Melissa See is a disabled author of young adult contemporary romances. When not writing, she can be found reading, baking, or curled up with her cat, most likely watching anime or 90 Day Fiancé. She currently lives in the New York countryside. You, Me, and Our Heartstrings is her debut novel.
I had the opportunity to interview Melissa, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me. I’m Melissa See, the author of You, Me, and Our Heartstrings and Love Letters for Joy. I write young adult contemporary stories the feature disabled teens falling in love, being messy, and being loved for exactly who they are.
What can you tell us about your latest book, Love Letters for Joy. What was the inspiration for this story?
Love Letters for Joy follows seventeen-year-old Joy Corvi—a fat, disabled, queer girl—who wants to become the first disabled valedictorian of her elite New York City prep school. She just has to beat Nathaniel Wright, her academic rival of the last four years. But when she realizes that she may have missed out on having a high school romance, she reaches out to her academy’s anonymous love-letter writer known as Caldwell Cupid. But as she begins falling for the mysterious student behind the letters, she might be risking her dreams at valedictorian—as Caldwell Cupid is the last person she ever would’ve expected.
The inspiration for Love Letters for Joy came from Cyrano de Bergerac—which is also why Love Letters for Joy is a retelling of the play. Me writing a Cyrano retelling was completely unintentional, but when my friend made me realize I had, I decided to really delve deeply into aspects of the play: love, withheld identity, and letters being the strongest aspects I drew from.
As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, specifically young adult fiction and romance?
Well, I knew that I wanted to be a writer by the time I was just seven years old. (Spending summers going up and down the east coast while my sister was on a traveling softball team, I carried bags of books with me wherever we went.)
As for young adult fiction and romance, when I read Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, an entire new world had opened up before me. I knew that writing young adult romance, specifically, was absolutely something I wanted to do. (The love confession scene at the end of Anna and the French Kiss remains one of my favorite scenes in all of fiction.)
As an aspec reader, I was really excited to read about another ace book coming out into the world. If you feel comfortable, could you tell us what having asexual and disabled representation in your writing means to you?
Thank you so much! Having asexual and disability representation in my books means a lot to me. Growing up, there really weren’t a lot of books that included disabled characters—or queer characters—so I am elated to see that representation increasing. In providing both disability and asexual representation through Love Letters for Joy, I’m hopeful that readers will get to see themselves reflected in the pages of a book in a way I didn’t get to growing up.
How would you describe your creative process?
I genuinely do not have a creative process. I write whenever I can and try not to put pressure on myself. (Such as not needing to write every day, especially if I don’t have the spoons to do so.)
As a creative, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
Some of my greatest creative influences are authors whose books I love, such as Jonny Garza Villa; David Levithan; Emily Lloyd-Jones; Jen DeLuca; Brian D. Kennedy; Daniel Aleman; Andrew Joseph White; and Stephanie Perkins (who I mentioned previously). I also just recently finished Into the Light by Mark Oshiro, which I loved.
Growing up, were there any stories in which you felt touched by/ or reflected in? Are there any like that now?
As far as stories I’m touched by now, the first one that comes to mind is The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White. It’s an incredible gothic young adult horror that tackles ableism and transphobia in such a brilliant way. Getting to see Silas’ autism on the page and having it remind me of my own experience being autistic was something I’d never had up until I read this book. It comes out in September, and I cannot recommend it enough.
What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging?
My favorite element of writing is character creation. It’s one of my favorite aspects of anything creative I get to do. It’s this awesome place of endless possibility, and I love exploring it.
I think the most frustrating element of writing for me is when I can’t figure out how to work a plot. A large part of that is me being a character driven writer. But talking to my author friends about that helps immeasurably!
One of the hardest parts of writing a book is finishing one. Were there any techniques/ strategies/advice that helped you finish your first draft?
I didn’t use any techniques or strategies to finish my first draft of Love Letters for Joy, as writing it was a whirlwind. (I’d been moving to New York City during a good amount of it, so a lot of the process has become a blur to me.) Writing as much of it as I could, whenever I could, but also knowing how to balance myself, was what helped me the most, I think.
Aside from your work, what are some things you would like readers to know about you?
I’ve been involved in performance spaces—from music to theatre—for most of my life. And now, I’m a TTRPG performer. What that means is I appear on Twitch streams to perform in actual plays of different TTRPG systems. Having a creative outlet like this has been such a joy!
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
Question: Without giving spoiler-filled context, what was one of your favorite scenes to write in Love Letters for Joy?
Answer: The Valentine’s Day scene. It’s one of the earliest moments of romantic tension, which are some of my favorite parts of any story I get to write.
What advice might you have to give for other aspiring writers?
One of my biggest pieces of advice is: You don’t need to write every day. Write when you have the spoons to do so.
Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?
I’m currently drafting a young adult contemporary that can best be described as Dungeons & Dragons meets Paper Towns. It follows a group of friends—bonded together by a fantasy TTRPG—who embark on a cross-country road trip to find their Game Master when he goes missing.
Finally, what LGBTQ+ and/or disabled books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Richard Ho is Chinese, Jewish, and an author . . . in any order you wish! His previous books include The Lost Package, illustrated by Jessica Lanan, and Year of the Cat, illustrated by Jocelyn Li Langrand. He loves to craft stories about diverse cultures and the delightful ways they intertwine. He and his proudly multicultural family live in the melting pot of New Jersey.
Lynn Scurfield‘s work is defined by bright colors, fun textures, and strong emotions. In their spare time, Lynn enjoys knitting, watching tours of beautiful houses online, and going on hikes with Taro, her small (but barky) dog. Lynn resides in Toronto, Canada.
I had the opportunity to interview Richard and Lynn, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourselves?
Richard Ho: Thank you so much for having us! I’m Richard, a Jewish-Chinese-American author of children’s books. I was born and raised in New York, and currently live in New Jersey. For my day job, I work as an editor for an educational website—and then I write in whatever free time I can wrangle! Two New Years is my fourth published picture book, and the first to explore my dual cultural identity.
Lynn Scurfield: Hello! My name is Lynn Scurfield and I’m a mixed media illustrator currently based in Toronto, Canada. I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator for about 7 years now and my clients include Google, Amazon, Macmillan, Chronicle Books, Puffin UK, Panda Express and the New York Times. When I’m not drawing I’m usually knitting or walking my very anxious, barky dog named Taro.
What can you tell us about your latest book, Two New Years? What was the inspiration for this project?
Richard Ho: My children are the inspiration for just about everything I do, but that’s especially true for this book! The idea for Two New Years came from the realization that our kids are growing up in a home in which two different cultures have been present from the start. Whereas I chose to convert to Judaism as an adult, my children were born Chinese and Jewish. When they look at the customs and traditions of both, they don’t focus on the differences—they see the similarities and how they intertwine. Some of the most compelling examples of this duality can be found in how both cultures celebrate the New Year, and that’s what I wanted to capture in this book!
Lynn Scurfield:Two New Years is a very heartwarming book about a Jewish-Chinese family who celebrates both Rosh Hashanah and Lunar New Year. It aims to highlight not only how those traditions are different but in the many ways they’re very much alike.
There’s a couple of key inspirations for the art. The characters are loosely based on my own life. I’m an older sister and I have a younger brother so I had to include an older sister and younger brother in the family.
As for the art – my biggest inspiration was papercut art. I was really into making papercut art after working on my previous book, Friends are Friends, Forever (written by Dane Liu). It’s very common to hang up papercut art during Lunar New Year and I wanted to keep making that kind of work. While I was doing research for Two New Years I came across the fact that Jewish Marriage certificates (Ketubah) are not only marriage certificates but they’re pieces of art that have been traditionally made using papercut methods. It was the most wild, serendipitous research I came across and it ended up shaping the entire look of the book.
How did the two of you come together to work on this story?
Richard Ho: After Chronicle Books acquired the manuscript, editor Feather Flores sent me a shortlist of illustrators the publisher was considering. (Ultimately, the choice of illustrator is up to the publisher, but authors often get to chime in with their thoughts on the potential candidates.) Lynn’s breathtaking artwork stood out from the start—their style is so vibrant and colorful! And when I learned about Lynn’s Chinese and Jewish background, I knew this would be the perfect match. I’m so glad Lynn agreed!
Lynn Scurfield: Feather Flores, our first editor for Two New Years, was the one who reached out to me seeing if I’d be interested in illustrating the manuscript. Typically the author and illustrator don’t talk to each until after the art has been finalized and the book is in the marketing phase so I didn’t meet Richard until much later in the process!
Can you give insight or advice into what goes into making a picture book?
Richard Ho: One thing most people don’t realize is that the author and illustrator (when they’re not the same person) generally don’t communicate directly during the illustration process. That doesn’t mean we don’t collaborate! The editor serves as a go-between, passing along any necessary feedback. And once the final illustrations are done, and it’s time to start promoting the book and planning for launch, the author and illustrator often get in touch and start doing that work together.
In general, my advice to any author is to not be so precious about “your vision” for the story, and recognize that the illustrator is an equal partner. The manuscript is merely a starting point—the illustrator brings their own creative vision that can take the story in surprising new directions, often elevating it beyond the author’s wildest dreams! That potential is what I find so exciting and invigorating about the collaborative process in picture books, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Lynn Scurfield: My advice for illustrators is appreciate the research phase! Research for me is the most fun part of the process – I love spending hours reading articles, gathering images and/ or watching videos on my book topics. I learn so much from drawing these books. It’s also the part of the process where you can just go wild imagining what this book could be. What will it look like?! It can be anything! So really dive into the research, go down those rabbit holes and see what you learn from them.
Also keep a very good art/ time tracker so you hit all your deadlines!
As creators who come from both Chinese and Jewish backgrounds, I imagine this storyfeels quite a bit personal. Could you tell to us about what it meant for you to work on TwoNew Years?
Lynn Scurfield: So my step-family is Jewish, I wasn’t born and raised with Judaism, but I feel extremely lucky to have been so warmly welcomed into my step-family. I’ve been very fortunate enough to be included in a lot of the holiday celebrations and they are the biggest supporters of my work. Really to draw this book is to give a big celebration and thank you to both sides.
Also, as an obligatory question, what are some of your favorite New Year (Chinese orJewish) foods and traditions?
Richard Ho: On the Chinese side, I always associate Lunar New Year with tangerines. Tangerines are a symbol of prosperity because the Chinese words for tangerine and gold are phonetically similar. Many families have a custom to place tangerines around the house as decorations, in order to usher in success in the new year! On the Jewish side, one of my favorite Rosh Hashanah customs is dipping a piece of apple into honey on the first night of the holiday. The sweetness of this delicious combination of foods is a reflection of our sincere wish for a sweet year ahead!
Lynn Scurfield: For Rosh Hashanah the blowing of the Shofar is always a magical moment. Plus you really can’t go wrong with a nice warm bowl of matzo ball soup. As for Lunar New Year – it’s dumplings for me. Making dumplings, eating dumplings. It’s the best!
As a creative, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influencesand/or sources of inspiration?
Richard Ho: I love storytelling in all formats, so when I’m feeling stuck creatively, I often turn to the examples of strong writing in picture books, novels, television, film—anything that makes me say, “Wow, I wish I wrote that!”
Lynn Scurfield: My longest and greatest creative influences are Alphonse Mucha and Kay Nielson. They’re classic art nouveau, decorative artists and I still love how beautiful their commercial work is.
Recently I’ve been finding more inspiration in music – specifically artists such as Four Tet, Baths and Masakatsu Takagi’s Marginalia songs. I think there’s something about getting a bit older and listening to more instrumental work haha. But in all seriousness the layering of sounds, the sampling and the emotional quality of music is something I try to emulate and transform into a single image.
As a writer/illustrator, what are some of your favorite elements of the creative process?What would you say are some of the most frustrating/difficult?
Richard Ho: One of the most satisfying parts of the creative process is seeing the impact of the final product. When a reader tells me that one of my books made them laugh, or brought them to tears, or introduced them to ideas they had never considered before, it makes all the hard work worthwhile. On the flipside: writing is hard work! As much as I enjoy the creative process, it requires discipline, time, and effort to see an idea through to completion—all of which can be in short supply when juggling the demands of a day job and family life. That said, it’s a privilege to have all those wonderful things to juggle! The challenge is figuring out how to prioritize writing without sacrificing in other areas.
Lynn Scurfield: I think I have a tie for my favourite part of the creative process. One is the “eureka!” moment of finding the tone/ the look of a long-term project (such as a book), and the other is getting into a flow state. When I’m in that flow state I can create for hours and it’s so immersive that you don’t feel time pass.
The most difficult part for me is creating work I’m passionate about on a deadline. In my perfect world I would spend a month on every image I’m commissioned for. I love to sit with my projects and think about them. But commercial work isn’t like that, you have to create on a deadline and it can be tricky to create work you really enjoy or work that pushes your craft while trying to hit a deadline.
Besides your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?
Richard Ho: I love sports, and when I graduated from college, I had every intention of becoming a sports journalist! As preparation, I had written for the school newspaper and even did an internship in the media relations department of a local professional sports team. But I never ended up covering sports, instead landing jobs writing about comic books, movies, and advertising before getting into education. It was during my first job at an educational company that a colleague suggested I try my hand at writing children’s books. I’m certainly glad they did!
Lynn Scurfield: I love to knit and I’m currently learning how to crochet. I’m only making granny squares right now but my next goal is to crochet a nice summer shirt with buttons and everything. I also want to get into sewing but I’m more intimidated by that.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were (and the answer to thatquestion)?
Richard Ho: People might wonder if the family in the book is my family. The answer is that it’s loosely based on mine—an Orthodox Jewish family with a Chinese father, a Caucasian mother, and adorable mixed-race kids. But there are some differences, too. For one thing, we have a bunch of boys, not one boy and one girl!
Lynn Scurfield: Oh man. I’m not sure if I have one! I am not that creative.
Are there any other projects you are working on or thinking about that you are able todiscuss?
Richard Ho: I have several picture books coming out in 2024, starting with If Lin Can from Charlesbridge Publishing in April. It’s a biography of Asian American basketball star Jeremy Lin, illustrated by Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huỳnh Kim Liên. That will be followed by A Taste of Home from Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan in August. Illustrated by Sibu T.P., it follows a group of kids who explore the food of several cultural neighborhoods in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I can’t wait to share more about these and more as we get closer to publication!
Lynn Scurfield: Yes! I’m currently working on a book for Bloomsbury called Quest for a Tangram Dragon written by Christine Liu-Perkins. It’s coming out next year and so far it’s pretty cute!
I’m also collaborating with an extremely talented illustrator, Allegra Lockstadt, on making some art for Panda Express.
What advice might you have to give to any aspiring picture book creators out there?
Richard Ho: Read widely! There is so much innovation and inspiration to be found in your local library or independent bookstore. Reading as many books as you can is a great way to learn craft and discover which types of stories resonate with you the most.
Lynn Scurfield: Illustration careers can take a while to get off the ground. If things are slow don’t beat yourself up over it. If being a kidlit artist is something you desperately want, be stubborn and try a lot of things. Put you and your art out there, and keep experimenting. One day something will stick and it’ll be easier.
For the illustrators who have made a couple of books and don’t have an agent: try looking for a lit agent. It’s worth it.
Finally, what books/authors, including any Jewish/Chinese titles, would you recommend to the readers of GeeksOUT?
Richard Ho: Lynn would never recommend her own book, so I’ll go ahead and sing the praises of Friends are Friends, Forever, a lovely picture book written by Dane Liu and illustrated by Lynn! It’s about a girl from China who moves to the United States, leaving her best friend behind and starting a new life in a strange and unfamiliar country. As for Jewish titles, one recent favorite is Awe-some Days, a collection of poems about Jewish holidays throughout the year. Written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte, it includes wonderful introductions to even the lesser-known holidays, and also beautifully showcases diversity within Judaism.
Lynn Scurfield: Oh jeez I am truly ashamed to admit how little I read. A couple of books that I think are really cool are:
Amazing Asian American and Pacific Islanders is a great intro into some really cool and inspiring AAPI people while Spork is a really cute book that talks about being mixed-race.
Cynthia Yuan Cheng is an illustrator and cartoonist who creates funny, bittersweet stories centered on connection, identity, and belonging. When not at a desk, you can find Cynthia laughing at manga or eating a good meal with friends. Cynthia lives in Los Angeles.
I had the opportunity to interview Cynthia, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi! My name is Cynthia Yuan Cheng, I’m a cartoonist and illustrator, and I love telling stories that make people laugh and cry! Thank you for having me!
What can you tell us about your latest project, Mary Anne’s Bad Luck Mystery and how did you get involved in illustrating for The Baby-sitters Clubseries in general?
Mary Anne’s Bad Luck Mystery is the 13th installment in The Baby-sitters Club graphic novel series. The story is kicked off when Mary Anne receives a mysterious chain letter in the mail– the club members try to figure out who sent the letter, and spooky shenanigans ensue! I enjoyed the spooky Halloween moments in this book, and getting to sprinkle in some horror-comedy moments throughout the story.
I met my editor, Cassandra, during my senior portfolio review at my art school (Maryland Institute College of Art, MICA), and she kept me in mind a few years down the line when the series was looking for a new adapter.
Did you have any previous connections to The Baby-sitters Clubuniverse before working on this project?
Aside from recognizing the vast popularity of the original novel series and the graphic novel adaptations, I actually didn’t have any previous connection! I’d been a big admirer of all the previous (and upcoming) adapters, but I’m very fresh to the world of BSC, so I’m really grateful to my editor and the team at Scholastic who trusted my vision with adapting the book and provided great guidance along the way.
How did you find yourself getting into comics? What drew you to becoming an artist?
I’ve drawn comics and created art since my elementary school days, and loved reading manga and graphic novels all throughout my life. I wasn’t always interested in pursuing comics and art professionally, but I guess I couldn’t resist that love for storytelling! I’m very grateful to have a career in creating comics and art.
What advice might you have to give to aspiring artists/comic book creators, to both those who draw and those who don’t?
Make sure you’re always having fun with your projects! Comics require so much labor and time, so any project you’re committing to should be something you’re excited about and can genuinely enjoy the process of.
Also, explore interests outside of comics— it’ll enrich your storytelling and make your voice more unique!
What are some of your favorite elements of making comics? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging?
I love thumbnailing, especially when it comes to a funny scene. Crafting the comedic timing is a lot of fun for me, and it’s always satisfying when the joke lands successfully.
Regarding the challenges, I’m still new to creating full-color comics and have lots of growing to do there. I’m so grateful to Hank Jones and Braden Lamb whose color work made Mary Anne’s Bad Luck Mystery come to life. I really admire colorists whose coloring work adds so much mood and depth to the overall story!
Aside from your work, what are some things you would want others to know about you?
I’m relocating to New Jersey soon, really close to NYC! I’m so excited to explore the creative scene there and better familiarize myself with the thriving indie comics scene on the East Coast.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet and wish you were asked (and your answer to that question)?
I don’t really get asked about my hobbies and interests outside of art and comics, even though I love talking about it. I love bouldering, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with my friends! I believe strongly in a work-play balance, so I try to get out and play and goof around often. It’s great.
Are there any projects you are working on and at liberty to discuss?
I’m currently working on a YA graphic novel memoir with First Second, tentatively titled Win. It’s about my time in high school playing American football on the boys’ team, and centers on gender and (toxic) masculinity. I don’t want it to sound too heavy; I ultimately think of it as a hopeful story about chasing your dreams. I’m really looking forward to getting this story out in the world some day!
Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
So hard to choose, but my most recent favorites are the manga short story To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda and indie comics by Kimberly Wang. I’m also deeply excited for the graphic novel Firebird by friend and cartoonist Sunmi, which came out on July 18th!
Ruth Behar is an acclaimed author of adult fiction and nonfiction, and Lucky Broken Girl–winner of the Pura Belpre Award–is her first book for young readers. She was born in Havana, Cuba, grew up in New York, and has lived and worked in Spain and Mexico. Her honors include a MacArthur “Genius” Award, a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Senior Fellowship, and a Distinguished Alumna Award from Wesleyan University.
Gabriel Frye-Behar is a Brooklyn-based writer, filmmaker and photographer. He has a BFA in Film & TV Production from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. He currently teaches in the Drama Department at NYU/Tisch. This is his first picture book and he and his wife can’t wait to share it with their own lovely pepita and bebita.
I had the opportunity to interview Ruth and Gabriel, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome back to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourselves?
RB and GFB: Ruth is a cultural anthropologist and writer living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Gabriel is a writer and filmmaker living in Brooklyn.
What can you tell us about your latest project, Pepita Meets Bebita? What was the inspiration for this story?
RB and GFB:Pepita Meets Bebita was a joy to write. We wanted to celebrate a beautiful transition in our lives – becoming a grandmother and becoming a dad. This was in late 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, so being able to relish our happiness and welcome a new little one into our lives was very special. But someone was being left out of all the excitement and that was Gabriel and his wife Sasha’s beloved pup, Eloise, who’d been the baby of the family until the new baby arrived. Eloise seemed confused about what was happening and of course still wanted her own individual attention (much like a human baby). That was when we realized we had to tell the story from the pup’s perspective.
As a mother-son writing team, what does it mean for you two to both be working on this book together?
RB and GFB: Writing as a mother-son team was such a great experience. We’ve always greatly valued each other’s opinions on storytelling and for years and years we’ve enjoyed discussing books and films. As a filmmaker, Gabriel has an understanding of how to create momentum when telling a story and has such a strong visual imagination, and is focused on keeping the story tight and trimming extraneous material. As a writer, Ruth has a tendency to imagine and world-build, and develop more material than can ultimately fit in a single book, so as writers in collaboration our skills actually fit together remarkably well. On a deeper level, working on this book together gave us a chance to think about stories we want to pass on to the next generation. We worked hard to weave in our Cuban/Latino background that is so much a part of our lives. We chose to integrate Spanish words into the text, as well as Cuban food, and traditions like pinning an azabache on to the baby’s clothes for good luck.
Ruth Behar Headshot by Gabriel Frye-Behar
How did you find yourself getting into storytelling, especially picture books? What drew you to the medium?
RB: I’m drawn to the visual arts and a lot of my friends – especially in Cuba – are visual artists. My house is filled with art and I love pictures of all kinds. One of my friends, Rolando Estévez, who was a book artist in Cuba, made handmade books that inspired me for years, and I think he played an important role in turning me toward writing stories that would need to be illustrated. I also love the poetic conciseness of picture books and the challenge of telling a story with very few words that will appeal both to a young child and to the adult reading the story to the child.
GFB: As a filmmaker, when I had kids, I immediately found myself in love with reading picture books to them and seeing their world and imagination expand through the imagery and storytelling of the medium. Picture books felt familiarly cinematic, but also like something new that I hadn’t explored myself in a creative fashion. When I started daydreaming about what stories I might want to tell through the lens of a picture book, and how it might create something tactile and tangible that my own kids could experience and enjoy, I got so excited that I had to try and make Pepita’s story come to life.
(For Ruth Behar) As a writer, you’ve been known for writing among a wide range of genres from non-fiction to picture books to middle grade. What do you think inspires you to be so fluid with your writing and would you say there’s a certain freedom to writing so widely?
RB: I love different kinds of writing – history, travelogues, novels, memoirs, fairy tales, poetry. I have found myself wanting to try my hand at all of them. And I adore books that defy genres and blur genres, like verse novels, autofiction, and autoethnography. This inspires me to be fluid and to feel free to write in different voices and for different audiences. It’s been so wonderful to write stories that children and young people read and respond to. I also like the idea of writing books that appeal to people of all ages. I’ve been thrilled when adults write to me to say they’ve enjoyed reading my middle-grade novels. Having taught in a university setting for a long time, I’ve encountered students who feel trapped in their writing, convinced they can only, should only, write conventional academic articles. I tell them to give themselves permission to pay attention to their sensibilities and vulnerabilities and to write with heart and urgency. And so I give myself permission to do the same.
(For Ruth Behar) In various interviews, you’ve stated how your background as a Cuban-Jewish American has inspired your work, such as Lucky Broken Girl,Letters from Cuba, and Tía Fortuna’s New Home: A Jewish Cuban Journey. As the child of Jewish immigrants myself, I would love to hear your thoughts on what it means to see yourself exploring these identities in your work?
RB: In my work as a cultural anthropologist, I have explored the history and the stories of the Jews of Cuba. I’ve been listening to the family stories since childhood and I’ve traveled to Cuba many times to understand my identity and my community. I always dreamed of creating Cuban Jewish characters and delving into the fictional worlds of those who were born into this unusual way of belonging in the world. I began with Lucky Broken Girl, telling my own story, and also that of my immigrant family, then continued with Letters from Cuba, telling my maternal Ashkenazi grandmother’s story, and honoring the journeys of the Jews who found refuge in Cuba on the eve of the Holocaust. Writing my debut picture book, Tía Fortuna’s New Home, I turned to my paternal Sephardic side to imagine how I’d pass on that heritage to young children through the symbol of the key to a lost home. Now I have a new forthcoming novel, Across So Many Seas, which goes deeper into that Sephardic heritage, moving between the lives of four young girls whose stories come together in the final pages of the book. I feel so blessed to have been able to give voice to all these different layers of my identity through storytelling.
Gabriel Frye-Behar
In general, how would you describe your creative process? What are some of your favorite parts of the writing process? What do you find to be some of the most difficult/frustrating?
RB: I start with a general idea of a story I want to tell – usually there’s a character who’s finding their way through a challenging or painful situation. I usually don’t know more than that. I have to write to discover what their journey will be, who they’ll meet along the way, what they’ll feel, and think about, who their friends will be, who they love, and what they fear. It is wonderful to experience that discovery process in writing and the surprises you encounter. Magic happens. What I find difficult is when the writing gets interrupted because of work or obligations or travel or too much time on social media. Then it’s a struggle to return to the world of my characters. When I’m deep into the writing, I try not to leave my desk for very long, so my characters will keep speaking to me.
GFB: My writing process virtually always has to start with a character. Once I have the central character or characters in mind and I can start to hear their voice or sense of how they might react to the world around them I try to allow them to lead me to the story I should go on and tell. In the case of Pepita Meets Bebita, I had so much fun working out what the arc for Pepita should be, how could she both be changed in a positive and meaningful way, but also still be herself at the end of the story. The challenge with writing for me is always simply… time. I can write fast if I have to, but once I’m emotionally invested in a project I tend to write slowly, and free writing time with, now two young kids, is a rare and precious thing.
As a creative, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
RB: I am inspired by people’s stories and have always loved being a story-listener. And I am inspired by the arts – visual arts, folk art, music, dance, fiction, poetry, children’s books. My travels to Spanish-speaking countries have been very inspiring. Whenever I go to Spain, I stop at the Prado Museum to see the work of Goya, whose paintings I’ve been drawn to since I was nineteen. In Mexico, I love the textiles, the embroideries, the filigree jewelry, the hand-painted clay pots. In Cuba, the beat of the drums used in religious rituals can be heard in the streets and that’s something that’s stayed with me. My house is filled with souvenirs of my travels and that gives me energy to write. I have books everywhere – on overflowing shelves and piles wherever I can stash them. I live in a house of words and memories. That’s a great source of inspiration to me, though I know to others it may seem I live amid too much clutter!
GFB: I’ve been influenced by so many different writers and filmmakers from when I was a child in Michigan, through film school in New York, and then through getting an MFA in Creative Writing. From Elmore Leonard’s hyper-naturalistic Detroit-centric low-level mobsters, to Wong Kar-Wai’s gorgeously poetic and painterly masterpieces of art house cinema, to ultimate classics of world literature like Brothers Karamazov, I’ve been inspired to try and continually distill the ideas in my head into what my own individual creative voice is at a given moment, and then find the right mode of expression to bring those ideas to life.
Many authors would say one of the most challenging parts of writing a book is finishing one. What strategies would you say helped you accomplish this?
RB and GFB: We were both motivated to get Pepita Meets Bebita done in a timely fashion while the story was still fresh and being lived by the two of us and our sweet pup, of course. We experimented with a few different endings until we felt we’d found an ending that brought the story to a close for the time being and left open the possibility of a sequel.
Aside from your work, what would you want readers to know about you?
RB: I love to dance salsa and bachata. And I love the tango too, though the tango doesn’t always love me; it’s a difficult dance but the music enchants me and sometimes brings me to tears.
GFB: I’m a big sports fan, probably watch a little too much reality TV, and am an aspiring (now almost fully converted) vegetarian.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
RB and GFB: No one has asked us if it’s too late to start writing books for young people. And the answer is it’s never too late. Start whenever you can. We began when Gabriel’s daughter was born making us a grandmother – an abuelita – and a dad, and we didn’t know what was coming but went on the journey and wrote a book together.
What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?
RB and GFB: Write because you have a passionate need to tell a story that only you can tell. Write with love and compassion. Remember that writing and publishing are different pursuits. You will write much more than you will ever publish. Be prepared to throw away a lot of writing, or to put aside a story that isn’t yet ready to be told. Find a writing buddy who will read your early drafts and give you honest feedback without destroying you. And then persevere and write whenever and wherever you can. If you’re stuck, go to the library, or to your favorite independent bookstore, and find inspiration and light among the authors who’ve come before you.
Are there any other projects you are working on or thinking about that you are able to discuss?
RB: As I mentioned above, I have a new middle-grade novel, Across So Many Seas, coming out in February 2024.
GFB: And… we have co-authored another mother-son picture book! We are very excited about it, but that’s all we can say at the moment. I’m also at work on an adult novel.
Finally, any books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
RB: I love the work of Catalan author Mercé Rodoreda, especially her novel The Time of the Doves, that takes place during the Spanish Civil War. In children’s literature, one of my favorite books is The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, with illustrations by Louis Slobodkin. I keep it next to my desk so it’s always within reach. I also am blessed to have as friends two amazing writers, inaugural poet Richard Blanco, who has a new collection of his poems coming out soon, Homeland of My Body, and Sandra Cisneros, well-known for The House on Mango Street, who has a new book of poetry, Woman Without Shame.
Mari Costa is a Luso-Brazilian cartoonist with a bachelor’s degree in Character Animation. She’s in love with creating stories and populating them with people who have very messy interpersonal drama. Some of her work includes Life of Melody, The Demon of Beausoleil, and Belle of the Ball.
I had the opportunity to interview Mari, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Happy to be here! I’m Mari! I’m luso-brazilian, currently based in Porto! I love fashion, cute things, the colour pink, telling stories and making people happy! My Sun is in Cancer.
What can you tell us about your latest project, Belle of the Ball? What was the inspiration for this story?
There wasn’t so much a concrete inspiration as there was just the desire to play around with familiar tropes and character archetypes and make them my own! I got the idea in my head during a family holiday that I wanted to make characters that represented different high school stereotypes and from doodling them in my sketchbook and putting them in all kinds of situations I eventually developed them into something that could later be shaped into a fully-fledged story with an actual plot and stakes and all that stuff!
Can you give us any trivia (that hasn’t already been given) about the characters from Belle of the Ball?
Ooh! Now you’re asking the right questions, I love random character trivia! Let’s do one for each.
Gina is the oldest of the girls! At the beginning of the story, she’s the only one of them who is already 18 (Belle and Chloe turn 18 as the plot progresses, though I couldn’t tell you their exact birthdays without doing some very deep thinking ahaha). This is mostly reflected in how she assumes she’s the most mature person in the room at any given time.
Chloe speaks fluent Japanese (don’t ask her to read or write it, though), but because the only people she communicates with in it are her grandparents and she doesn’t consume a lot of untranslated media her dialect is super stiff and formal.
Belle actually has been in a lot of different clubs along her high school career. She’s been in creative writing, anime, yearbook (to get closer to Regina, which she failed at) and D&D. However, you will not find a single scrap of photographic proof of any of this having taken place.
Also, everyone is welcome at any time to shoot me an ask on tumblr or an email if they want specific character trivia. I love ruminating on my little paper dolls.
As a creative, what drew you to the art of storytelling, particularly to the realm of comics/graphic novels?
You’d be surprised at how much easier it is to draw a background or character than it is to describe it. I’ve managed to transition into prose over the past couple years, but for most my life I really struggled with description when writing while dialogue always came to me very naturally. From then, I could either get into scriptwriting for radio (prohibitively difficult for a Brazilian preteen) or I could copy my favourite mangakas and draw little comics in my roughed up sketchbook. I chose the latter and the rest is history!
How would you each describe your creative process?
Vaguely chaotic and mostly inside my head unless I truly need to commit it to paper ahaha.
In general, I’m a pretty visual and visceral person, so I keep my notes extremely brief and extremely undecipherable to most people but myself and some keen-eyed editorial until it’s time to actually start drawing. I know a lot of people write scripts before they lay out their pages for comics, but I just can’t do it without becoming verbose or forgetting about the visual minutiae that’s meant to make comics so engaging!
As a creative, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
Everyone says this, but it’s for good reason! I’m greatly inspired by Ghibli movies and magical girl/fantasy anime. My favourite author is and will forever be Diana Wynne Jones. As for comics, manga did play a big role in my personal development as an artist and I’m forever grateful to names like CLAMP and Peach-PIT especially, but if it weren’t for Gigi DG’s Cucumber Quest webcomic, I don’t think I’d be giving this interview today.
This might be a bit of a call back, but an older work of yours I’ve really enjoyed in the past was your comic, Life of Melody. Could you talk to us about the inspiration for that story?
I swear to the high heavens this is true: I watched Kung Fu Panda 3 and got unreasonably mad it wasn’t more about the odd couple co-parenting between Po’s two dads.
That’s it. That was the inciting incident that made me want to write about an odd couple who’s forced to co-parent a child and eventually develop a blossoming romance.
Growing up, were there any stories in which you felt touched by/ or reflected in? Are there any like that now?
Hmm, this is a tough one. I don’t think so, off the top of my head? Not that there weren’t any stories out there about lesbians or growing up the awkward, nerdy kid, but I can’t remember deeply resonating with anything I had access to! I’ve always loved stories, but mostly it’s been as a third party observer into a window of different experiences (which is also good! You don’t have to relate to works all the time!).
Currently, though, there’s so much more on the market that seems catered specifically to the kind of person I am and would like to see in media, it’s really heartwarming! One recent example is I read the first couple volumes of She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat and it really tugged at my gay little heartstrings how much of a dream relationship the main couple has! I, too, like to cook (and frequently, I like to eat. We contain multitudes).
What are some of your favorite elements of writing/illustrating? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging?
I just love drawing people! Character work is some of the most rewarding kind of work I can do! I love drawing bodies and faces acting and emoting. For that same reason, when writing, dialogue is my favourite part! Honestly, my dream project to work on would actually be a character illustrator for a visual novel (please get at me).
On the other hand, if I never have to draw a car again, it’ll be much too soon. I’m pretty awful at giving inorganic environments/objects a personality. I have heard practice makes perfect, though, so I might give that a shot sometime.
Aside from your work, what are some things you would like readers to know about you?
Oh, but isn’t an aura of mystery just so much more appealing?
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)?
Yes, I would love a million dollars.
(Alternatively: I think lesbian media should be allowed to be way more messed up than it is, as a treat.)
What advice might you have to give for other creatives?
Everyone knows all the platitudes about doing what you love and sticking to your guns, so here’s something more practical: It’s better to have a finished work than a perfect WIP that lives inside your head. Especially if you’re like me and crave validation. It’s okay to cut corners and it’s okay if some parts of your work look messy or rushed, so long as you’ve managed to put out something that you’re overall proud of sharing at the end of the day!
Also, stay hydrated.
Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?
When am I not working on other projects! I’m very much a storytelling shark in the sense that I’m pretty sure if I ever stop allowing stories and concepts to run around the hamster wheel in my brain I’ll shut down entirely.
That being said, my current darlings are The Demon of Beausoleil, which you can find being crowdfunded by Hiveworks right now and is an M/M gothic story about a half-demon exorcist and his reluctant bodyguard exorcising baddies around their city.
Forgive-Me-Not is a bit more distant in the horizon, but it’s another graphic novel being published by First Second about a changeling and the princess she’s replaced at birth working together to prevent a political coup.
And next year I’ll be coming out with my first ever Big Words Prose Novel called Shoestring Theory, about a royal wizard who goes back in time to stop his husband, the king, from becoming a despot (by murdering him). A real eclectic mix!
Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
She Who Became the Sunand The Darkness Outside Us are two books I’ve read recently that changed my brain chemistry so completely I’ll be seeking compensation for emotional damages. If you’re looking for recent comic reads, The Moth Keeperand A Boy Named Rose also come highly recommended from yours truly!
A.J. IRVING once wished to be friends with her first crush. Her wish came true. She will always remember the little girl who made her feel like she could fly. Now A.J. writes picture books and poetry beneath an old elm tree in Salt Lake City. As a children’s author and former bookmobile librarian, she is passionate about inspiring kids to love books. A.J. received a BA in journalism and women’s and gender studies from the University of Oregon. She is also the author of Dance Like a Leaf.
I had the opportunity to interview A. J., which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Thank you so much for having me! I’m a mama, children’s author, and jail library assistant. I love my job! I check out a lot of kidlit in the jail, mostly YA and MG, but my heart bursts with joy every time I receive a picture book request. My first picture book, Dance Like a Leaf, published in English, French, and Spanish in 2020. I’m proud to be a mentor for picture book creators through the Queer Kidlit Mentorship Program. I am very passionate about queer rep for younger kids!
What can you tell us about your latest project, The Wishing Flower? Where did the inspiration for this story come from?
The Wishing Floweris the queer girl picture book of my heart. This story was inspired by my first crush in elementary school. I was a shy girl who felt different and alone. I remember spending a lot of time in the big field at recess watching the other kids play and longing for connection. Just like Birdie, my wish came true when I became friends with a girl who truly saw me.
How did you find yourself getting into storytelling and children’s books? What drew you to themedium?
I have fond memories of my grandma reading to me before bed. I visited her every summer in Montana when I was growing up. I rediscovered my love for children’s literature after I became a mother 15 years ago. I will never forget the way my son’s eyes lit up or how his little hands excitedly explored the pages of picture books. My desire to write for children deepened year after year as we read book after book.
How would you describe your creative process? And what went into collaborating with an artist for your book when you are a writer?
Nature has always been a big part of my creative process. I get my best ideas when I’m outdoors. The first lines of The Wishing Flower came to me on a hike in Wyoming. I always follow my muse. I’ve learned to trust that the words will come to me when I’m ready. Sometimes it feels like wordstrings are floating all around me and all I have to do is catch them and piece them together. I start every project with pen and paper. I feel more in tune with my memories and emotions this way. I think this connection goes back to all the journaling and poetry I wrote during my childhood.
Kip was my number one choice to illustrate The Wishing Flower. I’m grateful they brought Birdie and Sunny’s story to life. I could not imagine the art any other way. In most cases in traditional publishing, the author and illustrator do not collaborate. The illustrator works closely with the art director and the author words closely with the editor. My editor sent me Kip’s art at various stages and encouraged me to offer feedback. I had very few suggestions. Seeing art for the first time is my favorite part of the process. Kip’s art for The Wishing Flower took my breath away!
As a creative, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
Most of my work is inspired by my life and my lyrical books always come from my heart. The first few drafts of The Wishing Flower didn’t include wishing flowers. I knew the story was missing something. My daughter has always called dandelions “wishing flowers.” She had been asking me for a few years to write a book about them. This was the missing piece that tied everything together. I also find inspiration in art, photography, other books, and things I observe in nature.
Besides your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?
I only read kidlit. I used to drive a big blue bookmobile named Thomas. My family just got an English bulldog puppy! His name is Derwin. He loves his big brother Bosa, who is also an English bulldog, and he’s very curious about our cat, Ish. I’m obsessed with the sky. I adore clouds, sunsets, lightning, rainbows, and shooting stars. Looking up always fills me with hope and wonder.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were (and the answer to thatquestion)?
My question would be: “What do you hope your readers get out of your books?” and my answer is: I hope my readers feel seen, safe, and loved. I hope they honor their wishes, spread their wings, and feel proud to be themselves.
Are there any other projects you are working on or thinking about that you can discuss?
My latest project is inspired by my job in the jail library. I also have an unannounced queer picture book that I am eager to share!
What advice might you have to give to aspiring creatives, especially to those interested inmaking their own picture book?
Read. Read thousands of picture books. Don’t try to follow trends. Write from your heart. Find exceptional critique partners and participate in the kidlit community. This community will celebrate your wins and lift you up when you’re feeling down. Kidlit folx are the absolute best!
Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
In the picture book space: Strongby Eric Rosswood, Rob Kearney, and Nidhi Chanani, Love, Violetby Charlotte Sullivan Wild and Charlene Chua, Hope for Ryan Whiteby Dano Moreno and Hannah Abbo, Molly’s Tuxedoby Vicki Johnson and Gillian Reid, A Costume for Charlyby CK Malone and Alejandra Barajas, and Door by Doorby Meeg Pincu and Meridth McKean Gimbel.
Shelley Parker-Chan (they/them) is an Asian Australian former international development adviser who worked on human rights, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights in Southeast Asia. Their debut historical fantasy novel She Who Became the Sunwas a #1 Sunday Times bestseller and has been translated into 15 languages. Parker-Chan is a previous winner of the Astounding Award for Best Debut, and the British Fantasy Awards for Best Fantasy Novel and Best Newcomer. They have been a finalist for the Lambda, Locus, Aurealis, Ditmar, and British Book Awards. They live in Melbourne, Australia.
I had the opportunity to interview Shelley, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hello, thanks for having me! I’m Shelley Parker-Chan, and I write highly emotional, ostensibly historically based, epic fantasy novels. I’m Australian, but I’ve spent a lot of my working life in Asia.
What can you tell us about your upcoming book, He Who Drowned the World?
Drowned is a direct sequel to She Who Became the Sun, and picks up just a couple of months after the action of that first book. The two books of the duology are organised around the Buddhist principle that desire begets suffering. The first book was very much about desire, especially as experienced by people traditionally denied it: women, queer people. The characters’ desires ranged from basic survival, to the ambition to become the greatest person in the world: the emperor. In Drowned, we see the other side of the equation. We see the suffering and sacrifices that are the price of those desires. And it asks: is it worth it?
What was the inspiration for your original series The Radiant Emperor duology, which includes She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World?
The idea came out of my weird obsession with monks. I know the image we hold of them doesn’t reflect their lived reality, either now or historically, but I’m fascinated by the idea of people who set aside worldly interests in favour of the pursuit of self-perfection. Of being ‘good’, according to a set of rules. But even more than a monk, I love the idea of a bad monk: someone who can’t—or doesn’t want to—overcome their ambition, their desire, their attachment to the world. So I was playing around with the idea of monks in a wartime setting: a monk who deliberately violates their vows of nonviolence to defend their people.
And then, lo and behold: I came across the life of Zhu Yuanzhang, who started life as a peasant in Mongol-occupied China. He became a monk, then a rebel commander, then finally the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty. I was like: aha! He’s my bad monk. But I realised I also wanted to twist the story. What if I took this man, whose whose ambition and capacity for violence led him to become the ultimate patriarch, and made him not a man? How would that change the meaning of his ambition, and rise, and rule?
As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, specifically speculative and historical fiction?
Like lots of people these days, I started off writing fanfiction. Fanfiction was a cradle of queerness in a time when there was so little of it in mainstream media. It was where we subverted the texts to add our queer selves back in. It was a sort of communal yearning, but also a source of communal joy. It taught me to write what I liked, and how to express my authentic self on the page, and that if you wrote truly you would always find people who would recognise those words as true for themselves, too. A lot of fanfiction stories are romances, structurally speaking, but the ones I read and wrote were based on SFF media. Fantasy and science fiction, like historical fiction, give a lot of room to play with big stakes: life and death, and the times when love isn’t enough because there’s something more important: duty, or the fate of the world. I love writing in that slightly melodramatic register. It makes the feelings more intense.
How would you describe your writing process?
I start by laying out a plot in Excel. I put a timeline down the side of a sheet, the POV characters across the top, and then I fill each cell with a scene. By the time I start drafting, that plot is pretty fixed. But plot is a far less important element to my stories than the characters and their emotions. I like to call my subgenre ‘emo fantasy’, because it’s all angst, all the time. So when I’m drafting, I spend inordinate amounts of time shaping and re-shaping character arcs, and making sure I understand what they feel and think at every moment. I’ll have to write a scene twenty times, with twenty slight variations on a character’s understanding of themself, before I find the one that works for their arc, the story themes, AND the plot. I guess it’s a form of discovery writing. But as a process, it’s definitely slow and frustrating.
What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging?
I love thinking about character. What makes characters tick, and how they relate to themselves and each other. I could do it forever. But there are so many aspects of the craft of fiction writing that I’m still learning. I really struggle with simple things, like starting and ending scenes. How to feed in details about the world, how to build those mini plot arcs that keep the reader engaged, how to keep dialogue moving. I’m inspired by the authors I know who sit down and really study these elements, and learn how to execute them—not just well, but quickly.
In previous interviews, you’ve spoken about an interesting part of literary background, of being heavily influenced by Asian historical dramas while emphasizing the distinction of writing from a diasporic lens. Would you spend expanding on that please?
I first started watching Asian TV dramas when I was a young adult, living in Asia for the first time. I was raised in Australia, and when I was growing up if you saw an Asian onscreen (which was super rare), they were usually some kind of joke or horrible stereotype. They were never fully-realised human beings the way the white characters were. So when I started watching Asian dramas, I was blown away. Not only did I see characters who shared the same values and cultural worldview as me, but the full-Asian casts meant that Asians could be any and every kind of character: the heroes, the villains, the love interests, warriors, scholars. I knew I wanted to write a story like that in English—the story I’d never had, growing up.
But at the same time, I’m from the diaspora. Even if I fill my story with Asians, and set it in China, I don’t have the same worldview as someone who grew up in that environment. My perspectives are shaped by being a minority in a white-majority country. Some of that is the simple feelings of rejection, exclusion, of being misunderstood. And you can see those themes in my work. But being diaspora goes deeper. It comes with ambivalence, as well as pride, because aspects of my traditional culture also reject who I am. Reimagining the history of imperial China is my attempt to grapple with the exclusionary elements of the history and culture that’s been bequeathed to me. What if what had been handed down had been different? What if I didn’t have to feel this painful ambivalence, because my culture actually embraced queerness?
As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?
I almost exclusively read nonfiction and romances, which gives me a lot of trouble as someone who gets asked to blurb epic fantasy books. On the nonfiction side, I read a lot of memoirs, biographies, psychology, philosophy of the self and the emotions, gender studies, religion, nature writing—it all feeds my understanding of how people work, the variety of ways we can be in the world, what consumes us. And as for romances: they’re usually purely character driven, which is the good stuff as far as I’m concerned. I’m constantly looking for stories that have a raw and uncomfortable edge, and that give me big feelings. That’s what I want to learn to write well.
Many authors would say one of the most challenging parts of writing a book is finishing one. What strategies would you say helped you accomplish this?
Especially for a first book, I think mutual accountability with friends was the most helpful thing in getting me to the finish line. If I hadn’t been on a journey with them, I’d probably have quit halfway through, thinking, “oh, this is shit, it will never be as good as I’d imagined it to be, I’d better start something else.” But when I saw them grinding away at their books, and bemoaning the process as much as I was, I understood that the bad feelings were normal—and if they could get through them, I could too. I think it also helps to believe that you’re writing the book that only you can write. Even if it didn’t turn out how you dreamed, it’s your unique contribution to the world.
Besides your work, what are some things you would want your readers to know about you?
If you know my work, then you basically know all of me that there is to know.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were (and the answer to that question)?
I’m offended that nobody yet has asked me about how I organise my bookshelves. The answer is: by subject for nonfiction; by era and country for literary fiction; and by how much I like them, for genre fiction. I’m ruthless about fiction, though. If it’s not a re-read, then it’s instantly off to the nearest Little Library.
Are there any projects you are working on or thinking about that you are able to discuss?
I want to do something different after a historical fantasy, so I’m working on a secondary world fantasy. It’ll still feel like one of my books, though. It seems I can’t escape the lure of exploring gender and daddy issues.
Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
I’ve long loved Lee Mandelo’s horror-fantasy works starting from his debut Summer Sons, and his new one goes even harder. It’s called The Woods All Black, and it’s about anti-trans small-town religious bigotry—and monsterfucking. The cathartic queer rage it delivers is EPIC.
Meghan Boehman and Rachael Briner grew up together in Maryland where they attended the same elementary school and eventually became best friends. They live in Los Angeles where they work in TV animation designing and painting background art for Warner Bros Animation, Bento Box Entertainment and Starburns Industries. They have previously produced a 4-year long webcomic and several animated shorts. Dear Rosie draws from their experiences of losing a close friend while they were in high school.
I had the opportunity to interview Meghan and Rachael, which you can read below.
CW: Discussion of grief and friend passing.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourselves?
Thanks for having us, we’re happy to be here! We both grew up in Frederick, MD and met in elementary school, though we weren’t fast friends at first. For years we engaged in silent competition and viewed each other as rivals, but over time we shared enough classes that we softened up, eventually becoming best friends in high school. After college where Meghan pursued Animation and Rachael pursued Sequential Art, we both moved to Los Angeles and found work as background artists in the animation industry. Outside of our art, Meghan loves to cook, Rachael loves to bake, and we both love animals! Rachael has a rescued cattle dog named Libby and Meghan and her husband (our co-writer/colorist!) Thomas volunteer at a cat rescue.
What can you tell us about your latest project, Dear Rosie? What was your inspiration for the book?
Dear Rosie is the story of four middle school girls navigating loss after one of their friends passes away unexpectedly, inspired by our own friends from that time period and our friend Annalee, who passed away during college. We wanted to create a world based on our hometown, filled with color, warmth, and using local wildlife to offer a vibrant, inviting tone despite the somber backdrop for the book.
What are you hoping readers will take away from Dear Rosie?
Grief is not a straightforward journey, one that we all must navigate in our own way. We hope that each girl’s personal path helps our readers come away with a better understanding of their own experiences of sadness, love, and friendship. If they are dealing with their own loss, we want them to feel camaraderie with the characters and know they aren’t alone, we have been there too and made it to the other side.
As creatives, how did you become drawn to the graphic novel/comics medium, especially those geared towards younger readers?
Meghan: I grew up both reading and drawing comics nearly every day. After college, Rachael and I made a few short films together and produced a webcomic in order to stay connected while living on opposite coasts. That project achieved its aims, but eventually we wanted to craft longer narratives. I was drawn to middle grade and young adult comics because a story you fall in love with as a child stays with you for your entire life. The characters and design sensibilities I find special to this day are rooted in my reading from that time and I want to do my best to resonate like that with the current generation of young readers!
Rachael: I fell in love with the diverse storytelling in the alternative/indie section of my local comic book store in high school. At that age, I was able to appreciate the sheer amount of work that goes into a single issue and knew that I wanted to make comics one day. Middle grade content didn’t come on my radar until we started pitching Dear Rosie and our editor recommended adjusting certain aspects for a younger demographic, but after working on the book and doing research into the field, I can now say it’s likely my favorite demographic to make art for. The stories are so sweet and genuine while still tackling complex emotions and there are many I’d recommend to people of all ages to read!
How would you describe your artistic/creative backgrounds?
Meghan: I studied 2D animation in college and initially wanted to move towards directing feature films, but after working in the industry for a while I discovered that I enjoyed designing backgrounds the most. Having found my niche in animation, but still wanting to tell stories of my own, I rekindled my interest in drawing comics.
Rachael: Before college I was interested in fine art and worked primarily in colored pencil and oil pants, but I gravitated back towards comics during my Sequential Art program. After school and thanks to Meghan, I was able to combine my comic knowledge and love of painting to the animation world, first in Background Paint and later Design.
How would you describe your illustration/writing/creative process?
Anyone who knows us would likely classify it as chaotic, but we’d more charitably like say we trade off to suit each other’s strengths! Meghan and her husband Thomas handled the writing of Dear Rosie. For illustration, Meghan designed the cast of main and supporting characters while Rachael began thumbnailing based off the script. The two of us split color script and sketching duties equally, then Rachael inked the characters while Meghan inked the backgrounds. All three of us worked on color to ensure we stayed on track! Like we said, a bit of chaos, but the division of labor works well and we beat every deadline.
Growing up, were there any stories in which you felt touched by/ or reflected in? Are there any like that now?
Meghan:The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren and The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale are two childhood stories that I still think about and re-read often. Recent examples would be Virgil Wander by Leif Enger, Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker, and Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama.
As creatives, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
Meghan: My biggest inspiration is Hayao Miyazaki, specifically the film Princess Mononoke and film/manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Boneand Elfquest were also very important when I was young.
Rachael: Craig Thompson’s Blankets changed the way I thought about visual storytelling and what was possible in the medium. Other notable artists are Emily Carroll, Rob Guillory, Becky Cloonan, Gabriel Ba, and James Gurney.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
Why choose animals for your comic?
Dear Rosie tackles some difficult subjects and the story is very personal, so we wanted to create a little distance for ourselves and the people it is based on. Using animal characters allows both us and our young readers that space. Additionally, we simply enjoy designing their looks and the range of emotions you can express via ear and tail positioning; it can help communicate what’s going on to our youngest readers who may not always be able to articulate exactly what they are feeling. As mentioned before, using local Maryland wildlife was an additional nod to our hometown.
Are there any projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?
We’re currently working through the pitch process with our editor so unfortunately we cannot speak in detail about our current project, but we can say that it focuses on a new group of friends and tackles an important topic we feel is under-discussed amongst young people.
What advice would you give to other aspiring creatives, especially those hoping to work on their own graphic novels one day?
Draw, draw, draw! Don’t focus too hard on whether or not it came out exactly as you wanted it to, just focus on practice, repetition, and forming the habit of working creatively on a regular schedule. The next one, or the fifth, or even the twentieth might be the one you wanted and you’ll never find out without that perseverance. Read often and don’t be afraid to stretch the boundaries of what you consider to your kind of book.
Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Rachael: Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley is one of my favorites. It shows the complex family dynamics of divorce from a kid’s perspective. The emotional experience was familiar in a bittersweet way and I think it’s a book older readers would also enjoy.
Anna Sortino is a young adult author who writes stories about disabled characters living their lives and falling in love. She’s Deaf and passionate about diverse representation in media. Born and raised in the Chicagoland area, Anna has since lived in different cities from coast to coast, spending her free time exploring nature with her dog or reading on the couch with her cat. Give Me a Sign is her debut novel.
I had the opportunity to interview Anna, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Thanks for having me! I’m Anna Sortino, and I’m the author of the upcoming YA novel Give Me a Sign. When I’m not writing, I love spending time outside, crafting, and obsessing over my pets. Originally from Chicago, I’ve since lived in DC, CA, and soon, NC.
What can you tell us about your debut book, Give Me a Sign? What was the inspiration for this story?
Give Me a Sign is a sweet YA contemporary romance novel set at a camp for deaf and blind kids. Lilah wears hearing aids and feels caught between deaf and hearing. She gets a job for the summer where she finds community, brushes up on her ASL skills, and falls for a cute Deaf counselor. It’s up to Lilah to find where she belongs, especially when the comfort of camp is no match for struggles in the real world.
The main inspiration for this novel was the setting. Growing up, I went to a similar camp. We were kids enjoying the summer, hanging out in the lake, getting mosquito bites and sunburn, and eating tons of s’mores. We were loud, animated, and eager for interactions in the Deaf community that many of us didn’t have access to back home. When it comes to disabilities, there are always a lot of stereotypes or assumptions at play. I wanted to use this setting to write a book full of disabled characters, showing a wide range of experiences, while centering joy.
How did you find yourself getting into storytelling, particularly young adult and romance? What drew you to those things?
Growing up, I was always a big reader, hiding away with a book whenever attempting conversation grew too taxing. After deciding upon the idea for Give Me a Sign, I realized summer camp was the perfect setting for a teen romance! Young Adult explores the time in our lives when we’re figuring out where we fit into the wider world and what things are most important to us. It’s a great age category to explore questions about identity and belonging.
How would you describe your creative process?
Bursts of frantic creativity and lulls of stalled frustration.
As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
My greatest influences are some of the amazing disability advocates out there doing the work. Every time Imani Barbarin (@crutches_and_spice) comes across my newsfeed, or an incredible documentary like Crip Camp makes its way to Netflix, I’m reminded that our stories are important and deserve to be told.
As someone who is part of the d/Deaf/HOH community, disability seems to be a strong element in your work. How did you set about representation in your book, particularly representing a three-dimensional language like ASL, or general Deaf culture onto the page?
I grew up in a household with a mix of significant hearing and vision losses, so to me, accessibility can be commonplace, as simple as watching tv on a school night with closed captions while voicing aloud anything that might be hard to view on screen. My entire life I’ve been surrounded by disability. Since my hearing aids can be an obvious giveaway, many people have felt comfortable sharing their otherwise invisible disabilities with me. Some might consider the sheer volume of disabled characters in Give Me a Sign as extraordinary, but I know for a fact that a novel with an entirely able-bodied cast is not an accurate representation of the world we live in.
When it comes to depicting a visual language like ASL on the page, each Deaf author puts their own spin on it. Since Give Me a Sign is a first-person story told from Lilah’s perspective, it was important to me that the ASL read how she was internally interpreting it. As her comprehension progresses throughout the novel, so does the complexity of the signed translation.
What advice would you give for authors for portraying disability (whether that of their own or of others) within their own work?
For those wanting to write a novel with a more inclusive cast of characters, please do your research and utilize authenticity readers. So much of our disabilities make us who we are, therefore it’s not as simple as creating a character and sprinkling a disability on top. Also, consider whether you are the right person to tell a certain narrative—disabled people should first and foremost be the authors of our own stories, because for far too long, that hasn’t been the case.
For disabled authors, know that while infusing your experiences into fiction can be cathartic, don’t feel like you have to give every piece of yourself to the world. It’s okay to keep some distance so any negative comments that may come about your novel won’t shatter your self-worth. Also, support your fellow disabled authors since we’re in this together, and the world needs all our stories and perspectives.
What’s something about Deafness/disability you might want someone to take away from this interview?
Deafness is a spectrum, and every individual has their own experience with it. Kids with hearing loss aren’t born with an innate knowledge of ASL, so it’s important to foster community and shared learning so that children can flourish with the benefits of Deaf culture.
What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What are some of the most challenging?
I absolutely LOVE revising. The hard part of getting all those initial words down on the page is over, and I get to play around in this new world I’ve created. During drafting, I might struggle to write a hundred words, but during revising, I could blink and have accidentally written five thousand new ones. It’s like the pressure is off—this book is a real thing and now I can totally enjoy creating it.
Besides your work as an author, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?
Meet my writer’s assistants! I’ve got a mischievous Shiba Inu named Mika, and a daring little orange cat named Zuko. Both find it of the utmost importance to obstruct my keyboard and remind me to stand up every once and a while.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were (and the answer to thatquestion)?
“Are you a hand model?” And the answer is, kind of!
To help my illustrator (the incredibly talented Christina Chung) get the positioning just right on the cover of Give Me a Sign, I took reference photos of my partner and I signing the words used. The result was such perfect and life-like signing!
Follow up question, “So what are the characters saying on the cover?”
Lilah is signing “right!” while Isaac signs “interesting.”
Are there any projects you are working on or thinking about that you are able to discuss?
Ah there’s much in the works that I wish I could discuss! I will say that my next YA project has been referred to as a “slightly older sibling to Give Me a Sign”, and I can’t wait to share more about that one soon.
What advice might you have to give to aspiring writers?
Find people who will help make your journey more bearable. It’s no secret that publishing is tumultuous, and you’ll want to make friends with fellow writers who understand the ins and outs of the querying and submission processes. Because no matter how many times you explain it to folks outside the industry, they won’t fully understand why some piece of news has you either dancing around the room or crying into your pillow. That’s what your writer friends are for.
Finally, what books/authors, including possibly those related to Deafness/disability, would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
I could rec books for daaaaays. To keep it short and sweet, here are some great reads by Deaf authors:
Ciera Burch is a lifelong writer and ice cream aficionado. She has a BA from American University and an MFA from Emerson College. Her fiction has appeared in TheAmerican Literary Magazine, Underground, the art and literary journal of Georgia State University, Stork, and Blackbird. Her work was also chosen as the 2019 One City One Story read for the Boston Book Festival. While she is originally from New Jersey, she currently resides in Washington, DC, with her stuffed animals, plants, and far too many books.
I had the opportunity to interview Ciera, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi! I’m Ciera Burch, a Black, queer children’s author with a huge fascination with ghosts in storytelling. I’m also a photography lover, amateur baker, and D&D enthusiast.
What can you tell us about your debut book, Finch House? What was the inspiration for this story?
Finch House is a middle-grade horror novel about a headstrong young girl, Micah, whose curiosity leads to her grandfather’s disappearance in a haunted Victorian house that has a surprising connection to her and her family. There are haunted house shenanigans and ghosts and a couple of very brave kids, but at its heart, Finch House is a story about the things we do for and to the people we love and how change is a big part of the human experience but isn’t always bad.
I’ve found inspiration in so many things (the Victorian houses in a town near where I grew up, Rita’s water ice, time periods in American history) but, honestly, my main inspiration was the door to my Poppop’s basement. It’s in this cheery, bright yellow kitchen and that door, always open, is just a gaping mouth of darkness that you can’t see past. It’s terrified me since I was very little—and still does!
As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, specifically middle grade fiction?
What a good question! I’ve always loved stories. I think we don’t think enough about oral storytelling but, in that sense, my family is full of storytellers—they can all turn the smallest interaction with another person into a hilarious or moving story. So, I very much grew up steeped in story, often emphasized with loud laughter. My mom was also a big reader and she read to me a ton before I could read to myself, so it was only natural that once I could, I started devouring any and all stories that I could get my hands on. When I was in about 5th grade, I realized I could write my own and I’ve been trying to do so ever since.
I was drawn to middle grade because it’s such a pivotal time in life, and it’s the time in my childhood that feels most real to think back on. It was when I was first truly felt like I was becoming my own person with very clearly defined interests and curiosities and questions—and when I started writing in earnest. Writing middle grade is lovely because it brings me back to those crossroads moments of childhood when “kid” doesn’t feel like it fits but “teenager” definitely doesn’t. It feels very other in a way that, as someone from multiple underrepresented communities, I was drawn to.
As implied by the book’s description, the setting of the book, a haunted source, acts as a metaphor for intergenerational trauma. What inspired you to go with this theme?
As a person of color, and particularly as someone interested in the themes surrounding horror and what makes ghosts, intergenerational trauma is not far from the surface of my mind at any point. Especially with the idea of breaking generational curses and cycles being so prevalent online and in social media, I wanted to explore that in a way that was not only accessible to kids but that also puts intergenerational trauma in your face and surrounds you—to make it a space, essentially, so that it can be fully interacted with and explored outside of, well, therapy.
How would you describe your writing process?
Oh, man. I’d love to say it’s pretty methodical and planned out, which it often is, but Finch House came at me fast and hard. I had no outline, a few characters, and the idea of a house that consumes people and then I just…started writing. This book was like a solo-NaNoWriMo for me, I got the first draft down in about 30 days.
When I’m not so consumed however, or just busy or trying to track down my muse, I usually have outlines, sometimes even character profiles. I always write in order but I also have plenty of half-baked scenes and scattered pieces of dialogue jotted down in the notes app of my phone. I can get very much in my head about word count and can be big into perfectionism (it’s the Virgo in me) so I try to block out actual time and space where I can just actually write without thinking too hard about what’s going on the page, and try to remember to have fun with my story and my characters and not stress too much if a certain description isn’t coming out how I wanted it to or if a big, planned scene is running in its own direction. I also no longer force myself to write at my desk. If I want to write on my couch or the giant bean bag chair I have or the courtyard of a museum, I try and let myself do that.
I love writing, even the messy, stressful, agonizing parts of it, and I try to keep that in mind when I get really frustrated or down on myself.
One of the hardest things about writing a book is finishing one. What strategies or advice might you have to say about accomplishing this?
I’m such an introvert but I’m going to have to say a strong support system. My friends and family have been so monumental in helping me actually finish Finch House. They were always there with encouraging words or distractions when I needed them, but they also let me bounce things off of them, just to get them off my chest. Sometimes they had great advice and sometimes they didn’t, but it was the act of having to think about the book as I talked through it and explained my thought process to other people that spurred me along.
Also breaks. Sometimes you just need to walk away or eat a snack or three.
As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?
Life. Anything, really! It’s surprising how some of the simplest things can spark ideas. Music lyrics, a fascinating interaction on a bus, the way someone pronounces a word, anything. I do a lot of people-watching when I’m out and I really enjoy seeing how other people go through the same spaces I do in such unique ways.
In terms of actual people, Mildred D. Taylor hooked me on her portrayal of family, especially Black family, as a child and has stuck with me ever since whenever I’m writing interpersonal, and especially intergenerational, scenes.
What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or difficult?
I love dialogue. I often start off writing it without any tags or descriptions to get a feel for the flow of the conversation and whether each character’s voice feels true to them. My characters are very vocal in my head, so it’s always fun to get to put that to paper and let them have a little bit of free reign. Getting to a point that shaped the main idea for a story is also really fun, whether it’s a bit of description or a major plot point.
Endings are most difficult for me. I will prolong finishing a book or tv series for years because I don’t want them to end, so coming to the end of my own work is often difficult. Especially because, if I’m writing without an outline or veered pretty far from it, I don’t always know how a piece of writing will end and I’ll wonder if I’ve earned an ending I might have in mind or if the events of the book led me somewhere faithfully enough that my ending feels warranted. It’s the last thing a person reads and remembers and it can really make or break or a book, so it feels so pivotal to me.
Aside from writing, what are some things you would want others to know about you?
I’m very much into Dungeons and Dragons these days and I could fangirl about it for hours if anyone let me. I don’t know all the rules or classes or technicalities, but I make up for that with sheer enthusiasm, I hope.
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)?
Would you live in a haunted house? The answer is absolutely not, but I would admire it from afar and take plenty of pictures.
What advice might you have to give for aspiring writers?
Don’t give up! Really, truly. I know it’s hard and it can feel like literally everyone in the world is better than you at it, but they’re not! Only you can bring what you have to your writing (and the world) and so you should. It doesn’t exactly get easier, but I like to think we all get better at it as we go.
Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?
I have a YA coming out next year, Something Kindred, that deals with more ghosts and more generational trauma but in a very different way and with two sweet, queer girls in a small town. I’m also working on another middle grade that I’m not sure I can spill the beans on plot-wise, but it involves a New Jersey icon.
Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
