Author Spotlight: Q & A with Carl F. Brothers

T.J.: Welcome to Author Spotlight where both new and veteran indie authors share a little about themselves and their work. Today’s guest is Carl. F Brothers. Hi Carl! Carl: Hi, TJ. Glad to be here. Thanks for having me.  T.J.: You’re welcome. I’m a fan. Let’s get into a little about you. Where do you[…]

Fantasy Books I Want to Read in 2021

A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Rose #4) by Sarah J. Maas Although Nesta isn’t my favorite character out of the ACoTaR world, but Cassian is. I don’t want Nesta to soften, but I do want her to understand who her friends are. I can’t wait to reenter Maas’s world and see[…]

NaNoWriMo: Day 20 & 21 (featuring excerpt from Warrior Tithe)

Yesterday, I made progress in Eastside Faerie. Today I’m rewarding myself with working on Warrior Tithe. I thought starting with Fagan’s (Fergus from Tam Lin: A Modern, Queer Retelling) side of the story was too bleak, so I’m starting with Aoife’s side of the story. Here’s an excerpt from the rough draft, that will likely[…]

NaNoWriMo Day 17: NaNo Rebel to the Core

A week ago, I had writer’s block. I realized why. I had another project in my head (two, actually) and until I get some words down and at least a few notes worked out, Eastside Faerie, my NaNoWriMo project will suffer. So, today I spent mostly working on Fagan and the Selkie (definitely a place[…]

A Modern Twist on a Medieval, Scottish Halloween Story

October 1st is the launch of my novella Tam Lin: A Modern Queer, Retelling. The story of Tam Lin dates back to 16th century Scotland. It was traditionally a Halloween story since the climax takes place on the eve of All Saints Day or Samhain, in the Gaelic tradition. In the original tale, a young[…]

Tam Lin: A Modern, Queer Retelling (featuring sneak peak excerpt)

Since Tam Lin is traditionally a Halloween story Tam Lin: A Modern, Queer Retelling will be released October 1st, 2020. However, I wanted to celebrate Bisexual Visibility Month and #bivisibilityday, by offering a story with bisexual characters written by a bisexual author (yours truly), by setting up a pre-order . Here is an exclusive excerpt[…]

Troublesome Tropes in Urban Fantasy, Romance, and Paranormal Erotica and How to Subvert Them

Alpha Male/Rich Asshole: The concept that a man who is power-hungry, aggressive, violent, stalkerish, possessive and territorially jealous as a romantic lead is worrisome. It not only promotes toxic masculinity, but might encourage readers to seek abusive or codependent relationships. It’s not just toxic for individuals, it’s toxic for humanity in general. We live in[…]

Test, Allies, and Enemies–A Hero’s Journey Plot Point Featuring an Excerpt from Tam Lin: A Modern Queer Retelling

With a hero’s journey style plot, after your protagonist steps out of their ordinary world and into the new world, they’re going to meet some people along the way. These are little mini adventures that will give your character tools for the ultimate challenge. They’ll get pieces of advice too. This is an excerpt where[…]

Excerpt from Tam Lin: A Modern, Queer Retelling–Chapter One

While I’m querying Eastside Hedge Witch, I thought I’d post excerpts from my current WIP. This one is based on the Ballad of Tam Lin. The original Beauty and the Beast is loosely based on Tam Lin, so is Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses. In the original ballad, a young woman[…]