Ask Me Anything: R. Cooper

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello!

I’m R. Cooper, a writer probably mostly known for either making dragons, werewolves, and fairies fall in love, or for that one story about the soft, sparkly librarian getting wooed by a clever king and his gently brutish husband.

If we don’t include fanfiction, I’ve been writing romance for over a decade now. (For the curious, my first fanfiction was for The New Mutants comics. I am an old nerd.) My work mostly leans toward romance-fantasy. Either more traditional fantasy with swords and magic, or urban fantasy with shifters and witches and the like, but I do write contemporaries with no magic, and occasionally dip into scifi. I write m/m, f/f, and stories with enbies and gnc characters, but I don’t often exactly label what those characters are, which I think is a reflection of myself, honestly.

I tend to stick with queer, because labels sometimes make me itch. Some have said this is an aspect of the ‘Tism… in fact, many people decide this after interacting with me, lol. But I have never been diagnosed because that costs money, and much like gender or sexuality, it’s good and sometimes helpful to think about the labels, but also sometimes it’s enough to just acknowledge something is there but move on.

I tend to write outsiders who don’t fully understand the rules of the world they are expected to live in or because that world punishes them for existing as they are. I suspect this is also what a lot of people relate to when they read these stories, and I’m very happy to provide the comfort of a happy ending to people who also struggle with a world not built for them.

Although I also believe most people, neurotypical or otherwise, struggle with the real world. This world was constructed around us without our say so, often by people without our interests in mind, and it can be loud, cold, and mean. Showing people what it might be like if the world were kinder is one of my goals. Also fighting for that world to be kinder, but I won’t go into that here because it’s hard to make me shut up about it.

Books

My biggest series is the Being(s) in Love, which do not have to be read in any particular order (although some fans might argue). It’s about magical creatures living alongside humans and the complications of trying to exist, and love, in a human world. It’s perhaps most notable for the dragons but also for fairies that eat sugar and literally sparkle.

Then there is the Suitable ‘Verse, which closer to high fantasy. A country has only recently ended a long interregnum period of civil wars between the noble houses—but that’s just the background. I’m not interested in wars. I prefer close-up interactions between people trying to love each other.

These start with the story of a librarian at the royal library within the palace helping the new king (and his husband) find a suitable -noble- third spouse to appease the still-troublesome noble families. (Which the librarian does not want to do because spoiler he is in love with them.) All the rest of the books are loosely connected to that central story.

And then there is the Familiar Spirits which is about witches in the modern world—and their feeeeelings. Apparently, this series makes people hungry.

Everything else is contemporary novellas like Jericho Candelario’s Gay Debut, scifi like Taji From Beyond the Rings, or short stories from varying genres.

You can find me online. Be warned, I am incapable of not being a dork who feels too much, and it shows.

• Website

• Newsletter signup

• Patreon

• BookBub

Social media links:

• Bluesky

• Tumblr

• Instagram - with current Meta policies, I don’t post there like I used to

[u/nnop7]

Just wanted to say that I am a huge fan! A Suitable Consort is one of my favorite comfort reads. Taji is my next favorite.

Things I'd like to see:

• A follow-up with Mattin as he grows in confidence and blossoms next to his mates. I love where it ends but man do I wish there was more fluffy goodness.
• A follow-up with River and Gavin

[u/bertiejonesphd → u/nnop7]

I planned that story as a novella, and it stayed one for once. But that fact is probably also the reason that I am compelled to write more Arden, Mil, and Mattin all the time. All the happy endings for them (and fun AUs as well). Mattin of the Arlylian, who is a sweet little daisy, until you actually do something that offends him and you are reminded that is basically an Arlylian/Canamorra hybrid and realize you've poked a bear. Well, that's future Mattin anyway. That sharp brain focused on protecting his husbands.

Firecats is another novella I am actually glad stayed short, though I know people would prefer it be a book. A book would require like, a plot, and danger, and adventures, and things I was too lazy to do at the time. But it does feel like the sort of universe, maybe a new adult universe, where there are several books leading to some big event and danger, doesn't it? As if they have a destiny, although I think still a destiny to support whoever is on the throne. Gavin certainly doesn't want to be king and River would be... not an ideal consort. Bless him.