Starting the ball rolling on this a little early, but after Christmas I've got a few days off work and I want to spend those three days writing.
I've decided to do something a little bit different though, so the three commissions will all be themed depending on which day they'll be written!

The three slots shall be:
27th: TF Tuesday [Claimed  SiGe]
28th: Werewolf Wednesday [Claimed  syrus.wolf]
29th: Taursday [Claimed  STrRedWolf]

If you would like to take one of these slots, please comment below. It will be first come first served.
All standard commission rates and details apply: http://www.furaffinity.net/commissions/jaystoat/
Maximum of 5000 words.
These stories shall be completed on the day listed above. Payment shall be due on the same day.
Naturally the story must fit the theme of the relevant day - for the sake of clarity and lack of repetition, werewolf stories will not be accepted for TF Tuesday.

So hey, I have some time this week so I'll be taking on one short story commission (max 5000 words). Details can be found here: http://www.furaffinity.net/commissions/jaystoat/
Comment/DM to claim. First come first serve!

Clean or adult is fine.
Some content restrictions may be in place - see commission details for no list.

So I'm currently working on finishing off the third novel in my fantasy series. As a result I won't be doing any new short stories until that's completed (maybe giving myself time for one between the drafting and editing phase of the novel).

It's my current intention to open for some more commissions once my novel is at with my beta readers, which I should complete before I do the final edits for the novel. After that, well, we'll have to wait and see!
I have had a few people requesting to notify them on commissions. This doesn't mean a guaranteed commission - it will be first come first serve when I officially open back up again, so you'll need to get in quick as I will be doing the usual 3 slots.

Not leaving FA, I'll still be staying around. But in case people are thinking of jumping ship, you can find me on SoFurry and Furry Network. Exact same usernames on them both as here; jaystoat.
Will be cross-posting all new artworks and stories on all three sites, so won't be any difference across the three. Just need to upload my stories to FN and they'll all be the same.

Stolen from  foxy_malone because I'm so original that way.

1) Have you been to FurDU before?
Yep! All but the very first!

2) How long will you be on the Gold Coast?
Thursday to Monday.

3) Where are you travelling from?
Brisbane!

4) How are you getting there?
Hitching a lift.

5) Are you staying at the con hotel?
Of course!

6) Who are you rooming with?
With that weirdo  dexcat

7) Who will you be hanging around with?
With anyone who is willing to put up with me.

8) What are your major plans for the con?
Selling all the books, drinking all the alcohol, meeting all the people.

9) Anything you really want to happen during the con?
See above.

10) Anything you really want to avoid during the con?
Drama llamas.

11) Are you fursuiting/costuming?
If I can steal/borrow someone's suit.

12) Are you an artist or dealer?
Yep!

12.b) What are ya selling?
Booooooooks!

13) Are you doing anything outside of the con?
Maybe, maybe not.

14) How can I find you?
Hunt around the dealer's den. If I'm not there, pop the kettle on and I'll be over in a jiffy.

15) Do you like hugs?
From people I know/people who ask.

16) Can I have a drink with you?
By all means!

17) Can I grab dinner with you?
I don't see why not.

18) Can I photograph you?
Go for it.

19) Can I tag along with your group?
So long as you're not weird about it.

20) Anyone you wish was coming, but isn't?
Always! Sadly they live too far away.

21) Got a Convention Badge for the event?
My collection is always growing.


See you all there!

So it's little over two months before FurDU, and much rejoicing was to be had!

But hey, if you're attending too, and you want books from either FurPlanet or Rabbit Valley, then please let me know as soon as possible as I'll be doing an order from them fairly soonish.

Yes. I'll be getting in Rukis novels and art books.

So I'm going to be officially opening up for a new batch of short story commissions!
Will again have three slots available on a first come first serve basis.

Info can be found here: http://www.furaffinity.net/commissions/jaystoat/

Slot 1:  dragonwise - Completed
Slot 2:  Dandin - Completed
Slot 3: omega - Completed

So just want to make it official, will be opening up for writing commissions.
Will likely take no more than three at any given time, so comment below or note me if you want to take one!

Pricing etc can be found here: https://www.furaffinity.net/commissions/jaystoat/


Slot 1:  flamedrake - Complete
Slot 2:  dragon-lover - Complete
Slot 3:  omega -Complete

Anyone here using SoFurry?
If you are, give me a shout-out over there as I doubt I'll be uploading too much in the way of writing over here - just too frustrating to get decent formatting on it, and that's not even counting all the extra views I get over there!
https://jaystoat.sofurry.com/

In partnership with AnthroAquatic Editing, Jaffa Books will be publishing an anthropomorphic sports short story anthology!
Details can be found here: http://www.jaffabooks.net/proposed-.....thologies.html

It is my understanding that this anthology + Ivfuris will be the FIRST Australian-published short story anthologies - EVER!
So send in your sportsball stories and get in on some history!


We are trying to resist calling the anthology Spawts or Pawball.

After writing Keeping Warm (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14611453/) as a commission, was wondering if anyone else would be interesting in a writing commission from me?

Clean or adult is fine (restrictions may apply on certain adult situations - enquire for specific details).


For about 2000 words (length of Keeping Warm), it'd be $20 for clean, $25 for adult.
Other length stories by negotiation.

See http://www.furaffinity.net/commissions/jaystoat/ for further details.

I'm delighted to say that FurDu have announced me as one of their special guests for 2015.

FurDu has rapidly become Australia's favourite convention, and it is an honour to be chosen to attend as a guest. A lot of awesome people have been guests of FurDu before me - FoxAmoore, Drakon, and Vurt to name but a few - but I believe I am the first writer guest for this still-young convention.

I hope you'll choose to join me at FurDu. I've had a little sneak-peek into what they're planning, and it is going to be absolutely sensational!

Gold Coast: May 1-3.
Be there.

http://www.furdu.com

So to help raise some funds for new laptop/next big shipment of books, I've place all remaining FurPlanet and Rabbit Valley stock on clearance.

25% off all leftover stock, including Dragon's Horde, Instinct, and Unconditional!
10% of all ebooks!

Limited stock remains!

http://www.jaffabooks.net/jaffur-bo.....ance-sale.html

After many faithful years, my laptop appears to be dead.
The possibility remains that it could be resurrected, but it's already died several times before, so it could be the time to finally put it to rest.

The problem is, I've had a lot of large expenses in recent months, and a lot more to come still.

To help raise some funds, I've reduced Axinstone on the Jaffa Books website to AU$3.99, so if you haven't picked up a copy yet, this is your best chance to do so! The Amazon price change is currently pending, so I'll let you know when that goes live too.

I'm also contemplating opening up for some short story commissions. Working on a trial commission at the moment, and if that goes well I'll put out some prices and hopefully get started on those next week.

For now, let us toast the memory of this here laptop. You served me well. Millions of words were written on your keyboard, from which came two completed novels.

So all of my latest writings are going up on SoFurry, just 'cos it's much easier to submit writing there. Plus it actually gets noticed, so there's that too.

https://jaystoat.sofurry.com/

So, what do you know, Jaffa Books is now the Australian retailer for FurPlanet! We got the first delivery in today, and are looking forward to selling these great titles at RivFur and beyond!
If any Aussies have any particular books they would like to see from FurPlanet, let me know and I'll see if I can stock it. I don't think I'll be doing any more orders from them before RivFur, but we'll see how it goes.

Jaffa Books will also be stocking an amazing new fantasy series, Chronicles of the Summer King, by Jess E. Owen. We have the ebook already, but if you're waiting for the print book, that will also be coming in time for RivFur.

Exciting times!


As always, Axinstone is available from the Jaffa Books website, as well as Amazon and Kobo. You should buy it. People say it's not half bad.

So Axinstone is now here in print format! Received the delivery today, so just need to work out logistics like postage, and it'll soon be available to buy!
Of course, all you lucky attendees of FurDu will be able to purchase it before anyone else!

Just a quick update on what I'll be selling at the Dealer's Den at FurDu.

I'll have the complete Jaffa Books catalogue available as ebooks. This includes the complete Kyell Gold backlist - yep, every book he has ever published shall be available for purchase.

NEW RELEASES!

Confirmed new releases are:
Axinstone -JFR Coates (me)
Red Devil - Kyell Gold
The Acme Employee Handbook - Kristen McHenry

Possibly also available:
A Million Miles from Tehran - Basil Rosa
Legendary - Various
Axinstone (paperback version) - JFR Coates

Hoping to see a lot of you at the Dealer's Den, and at FurDu in general. It's going to be rather epic!

Stole this from  helixthefallen just because.

1. Why did you start writing?

I've always been a very keen reader, so writing was a bit of a natural progression for me. I originally started though as a challenge to myself. I'd recently finished reading some best-selling fantasy drivel that I shan't mention here *cougheragoncough*, and I told myself I could do better.

2. Was there anything that lead you into writing or did you just start on a kind of impulse? Impulse or a divine lightning bolt.

Aforementioned fantasy drivel, but it took me about a month to get the sudden stroke of genius for the plot of that first book. Wolf's Curse is my next project to complete after Destiny of Dragons.

3. What are some other writers who have inspired you? Are there any artists or other specific mediums that inspired you as well (video games, movies, etc.)?

Oh, where to begin. Homage has to be paid towards the writers who got me reading: Enid Blyton and JRR Tolkien in particular. More recently would be the likes of Neil Gaiman and Maggie Furey.

4. Is there a project you’ve worked on that you absolutely love and would really like to see published?

So many! Wolf's Curse is definitely one, as is Seven Runes (both falling into the world of Farenar). I also want to see Reborn finished and published at some point.

5. Would you like to be published some day? If not, then why?

Axinstone has already been published (go buy it!)

6. What are your favourite genres to write? Are they the same as the genres you like to read? If not, then why?

I adore science fiction and fantasy, so naturally I tend to stick within those genres.

7. Is there a particular subject you find it difficult to write about? What is it and why?

I tend to gloss over sexual details in my stories as I find it hard to write about (hurrhurr hard). Beyond that, I'll try my hand at writing pretty much anything.

8. Is there another medium you really want to try at some point that would make use of your writing skills but also require you learn other forms of art? If so, what is it?

I would love to be able to draw, as when I write I see things visually. It would be amazing if I could turn this into a physical image, but alas, the words are all I can do.

9. How do you solve the problem of ‘writers block’?

I direct your attention to Philip Pullman:
“Writer's block…a lot of howling nonsense would be avoided if, in every sentence containing the word WRITER, that word was taken out and the word PLUMBER substituted; and the result examined for the sense it makes. Do plumbers get plumber's block? What would you think of a plumber who used that as an excuse not to do any work that day?
The fact is that writing is hard work, and sometimes you don't want to do it, and you can't think of what to write next, and you're fed up with the whole damn business. Do you think plumbers don't feel like that about their work from time to time? Of course there will be days when the stuff is not flowing freely. What you do then is MAKE IT UP. I like the reply of the composer Shostakovich to a student who complained that he couldn't find a theme for his second movement. “Never mind the theme! Just write the movement!” he said.
Writer's block is a condition that affects amateurs and people who aren't serious about writing. So is the opposite, namely inspiration, which amateurs are also very fond of. Putting it another way: a professional writer is someone who writes just as well when they're not inspired as when they are.”


Some questions for you guys.

1. What is your favourite work in my gallery and why?
2. Whose your favourite character from my works posted here and why?

Also on Facebook, but have it here too!

★ Furry Down Under 2014 Questionnaire ★ - (stolen from all the others who have used this)

● Where are you staying?
The Outrigger

● What day are you getting there?
Thursday

● Where will you be most of the time during the days?
Threatening everyone to go to the writing panel/asking those who didn't attend why not?

● Where will you be most of the time during the nights?
Drunk somewhere.

● Who will you be hanging out with?
Anyone who can tolerate a drunk stoat.

● What are your major plans for the con?
The writing panel, get drunk, meet awesome people, have good time.

● Who are you hoping to meet?
All my friends who I don't see enough of, plus those awesome people I am yet to meet.

● What time do you get up/go to bed?
Late. For both.

● What's the best way to get a hold of you?
Use a cup of tea as bait. If that doesn't work, try cider. If THAT doesn't work, I've probably already got one or both of the above. In which case, just seek out the Englishness.

● What do you look like?
See the couple of pictures on this profile. Minus the 11th Doctor's outfit.

● Do you have a fursuit?
Nope. Sadface.

● Hugs?
I prefer to be made aware of them before they happen. So no ninja-hugs unless I already know you.

● Can I talk to you?
You certainly may.

● Can I buy you a drink?
Strongbow is my favourite cider

● Can I take your picture?
Get my good side please.

---

► Feel free to steal this format, add to it, or make your own - Please don't spam the FurDU group with these!

So given all the recent dramas of which I care absolutely nothing about, a fair few of my favourite artists have jumped ship to Weasyl. I don't plan on abandoning FA at all, but I decided to set up a Weasyl which I shall probably use just as (in)frequently as my FA.

If anyone wants to connect over there, you can find me at https://www.weasyl.com/~jaystoat


Oh yeah, and don't forget to buy Axinstone ;)

So Axinstone has been included on the recommended reading list for the Ursa Major awards.
Nominations don't open until sometime this month, but it would be amazing if as many people as possible could nominate Axinstone for the award.
I'll of course keep you updated with all the information as it comes.

Ta muchly.

And to all who haven't picked up Axinstone yet, why not?!

So I should probably mention... I wrote a book, and it's for sale! You should all go by it!

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00HKHPN4E (AU)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HKHPN4E (US)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HKHPN4E (UK)
http://www.jaffabooks.com.au/novels.html
[Kobo forthcoming]

Dragons, magic, adventure. What's not to like?

Plus, if you do read it, I would be very grateful if you left a review on Amazon or Goodreads (Alternatively send me an email/note directly so I can pop it up on the Jaffa site.

Ta muchly to all who have bought, will buy, and are buying Axinstone!





Other projects:
Destiny of Dragons part 2: Impossible Magic is well underway.
Wolf's Curse, which will start off the next series after Destiny of Dragons has had a tentative opening written.
Reborn is on hiatus until I get the Farenar world fleshed out some more.

Something I've been thinking about for some time now has been Jaffur Books: a branch of Jaffa Books dedicated solely to furry works.
Of course, I already have  kyell onboard with Jaffa, but I would like to see a large range of other quality furry writers published with me.
This project is still very much in its infancy, and will probably be another year away at soonest, but I would like to officially put a call out for furry writers who wish to be published.

What I am looking for: Quality stories driven by fantastic characters and interesting plotlines. For Jaffur Books, anthropomorphic characters need to be central to the story; otherwise submit to Jaffa Books.

What I am NOT looking for: Pornographic stories.

Adult material is acceptable, but I do not want stories that are pornographic for the sake of being pornographic. If I were to use Kyell Gold as an example: his stories definitely contain adult material, but it adds to and drives the plot forwards. It isn't the sole purpose of the story.



If you think you have something suitable for Jaffur Books, then please note me here, or email me at jfrcoates[at]jaffabooks.com.au



I would appreciate it if some of you could help spread the word a bit.

Cheers.

So over the coming days I will gradually be submitting chapters to my science fiction novel, Reborn.
Depending on the response I get from it, I may end up posting the full novel.
For me to do that though, I need to know that people are reading it, and so I ask that if you do, please provide a little bit of feedback. Preferably something a little more in depth than "I like it."
I love critique, and so long as you give me some honest feedback, I won't get mad!

Ta muchly!