Tag: author

The Dragon Eater

The Dragon Eater - J. Scott Coatsworth

J. Scott Coatsworth has a new queer YA/Crossover Sci-Fantasy book out – The Dragon Eater, Tharassas Cycle book one. There’s a giveaway, and a free book with purchase too!

Raven’s a thief who just swallowed a dragon. A small one, sure, but now his arms are growing scales, the local wildlife is acting up, and his snarky AI familiar is no help whatsoever.

Raven’s best friend Aik is a guardsman carrying a torch for the thief. A pickpocket and a guard? Never going to happen. And Aik’s ex-fiancé Silya, an initiate priestess in the midst of a magical crisis, hates Raven with the heat of a thousand suns.

This unlikely team must work together to face strange beasts, alien artifacts, and a world-altering threat. If they don’t figure out what to do soon, it might just be the end of everything.

Things are about to get messy.

About the Series:

The Tharassas Cycle is a four book sci-fantasy series set on the recently colonized world of Tharassas. When humans first arrived on planet, they thought they were alone until the hencha mind made itself known. But now a new threat has arisen to challenge both humankind and their new allies on this alien world.

Preorder and Get the Prequel Free

I’m giving away the prequel, Tales From Tharassas, with all orders of book before release, on release day, and for at least a week or two after,- it contains The Last Run, The Emp Test, and a brand new short story the Fallen Angel. Just order the book and email me a proof of purchase at scott@jscottcoatsworth.com, and I’ll send you the book on release day (March 16th).

 

Universal Buy Link

Giveaway

Scott is giving away a $20 book gift card with this reveal – your choice of Amazon, B&N, Kobo or Smashwords. Enter for a chance to win:

 

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Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47276/?

Excerpt

 

Dragon Eater meme

Spin’s voice echoed in his ear. “This is a bad idea, boss.”

“Shush,” Raven whispered to his familiar.

He needed to concentrate. Cheek and jowl against the smooth cobblestones, he held his breath and prayed to the gods that no one had seen him duck under the sea master’s ornate carriage. The setting sun cast long shadows from a pair of boots so close to his face that the dust and leather made him want to sneeze. Their owner was deep in conversation with the sea master, the hem of her fine mur silk trousers barely visible. The two women’s voices were hushed, and he could only make out the occasional word.

Raven rubbed the old burn scar on his cheek absently, wishing they would go away.

“Seriously, boss. I’m not from this world, and even I know it’s a bad idea to steal from the sea master.”

Though only he could hear Spin’s voice, Raven wished the little silver ay-eye would just shut up.

The hencha cloth-wrapped package in the carriage above was calling to him. He’d wanted it since he’d first seen it through the open door. No, needed it. Like he needed air, even though he had no idea what was inside. He scratched the back of his hand hard to distract himself from its disturbing pull.

An inthym popped its head out of the sewer grate in front of him, sniffing the air. Raven glared at the little white rodent, willing it to go away. Instead, the cursed thing nibbled at his nose.

Raven sneezed, then covered his mouth. He held his breath, staring at the boots. Don’t let them hear me.

A shiny silver feeler poked out of his shirt pocket, emitting a golden glow that illuminated the cobblestones underneath him. “Boss, you all right?” Spin’s whisper had that sarcastic edge he often used when he was annoyed. “Your heart rate is elevated.”

“Be. Quiet.” Raven gritted his teeth. Spin had the worst sense of timing.

The woman — one of the guard, maybe? — and the sea master stepped away, their voices fading into the distance.

Raven said a quick prayer of thanks to Jor’Oss, the goddess of wild luck, and flicked the inthym back into the sewer. “Shoo!”

He popped his head out from under the carriage to take a quick look around. There was no one between him and the squat gray Sea Guild headquarters. It was time. Grab it and go.

He reached into the luxurious carriage — a host of mur beetles must have spent years spinning all the red silk that lined the interior — and snagged the package. He hoped it was the treasury payment for the week. If so, it should hold enough coin to feed an orphanage for a month, and he knew just the one. “Got it.”

“Good. Now get us out of here.”

A strange tingling surged through his hand. Raven frowned.

Must have pinched a nerve or something.

Ignoring it, he stuck the package under his arm, slipped around the carriage, and set off down Gullton’s main thoroughfare. He walked as casually as he could, hoping no one would notice the missing package until he was long gone.

“We clear?”

Spin’s feeler blinked red. “No. Run! They’ve seen you.”

Raven ran.

 

Author Bio

J. Scott Coatsworth

Scott lives with his husband Mark in a yellow bungalow in Sacramento. He was indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were.

He decided that if there weren’t queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.

A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality, and is the committee chair for the Indie Authors Committee at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

Author Website: https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com

Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworth/

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/jscottcoatsworthauthor

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/jscoatsworth

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jscottcoatsworth/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8392709.J_Scott_Coatsworth

Author Mastodon: https://mastodon.otherworldsink.com/@jscottcoatsworth

Author Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com): https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/

Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/

Author Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/J.-Scott-Coatsworth/e/B011AFO4OQ

 

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What I streamed in February.

I thought it would be fun to share what I enjoyed watching in February. Just the stuff I enjoyed. Not the stuff I DNF’d.

Great British Baking Show: The Professionals

I love Great British Bake Off. So I knew I’d enjoy this, and I did.

Bake Squad

Fun show. I love a good cooking show and this one has a great vibe.

Physical 100

I don’t even know how to adequately describe this show but it’s fascinating. Also, I think my spouse’s favourite show of the month.

Blood, Sex & Royalty

An interesting look into Anne Boleyn. Not my favourite but still interesting.

Fresh, Fried & Crispy

Make It At Market

This is probably my favourite show I’ve seen thus far this year. A lot of autistic rep, which I appreciate. And I love the concept. It’s on Britbox.

Catastrophic Failure

Sad, tragic look at a dam failure at a mine.

So that’s my shortlist. What have you been watching in the last month?

2022 in Review

Free man writing a table

In 2021, I decided my word for my writing in 2022 would be ‘focus.’

Focus was something I really struggled with starting in 2019 when my husband was in and out of the hospital. 2020, as you can imagine, didn’t help those issues at all. But 2022 was possibly the most difficult year for me with writing.

I struggled.

I wrote two novellas last year. I love both of them. But it’s nowhere near what I usually manage to write.

Focus was probably not the best word to have picked.

Or maybe, it was.

I think, if nothing else, I learned a few lessons about being kind to myself. I definitely learned some painful lessons and taking a step back when I need to do so. And I also figured out when I need to push–and when not to do so when it comes to writing.

So, what did I manage by December 2022?

  • Farm to Fabre
  • Stubbed Toes and Dating Woes

How about 2023? What do I hope to achieve this year?

  • A Cosy Mystery novella trilogy (I’ve already wrapped up book 1.)
  • An Ace Romance

My word for this year is joy. To put that into action, my phrase for the year is finding what brings me joy in writing. Something I’ve found is incredibly important for me.

How about you? How did you manage in 2022? And what are you hoping to do this year?

What I streamed in January.

I thought it would be fun to share what I enjoyed watching in January. Just the stuff I enjoyed. Not the stuff I DNF’d.

Live to Lead.

It was one of the first things I watched at the beginning of January. I found it incredibly inspiring. I watched it twice, actually. Gloria Steinem and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are heroes of mine so I enjoyed getting an insight into them.

Beast of Banglaore

One of a number of true crime docs out of India. Troubling cases. It’s always hard to say you ‘enjoyed’ a true crime doc. It feels like the wrong word.

Drain the Oceans

They finally uploaded the latest season to Disney+. It’s one of my spouse’s favourite shows, so we binge-watched it over a weekend.

Operation Mincemeat

This movie has been on my watchlist for ages. I don’t know why I never got around to watching it. Well, I do. I go through moods where I stick to non-scripted shows/documentaries, and I don’t watch scripted TV or movies. But I finally saw this in January. It was such a brilliant movie. I LOVE Colin Firth (and a lot of the other actors in it.)

Inside the Heist

A fascinating look at some audacious heists. Highly recommend it if you have Discovery+.

Enola Holmes 2

I’ve watched this about four times now. Enjoyed it as much as I did the first movie, maybe even more because it had more Henry Cavill.

Bernie Madoff

For ages, I’ve wanted to see an in-depth documentary on the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. This was such a well-done series. It was one of those series that is fascinating but also makes you incredibly angry at the man—and the system that allowed him to get it away with it for so long.

So that’s my shortlist. What have you been watching in the last month?

Character Creation

Some of my characters are created on the fly while I’m writing. Often, they’re ones that show up unexpectedly. Or, I’m so eager to start the novel that I don’t stop to consider who a character is until they’ve appeared into the story.

Dempsey from my Motts series was a character who surprised me. I never imagined he’d appear at all, never mind showing up in three of the novels. He played a far more central role than I anticipated.

Ivy and Tens are both characters who I knew would exist in their respective novels. I just didn’t take the time to develop them fully. I was in full panster mode while writing, so their personalities were created on the fly.

Ah, the joys of being a pantser.

Other characters required more careful thought and consideration.

Motts sprung from her name. I knew before I even plotted out the first book in my Motts Cold Case series that her name would be Pineapple Mottley. I spent weeks fully creating her marvellously quirky personality. She’s one of my all-time favourite characters.

Francis, from After the Scrum, was also developed from his name. I knew I wanted him to have a name that wasn’t gender-specific. The first meeting between Francis and Caddock had already been in my mind before I wrote the first line of the novel.

Of the two methods, I think I prefer the second. My characters who aren’t written on the fly are easier for me to write. But I still love all of them equally.

Coming Up with a Title

….for Farm To Fabre

There were a million things I wanted to do with this novella. And the title was less of an issue than figuring out the plot. It started life as a ‘next door neighbors’ sort of romance that slowly shifted into the second chance romance it is today.

A few things never changed from the beginning. One of the MCs was always going to be a farmer who enjoyed cooking. I think it’s about the only thing that didn’t change.

The location changed.

The timeframe changed.

I was all over the place when I wanted to write this story. But then the idea of two people who’d had this awkward encounter then panicked, being forced to spend time together in isolation, took hold. It evolved a little while writing, but that core concept remained.

So, in the end, unlike many of my other stories, the title was relatively easy to decide on once I’d given the characters names.

I’d started with this idea of Farm to Table.

But Farm to Table isn’t a new concept, and I wanted something a little different.

So…’Farm to Fabre’ it was.

And I enjoy a good play on words, so it stuck.