Cory McCarthy (he/they) is the author of numerous books for young readers. They live with their family in Vermont, where they teach writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts.
I had the opportunity to interview Cory, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hey! I’m Cory (he/they), a nonbinary trans dude. I’ve been publishing for ten years, and I’m releasing my first book about what it was like to grow up closeted in Ohio. If that sounds a bit ominous, errr, you’re on the right path!
What can you tell us about your upcoming book, Man O’ War? What inspired you to write it?
Man o’ War is about cultural captivity. The hero, River McIntyre (they/them), is an Irish and Arab American, like me, who has been required to perform femininity and whiteness for the sake of other people’s comfort. We meet them at the tender age of fifteen when they encounter a happy, healthy queer person—and begin the long process of releasing themself. The book follows River into their college years and through gender affirmation surgery, which was a joy to write about for a teen audience.
I was inspired to write this book because of a rather notable part of my small-town upbringing: I grew up down the street from SeaWorld of Ohio. The park has been out of business for many years, but between the memories and the metaphors, I knew that I had to talk about how being trans in a close minded community is exactly like being an orca stuck in a bathtub-sized tank.
When did you know you were first interested in writing, and what drew you specifically to young adult fiction?
I fell in love with poetry and memoir writing in middle school and transitioned to screenwriting after undergrad. I’ve always known I wanted to write for a living but finding my niche took three degrees in writing and endless ambition. I fell into YA backwards. I was writing high fantasy and ended up at Vermont College of Fine Arts where I learned that I was already writing what publishing calls YA. I now write in other formats and age ranges, but YA has been quite an education.
How would you describe your writing process? What do you find are some of your favorite or most challenging parts of writing?
For me, every book is written differently. Over my decade in publishing, my process has evolved to become more fluid. Some books take over a year to write. Man o’ War fell out of me over a few weeks of tears and pain and fingers-on-fire. That being said, my favorite part of writing is drafting. Revision takes more out of me, and requires more time, patience, and planning.
In addition to featuring trans representation, the book also features an Arab American protagonist. Can you speak as to what that intersectional representation means to you?
It is scary to write about being Arab American. While the rampant fear and miseducation quadrupled after the tragedy of 9/11, this country has a long history of forcing Arab Americans to forcefully assimilate. It’s this wildfire fear that River was bathed in from birth. Don’t let people know who you really are…or they might attack you.
This is the same message currently being blasted at trans folks. The echo chamber of intolerance is all the way up to eleven right now. I hope readers of Man o’ War find the strength and courage to live their lives openly and safely despite our cultural chaos.
Since the book is centered around swimming, I was wondering if you have any personal connections or memories about water yourself that you would like to mention?
The book has minimal sports content, although River is a competitive swimmer. The story is very much about water, however, and that parallel of the marine life in the tanks and feeling like a captive animal in the lanes. This is also based on personal experience. I started competing at the age of seven, and it was everything to me. I walked away my senior year in high school because the gender dysphoria I experienced in the female suits was too intense. In the story, River goes on to be a trans athlete in college, something I would have loved to do, so in a way, I rewrote my own story into something much more affirming.
Both you and your spouse, A.R. Capetta, seem to be writers as well as co authoring books together. Would you say your creativity as writers sometimes bounces off each other?
We are indeed both authors! We co-wrote the bestselling Once & Future series, aka queer King Arthur in space, and have heaping individual backlists at this point. (Takes a lot of books to pay the bills!) We definitely bounce our ideas and passion for stories off of each other, and we have very different strengths, which we find to be ideal in a co-authoring situation.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
Hmmm, I wish people would ask more about how publishing works. It’s an incredibly predatory industry, and until authors feel empowered to talk about it, nothing will change. We are—at a dangerous speed—approaching something that could very well shutdown publishing, not unlike the screenwriter strike in 2007-2008. The industry is currently forcing out marginalized authors with advance payouts that don’t happen until seasons or years after the book is released. If this continues, the only people who will be writing books will be those who are independently wealthy. And we know what that demographic largely looks like, now don’t we?
What advice might you have to give for aspiring writers?
Congratulations! You will write STORIES for a living, and it will set your soul on fire in the best way. Also: condolences! This industry is a trash heap, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope for a better future. There is always hope.
Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?
I have a middle grade sci-fi series rolling out now called B.E.S.T. World, where tweens get augmented bodies to become literal heroes—only the corporation granting the augs has other plans for these youths. But that’s the thing about becoming a hero…no matter who empowers you, what you do with that power is up to YOU.
Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Grand question! Check out Charlie Jane Anders’ new space opera, the Unstoppable series. It starts with Victories Greater Than Death and the newly released Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak. Also, try Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram, and if you grew up longing to go to queer camp, well, L.C. Rosen penned some fantastic summer memories for you in his CAMP, which is on its path to becoming a motion picture!
Jen Ferguson (she/her) is Métis and white, an activist, a feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice with a PhD. She believes writing, teaching and beading are political acts. The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, her debut YA novel, is out now from Heartdrum/HarperCollins. She lives in Los Angeles.
I had the opportunity to interview Jen, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi, I’m Jen! I’m queer and totally geeked out. I have a PhD in English and Creative Writing but what that really means is I’m curious and love research. I’m Métis and white, an activist, a feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice who is down to protest and do the hard work. My favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip and I never say no to nachos. Never.
As a writer, what do you think drew you to young adult fiction?
In 2016, I had just finished my PhD and I was super disillusioned by books and writing. I’d been writing for a long time and kept getting my adult novels rejected by agents. Plus, after graduation, I couldn’t read. As someone who discovered reading for pleasure at Girl Guide sleepaway camp at the age of 12, and read voraciously every day afterward, this was a horror.
What got me back into reading and writing were the young adult novels I checked out from the library in Wolfville, Nova Scotia that year. They introduced me to the wonderful, challenging world of teen fiction and I got really excited about what you could do as a writer when you wrote for teens. The rest, as they say, follows from there.
What can you tell us about your latest book, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet? Where did the inspiration for this story come from? Growing up, were there any books/media that inspired you as a creative and/or that you felt yourself personally reflected in?
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet is about 18-year-old Métis teen Lou, working at her family’s struggling organic dairy and ice cream business alongside her recently-exed boyfriend, her best friend who is going through mental health issues of her own, and her once friend, King Nathan, who has returned to town after a three-year absence. On top of all of this, Lou’s white biological father has been released from prison and he wants a relationship with her—something she does not want. At all. The book features many secrets and lies, and a teen discovering her sexuality and owning her identity alongside tones of ice cream.
I’ve talked about inspiration a lot in the last few weeks and my inspiration is related to the lack of media where I saw myself reflected. What I’ll double down on here is that I’d never a read a book with a demisexual protagonist until Claire Kann’s Let’s Talk About Love in 2018, nor had I ever read a book with a Métis protagonist until Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves in 2017. So I wrote one.
In a lot of ways, Lou’s story comes out of me finally being ready to write a Métis demisexual teen girl’s journey—so that teens who need stories like this, like I desperately did at that age but didn’t have, won’t miss this kind of representation.
As an Aspec reader, I’m always excited to see more asexual/demisexual representation in the world. Could you talk about what featuring this type of representation in The Summer of Bitter and Sweet means to you?
Oof. So much.
Like many other marginalized identities, there aren’t enough stories out there about our experience written by us. But there’s something about asexual spec stories: we’re queer, but we’re not the right queer according to so many people.
So to have a book, published by one of the big publishers, that’s very much a story about one ace-spec teen’s experience, I’m completely and totally overjoyed. Wait, no. There is no such thing as overmuch joy. I’m simply thrilled.
One thing I noticed about the (beautiful) cover was the protagonist’s earring, which I believe in other interviews you mentioned related to Indigenous beading and crafting. Would you mind elaborating on that?
Lou’s mother gets into beading as a way to reconnect to her culture and to find her own way through trauma. I also got into beading when I was processed a lot of the colonial trauma that comes from being Indigenous in Canada. So it was so important for me to include that in the book.
I’m also just totally geeked by the fact that my good friend Katherine Crocker beaded a replica pair of Lou’s earrings for me to wear!!! They are my favorite thing!!!
What are some things you hope readers take away from this book?
That even when life is hard, you have to remember there’s joy too. The bitter doesn’t exist without the sweet, nor does sweet exist without bitter. This can be really hard to remember.
Alongside this, I want readers to take away something about being supported by and supporting your community. That your kin and community are there for you. And that you have to be there for your kin and community too. I’m not saying to keep toxic family in your life. Kin can be those you’ve chosen. But it’s okay to need help, to trust others with the vulnerable parts of yourself. It’s important to learn how to hold the vulnerable parts of others and to keep them safe.
What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or difficult?
Oh, I absolutely dread drafting and adore revising. So it’s always tough when I have to get a new story on the page—but when it’s time to revise and make it better, then I’m having fun.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
If you could make any animal into a pocket-sized animal, which would you choose?
Ahhhh, thank you for asking me this!! I would totally miniaturize a buffalo and keep them with me at all times. I love them so much! I’d only buy shirts and dresses with pockets. But if I got to miniaturize a second pocket animal, it would totally be a raccoon. They just get into so much mischief. I do love mischief.
What advice might you have to give for aspiring writers?
Stop calling yourself an aspiring writer. If you write, you’re a writer.
And bonus advice because I’m feeling it: this business is full of rejection. Even after you have big success, you’re still going to be told no a lot. So work on developing tools to help yourself navigate this. The more tools you have at your disposal, and the more you know how to use, the better on this ride that is called becoming a published writer.
Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?
Yes! My second YA contemporary novel is out from Heartdrum in 2023.
The book stars Berlin, a depressed perfectionist bisexual Métis teen; Cameron, a Cree teen who laughs at everything, even the things that hurt; and Jessie, a white settler who is both utterly boy-and-girl crazy. Together they’re going to take down capitalism. Or at least save Pink Mountain Pizza, an independent shop where the ragtag band of teenaged employees are largely left to their own devices to serve up weirdly delicious flavors like peanut butter and jelly pizza, each slice garnished with sharp cheddar. As they try to organize the community, they start to piece together rumors and gossip hinting at a much bigger story: the disappearance of a local Cree teen girl, who Berlin thinks she may have seen, late one night, closing the store, the day before the franchising news was revealed.
Finally, what LGBTQ+ and/or Indigenous books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
The queer and trans books on my to-rec list: Laura Gao’s graphic memoir Messy Roots is awesome; I’m incredibly eager for Edward Underhill’s 2023 debut, Always the Almost; I’m in the middle of Racquel Marie’s Ophelia After All and am really excited for Anna Meriano’s It Sounds Like This. In terms of Indigenous writers, I’ll read anything Cherie Dimaline writes and the same goes hard for Alicia Elliott. For both Indigenous and queer/trans writers, my go-tos are Billy-Ray Belcourt and jaye simpson. Get to reading!
Florida’s new law, to take effect in July, prohibits classroom “discussion” and “instruction” about “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in grades K-3, as well as any discussion or instruction about these topics that would be considered not age appropriate in the eyes of the State in grades 4-12. And Tango Makes Three, a multiple award-winning picture book by authors Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell tells the simple and true story of two male penguins in the Central Park Zoo who pair-bonded, built a nest, and with the help of a kind zoo-keeper, together hatched an egg.
The book is written for children ages 4 to 8, but the new Florida law will prevent their teachers from sharing or discussing it with them. Teachers use And Tango Makes Three and books like it to help children with same-sex parents feel welcome in their school and to help their classmates understand the different family structure of their classmates. Lessons like these are invaluable to children of same-sex parents. Censorship of facts about gay families and lives, like that required by the new law, threatens the mental health of children with same-sex parents as well as that of LGBTQIA+ children themselves.
Since its initial publication, And Tango Makes Three has been challenged and banned countless times. The American Library Association has reported that it was the most frequently challenged book between 2006-2010, and the second most frequently challenged in 2009. It was also the fourth-most banned book between 2000 and 2009, and the sixth-most banned book between 2010 and 2019.
I had the opportunity to interview Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourselves?
Hey there! Thanks for having us! We are a playwright (Peter) and a psychiatrist (Justin), married and living with our daughter and dog in Greenwich Village.
Justin Richardson (credit Peter Parnell)
The two of you are well-known for your collaboration on And Tango Makes Three, one of the first traditionally published children’s books to discuss LGBTQ+ themes and same-sex parents inspired by real life story of Roy and Silo, two penguins from New York’s Central Park Zoo? How did the two of you come together to work on this project, and what was the creative collaboration process like?
One Saturday morning back in 2004, we were sitting at the kitchen table reading The New York Times. Justin read aloud an article called “The Love That Dare Not Squeak Its Name”, about these two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo who pair bonded and tried to hatch a rock. There was something about hearing the story read aloud that made us think, this sounds like a children’s book. Justin – who is always more the optimist –said, “Let’s write it today!” We both sat down and wrote our versions of the story. Just to get it out of our system, we wrote one version that was more tongue-in-cheek: Roy and Silo were like two very small gay men in tuxedos (“Roy loved Sondheim. Silo enjoyed Jerry Herman.”) We chuckled and set it aside, resolving to write a version with as little anthropomorphizing as possible, sharpening it, simplifying it, pacing it, and pairing it down. We sent the first draft to our book agent fairly soon after, to see if there was any interest in an editor working with us. David Gale at Simon & Schuster was the perfect person to work on it with.
And what made you specifically pick this story?
Justin saw the potential in the story as being a way for parents to talk to their kids about families with two moms, two dads, parents using reproductive technology, and adoptive parents. We knew that to really reach these kids, they would need a story that spoke to them and their interests, in their own language and without didactics. Justin knew of the need for this sort of book from his speaking about sexual orientation development to parents at schools across the country (he had co-authored a book with Mark Schuster MD on sexuality and parenting entitled Everything You Never Wanted Your Kids to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid They’d Ask)). And, closer to home, we were in the process of trying to have our own child. So, the story chose us, in a way.
Since your book was published in 2005, it has been continually censored in countries around the world for “inappropriate” material, i.e. discussing LGBTQ+ families. How do you feel that in 2022 your book is still being challenged by the likes of mandates, like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill (sigh)?
The old challenges suddenly seem almost quaint. In the early years after the book was published, as challenges to the book began, mostly by parents whose kids had brought the book home from a school or public library, the cases would be referred to school boards whose lawyers advised them that the book could not be removed from the library, since this violated the Second Amendment of the Constitution. Today’s legislative efforts, for as long as they are allowed to stand, have skirted that process entirely. They are cynical attempts to stoke and play on the fears of some parents for the lawmakers’ political gain. And they may be quite effective at intimidating teachers so they avoid discussions of books like ours. That is, unless those of us who support LGBTQ+ families and children can find effective ways to stand up for the kids who need these books and their teachers.
If you could say anything directly to the legislators and educators hoping to ban your book, what would it be?
Please read our book. Just sit quietly and read it. Then meet a child with two moms or two dads and read it to them. And allow yourself to reconsider the effect on this child of eliminating our book from their classroom.
What are your thoughts on the presence of LGBTQ+ representation in all-ages media and literature?
It’s much better than 17 years ago when Tango came out. We’re especially heartened by the emergence of children’s and YA literature which includes LGBTQ characters even when their stories are not the focus of the work. Of course, in the decades since the premiere of “Will and Grace,” television has brought LGBTQ+ stories into homes across the country through the work of LGBTQ+ writers, producers, actors and allies. This sort of representation has led to a kind of openness and acceptance never seen before. And that, in turn, has been met with the backlash we are now seeing.
Peter Parnell (credit Justin Richardson)
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
What’s it like inside the penguin enclosure at the Central Park Zoo?
Loud and smelly, but thrilling.
What advice might you have to give for aspiring creatives, especially those who want to make their own picture books one day?
Find people who understand your work, and share with them, early and often. Ask for advice from many, accept it from some.
Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?
Peter, whose most recent play, “Dada Woof Papa Hot” (our daughter’s first four words), was produced at Lincoln Center Theater, has two plays in development now, one of which deals directly with sexuality, censorship, and art.
Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Natalia Sylvester is the author of Running, her YA debut, as well as two novels for adults. Born in Lima, Peru, she grew up in Miami, Central Florida, and South Texas, and received a BFA from the University of Miami. She currently lives in Austin, Texas. Follow her on Twitter @NataliaSylv.
I had the opportunity to interview Natalia, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Thank you, I’m so happy to be here! A few things to know about me: I was born in Lima, Peru and have also called Miami, Fl, Gainesville, Fl, Mission, TX and Austin, TX home. I grew up swimming in my cousins’ pool and pretending to be a mermaid (hence, the mermaid book!) and when I wasn’t in the water, I was reading books and writing poems. I’m obsessed with my various houseplants and two rescue dogs. I’ve been (in no particular order) a magazine editor, a steakhouse hostess, a belly dance teacher, a medical biller, and am currently a copywriter and novelist.
When and how did you realize you were first interested in writing, and what drew you specifically to Young Adult Fiction?
I realized I was interested in writing as soon as I learned to read. Because I was born with hip dysplasia and had many surgeries growing up, my mom used to take me to work with her during the weeks I was recovering from surgery. She had a typewriter in the corner of her office, and I’d keep myself busy by typing up poems on it.
My first two published novels (Chasing the SunandEveryone Knows You Go Home) are actually for adults, but for my third novel (Running) I was drawn to Young Adult because there’s something so joyous and hopeful about the moments in life when you’re on the cusp of becoming who you’re going to be. It’s also a hugely critical time, when you’re asking not only, who am I becoming, but who gets to decide who I’m becoming? I still ask those questions. I’m still fascinated by our capacity to grow and change.
I write YA because when you’re 13 or 15 or 17, you hold all these seeming contradictions—you’re fearless and insecure and apathetic and empathetic and strong and fragile. But really you are everything, and you’re trying out everything, and all of what it means to be human is evolving and alive inside you.
How would you describe your writing process? What are some of your favorite parts of it? What inspires you to write and keep on writing?
I have tried to make my writing process as gentle an excavation of myself as possible. And what I mean by that is that writing is self-discovery for me, and being honest with and about myself is hugely important…but it can also mean that sometimes, I dig deep in places and wounds that I may or may not be ready to explore. So I write slowly. I let my ideas simmer. I try not to put too much pressure on myself on a day-to-day basis. I feel like, so long as I’m living with the story I’m writing (whether that looks like actual writing or taking a self-care day) then I know I’ll bring it to life on the page in the time it was meant to happen.
My favorite parts of the process are when I write something that totally surprises me but that I instantly recognize to be true. There’s power in finding the right words and finally naming something you’ve felt your whole life.
Your latest novel, Breathe and Count Back from Ten, features a young Peruvian American teen with hip dysplasia training to become a mermaid. Where did the inspiration for this story (and title) come from?
I was born with hip dysplasia and so I was in and out of surgeries as a child. Even from a young age, I would journal about my experiences. At the same time, I loved swimming and I dreamt of being a mermaid. These things were therapeutic for me. When I was writing or in the water, I felt free and full of joy.
I think in a lot of ways, I’ve been writing Breathe and Count Back from Ten my whole life. It’s just that only now do I have the right words and language to make sense of this story. And I made sense of it by making it about so much more than me. It really is my protagonist, Vero’s story. She and I have so much in common but she’s her own person, and writing her taught me so much about who I wanted to be as a child and who I can still be now.
As for the title, it’s from the first line of the book! It also has multiple meanings, which I shared a bit about here.
You mentioned on Goodreads, that you “used to hide my scars & now they’re on my book cover.” How does that time of visibility feel?
I get emotional every single time I see the cover. I never want any young person to ever feel the kind of shame that I felt about my body and scars growing up. I’m lucky to have shed that fear and embarrassment, but it wasn’t easy, and it took me years to get here. I love my body for all it is, everything it’s been through, and all it’s helped me become. Putting my scars on the cover was never even a question—it was always simply about being truthful and unapologetic. I’m so lucky that my publisher was on the same page about it. If my scars on a book cover can help someone else feel that same love, every little bit of hardness I ever experienced would have been worth it.
What inspired the mermaid training element? Do you have any personal connections to mermaids or the water itself?
I’ve always felt at home in the water, which is probably why I dreamed of being a mermaid my whole life. Though I never got to audition to become a professional mermaid the way that Vero does, I was (for a short, glorious time!) signed up for mermaid camp at Weeki Wachee, the springs that inspired Mermaid Cove in the book. Sadly, mermaid camp was canceled due to the pandemic so it continues to be a dream, one that I lived vicariously by writing this book!
When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing or consuming in your free time?
I have several plants that I’m tending to and constantly propagating. I also really love baking and making art in very hands-on ways. Most recently, I created a mosaic out of vintage repurposed pool tiles, and now it hangs in front of my home.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
What was the inspiration behind Vero and Alex’s love story?
The book opens with Vero first meeting Alex, the cute new neighbor moving into her apartment complex. They have an almost instant connection and happen to come together at a time in their lives where they can give each other a gentleness that they’ve been lacking in other relationships. I just remember being Vero’s age—looking back at my romantic relationships, there were aspects that weren’t necessarily healthy, and they caused me a lot of hurt. Vero and Alex have both been through so much due to her hip dysplasia and his struggles with depression. I wanted to just give them space to see each other and be there for each other, in a way that didn’t necessarily center their pain.
What advice would you have to give for other aspiring writers?
Be kind to yourself. Writing can be so personal, to the point that we can end up equating our own self-worth with how much we write, how good we think the writing is, whether it gets published, etc. But the best way to nurture your writing is to nurture yourself as a person.
Are there other projects you are currently working on and at liberty to discuss?
Not at the moment!
Finally, what books/authors, particularly those exploring Latinx or disabled identity in their work, would you commend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Dean Atta is a British author from London. He is a member of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen and a patron of LGBT+ History Month. His young-adult novel in verse, THE BLACK FLAMINGO (Hachette Children’s Group / Balzer + Bray), won the 2020 Stonewall Book Award and was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, Jhalak Prize, Los Angeles Times Book Prize and Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.
I had the opportunity to interview Dean which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
My name’s Dean Atta, my pronouns are he/him, I’m an author from London, England, and I now live in Glasgow, Scotland. I’m listening to Taylor Swift’s folklore album as I write my answers to these questions.
How did you find yourself drawn to the art of poetry and storytelling? What drew you to write young adult content specifically?
I began writing poetry as a teenager as a way of expressing myself. I performed at open mic events and eventually published a book of poems. That led me to getting an agent who encouraged me to broaden my horizons regarding the types of books I could write. Young adult fiction appealed because I have a lot of experience working with young people leading poetry workshops in schools. In both my novels the main characters write poetry at some point. Michael in The Black Flamingo performs poems on stage, whereas Mack in Only on the Weekends only writes a poem because it’s set as homework. Mack’s main form of self expression is wearing makeup. When I was a teen I didn’t see stories about boys like me, i.e. Black queer boys into makeup and poetry. So I write these books now to make up for the representation I lacked when I was younger.
What can you tell us about your latest book, Only On The Weekends? What inspired this project?
Only on the Weekends was partly inspired by me and my boyfriend moving from London to Glasgow. He had lived in Scotland before and it was much harder for me because it’s the furthest I’d ever lived from my family. Luckily, I had the excitement of being with my boyfriend and making a home with him. But for the book I flipped it and wrote about a boy moving to a new city and having to leave his boyfriend behind. Mack really wants to make his long-distance relationship work with Karim but this becomes infinitely more difficult when local boy Finlay comes into the picture and finds every opportunity to hang out with Mack and introduces him to new and exciting experiences.
Your first novel, The Black Flamingo, is such a beautiful piece of work in its lyricism and how it explores identity. Had you always intended to write it as a novel in verse? And were there any novels in verse or poets/authors in general who inspired you while writing it?
The Black Flamingo was just one poem at first. I wrote the moment when Michael is with his grandad and they see a black flamingo in a television news report. Michael sees himself in that image of a black flamingo in a group of pink flamingos. To write the novel I expanded the story backwards and forwards in time from that pivotal moment. The novel in verse that inspired me most when writing The Black Flamingo was The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevado. I was also looking at books by Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander and Sarah Crossan.
How would you describe your writing process? Is there anything you do to help yourself in terms of motivation or creativity?
One of my favorite things is to attend workshops on topics I’m writing about. For example, yesterday I attended an online workshop by London Queer Writers facilitated by Katlego Kai Kolanyane-Kesupile. The workshop title was “Writing as Rioting” and I chose to write about the concept of a riot of empathy because I’m exploring this in my writing at the moment. This evening I’m attending an in-person workshop at Glasgow Zine Library facilitated by Sean Wai Keung. The workshop title is “Memory & Food” and I hope to write about my memories of food and the cultures of my mixed race family. I know Sean explores his own mixed race identity in his work, which is why I picked this workshop. When I can’t find a workshop on any given topic I want to write about, I’ll read books, watch films and listen to podcasts on the topic, which usually sparks new ideas and connections when I sit down to write.
As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
New experiences, new hobbies or activities or putting myself in new and unfamiliar situations is all really inspiring for me. During the first lockdown of 2020 I learned to ride a bike properly and so bike rides feature in Mack’s story in Only on the Weekends. Since moving to Scotland I’ve also done lots of hiking and this helped form a structural backbone to Only on the Weekends. Over the course of the book you see Mack attempting to summit three mountains, each time with different levels of enjoyment and success. Without having done these things myself, I don’t think I’d have written them.
What are some of your favorite parts of writing? What do you feel are some of the most challenging?
My favorite part of writing is when I feel I’m in the zone, when the story is flowing and I can’t type fast enough to keep up with the rush of words. Unfortunately, this is perhaps the least common experience. The main challenge is sitting to write when I don’t feel so inspired. This may be when I turn to doing more research, making playlists of songs my characters would listen to, thinking about outfits they’d wear. This stuff may not all make it into the book but it helps to keep me immersed in the world of the book until the words come again.
In addition to the written form, you’ve also done some spoken-word poetry (including this gorgeous video). Do you find yourself tapping into different parts of yourself or your creative energy when you switch between mediums (whether on the page or stage, poetry or prose)?
I definitely used my experience of spoken-word poetry and drag when writing The Black Flamingo. Michael performs his poetry at an open mic and goes on to perform in drag at the end of the book. The page/stage dynamic was ever-present throughout the book and there are many sections when I’m describing a performance, e.g. when Michael sings “Lady Marmalade” in the school playground, when he sings “Where is Love?” from the musical Oliver! for an audition, as well as the spoken-word and drag performances at university. Since I’ve had experience with all these types of performance they were easy for me to write.
Aside from your work, what are some things you would want people to know about you?
I love food! Yesterday I made really good egg fried rice and I’m still thinking about it today. I’m keen on meditation and yoga but I’m by no means an expert. I love going to see live music. My favorite gig recently was a Glaswegian singer called Joesef. He’s actually mentioned in Only on the Weekends and I definitely recommend you check him out. I’m going to see Harry Styles when he plays here in Glasgow in June and I’m very excited about that!
What advice would you give to other aspiring creatives?
Don’t be shy to lean all the way into the topics you’re fascinated with, even if they seem too specific and niche. Write about things that excite you. Whether you’re an expert or an enthusiast, both are good starting points for exploring an idea in writing. I think the common advice we’re given is to ‘write what you know’ but I’d say ‘write what you love.’
Finally, what queer books/writers would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
I would recommend Gay Club! by Simon James Green. It’s about the election of a high school LGBTQ+ society president. It’s packed with drama, twists and turns. It depicts many of our real world struggles for LGBTQ+ rights and respect. It has a diverse set of characters that feel fully-formed and loveable but who are also absolutely infuriating at times. It’s an emotional rollercoaster of a book!
SJ Sindu is the author of the novel Marriage of a Thousand Lies, which won the Publishing Triangle Edmund White Debut Fiction Award, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award, and was an ALA Stonewall Honor Book; as well as the hybrid fiction and nonfiction chapbook I Once Met You But You Were Dead. Her latest novel, Blue-Skinned Gods, is available now. She holds an MA in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a PhD in English and Creative Writing from Florida State University. Sindu teaches at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
I had the opportunity to interview SJ, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself and your latest book, Blue-Skinned Gods?
Blue-Skinned Gods is a novel about a young boy who has blue skin and who is believed to be the last human incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, born to lead us into the next epoch. He lives at an ashram run by his father in Tamil Nadu, India, leading prayer sessions and healing the villagers who live nearby. Soon, his fame starts to spread, and the ashram attracts wealthy foreigners and investors. The boy’s father dreams of a world tour, but when it finally happens, the boy—now a man—runs away to join the underground music scene in New York. Blue-Skinned Gods explores questions of religion, faith, identity, and the spiritual industrial complex.
When and how did you realize you were first interested in writing, and what drew you specifically to the mediums you write?
Like many geeks, I wrote fanfiction in high school. Mostly Harry Potter, but also a handful of other fandoms. I was deep into LiveJournal and a whole bunch of forums and such, too. That’s really how I got into writing. I wrote a bit of my original stuff here and there, but it wasn’t until I took my first creative writing class in university that I really dove into original fiction. Now I write in multiple mediums (poetry, creative nonfiction, novels, short stories, graphic novels, etc.) and I love the different opportunities and challenges presented by each one.
As someone who has not read your latest book, Blue-Skinned Gods (yet!), the title reminded me of the medical condition, Blue Baby Syndrome, which is correlated with vulnerability in an early stage of a child’s life. Is there any parallel to that within your story, between physical and emotional vulnerability?
The story is definitely about vulnerability, the ways in which we’re vulnerable to those who hold power in our lives—like our parents—the ways in which people are vulnerable to manipulation by authority and religion, etc.
How would you describe your writing process?
I’m a drafter, meaning I like to write a lot of drafts for a single story. Especially with fiction, I think I do my best work when doing multiple drafts. My first drafts are often exploratory—I start with an idea or a premise and a few milestones I want to hit, but usually I’m not fully sure of what the story is yet. I write toward that story, and usually it clarifies by the second or third draft. That’s when I really start the bulk of the writing and revising. Blue-Skinned Gods went through twelve drafts before it even went to publishers, and twenty drafts total before it became the version you see on shelves.
What some of your favorite or most difficult parts of the writing parts?
The second draft is always difficult for me, because I’m just starting to figure out what the story is, but it also feels like I’ve been working on the project for a long time, and I get frustrated because the quality of the writing is nowhere near where I want it to be. It’s a long way from that draft to finished, and it’s easy for me to get overwhelmed thinking about all the work that still needs to be done. But I have to remind myself that I need to take it one page at a time, and I have to trust that I’ll figure it out.
As a queer writer of a different diaspora (Ukrainian-Jewish), I think I can understand a little something about the challenges of writing about queerness while existing as part of a community that does not speak about it or may speak about it in code. As an author, what are your thoughts on writing about the intersection of queerness and your other backgrounds?
This kind of intersectionality is really important to me to write about. I feel like the publishing world hasn’t always been kind to multiple marginalized experiences—they really like it when you’re only one kind of minority, because there’s a sales/marketing box for that. It’s hard to publish as a multiple-minority author, especially when you’re wanting to write about those lived experiences. There’s a fear—which is somewhat valid—that diaspora communities might not be welcoming to queer stories, and that mainstream queer culture might not be seeking out racialized stories. But in my experience—and I think publishing and Hollywood is starting to catch on to this fact—having multiple identities in one story actually doubles or triples your potential audience. So not only are these stories important, they also have the opportunity to cut across communities and reach farther than conservative corporate estimates.
Aside from being a writer, what are some things you would want others to know about you?
I’m also a professor of creative writing (I teach currently at the University of Toronto Scarborough). I brew beer. I’m into bespoke gift wrapping. I love geeking out about Sailor Moon, Avatar the Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, BBC’s Merlin, and Warehouse 13.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
No one has asked me any in depth questions about fanfiction, or how that has impacted my original writing. I think starting out writing mainly fanfiction as a teenager shaped my later writing in that it taught me the importance of creating memorable characters and worlds. The reason why we are drawn to write fanfic is usually because we find the worldbuilding compelling, and/or the characters compelling. Often it’s both. I try to apply that wisdom to my own writing. My own personal goalpost for “making it” is to write something that inspires someone to create fanfiction or fanart with my world and/or characters.
What advice would you have to give to other aspiring writers?
The three best things you can do for yourself are: learn to take criticism and rejection well; meet your deadlines; and be patient. Writing is a long, slow relationship with creativity, and the publishing industry is even slower. The stories you’re seeing on the shelves or screens took years to write and years to publish. There is no immediate reward in this career, except for your own satisfaction at making a good story. But at the same time, if you love writing, pursue it. You don’t want to regret the life not lived.
Are there other projects you are currently working on and at liberty to discuss?
Yes! I have two graphic novels coming out: Shakti, a middle-grade fantasy about witches, forthcoming 2023; and Tall Water, a YA graphic novel about the 2004 tsunami set in Sri Lanka, forthcoming 2024.
Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you commend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Shuri and T’Challa set out to remove a curse from Wakanda in an action-packed, totally original Black Panther graphic novel, Shuri and T’Challa: Into the Heartlands available now!
Roseanne A. Brown was born in Kumasi, Ghana and immigrated to the wild jungles of central Maryland as a child. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and was also a teaching assistant for the school’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House program. Her journalistic work has been featured by Voice of America among other outlets. Rosie currently lives outside Washington D.C., where in her free time she can usually be found wandering the woods, making memes, or thinking about Star Wars. Her debut novel, A Song of Wraith and Ruin, was a New York Times bestseller.
Dika Araújo is a Brazilian animator, comic artist and illustrator based in Sâo Paulo. Her previous work includes several independent Brazilian anthologies, including Amor em Quadrinhos, which was nominated for the Angouleme International Comics Award in 2018.
Natacha Bustos is a Spanish comic book artist who drew the story Going Nowhere, written by Brandan Montclare, for DC/Vertigo’s Strange Sports Stories. Bustos then made her Marvel Comics debut on Spider Woman before re-teaming with Montclare and co-writer Amy Reeder on the inaugural run of Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur, winner of Glyph Award for Best Female Character in 2016. In 2020, she drew the Buffy the Vampire: Willow miniseries (BOOM Studios!) and became part of Marvel’s Stormbreakers Artist program, dedicated to spotlighting the next generation of elite artists.
Claudia Aguirre is a GLAAD and Eisner Award nominated artist and writer. She is co-founder of Boudika Comics. Her works include Hotel Dare (Boom!Studios), Morning in America (Oni Press) and Lost on PlanetEarth (Comixology Originals
I had the opportunity to interview Roseanne A. Brown, Natacha Bustos, and Dika Araújo which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourselves?
Roseanne A. Brown: Hi! My name is Roseanne A. Brown, but everyone calls me Rosie. I’m a Ghanaian-American young adult and middle grade SFF author. My debut novel, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, is a New York Times bestselling YA Fantasy inspired by West African folklore that’s been described as what would happen if Aladdin and Jasmine had to kill each other. The sequel, A Psalm of Storms and Silence,came out in November 2021, and I have several more books on the way. On the rare day I’m not writing, I can usually be found watching obscure documentaries on Netflix or trying to cook the perfect poached egg. (It’s really hard!)
Natacha Bustos: Hi! I’m Natacha Bustos. I draw comics and live in Malaga. I’ve enjoyed comics since I was very young, and I’ve always loved telling stories. I like going for a walk in the countryside or having a nice meal in good company. My everyday life is dominated by my two loves: my son, Alan, and my cat, Momo.
Dika Araújo: Of course! I’m a 28 year old Brazilian illustrator. I work in animation and sometimes I make comics.
What can you tell us about your project, Black Panther: Into the Heartlands? How did each of you get involved?
RB: Back in early 2020, my agent sent me an email saying she’d heard that my now editor Lauren Bisom was looking for pitches for a new line of young reader graphic novels featuring some of Marvel’s most popular teen heroes: Miles Morales, Shuri and T’Challa, and Kamala Khan. The idea of a sibling story featuring the prince and princess of Wakanda came to me almost immediately; while there have been both books and comics about the two as youths, there were few centered on their relationship as children. Then during my research, I learned that the two share a father but have different birth mothers. As a member of a large, blended family myself, I really connected to the idea of these fantastical characters dealing with complicated family dynamics just like millions of kids around the world, and the idea for Into the Heartlands grew from there.
NB: Lauren Bisom contacted me to talk about a project that Dika had started. I really like Dika and her art, so the idea of working on a comic with her was appealing. Then, I saw that Claudia Aguirre had also joined the team, which was cool. I’ve known her for about ten years now through social media. I love the Black Panther universe and Shuri’s my girl, so this type of project is a no-brainer.
DA: I developed the character designs and drew the first batch of pre-Heartlands pages.
Roseanne A. Brown
Before this project, how would you describe your connection to the Black Panther universe? What does it feel like to be working on this project now?
RB: I’m relatively new to the world of Wakanda as I really didn’t know much about the characters before the movie came out in 2018. But I was blown away by the world in that film, particularly by how the creators organically wove in the African influences that created these characters. Shuri, T’Challa, and the Black Panther as a concept are icons in every sense of the word. Getting to write them has been an honor, and I only hope that my entry into the Black Panther world is full of the same heart and power that have drawn people to these characters for decades.
NB:I’ve done some Shuri and some Black Panther covers for Marvel and I’ve read Kirby’s comics. I love Shuri as done by Nnedi Okorafor and Leonardo Romero, as well as Brian Steelfreeze’s interpretation of Black Panther. They’re really powerful, all told with a singular voice.
Becoming part of the family of Black Panther authors is really a dream come true. So I’m delighted to have added my own little drop into this ocean.
DA: I started paying more attention to it after the MCU movies. Me and my brother hadn’t connected together so intensely to a character before since the Blade movies came out. So it was really exciting getting to contribute a little bit to the Wakanda canon.
Are there any other superheroes besides Shuri and T’Challa that you feel drawn to (excuse the pun)?
RB: I’ve loved Static since I was a child. He’s of Ghanaian descent, like me, and the episode of Static Shock where he went to Ghana was the first time I ever saw Twi spoken in an American media. The Batfamily were my entry point into superhero comics, with the second Robin, Jason Todd, being my absolute favorite. And I have to shout-out my girl Storm. She was a big inspiration for the character of Karina in A Song of Wraiths and Ruin.
NB: Many, including Storm, Ironheart, Ms. Marvel, Doctor Strange, Loki, Miles Morales, etc.
DA: Hehehe, that was a good joke. Yesterday I watched the first episode of Moon Knight and being autistic I could relate a lot to the chaos and general disorientation the character goes through. I could say the same about Jessica Jones. Besides that, I tend to relate to side characters more: Peridot (Steven Universe), Wolf (Kipo), Toph (Avatar the Last Airbender)…
As author of the book, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and A Psalm of Storms and Silence, howdid you find yourself becoming a writer? What drew you to young adult and speculative fiction specifically?
RB: I can barely remember a time before I wanted to write. When my family first immigrated to America when I was three, I couldn’t speak English. After years of struggling in school, it was books that opened up the world for me and helped me connect with my new community. Since then, I’ve wanted to create works that help people feel a little less alone like the books I loved did for me. As for YA and speculative fiction, I love how they’re categories where the extraordinary becomes the extra ordinary. Everything just feels a little more possible in SFF, and with YA, there’s something so refreshing about depicting the world through the eyes of a character with one foot in childhood and one foot in adulthood.
Dika Araújo
How would you describe your writing/illustrating process?
RB: Rather than a plotter or a pantser, I’m what some like to call a headlighter. That’s to say, I write books similar to how someone drives at night—all I can see is exactly what’s in front of me at the moment, but that’s enough to get me where I need to go. All my first drafts are written like that, which often leaves me with an extremely heartfelt, yet incomprehensible manuscript. From there, I’ll revise/rewrite as needed until a structure weaves through the emotion. It’s not the most efficient process, but it’s mine.
NB: I can be quite chaotic but working digitally provides me with a certain amount of order. I start sketching first off and I tend to be extremely focused at this stage. I can’t have any music on, I need silence. I pretty much skip the penciling stage when working on the final art because I’m working digitally. It’s a really fun stage: my hand is engaged in one thing, while my mind may be elsewhere; I have music playing or podcasts or even a TV series.
DA: Err… Chaotic, time-consuming, but at the same time very orderly.
What are some of your favorite craft when it comes to writing/illustrating?
RB:The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass is one of my favorite craft books of all time. For plotting, I tend to use a mixture of Save the Catstructure alongside the 7 Point Plot Structure by Dan Wells. But I always say the best craft techniques are the ones that work for you. Pick and choose what fits your writing style!
NB: I really love Pentel for illustrations; I tend to use it particularly for commissions.
DA: Getting to translate the script into a visual form of storytelling, for sure.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were (as well as the answer to that question)?
RB: Ooh, I love this question! I’ve always wished someone would ask me where the weirdest place I’ve ever written is. The answer would be on the floor of a bathroom in a grimy club in Osaka, Japan. Pass pages for ASOWAR were due, but my friends were visiting and wanted to go out. I learned the true meaning of multi-tasking on that trip.
DA: “What are your favorite reality shows?”
I love The Circle, Blown Away, Too Hot to Handle… The more random and further removed from my reality, the better. I work in animation all day, and it’s hard to watch movies and cartoons without having my “work brain” on. That kind of show lets me turn off my brain completely.
Are there any other projects you are working on or thinking about that you are able to discuss?
RB: After Into the Heartlands, my next published work will be a short story in the Star Wars anthology Stories of Jedi and Sith, out on June 7th. I’ve been a Star Wars geek since I was a teen, and have written my fair share of fanfiction, so I’m still freaking out that I got to write a canon story in the world. My next full-length book is my middle grade prose debut, Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Vampire Hunting, out with Rick Riordan Presents on September 6th. I describe that book as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Mean Girls with a huge helping of Ghanaian folklore. It’s a lot of fun, even if writing it did force me to relive my middle school days. *shudder*
NB: I have a few projects. I could tell you, but then….
DA: I’m working on a Brazilian animation studio called Copa Studio, and they’ve just released a Carnival special for a series called Jorel’s Brother, on HBO Max! I hope people like it, we made it with a lot of love.
Natacha Bustos
What advice would you give to other aspiring creatives, whether those working on prose novels or graphic novels?
RB: Give yourself permission to take your work seriously. I always tell people that if you want to play sports at a professional level, you have to be practicing at that level long before you ever make a pro team. Writing is similar. This doesn’t mean write every single day, because I sure don’t do that, but it does mean carve out time for your craft when you can and guard it like you would any other major commitment. You and your art deserve that.
NB: You need to have a routine and persistence to finish the job. It is also vitally important to have your free time, so you don’t burn out. This is essential for your mental well-being and so you enjoy your work!
DA: Don’t be fooled, it’s a career that requires a lot of hard work, but at the same time you need a lot of luck and privilege to “make it”. I’m not telling anyone to give up their dreams, that’d be an *ssh*le move, but don’t feel guilty or compare yourself to people who may have had more opportunities than you did.
Finally, what books/comics would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
RB: Some of my absolute favorite comics as both a reader and a creator are:
NB:Miles Morales: Shock Waves, Ms. Marvel comics, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Shuri, Black Panther! Read some OG stuff by Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert, Gil Kane, Buscema, José Luis García López, Mazzucchelli, etc. In the world of manga, I love Osamu Tetzuka, Shigeru Misuki, Kentaro Miura, Naoki Urosawa, Hiromu Arakawa, and Rumiko Takahashi.
DA: A big inspiration when working on this comic, for me, was The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis. Other than that, all I can say is BUY AND READ ROSIE’S BOOKS. Sorry, I got carried away, haha. Buy and read everything Roseanne writes. She’s amazing.
Shveta Thakrar was one of the inaugural Walter Dean Myers grant recipients of 2015 and has been a shining mainstay in fantasy, appearing on conference panels since 2010. She has had fiction published in Uncanny Magazine, Faerie Magazine, and forthcoming from anthologies TOIL & TROUBLE (HarlequinTeen, 2018) and A THOUSAND BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS (Greenwillow, 2018). She is also the author of Star Daughter.
I had the opportunity to interview Shveta, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Thank you for having me! I am a very spiritual dreamer who believes in magic and kindness and has a violet felt witch’s hat I like to wear around the house sometimes just for fun.
Congratulations on your latest book, The Dream Runners! Could you tell us what’s about?
I really love the blurb my editor came up with, so I’m going to cheat and just paste that here.
“Seven years ago, Tanvi was spirited away to the subterranean realm of Nagalok, where she joined the ranks of the dream runners: human children freed of all memory and emotion, who collect mortal dreams for the entertainment of the serpentine, immortal naga court.
But when one of Tanvi’s dream harvests goes awry, she begins to remember her life on earth. Panicked and confused, she turns to the one mortal in Nagalok who might be able to help: Venkat, the dreamsmith responsible for collecting the dream runners’ wares and shaping them into the kingdom’s most tantalizing commodity. And as they search for answers, a terrifying truth begins to take shape—one that could turn the nagas’ realm of dreams into a land of waking nightmare.”
Where did the inspiration for this story come from?
A number of things, starting with my fascination with the ancient lore of the war between the nagas (serpent shape-shifters) and their cousins and nemeses, the garudas (eagle shape-shifters). You can read more about that here: https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/air/opposites-attack.
I love the idea of selling dreams, and originally I was thinking of a store where you could buy and sell dreams—as inspired by Laini Taylor’s wonderful Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy, in which wishes are sold in exchange for teeth—but once I combined that with another of my favorite folklore motifs, that of the changeling, and realized the story would be set partially against the landscape of the mythical war mentioned above, I had the foundation of this book. And it grew from there!
How did you find yourself drawn to the art of storytelling? What drew you to young adult fiction specifically?
I’ve told stories as long as I can remember, even if they were just adventures in rich worlds in my imagination, so it was natural for me to start writing them down. And once I realized I never saw myself in any of the books that I loved, especially minus the real-world problems of things like prejudice, I decided to do my part to help change that.
Young adult fiction is a place of firsts, and I really like thinking maybe I could bring hope to someone who needs it. But also, it’s a great place for adventure and exploration, both inner and outer, so there’s room for all kinds of stories.
How did you find yourself getting drawn into the world of fantasy? What were some of your favorite examples growing up? What are some of your favorite examples now?
This question made me laugh, only because I’ve never not been attracted to fantasy and magic! See above, re: adventures in my head.
My favorite examples from childhood: I’m not even sure where to start! Maybe Dorrie the Little Witch and collections of fairy tales and Amar Chitra Katha comics?
My favorite examples now (always an impossible question, so I’ll just grab a few at random): Holly Black’s Modern Faerie Tales trilogy; Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone; When the Moon Was Ours, by Anna-Marie McLemore; A Green and Ancient Light,by Frederic S. Durbin; The Light at the Bottom of the World, by London Shah; Magical Women, an Indian anthology edited by Sukanya Venkatraghavan. (There are definitely many more than these five, all of which I’m sure I’ll start remembering the second I send this off.)
How would you describe your writing process?
I’m definitely an intuitive writer, and I figure out things as I go, layering in various aspects through various drafts. That means some mistakes along the way, but I’m getting better about accepting that and even starting to view it as a challenge. And revision is where I shine.
As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
Creative influences: Holly Black and Laini Taylor and Anna-Marie McLemore, all for different reasons.
Sources of inspiration: their books but also my Hindu/Indian background and its folklore and mythology, along with global folklore and mythology. Plus the possibilities hidden in the world all around us.
What are some of your favorite parts of writing? What do you feel are some of the most challenging?
My favorites: the fact that I’m spinning something out of nothing. Literally nothing. That’s magic! And that people I don’t know then get to read it and play in the worlds I’ve created and get to befriend the characters who sprang from my imagination and my heart.
My most challenging: it’s a toss-up between figuring out how to get the story right (sometimes it takes many drafts and lots of despairing) and accepting that sometimes what a reader is looking for doesn’t mesh with what you wrote. But as long as you’re happy with what you produced, that’s what counts.
Aside from your work, what are some things you would want people to know about you?
I recently got back into video gaming after a twenty-year or so hiatus, and it’s been so fun, both revisiting games from my youth and trying ones out now. It’s a different type of storytelling, and I’m so excited to see what it inspires in my own work!
I’m also a big fan of cupcakes and kaju katli (definitely with the silver leaf on top, thanks).
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
If you had to choose between hands or wings, which would it be?
I’m leaning toward wings; I could fly, and falling would just not be a thing. I could figure out how to make up for hands, even if it would be challenging.
As of now, are you currently working on any other ideas or projects that you are at liberty to speak about?
I’m not sure when the announcements will be made, so I have to keep it vague for now, but I can say you’ll definitely be seeing more fantasy from me! It’s probably safe to say it’ll also be drawing on more Indian folklore and mythology, because of course.
What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?
I actually have two separate bits of advice to offer. The first is to figure out what kind of story you want to tell. Not what you think other people would want to read, but what the reader in you would want to see in the world. What would be fun for you to write? Follow that glimmer of a notion down the rabbit hole and see what results!
Secondly, I’ve been working with Becca Syme and the team of her Better-Faster Academy for writers, and it’s been so illuminating to understand what kind of a writer I am based on my CliftonStrengths and how to work best with that, rather than trying to follow advice meant for someone else. I’d strongly advise any writer to check out Becca’s work!
Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Let’s see; off the top of my head, aside from the authors I’ve already mentioned:
Laura Gao is a 25-year-old queer artist, author, and bread lover. Originally from Wuhan, China, Gao immigrated to a small town in Texas when she was four. Gao’s art career began by doodling on Pokémon cards and has since blossomed to be featured on NPR, the MOCA in NYC, and most notably, her parents’ fridge. Her debut graphic memoir, MESSY ROOTS, was published on March 8, 2022 with HarperCollins.
Gao graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018. She worked at Twitter as a Product Manager until 2020, when her webcomic, “The Wuhan I Know“, went viral on Twitter and ignited her art career. She swears on Jack Dorsey’s beard she did not pull any strings to go viral, and wishes people would stop asking her for tips. Besides drawing and complaining about early-onset back pain, Gao enjoys living nomadically and biking around the world, designing apps for nonprofits, bakery-hunting, and watching SNL. Laura’s pronouns are she/her and they/them.
I had the opportunity to interview Laura, which you can read below.
First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Thank you for having me! I am a queer artist and author of the upcoming graphic memoir, Messy Roots. I was born in Wuhan, China and then immigrated to a small town in Texas where I grew up. I’ve been drawing ever since I was a toddler doodling (and probably slobbering) on Pokemon cards, but I didn’t start pursuing it professionally until 2020 when a comic of mine went viral and got me a book deal.
What can you tell us about your debut graphic novel, Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American? Where did the inspiration for this story come from?
Messy Roots is about my self-discovery journey as a queer, Chinese American teenager stuck between cultures, homes, and expectations of “who I should be” instead of “who I want to be”. It explores my differing experiences between Wuhan, where I was born and visited later on, Texas, where I grew up and experienced the most amount of racism and homophobia, and college and San Francisco, where I had to reckon with and love my entire identity.
Messy Roots started out as a viral comic I created called, The Wuhan I Know, which highlighted the beautiful things I loved about my hometown and shared my own experience with racism growing up and at the start of the pandemic. When the comic unexpectedly went viral, I received countless heartwarming notes from people around the world! The one that struck me the most was from an Asian-American mother whose daughters had read and were inspired by the comic, asking if I was planning on writing more.
And that’s how this book began.
How did you find yourself getting into comics? What drew you to the medium?
I didn’t start drawing comics until after graduating college, although I’ve been reading them for as long as I could remember how to read. The most impactful graphic memoir I read, Spinning by Tillie Walden, was pivotal in helping me understand my own LGBTQ identity despite growing up in a conservative place like Walden did. After graduating college, I worked a standard corporate job but kept up drawing after work as a creative outlet. I’ve always loved telling stories, and had taken animation classes in college where I learned my favorite part was the storyboarding, so comics became a natural medium for me to explore.
For Messy Roots, I wanted to magically transport the reader into my shoes as they undergo the same identity-seeking journey I did. From squirming in embarrassment as the entire school mocks the Asian mathlete, to staring in awe at the beautiful Wuhan skyline reflected on the Yangtze river the first time I went back to my hometown, to my internal battle with identity portrayed by the white rabbit from Chinese candies and folklore. Comics enable me to marry my storytelling with my art to give readers the full, immersive experience.
As an artist, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?
Makoto Shinkai’s works, Weathering With You and Your Name. Tillie Walden. Anime and manga I grew up on, like Yotsuba, Naruto, and Haikyuu. Comedy TV, like SNL, Parks and Recreation, and Sex Education.
In light of the pandemic and this being a memoir, this story seems like a highly intimate and potent project for you. Could you discuss some of the craft elements you utilized when trying to depict the personal?
Talking about personal and sometimes traumatic events is incredibly hard, especially when sharing with millions of strangers! However, in the same way I often cope with bad memories through humor, I balance out the heavier scenes with comedic ones throughout the book. It lets the reader take in all the Big Feelings while also allowing them a break before the next Big Feeling.
I also depicted some intangible feelings through motifs, such as the dream-like scenes with the white rabbit from Chinese candies and folklore that symbolize my internal battle with my Asian American identity, and the moon being hidden by clouds as signs of my closeted feelings.
What are some things you would want readers to take away from Messy Roots?
I hope readers understand that everyone’s search for identity and home is different and complex. And that’s okay!
I just wrote a whole memoir about it, and every day I’m learning new things about myself. However, by letting your voice shine above the doubts, you’ll realize the right people and places will naturally gravitate towards you. No matter how messy your roots are.
What advice might you have to give to other aspiring creators?
Post terrible work!
Yes, you heard right. The quicker you get over your perfectionism, the faster you’ll finish projects, get feedback, improve, and overcome imposter syndrome or “artist stage fright”. I give myself a deadline for when I must post the art, finished or not. Even if it has mistakes, after I post, I realize 99% of people never even notice. Ultimately my goal is to tell a story; I don’t need to be perfect to be impactful.
When I look at “The Wuhan I Know” I see plenty of ways I could’ve improved it, and I’m sure I’ll feel the same about my book when it comes out, but if I kept the comic in my drafts trying to get it perfect, I’d never have published it and gotten the book deal to give me my dream career.
Besides your work as an artist what are some things you would want readers to know about you?
I lived nomadically last year, splitting my time between Taiwan and Europe, and would love to continue exploring the world while drawing and hunting for the best bread. I also build websites and apps for various nonprofits. My bucket list includes biking every major long-distance trail in the world, and starting a media company that only creates queer joy content.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but wish you were (and the answer to that question)?
What’s your favorite queer ship? Korrasami hands down.
Are there any projects you are working on or thinking about that you are able to discuss?
I’m currently working on my second book, which will be a queer rom-com about astrology throwing a group of teens’ lives into a hot mess!
Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/comics would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Xiran Jay Zhao (they/them) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Widow series. A first-gen Hui Chinese immigrant from small-town China to Vancouver, Canada, they were raised by the internet and made the inexplicable decision to leave their biochem degree in the dust to write books and make educational content instead. You can find them on Twitter for memes, Instagram for cosplays and fancy outfits, TikTok for fun short videos, and YouTube for long videos about Chinese history and culture. Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperoris their first middle grade novel.
I had the opportunity to interview Xiran, which you can read below.
What can you tell us about your upcoming book, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor? What inspired the story?
It’s a middle grade adventure I pitch as Chinese Percy Jackson meets Yugioh! It features a 12-year-old Chinese American boy who’s not really connected to his Chinese heritage, but is compelled to go on a journey across China to fight historical and mythical figures and heist real artifacts after the First Emperor of China possesses his AR gaming headset. I was inspired to write this story when my friend Rebecca Schaeffer, author of the Not Even Bones series, encouraged me to try my hand at writing MG, since I’d been hyper fixating on Chinese history and myth, and myth stories make for very good MG novels. Immediately I thought of doing a Chinese take on Yugioh, the most formative anime of my childhood, in which I would combine modern gaming tech with ancient myths and magic.
When did you know you were first interested in writing, and what drew you specifically to speculative fiction and writing for young adult and middle grade audiences?
I’ve always had stories in my head inspired by the media I love. 7-year-old me would babble imaginary scenarios to my friends at recess—which I now recognize as basically Yugioh fanfiction.So in a way, I really came full circle on that with this book! I write kidlit because I’m drawn to coming of age stories, having had quite a tough time finding my identity while growing up. Writing kidlit allows me to share what I’ve learnt along the way to future generations, and I hope it can help them in some way. Not to mention that I can be as wacky as I want!
From the looks of the synopsis description, it looks like this book will explore the themes of diaspora and Chinese identity. As a member of a different diaspora myself, I’m curious what working on these subjects has meant to you as an author, exploring it within Zachary’s character and your writing in general?
Zachary Ying—both the book and character—pull deeply from the inner turmoil I struggled with when I was around his age (12). That was when I first immigrated from China to a small town in Canada and landed in a school where I was the only Asian kid. My experience there plummeted my self-esteem, and it took me years to unpack the shame I was made to feel about my heritage and identity. I’m incredibly grateful that I now get to write the books I wish I had when I was younger. Through my stories, I hope I can help the next generation of diaspora come to terms with their identity, so they will have a smoother adolescence than mine.
How would you describe your writing process? What are some of your favorite/ most frustrating parts of the process?
I figure out the character arc I want my protagonist to have, the specific goal they’re trying to achieve in the story, then how the antagonist(s) competes with them for that goal. I used to have a problem with my plots meandering, but I solved it by constantly keeping in mind what my antagonist is doing and building a push and pull between my protagonist and antagonist. Then I whine nonstop to my friends about how impossible it’ll be to finish the book until I finish the book. I love worldbuilding and imagining the exciting scenes I want to put in a book, but putting the actual story to words is an absolute chore for me.
Were there any author, books, or media influences you feel have helped shaped you as a writer?
As mentioned before, Yugioh is the biggest direct inspiration for this book. I’ve always loved how Yugioh blends ancient magic with sci-fi technology—they don’t have to be kept in separate genres! I’m also inspired by a lot of Yugioh-adajcent shonen anime like Dragon Ball Z and Saint Seiya, plus superhero comics on the Western side. For some reason, I seem really drawn toward media that’s meant to target teenage boys. As for books, Lemony Snicket, Laini Taylor, Marie Lu, Rick Riordan, and Wu Cheng’en are some authors who’ve had big influences on me!
In addition to being a writer, you are also known for your YouTube videos discussing Chinese history and representation (and for your amazing costume!) May I ask how you got into both?
I got really into Chinese history a few years ago when I was in a pretty dark place in my life. Finding the stories of defiance and resilience in the historical records inspired me like nothing else. While there’s “typical Chinese culture” that seems to make everything about Confucianism and obedience and sticking within your designated social roles, there has also always been a counterculture that rebelled against that, and that spirit is just as Chinese. I think there’s much misunderstanding about Chinese culture from Western points of view, so I’ve made it my life’s mission to demystify it by spreading the stories I love.I didn’t have serious thoughts about becoming a YouTuber until I accidentally blew up with my first video though. I just wanted to rant about how terrible I found the 2020 live action Mulan movie, and Twitter wasn’t enough to express all my feelings, so I recorded a 35 minute video on a shoddy camera and made a YouTube account to throw it up there. Next thing I knew, the video had hundreds of thousands of views and my brand new account had more than 80 thousand subscribers from the single upload. I knew I couldn’t waste that platform, so I committed to making more videos. The costumes and clothing are stuff I’ve accumulated in my closet in my years of cosplaying. Turns out, the editing and makeup skills I’ve picked up from being active in fandom spaces translate really well to YouTubing.
As a queer writer, you are known for including some pretty cool queer characters within your work (including polyamory within Iron Widow, which is still pretty rare in YA!) Would you mind discussing what queer representation means to you (and whether we might see any in Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor?)
Oh yes, Zachary Ying is a queer book! Let’s just say his Chineseness isn’t the only identity Zack has to come to terms with. I will never write a book without queer rep because I’ve experienced what it’s like to crawl and scavenge for crumbs of representation when I was younger (and mainly by hanging onto characters the official creators will never admit to being queer), and that’s not something I want the next generation to go through. I want them to have a selection so large that they can find exactly what delights them.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
Who are my inspirations when it comes to pop history outreach? The answer is famous Chinese historians like Yuan Tengfei, Meng Man, and Yi Zhongtian! Indeed, Chinese media has famous historians and archeologists who constantly appear on TV. A big show that broke them out was Lecture Hall (百家讲堂), which aired every day around noon and featured a professor giving a lecture on a certain topic, often history. I used to catch it every day during lunch break when I went to school in China (did you know Chinese schools and work give like 2-hour lunch breaks because you’re supposed to take a noon nap?). I never would’ve become so interested and knowledgeable in Chinese history without exposure to these amazing lecturers. My YouTube style is very inspired by them—I sit there and talk for a long time while giving my own opinions freely instead of doing short animated videos like most HistoryTubers. I’m grateful this works for me because I have neither the talent to do animations like that nor the restraint to talk about a topic for just 5-10 minutes.
Aside from being an author, what are some things you would want others to know about you?
I am honestly a huge mess of a person. My life is not glamorous as it may seem. It involves a lot of sleeping and waking up at improbable hours and stressing out over deadlines.
What advice would you give for aspiring authors?
When you’re on your first draft, stop constantly going back and editing. Power through the whole thing so you train yourself to actually finish books, THEN dive into the mess to edit. This way, you’ll avoid the trap of being one of those writers who starts a lot of stories but can’t finish them.
Finally, what are some LGBTQIA+ books/authors you would recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?
Linden A. Lewis’ THE FIRST SISTER is a mind blowing space opera, pitched as Red Rising meets The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s seriously SO GOOD and has amazing queer characters. Please read it! There’s a full review on my website if you wanna know more.
SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN by Shelley Parker-Chan, a genderbent retelling of the founding of the Ming dynasty, should appeal to those who enjoy the historical aspect of my books as well.
FRAGILE REMEDY by Maria Ingrande Mora, a YA sci-fi, gave me huge Yugioh 5D’s vibes, so I’d recommend it for fellow Yugioh fans.
CUTE MUTANTS by SJ Whitby is a delightfully chaotic and queer take on superheroes!
