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POINT OF VIEW: Writing What I Don’t Know

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unknown - pixabay

I long ago discarded that old tried and true truism of writing – “write what you know.” While I get the sentiment behind it – you can best convey ideas, characters, and places with which you are already conversant – I also find it also intensely limiting, especially as a writer of sci fi and fantasy fiction. One of the ways I set out to break this idea down is by writing characters who are not at all like me. In “The Shoreless Sea,” my trilogy ender coming out in October, that has put me far out on three different … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Innocence and Carnality, by J. Alan Veerkamp

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Innocence and Carnality

J. Alan Veerkamp has a new MM steampunk book out: Innocence & Carnality. Innocence is his only currency. The gilded cage of propriety where Nathan grew up as a member of the Deilian aristocracy became a true prison when, at fifteen, his homosexuality came to light and created a terrible scandal. His parents see only one way to preserve their reputation amongst the other noble families: fit Nathan with a chastity belt to increase his value to a potential partner and marry him off as soon as possible. The recipient of that prize is Lord Rother Marsh Delaga III. After … Read more

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT/GIVEAWAY: Bryan T. Clark

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Bryan T. Clark

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, Bryan T. Clark – Bryan T. Clark is a Lambda Literary finalist and Rainbow Award winning author of gay romance, and contemporary books. GIVEAWAY: Bryan is giving away an eBook copy of “Diego’s Secret” with this post – comment below for a chance to win. Thanks so much, Bryan, for joining me! JSC: When did you know you wanted to write, and when did you discover that you were good at it? … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Mucklucked, by James Brock

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Mucklucked Blog Tour

James Brock has a new MM romance book out: Mucklucked. When fate sends Kodiak DePaul from his home in Alaska to a new world in a big city it is a move equal to going from Manhattan to Mars. His wild success as a model is quickly followed by tragedy and heartbreak, sending the young Alaskan running back to his home in the north to hide and heal. Intrusion in his now notable life continues in the forty-ninth state, sending Kodiak deeper into the bush to his grandfather’s homestead in one of the most remote parts of the state. But … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Once Upon a Wolf, by Hurri Cosmo

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Hurri Cosmo has a new MM paranormal shifter tale out: Once Upon a Wolf. Hawk is alone, hiding from the world, living in a tiny, rickety cabin his grandfather built. He has few supplies and fewer yet of the skills needed to survive on his own, but because of what he did, because of what his father caused him to do… well, there’s just no other choice. But then one day “Ghost” shows up. A large lone wolf who begins to “take care of” Hawk. He brings him game, he protects him from predators, and he even pulls him from … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Gardening is Writing

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We writers are creative folk. Beyond writing, it’s not uncommon for us to have other creative pursuits – art, music, theater… or even gardening. I started vegetable gardening when I was in Junior High. Two of my friends went to the store with me, and we got seeds and soil and planted a garden in the side yard. I’d never really experienced some of the things we grew fresh. This was in the late seventies and early eighties, and much of what we ate at home came out of tin cans. The first time I had some fresh-cooked green beans … Read more

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: LJ Phillips

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Silver Bullet Nights

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, LJ Phillips – LJ Phillips is a professional artist who has had three solo exhibitions. He has also published numerous articles and pieces of short fiction. Currently he lives in South Africa and spends his free time working on his creator-owned comic, Silver Bullet Nights.. Thanks so much, LJ, for joining me! JSC: Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? LJ: I enjoy writing a blend of … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: The Seer of Ice and Sky, by Natsuya Uesugi

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The Seer of Ice and Sky

Natsuya Uesugi has a new queer dark fantasy book out in his “The Seer of Grace and Fire” series: The Seer of Ice and Sky. Surviving the devastation of DarkFall, Timorn is now rightful King of Faerie. With evil lurking at the fringes between the kingdoms of the humans and the elves, the dark mage Dalannin travels to Dragonreise to forge an alliance with the Dragon King. Timorn’s travelling party sets off on request from an elven emissary but dissent grows as the party passes through the human city of Ekhrine. As they stop at the Ecclesiastical University where the … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Immersion

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immersion - pixabay

Last week I talked about the day-to-day distractions that take us out of or away from our writing time. Today I want to talk about immersion. Mark and I have been studying the Italian language for eleven years. It’s something I really enjoy, and something Mark and I do together a few times a week. Italian has become our own “secret” language, our way to communicate with each other when we don’t want the people around us to know what we’re saying. Of course, that only works if they’re not Italians. 😛 But as good as we’ve become at conjugation, … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Writing Is hard.

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penny - pixabay

Have you ever seen the movie Somewhere in Time? It featured Superman’s Christopher Reeve in a heartbreaking time traveler’s tale that revolved around a single penny. Reeve’s character found a way to go back in time by surrounding himself entirely with objects from the past and willing himself back to their period. His undoing? A single modern penny, forgotten in his pants pocket, that ultimately shatters the illusion and sends him back to his own time. Writing is like that, especially writing stories of the past or the future. We all know the present well enough, but throw one bad … Read more