Cozy-adjacent fantasy author
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…
Want to be the first to get my new novel, Talio’s Codex (pub date July 16), along with some cool swag? Check out the Space Wizard Science Fantasy Year 3 BackerKit campaign. Space Wizard is trying to raise $12,000 in the first 48 hours to pay authors and pay for covers. If you like queer…
I’m super-excited to reveal the cover of my next novel, Talio’s Codex, coming from Space Wizard Science Fantasy this July: I think they did a great job with Talio’s facial scar, the saffron robes of the Incarnites, the general Dutch/Venetian vibe of the city, and the airborne skyship traveling the magical watery skyline at upper…
I’m very pleased to announce I was picked as a Notable Mention in the Gutsy Great Novelist’s Chapter One Prize. Being chosen as top 20 out of a group of 930 is quite an honor. You can see a list of all winners, honorable mentions and notable mentions at https://gutsygreatnovelist.com/winners-2024 and read the first chapters….
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…
We all play games. Board games, card games. Solving problems and competing against each other on a small scale is part of the human condition. It makes sense to reflect games and game-playing in fantasy fiction. Games – real and invented – are common in contemporary fantasy novels. For example, Tak in Rothfuss’s Temerant, and…
The Lavender Tavern was my attempt at a queer fairytale podcast. It worked, but it was very draining to come up with a bunch of different short story ideas. I have the feeling I burned through years of brainstorming in only a few months. Gallants in Distress is a typical story: Hamlyn sells take-away ale…
(Content warning: There’s sex in them thar spoiler blocks below) Does sex belong in cozy fantasy? Yes. Next post. Seriously, though. We’re still at the start of the cozy fantasy boom (please, let there be a boom) and the definitions of what is and isn’t cozy fantasy are shaking out. You can take the pulse…
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…