Next year I'm looking at a $20-25k bill for surgery. I'm not overly comfortable with asking for donations, but instead I'm looking to do some fundraising through book sales. If you're interested in some furry fantasy or sci-fi fiction featuring dragons, magic, adventure, and a few sprinklings of romance, then please consider helping out!

Even if you can't buy anything now, please consider supporting me by giving my posts a share through your social media of choice:
https://x.com/jfrcoates/status/1837335987955061057
https://bsky.app/profile/jfrcoates....../3l4n5oti4mw2p
https://creativewriting.social/@jfr.....73463077084653

Or you can go directly to my books here: https://books2read.com/rl/jfrcoates or here https://www.jfrcoates.com/

I may be opening for writing commissions soon as well, so keep your eye open for this.

Thank you so much for your support!

So I haven't done much in the way of flashy announcements, instead just updated my pronouns where they're on show.

But I suppose I should make it official somehow.

I'm trans. Hi. Pronouns are she/her.

FA doesn't really allow the changing of usernames, so I'm stuck with Jaystoat for the foreseeable, but my 'sona and furname is now Jaye. I hope to share plenty of art of her over the coming months!

https://www.jfrcoates.com/blog/2023.....year-in-review

2022 was certainly an interesting year for me. It saw my return to full time work, which meant my writing productivity was more limited than previous years, but unfortunately I’m not earning enough from writing alone to be sustainable by itself. Hopefully in the future that will change.

After two novels released in 2021, I had no more ready for release in 2022. This doesn’t mean I made no progress, however. I completed one novel last year and have sent it out to agents and publishers with the hope of breaking into traditional publishing. This means I currently have two novels I’m shopping around. Further updates on these novels are completely out of my hands, but hopefully there will be movement on at least one of them this year.
At this stage, it is currently unlikely I will have any novel releases in 2023, but this could change quickly.

Things may have been quiet on the novel side of things, but short stories were surprisingly productive! There was a flurry of releases towards the end of the year that took my career short story publications up from two to five!

The first short story to come out was An Invisible Enemy in the anthology Tales of Feathers And Flames - a story about a gryphon struggling to get to grips with an outbreak of illness.

Delve back into prehistory for my second story, Howling to the Moon, a part of When The World Was Young. In this story, follow a wolf as he attempts to rescue his adopted sibling from a pack of hunters who share more in common with our protagonist than he might care to admit.

The final story of the year is The First Snowflake, featured in Winter of Wonder: Fauna. The changing of the seasons is an important time for two gryphon sisters, with all the usual conflict between them as autumn becomes winter.

I am very proud of all these stories, and if you haven’t yet picked up any copies, I hope you’ll have a look at them and leave reviews and ratings.
As a For Your Consideration when it comes to annual awards, I shall list the word counts of the stories to determine eligibility.
An Invisible Enemy: 6000 words
Howling To The Moon: 10,800 words
The First Snowflake: 2800 words

That about covers what I can share for my 2022 writing progress. Work has been going on behind the scenes for several different novels, but until publication is confirmed I will be light on the details. One thing you can be sure of is that they are speculative fiction and feature non-human characters in prominent roles!

2023 may not have any planned new novel releases, but that isn’t to say nothing interesting will be happening. Stay tuned for some details coming soon of an exciting project that will cumulate in December, when I will celebrate 10 years since the publication of Axinstone.

As of today, I am delighted to say that I am the new president of the  furwritersguild - more information can be found here: https://furrywritersguild.com/2021/.....ld-presidency/

I certainly hope to help promote furry writing of all kinds over the next year.

Nearly 13 years ago I created my first FA account. My reason for doing so was to follow the updates from  AraKaraath, who drew a wonderful comic series called In A Perfect World. He was an Australian too, though in different parts of the country.
We never met - the only time he came to Queensland for FurDU was unfortunately the only time I did not go.
Unfortunately that chance will now never come. Rest in Peace, Ara. You will be missed.

Let's see if this works!

Oi! It's my birthday! You should buy some of my books! Thank you.
Some great (if I may say so myself) fantasy and sci-fi books for your reading pleasure:
https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00KCKWYSO
https://www.jfrcoates.com/

So FurDU is officially called off for the year. There wasn't any other option for it, sadly.

Unfortunately, FurDU accounts for around 50% of my yearly book sales, so this has blown a huge hole out of my usual yearly income.
I've put up a tweet advertising my books to try and sweep up a few more sales to limit this loss. For those on Twitter, any retweets would be most appreciated! <3
https://twitter.com/jfrcoates/statu.....69097155973121

For those of you who might have a little money to spare, I hope you'll consider purchasing my books or even signing up to my patreon. Links all below. Thank you all, and keep safe! <3

Reborn: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X3NC5MC (ebook) https://www.jfrcoates.com/reborn (print)
Axinstone: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HKHPN4E (ebook) https://www.jfrcoates.com/axinstone (print)
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jfrcoates

So it seems like American date formats are confusing, and I managed to set the wrong release day on my printing service, and they've already sold a fair few copies. Rather than resetting the date to the correct one, I might as well just go with it (especially given those strong early figures from the printers) - which means that Reborn is now available! The ebook version is up on Amazon as well.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X3NC5MC

And if you haven't already entered, there is a twitter raffle currently ongoing to win a print copy of both Reborn and Traitor.
https://twitter.com/jfrcoates/statu.....81938512908289

So I've decided to run a twitter promotion to win a copy of Reborn and Traitor.
All you have to do to enter is retweet this tweet: https://twitter.com/jfrcoates/statu.....81938512908289 and follow me!

Simples!

https://www.patreon.com/posts/28531742

You may have heard, but Reborn has been re-written. This new version of my science-fiction story will be released in November, simultaneously with the sequel, Traitor. Because of the changes made to Reborn, the sequel will not make sense if you have not read the updated version.

Now, I don't want to force my readers into having to buy a book they already own. To avoid this, I have a few planned offers available for readers to take advantage of.



If you own Reborn (ebook)

- Those who purchased through Amazon should be able to get their copy updated when the new files are uploaded.

- Those who purchased through Jaffa Books can contact me with the same email address used to place the original order to get an updated copy.

- Those who purchased elsewhere are entitled to a free copy of Reborn when they purchase Traitor.

- Those signed up to my Patreon at any tier will receive one free copy of Reborn ahead of the public release (exact date to be determined)*.

- Those signed up to my Patreon at the werewolf or dragon tier will get a free copy of Reborn and Traitor*.



If you own Reborn (print)

- Purchase a print copy of Traitor and provide evidence of purchase of the original Reborn**, and you will get a free copy of Reborn.



* Patrons must have made at least one payment before release to be eligible for this.

** Email me a copy of your copy, or simply make a purchase through the same email address used to place the original order.

So this month I started a new series on Patreon. This series will explore the various different species of my fantasy world of Farenar - most of which are anthro or similar. There will be one of these each month, and will be accompanied by artwork of each of them. It would mean so much to me if you pledged support to my Patreon - there are bonus WIPs and short stories for you as well, depending on which tier you select. The Species of Farenar series is available to ALL tiers, even the $1!

The first entry in the species list has already gone live. It's on humans - so I'm getting the one few will care about out of the way quickly! There also isn't any art this month, as everyone should know what a human looks like...

Thank you!

https://www.patreon.com/jfrcoates

This is a pretty cool new feature from FA! I hope it is well used by creators and the people who enjoy their work.

It has been enabled on my account now, so if anyone does want to send a few shinies my way, that is greatly appreciated! <3

I wasn't really wanting to do this, as it risks cutting into my writing time, but I think I'm going to consider myself semi-open for commissions. If you have an idea you want me to write, send me a message and I'll consider whether I want to take it or not!

See https://www.furaffinity.net/commissions/jaystoat/ for pricing etc.

If you're a furry writer of any skill level and you use telegram, then there's a new group for you!

The group is planned to be a social/support group for writers to improve their skills, promote their work, and generally just socialise with other writers. Please do consider joining up, as there are good plans for what this group can achieve!

https://t.me/FWANZ

It's something I've been meaning to do for a while, but never got around to it.
I've created a second page for all my weird/fetishy stuff so I can have it separate from this page. I wish I'd done it when I first planned it, as it would make things so much easier!
I won't be publicly saying what the new page is, but it will be easy to find when I start moving over my submissions/faves/follows over to the new account.
This will probably be a gradual process as there's a fair bit to move!

In the transfer, nothing will be removed completely. Everything will be reuploaded on the new account, so don't fret if you don't save something in time! You'll be able to find it again.

As mentioned in my previous journal, I have now set up a Patreon account.
This is focused on my mainstream writing, but if you appreciate what I create here, then please do check out my fantasy and science fiction works. Any pledge - even a single dollar - will be most appreciated!

https://www.patreon.com/jfrcoates

Firstly, I hope everyone has a wonderful 2019!

I got back home yesterday from a wonderful holiday.
I got married at the end of November, and since then I've been on my honeymoon. First we stopped off in Chicago for MFF, and what can I say but WOW! A truly wonderful time, with so many furries all in one place! I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and it was amazing getting to meet up with so many people for the first time.
Since then, I've been in New York, and then in the UK. It was a wonderful experience. But for the jet lag, I'm glad to be home though.

That leads me on to my plans for the year.
I left my day job in November, and for this year at least, I will be working full time as a writer/publisher. This is a really exciting development for me, and I'm really hoping this works out! A patreon will be set up in the coming weeks for anyone who wishes to support me in this - even just a dollar a month can be helpful!

2019 is shaping up to be an exciting year, and I'm glad to have you all along with me for it!

I'm going to be there!
I honestly don't know how much time I'm going to have for meeting people, as I've already got about eleventy-million people to see, but I shall do my best!
Really looking forward to this, as it's my first overseas con!

So it's looking like the vet bills for Nutmeg are going to be pretty pricey. We're not in a stage of asking for donations, but it would be most appreciated if you can help where you can.
Commissions will still be strictly limited, but if anyone is looking for some new reading material, I can direct you to here: http://www.jaffabooks.com.au/ If you're able to purchase some books, that would be most appreciated and helpful!

If you aren't able to do so, if you could share this tweet: https://twitter.com/jfrcoates/statu.....72733192085504 or point people towards this journal/the Jaffa website, that would also be really appreciated.

Thanks all!

So one of my cats was taken to the vets yesterday.
He's going to be fine, but it was a large expense that wasn't really needed ahead of my wedding, an overseas trip to MFF, and then Christmas in the UK!
Therefore, I am going to be opening for commissions!
I don't know how much time I am going to have, so I am only going to be taking ONE commission at a time. I will put up a new journal and/or twitter post each time I'm taking a new one. I will update a list here with all the commissions I have taken on.
I will strictly be limiting it to one commission taken on at a time, and I will not be 'holding' a spot for later on. These will be first come first serve. I will also be limiting it to one commission per person during this period.
I don't know how many commissions I will take on between now and November, but check out here or follow me on Twitter (@jaystoat) for updates!

1 -  Omega
2 -  snowypenguin

So I've just got home from FurDU, and as always it was a fantastic experience. Got to participate in the fursuit walk for the first time, sold plenty of books in the dealer's den, and got to meet up with friends old and new! It's always amazing getting to catch up with people in person, when our usual interactions are online, and even had the chance to meet up in person with some folks I had never actually met face-to-face!

As ever, 10/10 - would convention again!
Bring on 2019!

So I'll be looking to take on a few commissions after I made the sound and logical financial decision of purchasing two fursuits.
The usual process - comment or note me to apply. Pricing details can be found in the Commission tab at the top of my page.
I'll be looking at 5 commissions, though if there are enough awesome ideas, I may take more.

1.  xpsm140
2.  Yourfurryotaku
3.  Frysco
4.  Omega
5.  Kelarod
6.  Catprog

-Where are you staying?
The main hotel- The Mantra on View


-What day are you getting there?
Sometime on Thursday


-How are you arriving?
Hitching a ride with the lovely  dexcat


-Who will you be rooming with?
With  dexcat and  Ash_Darkfire


-Who will you hang out with during the convention?
As many people as I can! But never as many people as I want.


-Are there events you might be attending?
As many writing related ones that I can (and that I'm not already on)


-Will you be suiting?
That's the plan!


-Do you do free art?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah (deep breath) ahahhahahahahaha! No!


-Do you do trades?
See above


-What is your gender?
Male


-How old are you?
Twenty-mumblesevenmumble


-How tall are you?
Tall enough


-Are you taken?
Yep!

-Can I talk to you?
By all means, please do!


-Can I touch you?
Not without permission.


-How can I find you?
In the Dealer's Den, most likely.


-Can I visit your room?
If invited.


-Can I buy you drinks?
Yes please!


-Can I give you stuff?
I won't say no! (Unless the stuff is spiders. Then I will say no.)


-Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Only with permission


-Are you nice?
I hope so!


-How long are you going?
Thursday to Monday!


-If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Put the kettle on. Or call my name.


-Where will you be most of the time during the days?
Dealer's Dan


-What/where will you be eating?
Whatever I can, whenever I can!


-Can I come with you for fun/food/etc.?
If you ask first, sure!




FurDU hype, woo!

I'm going to be taking three more commissions on, with an estimated completion for all three before the end of the month.
These will be first come, first served, and with a completely open theme - usual exceptions apply.
Maximum 10,000 words.

Please note that there has been a change to my pricing structure: http://www.furaffinity.net/commissions/jaystoat/

Slot 1:  Omega
Slot 2:  SiGe
Slot 3:  syrus.wolf

Well. 2016. What a year. Personally, it's been a rather good one for me, you know, with the whole getting engaged bit and sharing some great times with the amazing  DexCat , cementing plans for the future with him.
Overall though, it's been a bit of a mixed bag. Some truly terrifying political events (which are not to be discussed below, because ugh, please no), and the well-publicised 'curse of 2016' that has taken some of our most beloved celebrities.
So lots of good, and lots of bad overall. Here's hoping to more good, less bad for 2017.

What does it hold for me? Well, Dex shall be moving out here for good, so that's going to be amazing. I hope to have the final book in the Destiny of Dragons series released - hopefully for FurDU, but we'll see. I intend on doing a lot more writing commissions, as I'm proving to myself that I can write them at a good pace and not lose out on any quality. Aiming at perhaps one a week, we'll see how that goes - I can't let it impact my novel writing too much. Commission prices may end up lifting a little for 2017 too, to bring myself more in line with the prices of other writers I consider to be at a similar skill level to mine. Nothing drastic.

So. 2017. The year where everyone starts buying my books, I hope! May the good times roll.