Makana Yamamoto, author of Hammajang Luck,was born on the island of Maui. Splitting their time between the Mainland and Hawai’i, Makana grew up on beaches and in snowbanks. Always a scientist at heart, Makana fell in love with sci-fi as a teen—they even led the science fiction and fantasy interest house at their college. A writer from childhood, fiction became the perfect medium for them to explore their interests as well as reconnect with their culture, coalescing into a passion for diverse sci-fi. They love writing multicultural settings and queer characters, as well as imagining what the future might look like for historically marginalized communities. In their free time, Makana likes to hoard dice for their Dungeons & Dragons games, defeat bosses with their guildmates, and get way too invested in reality competition shows. They currently live in New England with their wife and two cats.

I had the opportunity to interview Makana, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m Makana! I’m a reader, gamer, and a tabletop dungeon master. I was born on Maui, and I currently live in Boston. I’ve been a writer since I could hold a pencil, with a special interest in science fiction. I write lots of queer character and multicultural settings, drawing on my upbringing as a nonbinary lesbian in Hawaiʻi. Happy to be here!

What can you tell us about your book, Hammajang Luck? What was the inspiration for the story?

The joke answer is that Hammajang Luck is Ocean’s 8 but with lesbians and in space. The more serious answer is that it’s a story about a friendship between two childhood partners in crime being torn apart by betrayal, and the One Last Job that brings them back together. That dynamic—being a little in love with your best friend only for her to betray you, then the whiplash of being forced to work together again—was the first seed of Hammajang Luck.

As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, especially speculative fiction?

I grew up with stories! Even before I could read, my grandfather would read to me and tell me stories. He used to change the endings to the stories so I never knew what would happen next. I found my calling in science fiction after reading my first Bradbury short stories. I’ve always loved science, but it wasn’t until I read those that I realized I could combine those two loves.

How would you describe your creative process?

It’s controlled chaos! Often I start with a relationship dynamic—romantic, platonic, familial, adversarial—and build from there. From that I start pulling together a plot, and then an outline. I write in order, but what baffles people is that I often don’t know the ending until I get there!

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging? 

I love to revise. I love to polish a rough draft to a shine, drawing out all the themes and character arcs. What I hate is actually writing the rough draft. Drafting is the hardest for me!

As an author, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

I mentioned Bradbury, who was my first great influence. I’m a bit of a magpie where I get my inspiration: I love books, but also video games, movies, TV shows, art, and music. Not just science fiction, but also romance, fantasy, and horror. I also take a lot of inspiration from real life. I’m always keeping an eye on science headlines to see if anything sparks my imagination.

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?

That I’m Just Some Guy! I struggled through my first book, languished in the query trenches, and suffered on submission just like everybody else.

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

I want to be asked more about the role of lesbian history and culture in Hammajang Luck! I was so inspired by butch/femme culture as it existed in the 40’s and 50’s, and how its survived to today. My main character is a nonbinary butch lesbian, and it’s incredibly important to their character arc. Being in the role of protector and provider, but being afraid to be vulnerable and let others protect and provide for you? Love that stuff!

What advice might you have to give for aspiring writers out there?

They say that publishing is luck, but luck is preparation meeting opportunity. Keep working on your craft, keep learning and growing, keep persevering, and eventually that opportunity will come.

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

There are two more books set in the heist lesbians universe! The Obake Code follows Malia on her own heist, 3 years after Hammajang Luck. The other is a so-far untitled Duke and Nakano prequel, about their first big job as a couple. That comes out in early 2027.

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT? 

If you’re interested in more queer cyberpunk, let me offer some suggestions! First is The Fortunate Fall by Cameron Reed, because I’ve been begging everyone to read this gorgeous book about toxic cyberpunk lesbians. Then there’s Bang Bang Bodhisattva by Aubrey Wood, about a T girl gig economy hacker. I loved The Stardust Grail by Yumei Kitasei, for more anti imperial space heists. The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan is also a beautiful and terrifying techno dystopia.