Ask the Author: R. Cooper
Answered Questions (53)
R. Cooper
Hi! There isn't a scene that I wrote. They just move in the same circles, and Peter and Charlie are friends, and Will has observed them (Peter and Sebastian) together, and isn't great at hiding his facial expressions. lol So Will's thoughts on Peter's obvious yearning were also obvious (to a self-conscious Peter, but also I think all of London knows.)
R. Cooper
When it first came out, I don't think most readers knew it was connected to the first story at all. So reading it on its own should be fine. While the Being(s) universe does feature cameos from other characters or little Easter eggs, the stories are not dependent on one another (except Some Kind of Magic and Forget-Me-Not). For example, Treasure for Treasure and His Mossy Boy take place one right after the other, but lots of people read either one independently. :) All you really need to know for A Boy and His Dragon is that there are humans and then there are the magical creatures existing alongside them.
R. Cooper
Hi! I'm so happy you're enjoying them!! And I have some good news for you, most of those stories are free to read on my website (forgive the formatting) or in older, unedited forms on AO3. the website link
There is also another free story on the site called Strange Medicine, and it is Little Wolf in Therapy. As well as a short called A Queen and Her Knight--and it's about Rennet.
As for All the Futures That Could Be, the original (also unedited) version is free on AO3 but the cleaned-up version is in The Tales of Two Seers.
Those are all the "official" additions. There are more maybe-canon/maybe-not stories and snippets and glimpses of their possible futures on my tumblr and on Patreon. Tumblr is free, but you do have to figure out tumblr's search function. Which is a mess.
One of these days, I should go through the snippets and decide which other ones are canon and post them to the site too. Or, as someone recently suggested, put them all in a collection for sale or something.
Happy reading!
There is also another free story on the site called Strange Medicine, and it is Little Wolf in Therapy. As well as a short called A Queen and Her Knight--and it's about Rennet.
As for All the Futures That Could Be, the original (also unedited) version is free on AO3 but the cleaned-up version is in The Tales of Two Seers.
Those are all the "official" additions. There are more maybe-canon/maybe-not stories and snippets and glimpses of their possible futures on my tumblr and on Patreon. Tumblr is free, but you do have to figure out tumblr's search function. Which is a mess.
One of these days, I should go through the snippets and decide which other ones are canon and post them to the site too. Or, as someone recently suggested, put them all in a collection for sale or something.
Happy reading!
R. Cooper
Oh man. I love them so much. Well, for a while, my answer was: I don't have the time because Taji took so long to write. But I suppose a second book would go smoother (at least a little) because the universe has been built already. Or the foundation is there, I guess. And when I was in the middle of working on Taji, I thought this would make *such* a fun trilogy. One for Taji, one for Nadir, and one for Lin. (So fucking fun) But then uh, well, Taji has an audience now but it did not for a looong time. Then uh, well, honestly anything I write with any sort of trans or non-cis characters does not sell well. Like at all. Which could just be my writing not appealing to a trans audience. I mean, my f/f stuff doesn't really sell either. (Sorry, Lin. I really wanted you and Mos to have angry sexual tension.) So now, my answer is more along the lines of, if I suddenly got very financially comfortable, I would write my little dream project, or *at least* write Nadir and Talfa being epically in love amid danger and political scheming. Nadir is the most badass and I love him. THE SCENE I IMAGINE I CANNOT.
ahem
However, while I wait on that ship to come in (sigh), I did do a charity drive (a few actually) where someone donated and asked for a bit of Talfa and Nadir in the future, and I wrote a quick version of a scene I envisioned for them. It is on my Patreon, but locked, and on Tumblr, which is a disaster to search. Luckily, I know how to search it. :)
I also found another (sadder) futurefic charity prompt that is just Nadir while I was at it. (And I hope these links work. It's been a while since I've done html)
In the Purple Dark
All Talk and a Big Nose
Hopefully, those help scratches any itches for Nadir (or Talfa) you might have. :)
ahem
However, while I wait on that ship to come in (sigh), I did do a charity drive (a few actually) where someone donated and asked for a bit of Talfa and Nadir in the future, and I wrote a quick version of a scene I envisioned for them. It is on my Patreon, but locked, and on Tumblr, which is a disaster to search. Luckily, I know how to search it. :)
I also found another (sadder) futurefic charity prompt that is just Nadir while I was at it. (And I hope these links work. It's been a while since I've done html)
In the Purple Dark
All Talk and a Big Nose
Hopefully, those help scratches any itches for Nadir (or Talfa) you might have. :)
R. Cooper
This answer contains spoilers…
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R. Cooper
ooh no one has ever asked me this before. He could? Though I don't know if he'd get a full novel. I definitely want to someday maybe if my brain cooperates do something with Tarō and his long-suffering wolf. So Sasha should be there, officially part of the group now. :):)
R. Cooper
omg I had no idea this question was here! Goodreads didn't tell me! I'm so sorry!
There is a whole thing with Albert and Graham. Waiting to happen, I guess I would say. I have ideas for it, but not the entire thing yet. Right now, Albert is being Sad and learning some life lessons and also important things about matings and romance, to help him for when Graham matures. And in the meantime there is pining. Delicious, delicious pining! :)
There is a whole thing with Albert and Graham. Waiting to happen, I guess I would say. I have ideas for it, but not the entire thing yet. Right now, Albert is being Sad and learning some life lessons and also important things about matings and romance, to help him for when Graham matures. And in the meantime there is pining. Delicious, delicious pining! :)
R. Cooper
Hi! I'm so happy you liked it! I had a lot of fun with it! I would love to do more in that universe, and probably will, though I have no idea what yet. I did do some shorts about Holt... maybe official, maybe not... as part of a charity drive a while back. Holt is adorably absolutely useless and scarily powerful and smart. A conundrum. But I think I would probably write about someone else first. Maybe a whole new character. It's just a very fun world to play in. I have another series I need to another book for, and then I will see. :) Thank you so much for reading!
R. Cooper
Hi! Thank you!! :) So, I did a small Q&A a while back on my Patreon in which I did answer some writing questions for Patrons. That's still there, but this prompted me to post at least one of the questions and my answer over on my tumblr. It was a question about my process, and it is a little messy but it might help. ( https://www.tumblr.com/sweetfirebird/... ) I've never been officially interviewed or anything though. That link is a good starting point. But basically, I start out with an idea I like, a premise or a character, and then I think about that, a lot. Trying to find out more about it in my own head (and also why it sparks so much in my brain. I need that spark to be there. It's what motivates me to not only write but to finish a story.) And since I am a character-focused writer (I am not great at intricate plots lol) I tend to think about that. And like, what kind of person does *whatever the premise I liked was*. Or how would such a person end up in that place and what they might do once there. Basically, I build from that. One aspect and then moving outward. Then I make my "notes" which I build on more linearly. Then that becomes more of an outline, which I keep building on until I'm ready to begin. So, say, A Suitable Consort, I wanted a culture where polyamory was normal, along with queer stuff, which is so normal it's not even "queer" to them. And I wanted it in fun fantasy world because a) tropes are fun and cheesy and b) it was 2021 and I was DONE with the real world. I also wanted a story that would be "easy" or at least simple to write. Straightforward. And I love mutual pining and like many, I love a Tall and a Small, and I just... decided to indulge. Of course, in that case, I should talk about worldbuilding... which is a thing I sort of thoughtlessly stumble into a lot of the time. But that feels like a whole, longer discussion. :)
R. Cooper
:) The short answer is yes. I think it's going to be a little unusual in format and I have no idea how long it will be, but yes. (The longer answer is, since I do this for a living, and books take me months to write, I have to have something decent-selling to essentially fund the time spent writing something that probably won't sell super great. 11th book in a series? Is a turnoff for a lot of people. See also: ace werewolf stories not having quite the same audience as other kinds of werewolf stories. But still a yes to your question.)
R. Cooper
Hello! It was up on Smashwords for free years ago, then SW changed their policies and labeled it erotica and, at the time, that was a huge deal and I was working and writing and had no time to deal with it, so I took it down. I haven
t put it back up because it's... (and I love it) a mess. A hot mess. I started it like... twenty years ago and it was the first long thing I ever did.
I do keep debating putting it back up as a serial or something, for subscribers maybe, or not. With a bunch of caveats and tag warnings all over it because it's definitely not like what I write now. (Early 2000s Original Slash was a whole different vibe lol) but I also sort of want to clean it up, if I can, without changing it too much.
Anyway, if I rerelease it, I will post notices everywhere. :) Thank you
t put it back up because it's... (and I love it) a mess. A hot mess. I started it like... twenty years ago and it was the first long thing I ever did.
I do keep debating putting it back up as a serial or something, for subscribers maybe, or not. With a bunch of caveats and tag warnings all over it because it's definitely not like what I write now. (Early 2000s Original Slash was a whole different vibe lol) but I also sort of want to clean it up, if I can, without changing it too much.
Anyway, if I rerelease it, I will post notices everywhere. :) Thank you
R. Cooper
:):) Taji!!
Yes, I would LOVE to do more in that universe! The main reason I have not, is... time. Which is hopefully something I will have more of in the future. Ideally, I'd love a Talfa/Nadir something something and then a Lin something something something. Like a cute little (long-ass) trilogy of some kind. But more likely, if I ever get to do more in that universe, it would be Talfa and Nadir only. (Just in a amount of time it takes to write something like that versus what sales it would actually get, so I can pay rent etc lol. That's my metric there. The original book took two years just to write so. Yeah. A big time investment.)
I will be honest and tell you I don't have much of a plot for it yet, just a couple of scenes I'd really like to see, if possible. :)
Thank you!
Yes, I would LOVE to do more in that universe! The main reason I have not, is... time. Which is hopefully something I will have more of in the future. Ideally, I'd love a Talfa/Nadir something something and then a Lin something something something. Like a cute little (long-ass) trilogy of some kind. But more likely, if I ever get to do more in that universe, it would be Talfa and Nadir only. (Just in a amount of time it takes to write something like that versus what sales it would actually get, so I can pay rent etc lol. That's my metric there. The original book took two years just to write so. Yeah. A big time investment.)
I will be honest and tell you I don't have much of a plot for it yet, just a couple of scenes I'd really like to see, if possible. :)
Thank you!
R. Cooper
Yes, I am. They are just sort of in the queue, because their project is a little different and ongoing. :)
R. Cooper
The short answer is, no. Most everything right now is the same, with only tiny changes + the new covers.
However, when I release the new paperback versions, one of them (SKoM) will have a small addition to the end. Nothing major. But enough that I felt I should mention it. I'll likely make it a free short on my website for everyone else. <3
However, when I release the new paperback versions, one of them (SKoM) will have a small addition to the end. Nothing major. But enough that I felt I should mention it. I'll likely make it a free short on my website for everyone else. <3
R. Cooper
The short answer is: Yes!
The longer answer is: I wanted to get the books back out there so I can write more of them, so I am getting out the ebooks in a hurry and then will work on the paperbacks once I have time (between writing other things, basically). I will release ALL of them in paperback, including Some Kind of Magic. (And the new thing I just finished.)
<3
The longer answer is: I wanted to get the books back out there so I can write more of them, so I am getting out the ebooks in a hurry and then will work on the paperbacks once I have time (between writing other things, basically). I will release ALL of them in paperback, including Some Kind of Magic. (And the new thing I just finished.)
<3
R. Cooper
I've never seen the Firebird live, and I don't know of any full-length performances to be found online. I've seen clips, and I would really love to watch the Misty Copeland version, but I have no idea where to find it except maybe the American Ballet might sell DVDs? (There's one version that, even though I know nothing about costume design for dance except the bit I learned for Dancing Lessons, I cannot watch because the Firebird's tutu bothers me too much for whatever reason. lol. It just flops around and makes things look less graceful? Which might be intentional but still bothers me.) The music is available online, though, and I have listened to that.
(Ballet, like theater, needs to be recorded and accessible for us regular people, and yet there is still this attitude that to do so brings it down somehow. By what? Bringing in more of an audience? Helping us poors? Grrrr)
(Ballet, like theater, needs to be recorded and accessible for us regular people, and yet there is still this attitude that to do so brings it down somehow. By what? Bringing in more of an audience? Helping us poors? Grrrr)
R. Cooper
Lyn Forrester made that pretty cover!
R. Cooper
Thank you so much! Izzy and his boys are such sweethearts, and I love Javi and Jimmy both trying to pretend they aren't already married. <3
I don't have anything labeled that way, no. But when I wrote Wicklow's Odyssey, I did write Wicklow as sort of gray, though since it's a historical, he doesn't say that. There are some ace characters in my other stories, but they were not the focal points, though they might be someday. :)
I don't have anything labeled that way, no. But when I wrote Wicklow's Odyssey, I did write Wicklow as sort of gray, though since it's a historical, he doesn't say that. There are some ace characters in my other stories, but they were not the focal points, though they might be someday. :)
R. Cooper
Yes and no. Yes, more will happen. But no... not right this second. I *was* going to do the thing hinted at in Clematis next, but I'm kind of maybe leaning toward another book of shorts. Maybe. It's still formulating. In the meantime, I'll have other stuff. Hopefully the thing I've been calling Space Gays should be out this summer. And a little m/m/m thing before then. :)
R. Cooper
Uhhhh time, I guess? Which I never have.
Although, seriously, mostly his point of view would be constant *constant* planning and worrying regarding the town, its people, his little pack (Zoe!) and Tim. His life is very exhausting. Tim only makes it more so.
If you were looking for something more painful, like Nathaniel knowing Tim is off with Albert... like... do you hate yourself? aha Do you really want to read that?
Idk. Lots of little pep talks to himself the whole way through. "You are strong. You can take this. You can take a little bit more. He came close to you today on his own. He chose to spend time with you. You can take a little more for his sake." And then, by the end, more worry but also, man, just obscene levels of pride in his Little Wolf.
Hmm unless you wanted one of the dramatic moments. Like him all stoned and weak and snuffling into Tim's neck. Or walking through town and hearing Tim call for him in absolute terror.
He really is great.
But, sadly, I am finishing up a thing, so I can return to my next stupidly brave and silently pining warrior hero type. <3
Although, seriously, mostly his point of view would be constant *constant* planning and worrying regarding the town, its people, his little pack (Zoe!) and Tim. His life is very exhausting. Tim only makes it more so.
If you were looking for something more painful, like Nathaniel knowing Tim is off with Albert... like... do you hate yourself? aha Do you really want to read that?
Idk. Lots of little pep talks to himself the whole way through. "You are strong. You can take this. You can take a little bit more. He came close to you today on his own. He chose to spend time with you. You can take a little more for his sake." And then, by the end, more worry but also, man, just obscene levels of pride in his Little Wolf.
Hmm unless you wanted one of the dramatic moments. Like him all stoned and weak and snuffling into Tim's neck. Or walking through town and hearing Tim call for him in absolute terror.
He really is great.
But, sadly, I am finishing up a thing, so I can return to my next stupidly brave and silently pining warrior hero type. <3
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