L to R: Mark Marco Guzman, Jeff Baker, J. Scott Coatsworth
Afternoon at Sac Pride; or When J. Scott Met J. Scott and J. Scott
by J. Scott Ba…I mean, Jeff Baker
He also met David Gerrold once, but has not met J. Scott Coatsworth yet.
—-from Author Bio for “Random Notes,” QSF Column by Jeff Baker, March 12, 2020
I went out (drove, actually!) to San Francisco, California in June and one of the reasons I took the car was to do a few things I had wanted to do for a while. Check out a few places in the Southwest I used to know about 50 years ago (when I had family there.) Sightsee. And to meet up with a few friends that I only know from online.
Which is how I wound up driving nearly a hundred miles from Livermore, CA to Sacramento for Sacramento Pride.
J. Scott Coatsworth and I stumbled across each other about ten years ago online when I was scoping out markets for LGBT sci-fi and fantasy and he had started Queer Sci Fi. I submitted a few things to anthologies he edited and somehow we hit it off shooting the breeze on various instant messenger thingies. One of those good friendships that appear in the Internet Age where two people have a good relationship without meeting face-to-face.
We did come close in 2017; we both went to conventions in Kansas City and stayed at the same downtown hotel but for two different conventions two weeks apart.
But when we realized I’d be less than two hours drive from Sacramento on Saturday June 8th, I decided to go to Sac Pride.
The city shut off several blocks downtown with a view of the Capitol Building and the famous bridge on either side. The weather cooperated, sunny and mild. And the place was packed. People of every gender milling around; booths selling food, t-shirts, insurance, you name it. Blaring music from the Drag show featuring at least a couple of people from Ru Paul’s Drag Race. A Leather Pride Booth.
And the QSAC (Queer Sacramento Author’s Collective) booth where a group of local authors were busy engaging with visitors and selling their books. These included writers M. D. Neu, T. C. Luther, Shamir Kali and, of course, J. Scott Coatsworth.
Scott and I recognized each other immediately and he waved me into the booth after a big hug. (The first of several!*) I was introduced to Scott’s husband Mark Marco Guzman. We hugged AS we were being introduced which must have confused Mark for just a moment, but he is, like Scott, a sweet guy. They are big into hugging; greeting several friends of theirs who stopped by including some they hadn’t seen in years.
The QSAC booth did a brisk business (especially Shamir who sold out of his books!) I got to meet several others I had been chatting with online and met T. C. Luther. We realized the two of us are also named “J. Scott,” as T. C.’s given name is Jody Scott Lutheran and mine is Jeffrey Scott Baker. All of us seemed to be enjoying the afternoon and interacting with the visitors. I even signed one of the QSF flash fiction anthologies I had a story in!
So, what is J. Scott Coatsworth really like?
He has a huge smile. He’s nice, wise, kind, businesslike, exuberant, a good listener, full of worthwhile advice and taller than I expected. It is obvious to any observer that he and Mark are a couple and very much in love; a glance between them; a smile, a word spoken in Italian (the language and culture of Italy is one of their passions) and you just know how they feel about one another.
Scott and I got to shoot the breeze, like old friends who see each other every day, picking up where they left off. We talked about writing, about starting writing groups, ideas for future columns, and of course about “oh my gosh, how long have we known each other?”
Things got even busier at the booth and I eventually headed back (I had been lucky to find a parking space and a meter that took credit cards!)
A lot of bad has come out of the internet, but there’s a lot of good too. I met at least three other people on this trip that I had only been corresponding with online (thanks to mutual friends.) The internet is also how my late husband and I met (by accident!)
And the internet is where, after driving back I shot the breeze with several friends and watched Scott do a reading with QSAC, streamed around the world.
*FOOTNOTE: I managed to hug Scott without breaking or spraining anything.
Jeff Baker’s fiction and non-fiction have appeared in the online ‘zine “RoMMantic Reads” and the Amazing Stories site. His World Of Three Moons story “The Ghannidor-Ra” has just been published in “Schlock Webzine.” https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CW1F83X9 He blogs about reading and writing sci-fi, fantasy and horror around the thirteenth of each month in this same space. For the record, his Grandmother called him “Scooter.” Jeff regularly posts fiction on his blog https://authorjeffbaker.com/ and wastes time on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=679510827 and Mastodon (as “Mike Mayak.”) https://mastodon.otherworldsink.com/@MikeMayak
