Point of View – Page 39 – J. Scott Coatsworth

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Point of View: How I Build Worlds

April 3, 2017 by scott

Morning all! As I am knee-deep in fleshing out the world of Titania for “Lander”, the sequel to “Skythane”, I thought it would be fun to share how I create worlds, especially on the sci fi/fantasy side. I usually start with an overarching feature that makes the world interesting to me, and I hope to my readers as well. In Skythane, it’s the concept of a broken world – a half-sphere hanging against the inky blackness of space. In my forthcoming “The Stark Divide”, it’s a man-made cylindrical world that arches up all around the reader, almost claustrophobic in its embrace, … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Driftwood, or the Art of Writing a Sequel

March 27, 2017 by scott

I just embarked on a new first for me – writing a sequel. My novel Skythane came out in February, and the next one, Lander, is due out in February 2018. So I’m working through the new one now. And man, it’s hard! LOL… The Netflix effect has been in evidence now for a couple years in series fiction – the idea that the author should have the whole series ready to go when the first book launches, so they can release them quickly, one after another, to allow people to binge read the series and not have to wait too long for the next … Read more

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Point of View: What I Like

March 13, 2017 by scott

Hey all, Thought I would do something a little different today – and share with you some of the things I like, so you can see what a weird – scratch that – fascinating person I really am. So here they are in no particular order: Trader Joe’s Ginger and Almond Cashew Granola: Because OMG this stuff is addicting. I have to be careful not to eat the whole box in one sitting. Seriously. This stuff is to die for. Robotech: Because I watched it in my formative years, but missed the two pivotal episodes that bridged series, and forever … Read more

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Point of View: Some More Good News

February 27, 2017 by scott

It was a good week. Mostly. First of all, “Skythane” arrived at my doorstep in the form of a small box of print copies from Dreamspinner. I love opening boxes with my new books inside, and this one was extra special – my first novel. And the good reviews keep coming in. 🙂 Then came the next bit of good news. My novel “Liminal Sky” was just picked up for publication in October by DSP Publications. “Liminal Sky” is an epic sci fi tale with a number of queer characters, about the launch of mankind’s first generation ship built to travel … Read more

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Point of View: Through the Looking Glass

February 20, 2017 by scott

A week ago, I was freaking out. My new book “Skythane” was about to come out, and a combination of a story rejection and a potential bad review had me pulling out my hair. After all, it’s not every week you celebrate your first novel, and it turns out that can come with a lot of stress. How a week can change things. The book released on Friday to a torrent of great reviews (thank you, one and all), and while it’s too soon to tell how sales will go, I’m in a whole better place this week than last. And … Read more

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Point of View: This is the Week

February 13, 2017 by scott

You know when you have a big event coming up, something that could redefine your entire life? I’m looking down the barrel of one of those right now. On Friday, my very first novel – Skythane – comes out from Dreamspinner Press. I’m also waiting for responses this month on my second novel and a novella. This could be when things really take off for me. Or… This could be a moment when nothing really changes. It’s a strange place to be in, this anticipatory time. Checking my author account to see how many pre-sales I have daily. Okay, twice a day. Okay, … Read more

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Point of View: Waiting

February 6, 2017 by scott

It’s something every author has to learn to do – to wait gracefully for a response after submitting a story to a publisher. Right now, I’m waiting on two – one’s a stand-alone YA novella, and the other’s a sci fi novel that I hope will launch a new trilogy. I am calm. I am relaxed. I am TOTALLY FREAKING OUT AND WHY HAVEN’T THEY GOTTEN BACK TO ME DO THEY HATE ME AM I A HORRIBLE WRITER WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?’ *takes deep breath* I am calm. I am relaxed. As you become more experienced at your craft and … Read more

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Point of View: Building A New Site

January 30, 2017 by scott

Last month, something extraordinary happened. And I don’t mean in the sense that it was something great. Quite the contrary – All Romance eBooks imploded in a sudden and unexpected four day event that started on December 27th, leaving many readers without access to their purchased books and authors with little to no royalties for three months of holiday sales. I was one of the lucky ones, but only because I have very low sales to begin with as a fairly new author. But some of our author friends got burned for thousands of dollars in the collapse. A few days … Read more

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Point of View: Getting Your Cover

January 23, 2017 by scott

Hey all, I’m so excited this week to be able to officially share my cover for my forthcoming first novel “Skythane”. I worked with the amazing Anne Caine on this cover, and am thrilled with the results. We did hit a brief rough patch when the graphics department flagged it for being to similar to an earlier book by another author, but we reworked it, and I think it’s even better than before. It combines a romance look with a great sci fi background. 😛 The book is available for preorder at DSP in eBook and paperback formats. So how has … Read more

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Point of View: Writing a Sequel

January 16, 2017 by scott

Hey all, I’m going into uncharted waters here. Over the last few weeks, I mapped out the course for “Lander”, the sequel to “Skythane”, my first published novel that comes out on February 17th.Cover reveal on 1/18 – woo hoo! In “Skythane”, an unlikely pair races to save the world – a very unusual world that’s been split in half by an ancient calamity. The timing to begin the sequel was fortuitous, as I had just read through my proof copy of “Skythane”, and made notes about all the little plot threads I needed to continue or wrap up in … Read more