Cozy-adjacent fantasy author
For those who are unfamiliar with him, the Marty Stu (or the female version, the Mary Sue) is an unwelcome character trope in fiction. He’s flawless, fearless, is beloved by all the other characters, and has the answer to every problem. Readers can’t stand him, for good reason. When you’re writing a main character who…
Writing, playing TTRPGs, or just sipping tea and reading cozy fantasy are all better with some background music. I’ll keep updating this page as I find new playlists I like. Spotify has a ton of fantasy and cozy fantasy playlists, but I find a lot of them jarring. I prefer very mellow smooth instrumentals. Spotify…
Talio’s Codex is a legal thriller and courtroom fantasy set in the secondary-world city of Nuciferia. When my publisher asked for a description of Nuciferia for cover art, I wrote: “Dreamy medieval Dutch/Venetian city of canals” is how I always pictured Nuciferia. Imagine my surprise when I got to the end of my first full…
I got halfway through the first draft of The Library at Eventide last summer and gave up. It was too much of a downer. One of the main character’s parents passed away. The world was post-apocalyptic. The other main character was struggling with a chronic illness. There was a heavy, unpleasant feeling of sadness and…
When I was a teenager I had a record (yes, a physical LP) called Environments (New Concepts In Stereo Sound – Disc 4 – Ultimate Thunderstorm / Gentle Rain In A Pine Forest). I have very happy memories of sitting in my parents’ basement, having my mind blown by a book by Philip K. Dick…
Going back through my notes for Talio’s Codex, I discovered some research I did at the very start of the project. I wanted to see what kind of cases, terminology and legal concepts were used in medieval England. Fortunately, the proceedings of the Old Bailey (the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales) are online….
Reusing material you’ve already written is a huge help during revisions. Don’t get rid of anything permanently! Whenever I delete a scene, or even a part of a scene, I tuck it away in a OneNote notebook in case I’ll need it later. In the case of Talio’s Codex, there was an entire pages-long scene…
Yesterday, I got an email from my publisher (Space Wizard Science Fantasy) that they were good with the developmental revisions for Talio’s Codex. After two years of writing, I feel like it’s finally finished (but not yet published – that’s coming in July). Exciting times. I’m going to go back over some early notes and…
2012-2013 was the brief, shining era of Slow TV. What was Slow TV? Take a long event, like a train ride from one town to another, or an 8-hour knitting competition. Air it in its entirely, either with gentle music accompaniment or color commentary. You’ve got a show that’s relaxing and easy to watch –…
Back in the bad old days of the early 20th century, queer fiction had to have an unhappy ending in order to get published. Much like the Hays Code required movie villains to get their comeuppance, there was an unspoken rule that homosexual characters needed to come to an unhappy end – and if they…