Authors & Coffee w/ John A. Douglas and Z.S. Diamanti

I recently had the pleasure of joining a livestream on YouTube hosted by my friend John A. Douglas, an indie fantasy author who I've collaborated with before. We were also joined by Z.S. Diamanti, another indie fantasy author who I hadn't met before.

The livestream was a fun, casual chat between the three of us. We started off catching up and showing off some new books we'd acquired. I was excited to share the limited edition omnibus I'd received from a successful Kickstarter. It was cool seeing the high quality printing and materials used in the custom slipcase.

The conversation flowed naturally to discussing book covers when Z.S. mentioned a new release. We agreed that indie authors are making big strides with eye-catching covers that call back to the fantasy art of our childhoods. Some traditional publishers seem to be getting lazier with reusing old covers or creating something generic.

Sharing my writing progress was interesting. I'm currently 14% done with the second book in my epic fantasy series. It feels great to be back in that world and writing those characters again. I did have to pause it temporarily to revise another project, but I have the story well outlined to jump back in smoothly.

We speculated about Brandon Sanderson having written some lesser known videogame novelizations earlier in his career. It was surprising for such a huge name, but I'm sure it provided valuable experience. I wish I could write as fast as some of these prolific indie authors!

All in all it was a fun and informative chat with colleagues. The community of indie SFF writers has been great, and it's fascinating to glimpse the journeys of others. I appreciate everyone who stopped by to discuss our shared passions. Fantasy fiction has never been more alive thanks to fresh voices and new ways to connect with readers.