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!
Here’s a bit I inserted into a late draft of Talio’s Codex, but decided to remove. After their eventful evening in Aurania on the committee junket, Talio decides to seek spiritual counsel at the local Incarnite Temple. This played up the theme of religious difference and Talio’s lack of belief, and finally showed at least…
Here’s a bit I cut out of a very early draft of Talio’s Codex. Note that in the version Dovuta is the one accused of murder, ‘Magistrate Jilani’ is ‘Magistrate Palane,’ and ‘source and return gutters’ are ‘service and utility gutters.’ Lots of non-canon things in this excerpt. This scene was intended as worldbuilding to…
Here are some excerpts from reviews for Talio’s Codex:
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….
This has been such a long time coming. I remember starting to brainstorm the novel back in March 2022. Some notes:
I’m very proud to announce that my new novel, Talio’s Codex, is now available for purchase. This universal link should take you to the appropriate online bookstore(s). It’s been a long time coming. I started working on it in early 2022, and found a publisher almost exactly a year ago. Thank you to everyone who…
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…