D. Grimm

October 27, 2020 by scott

Legacy - M.D. Grimm - Saga of the Bold People

M.D. Grimm has a new MMF sci fi romance out, Saga of the Bold people Book 2: “Legacy.” And there’s a giveaway! What does a former assassin do when he’s not out there… well… assassinating? Saving his species from extinction, of course. At least, that’s what Leopold wants to do with every molecule in his body. But the task won’t be fast or easy, and he can’t do it alone. Enter Mastrodai—a mrrog prince who has absolutely no desire to rule, much to his father’s exasperation. He craves the ability to prove his worth as a mate and to somehow … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Writing Hope

October 26, 2020 by scott

As a sci-fi author, I have written a number of times before about our responsibility to forecast the future, both to warn the world about what might be coming, and to share my hopes for what we might become. In these last few years, I have written four separate columns about the idea of hope and writing. In these fraught several weeks before the US election, I find myself hoping against hope for change, and then fearing the worst. Every day, there’s a new poll that reinforces that hope, and a new piece of news that dashes it. Biden’s up … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Canopy – Liz Faraim

October 26, 2020 by scott

Liz Faraim has a new lesbian contemporary thriller out, book 1 in the Vivian Chastain series: “Canopy.” Vivian Chastain is an adrenaline addicted veteran transitioning to civilian life in Sacramento, California. She settles into a new routine while she finishes up college and works as a bartender, covering up her intense anxiety with fake bravado and swagger. All Vivian wants is peace and quiet, but her whole trajectory changes when she stumbles upon a heinous crime in progress, and has to fight for her life to get away. While recovering from the fight, she falls in love with someone who … Read more

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: A.L. Williams

October 25, 2020 by scott

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, A.L. Williams – My name is Alec Lee Williams, a trans #ownvoices artist. My pronouns are He/him/his. I have loved creating things ever since I can remember. My art is the visual and written expression of what is in my heart and mind. Show the world what social expectation and stigma it has created in regards to mental health. Mental illness and discrimination are a part of our history and it’s time … Read more