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POINT OF VIEW: Too Many Damned People

povs - pixabay

I have a problem. My friend Tam Ames recently asked us to name our worst bad writing habit as a band name. I came uo with this: “Too Many People in This Damned Book.” I love writing multiple point of views. I mean, like throw it down on the bed and make crazy love to it love. When I’ve tried to write from just one, which is most often the case for a short story, I feel confined. I love to bounce a situation between two characters, and see how they handle it from each of their POV’s. I blame … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: I Am Human. So Are You.

i-am-human

I am white. Gay and male. American. Californian. Sacramentan. Brunette and brown-eyed. A writer. Agnostic. Maybe a little overweight. I am human. You are black. Short. Blonde. Transgender. Chinese. An artist. A mother. Muslim. Green-eyed. A construction worker. Bisexual. South African. Christian. Non binary. A teacher. Russian. A small town kid. Homeless. Rich. Old and wise. You are human. I am tired from years of fighting. Broken. Worn down. Ready for the madness to end. So are you. We were silent for too long. We didn’t do enough when we could have. We didn’t stand up when it mattered. We … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Chocolate or Bust

Chocolate

Hey all… This week is all about writing motivation. 🙂 I have, give or take, about two and a half months to finish my next novel, at least to the first draft stage. It’s do-able, though it’s a month less than I thought I had originally – long story there. But what it means is that I have to sit my butt down in the chair every single day to write, and for a good, solid chunk of time. I am a master procrastinator. As a writer, that probably goes without saying LOL. I can put something off for days … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: The Darkness in Our Midst

Darkness - pixabay

Hey all, This has been a crazy week. My husband Mark and I run our own business creating directories for the queer community, which in turn means we get our own health care coverage on the individual market. On Friday morning, we watched in abject fear as the US government came *this close* to taking a step which, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would have increased our monthly payments by 20% a year for each of the next eight years. Despite the two GOP women who stood against the bill and John McCain’s last minute vote, we’re by no … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: A New Horizon

New Horizons - pixabay

Hey all… In about two and a half months, my new book “The Stark Divide” will be released from DSP Publications. It’s NOT A ROMANCE. (Angel is snickering somewhere over this). Publishing a non-romancey sci fi tale is a departure for me in one way, and in another it’s not at all. We’ll get back to that in a moment. The challenge now? Everything I’ve built to market myself and all the contacts I’ve made have been geared to market my romance work. Sure, most of my romance tales are also sci fi or fantasy or magical realism. But I’ve … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Too Many Projects

Scott

I did it to myself. I set off on two series at the same time, and now I’m bouncing between them like that little ball in Pong. You know, when it gets going really really fast? OK, so I’m probably dating myself with that reference, child of the eighties and all. LOL… Anyhow, I am neck-deep in final beta edits on Lander, the sequel to Skythane which came out in February – if all goes well, it will be out in February 2018, followed by Ithani in February 2019. I’m simultaneously starting on book two of my Liminal Sky series, … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: What the Hell is a GRL?

GRL?

I tell folks all the time that I’m going to GRL. Inevitably, they ask “What’s a GRL”? Of course, we all know it stands for Gay Romance Literature, or GayRomLit. But that’s not the only thing it means. So I thought I’d provide the definitive guide to some of the other GRL’s out there: Guns, Rednecks and Leather: The premier southern BDSM club for boys who like hominy, grits, and semi-automatic weapons. Held every Fourth of July in Birmingham, Alabama. Bring your own whips. Girl Scouts Running Liquor: A branch of the scouts smuggling booze in the dry state of Utah. … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Summer Cold

summer cold - scott

Okay, so I just got back from the long-planned family reunion in Flagstaff. It was fantastic, and we took a couple extra days to explore Flagstaff and Sedona. I planned to hit the ground writing-wise and work-wise as soon as we got home. Then things went wrong. Comcast, our internet provider, was down all morning Thursday and all morning Friday. That sucked, but hey, I figured I could live with it. We de-camped and went to Starbucks for wifi. Then Friday night, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The dreaded Summer Cold. It’s a thing that shouldn’t exist. I mean, … Read more

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Point of View: Getting Creative When I’m Squished in the Middle

Scott GRL prep

Hey all, It’s been an interesting week. I’m in a cabin (well, technically in the B&B looking out at the cabins) at our first bi-annual Coatsworth family reunion. It’s all but over now – officially it will end with breakfast this morning. It’s been a great weekend. But… I’m on serious deadline to finish the second draft of Lander and get it off for beta. So I’m getting creative, working on my iPad in stolen moments between reunion events, and totally burning the candle at both ends. I’m so fricking close… So I’m curious. When you find yourself on deadline … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Dealing With Religion

Gay Men's Chorus

My grandfather was a minister. Not a hard-liner – more of what I always called a middle of the road Christian, part of the “Disciples of Christ” church. When I came out to him, he told me a story about a woman who wanted all the gays thrown out of church, and how he turned it around on her and asked how she would feel if she was the only straight person there. Growing up, I attended the Methodist Church, and again, it was fairly gay friendly. My mom took me to a sex ed class there, and they gave … Read more