I'm a big fan of your writing style (as well as your stories, characters, and worlds therein)! I would love to hear more about your process. Have you done any writer interviews I can read/watch where you talk about this sort of thing? Also, how do you go about choosing your subject/plot/characters when you're starting to write a book?

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. :)

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