Category Archives: Jana Blogs

Rainbow Snippets

I’ll be busy going back to Ohio tomorrow so I’m glad this is up early. I can’t believe the semester is about to start. I’m not thrilled with some of the curve balls the university has already pitched to me. But I’m going back early for the first ever science camp for our incoming freshman. Cross your fingers it goes well. (at least I’ll have 4 hours of drive time to mull over story ideas)

I’m continuing with These Haunted Hills right after Brendan asked to see even more evidence.

Josh happily complied. He was disappointed that none of the evidence had an auditory component, at least not on the video recording. The evidence from the room amazed him. He’d think it was faked if he hadn’t lived it. Brendan’s breathing sped up, his foot bouncing as he watched the recording.

“Okay, some delayed bladder control issues might happen,” he said, laughing.

Josh snorted. “It was pretty scary.”

“I didn’t know there would be so much activity in the daylight hours.” Brendan shivered, real concern showing on his face so much so Josh wish he knew the man well enough to hold him and comfort him. “The TV shows always have them working at night.”

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!

Sunday Small Talk

I can’t talk about my writing since I haven’t been doing much. It has been a mess of me mismanaging time, visiting family and getting ready for the new semester. I at least know where my solarpunk thing is going. It’s all a matter of me not pissing around to get it done.

The other fun thing that’s been rolling through my head this weekend is the thoughts of fan art and fan fic. I’m doing the latter finishing up a project 15 years in the making (i.e. set aside forever) and Queer Sci-Fi’s post about fan art reminded me of the few pieces I’ve received and loved very much.

I know some creators who don’t like it. To be honest I wouldn’t be thrilled if people changed the characters sexuality BUT I know that’s how fanfic goes. I wouldn’t be stressing about it. I sure as hell wouldn’t be calling fan ficcers/artist ‘rapist’ (still have not forgiven Gabaldon for that, while now erased here’s a good post about it – see here

Quite the opposite, if you are so moved to do fan works for MY stories I will weep in joy and be thankful something I wrote moved you to create something. If you feel moved to share it please do.

And how about some writing links

From my friend – Christmas in July – What Makes a Good Christmas Story?

10 Top Book Marketing Takeaways from RWA 2018

The 13 Most Common Self-Publishing Mistakes to Avoid

PUBLISHER QUESTIONS: WHAT TO ASK BEFORE YOU SIGN A BOOK CONTRACT

Please Don’t Buy My Book

And from around the web

Beta Reading: How Being a Beta Reader Has Made Me a Better Writer

12 Reasons Why Book Production for Indie Authors Means Thinking Digital

How Indie Authors Can Learn to Love Financial Management

Cockygate Closes

The Magic Of Storytelling

Why I Wrote My Three Books In My Pensioner Years

Five Lessons on Writing and Motherhood

An Open Letter to My Future Writer Self

Writing and Determination

Seven Ways To Become A Better Writer

8 mistakes Americans make when writing British characters

Rainbow Snippets

It’s been a week that culminated in me finding a great deal on a 3 year old, low-mileage Honda CRV so now I have a new to me car. On the downside, I have not much to show writing wise and deadlines are looming (not to mention ones at work).

Here’s a little more of my paranormal WIP These Haunted Hill. Josh and Brendan are still looking over the evidence of the hauntings. It’s a little longer this week (mostly because it just felt more complete)

“Yep.” Josh rolled it back again so they could watch it again. He wrote down the time data so he could find it again when he showed this to Cassia. “This is some fantastic evidence.”

“I am stunned. I have to say, I didn’t believe in ghosts, entirely. This makes me rethink so much.”

Looking over his shoulder, Josh lost himself for a moment in the deepness of Brendan’s dark eyes. Him sitting this close was only going to lead to embarrassment. “I’m glad to hear that. And we haven’t even gotten to the bedroom yet.”

“I know. Do you think that was one of the killing rooms?”

“Possible. I know a couple of the downstairs rooms had deadfalls built into them. The floor felt sturdy so maybe not. Still, you know that whole place has to be swimming in ghosts, if any place is.”

Brendan nodded. “I’m really going to have to dig into the history tomorrow.” He tapped the edge of the laptop. “Let’s see more!”

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!

Rainbow Snippets

Doing this early because my mood is awful and I need a distraction. At least I get to go see my BFF from college tomorrow.

Since you asked I would LOVE to see more positive Science Fiction and more fantasy that is more personal quest vs epic political battles.

I’m continuing with These Haunted Hills. Josh & Brendan are still examining the recordings they made at the haunted hotel.

“Sure.” Josh started the tape keenly aware of how close Brendan was. He could feel the man’s breath. It made his skin shiver. It made concentrating difficult, at least briefly. The recording sucked him in. The excitement of the black shadow frittered away as perfectly normal moments ticked by. A ball of light flickered along the ceiling rolling down the hall.

Brendan’s chair scraped on the woodened floor as he jumped then leaned forward, hand on Josh’s shoulder as he peered at the computer screen. “Did you see that?”

If you’d like to play along, Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook community where we post up 6 sentences of one of our LGBT stories every Saturday. It’s been fun and you can find it here. Be sure to check out all the offers! It’s been a great supportive group!

New Release – Impact! flash fic anthology

As I type this, the anthology is sitting at #1 on Amazon. Let’s see how long we can make that last, so cool.

COVER - Impact.jpg
Book Blurb:

IM * PACT
(noun)

1) One object colliding with another

2) An impinging of something upon something else

3) An influence or effect on something or someone

4) The force of a new idea, concept, technology or ideology

Four definitions to inspire writers around the world, and an unlimited number of possible stories to tell, but only 110 made the final cut.

A difficult choice to be made. An object hurtling recklessly through space. A new invention that will change the world. So many things can impact a life, a society, or a planet.

Impact features 300 word speculative fiction ficlets from across the queer spectrum from the minds of the writers of Queer Sci Fi.

Welcome to Impact.

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Series Blurb:

It’s hard to tell a story in just 300 words. Each year we ask writers to take the challenge, turning in stories across the queer spectrum. The rules are simple. Write a complete sci fi, fantasy, paranormal or horror story, include LGBTIQA characters, and do it all with just 300 carefully chosen words.

Excerpt (Non-Exclusive):

Since this book is composed of stories of no more than 300 words, we can’t really do a standard excerpt, so we’re offering you the teaser first lines from a number of stories.

“She’d needed new oil. She felt her joints grow stiff, her muscles grow tight, her follicles thickening. If she didn’t get fresh quarts soon, people she passed would start calling her sir, asking, Where’s your gun?” —Crossville Station, by Nathan Alling Long

“The mallet’s impact on the hard, bright disk shattered the silence in the talking chamber. The resulting deep tone reverberated through the vault, through Saskia, as she fidgeted beside her lover.” —Settled, by Aidee Ladnier

“This is how the world ends, or so they say. From where I’m standing, it simply looks like a rolling darkness as distant lights flicker and die.” —Visitors, by LJ Phillips

“’What have you done?’ The mechanical eyes came to rest on his face, the droning beep sounding loud in the small room.” —Identity and Change, by Jo Tannah

“’Once upon a world, we were the same,’ he said, lifting my hand to his lips; the ground shaking beneath us.” —Impact, by Jack Ladd

“I been a tinker and soothsayer long enough to know this country’s at the cusp of war. They stir up hate easy as breath. And, oh, it pains my soul to see it. “ —Impact of Intervention, by Patricia Scott

“All lives begin with a messy impact of some kind. The crash of zygotes and gametes. Splats of silica gel between cybernetic synapses. Two women slam into each other carrying full cups of coffee.” —Quintessence, by E.M. Hammill

“If I venture far enough into the house, I’ll find my closet.” —The Closet, by K.S. Trenten

“It touched Ligaya when she was a child. Or she touched it. A half-glimpsed shape under her bed.” Mas Mabuti An Answang, by Foster Bridget Cassidy

“Jam zipped down the neon track, feather-light in low gravity. She rocketed forward, a glowing haze in her starred helmet, and shot past the pack. “Space Jammer!” echoed as she neared the line. Time to rack up the points.” —First Bout: Andromedolls Vs. Crotch Rockets, by Ginger Streusel

And my story Apparition Adventures, a lesbian ghost hunting team is in this anthology!

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Buy Links:

Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FC91HH2
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impact-j-scott-coatsworth/1129055097
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/impact/id1409688669
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/impact-84
Angus & Robertson: https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/x/p/9781732307537
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40779373-impact

Giveaway:

Queer Sci Fi is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card with this tour – enter via Rafflecopter for a chance to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d4721/?

About Queer Sci Fi:

At Queer Sci Fi, we’re building a community of sci fi, fantasy, paranormal and horror writers and readers who want a little rainbow in their speculative fiction. We run a great discussion group on Facebook, a twitter feed, and have a website full of useful materials, news, and announcements for readers and writers of queer speculative fiction.

Website: https://www.queerscifi.com
Facebook Discussion Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/qsfdiscussions/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/queerscifi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/QueerSciFi