Cozy-adjacent fantasy author
I was so excited to speak to Elizabeth Miles on the Power to Pivot Podcast about cozy-adjacent fantasy, my writing, Talio’s Codex and a whole bunch of other topics (how to introduce kids to adult topics, for example)! She’s a great interview – have a listen!
In this deleted scene from Talio’s Codex, Talio attends Clemente Jilani’s class, only to find himself quizzed on legal knowledge (in the final version, Jilani’s lecture is a bit more pertinent to the plot and much less technical…). This scene served a few purposes: to show Talio’s quick legal thinking, to show that Clemente is…
Author John Scalzi has graciously given blog space for authors to write about what inspired their novels. I’m happy to have been chosen to talk about Talio’s Codex and what it’s all about. Take a look here. “A society’s culture comes from its laws. The things that tell us what we can and cannot do….
My father, Sidney Jessel Cohen, died in 2019, at the age 86, after 16 years of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and finally Alzheimer’s. It’s been almost 5 years. 4 Father’s Days. Like me, Dad was a perfectionist. Unlike me, he was very neat and tidy. His desk and filing system were always organized with precision,…
So I’ve been thinking… My podcast, Lavender Tavern, was cozy fantasy. My next book, The Library at Eventide, is cozy fantasy. But Talio’s Codex…? Originally, I’d categorized it as ‘cozy fantasy noir.’ But now that people are reading it and giving me feedback, I’m having second thoughts. Cozy fantasy noir may sound like a contradiction…
Wyngraf’s Valentine’s Day 2024 cozy fantasy issue is now out. It includes my story, “Mail Order Husband.” Silas is a dragon rancher who dreams of romance. But good men are hard to come by west of the Rift, and Silas’s personal ads in a newspaper back east have done nothing but annoy the editor… Goodreads…
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…
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…
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…