Author: Michele Kirichanskaya

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Interview With Cartoonists Whit Taylor & Kazimir Lee

Whit Taylor is an Ignatz Award-winning cartoonist, editor, and writer from New Jersey. She has authored many comics, including the graphic novel Ghost Stories, and is a regular contributor to the Nib.

Kazimir Lee is an animator, cartoonist, and illustrator, who has lived for almost equal amounts of time in Malaysia, the UK, and the US, now residing in Brooklyn, New York.

About the Book Harriet Tubman:Towards Freedom Harriet Tubman did something exceptionally courageous: She escaped slavery. Then she did something impossible: She went back. She underwent some thirteen missions to rescue around seventy enslaved people, using and expanding a network of abolitionists that became known as the Underground Railroad. She spent her life as an activist, speaking out for Black people and women’s suffrage. 

This modern account of her trip to save her brothers is detailed and authentic. Illustrated with care for the historical record, it offers insight into the life and mind of Tubman, displaying her as a woman with an unshakable desire to break the chains of an unjust society. It is a perfect anti-racist narrative for our times and deepens an understanding of just what freedom means to those who must fight for it.

How did you come to find yourself working in comics? What would you say attracted you to the medium in the first place?

Whit: I’ve been a comics reader and drawer since I was little, but didn’t start seriously making comics until my mid/late 20s. I started self-publishing, attending comics shows, and found a community in the indie comics world. In recent years, I’ve also become a freelance comics editor and contributing editor at The Nib.  I’ve always been attracted to the versatility of comics storytelling and enjoy both making my own comics and collaborating with others, such as Kaz. I like to make all sorts of comics: memoir, non-fiction (comics journalism/historical/educational), and some fiction. 

K: I was attracted by the freedom of this medium! I loved working in animation, but it was so time consuming that I found myself becoming too deeply focused on producing marketable, profitable content rather than work that spoke to me. CCS (The Center for Cartoon Studies) really shook up my expectations and pointed me in the right direction. There has always been something deeply DIY about cartooning, and I consider that one of its greatest strengths. Also Batman.

Whit Taylor

Who would you say are some of your favorite artistic influences? 

Whit: It’s hard to narrow it down because there are plenty, but off the top of my head, Lynda Barry and MariNaomi come to mind.

K: Jereme Sorese, Kevin Czap, Blue Delliquanti, Liz Suburbia, Marika and Jillian Tamaki and Joe Sacco are all giants. I would be blessed to be half the artist any of them are.

What advice would you give to other aspiring creators?

Whit: Make the work that’s in line with your values and interests.  Invest in your creative community. Realize that everyone has a different career path and that building it can take time. Don’t be ashamed to have a day job or other source of income…in this industry it’s not the exception, but the norm.

K: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Collaboration is fertile. Find time to experiment. Try your best to learn from your peers. Be accountable to your community, and to yourself.

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked?

Whit: What changes in the comics industry would you most like to see? Right now, my top answers would be more publishing opportunities for adult graphic novels (which I think is starting to happen, thankfully), more support for new parents in the industry (as a new mom, making art can be particularly challenging), and some sort of viable path towards a cartoonist/comics industry union.

K: What TV shows are consuming your free time right now and why?

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

Whit: I’m currently working on The Greater Good, a public health policy/history graphic novel which will be drawn by Joyce Rice and published by First Second in 2023. I have a public health degree, and having worked in health education before moving to comics, this is a dream project. I’m also drawing the fourth issue of my minicomic series Fizzle, published by Radiator Comics. 

K: I’m working on a YA graphic novel for Iron Circus, and it will be the first large work I’ve ever written and drawn on my own! Scary. I’m also producing a comic about healthcare reform in collaboration with James Sturm for CCS- it’s done in the format of an animal-filled children’s picture book (even though it’s for kids and adults alike) and it was a fun departure from my regular style!

Kazimir Lee

In regard to queer media, what LGBTQ+ media would you say you’ve been drawn to in the past, especially that in regards to your own specific experiences and identities?

K: It’s embarrassing since I feel like I’m too old for this, but Steven Universe has been really formative in what I think queer media (especially in the Young Adult side of things) is capable of. Kim Petras and Remy Boydell are always pushing boundaries. There’s this queerpunk band, Shh! Diam that always blows my mind. The poetry of Zefyr Lisowki and the comics by Bisakh Som are a huge inspiration. We’re sort of living in a queer creator golden age, although I wish everyone was paid more.

As someone who has lived within Malaysia, the UK, and the US, would you say you’ve experienced or seen certain variations in terms of queer culture and expression? If so, would you describe them?

K: I didn’t really get to grow up in Malaysia, but whenever I go back it’s amazing to see queer culture bloom in what can be a really hostile environment. It reminds me of the importance of queer survival, and how that’s tied up with solidarity and accountability. Kuala Lumpur’s scene is smaller and more intimate than New York’s (where I live now.). It’s not as if there’s no drama, but I feel like we have to watch out for each other. It reminds me that we don’t have the privilege to treat others as disposable.

As someone who has illustrated comics about sex positivity, immigration rights, etc., what would you say inspires your inspirations? Has activism through art always been something you’ve been drawn to (no pun intended)? 

K: I am much less of an activist now, since I’m working for my green card. That makes breaking the law much more theoretical, and much less actual. I miss marching, but I feel like I am experiencing activism vicariously through my friends, family and community. Writing about it from the sidelines can be amazing, but also sort of frustrating at times. I call it Anarcho-FOMO.

Do you have any comics/books to recommend for the readers of Geeks OUT?

Whit: These recent reads come to mind: Dog Biscuits by Alex Graham (self-published), Guantanamo Voices by Sarah Mirk (Abrams), and I Never Promised you a Rose Garden by Mannie Murphy (Fantagraphics).

K: This One Summer is a brilliant read. Anything by Tillie Walden or Robyn Brooke Smith, they’re both geniuses. Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia is one of my fave comics ever, it’s deeply haunting and very “punk”. Jeremy Sorese has a book coming out called ‘The Short While‘, it’s a queer sci-fi thriller, and while I haven’t read it yet, I’m sure it will be brilliant!

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Interview with Author Chloe Gong

Chloe Gong is the New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and its sequel, Our Violent Ends. She is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in English and international relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Chloe is now located in New York pretending to be a real adult. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok under @TheChloeGong.

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

Hello! It’s such a pleasure to be here. I’m Chloe Gong, the author of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends, which is a Romeo and Juliet retelling duology set in 1920s Shanghai. I’m originally from Auckland, New Zealand and I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania this year, so now I’m a full-time author hopping along in New York City.

Where did you get your start in creative writing? What pulled you to fiction?

I started way, way back, writing my first novel when I was 13! I gave writing a go because books and stories were a form of entertainment and escapism for me, especially because I always complained that I was soooooo bored in suburban Auckland. There were only so many times that my mum could take me to the library in a week, and once I tore through my book pile, I turned to writing stories instead of reading them. Creative writing was this outlet to create worlds for myself—I didn’t even think of myself as a writer until much later in high school.

Where did the impetus to write These Violent Delights come from, besides the obvious Shakespearean source?

I wanted to write a blood feud story mashed with the setting of 1920s Shanghai, so the Shakespearean source genuinely did come later! I was fascinated with the aesthetic of the 20s and Shanghai in the 20s in particular because my parents always talked about it as the city’s golden era in modern history. Then I did some research of my own and learned about the lawlessness and the gangster rule and everything being a result of imperialism after the Opium Wars, and it was just such a fascinating world that I wanted to work with it in fiction.

As an author who wrote These Violent Delights while studying in college, how did you balance your schedule between your classes and writing? Would you say your academic studies have influenced your creative projects?

It was hard! I had to do a lot of planning in advance, looking at my semester as a whole and pinning down which days I had assignments due so that it wasn’t clashing with my book deadlines. I wouldn’t have had it any other way, but it was certainly a lot of intense calendar-managing to make sure I was keeping a good balance. My academic studies influenced what I wrote for sure! Or rather, I would take classes in the sort of things I was interested in anyway, but my Russian Lit professor did get some very bizarre emails from me about duels and how people fought them in history.

How would you describe your crafting style, i.e plotting, pantsing, something in between, or something else entirely? How would you describe your typical writing routine?

I’m a very thorough plotter! I need things outlined before I can dive in, otherwise I find that I flounder a little. My outlines tend to look like Draft Zero too, and by that I mean I dump out everything I’ve imagined in the scene: the sequence of events, the dialogue, the character’s feelings, my behind-the-scenes craft work etc etc. By then, Draft One is the pretty prose run and I can focus on my language because the other heavy lifting has been done.

What’s your favorite cultural (film, book, etc.) adaption of a Shakespearean work, Romeo and Juliet and otherwise? Are you interested in writing any new stories based off the Bard’s work?

I really love the Baz Luhrmann adaptation of Romeo + Juliet. I think I’m going to stay in the Shakespearean retellings niche for some time, there’s definitely a lot to work with! I’ve written an Antony and Cleopatra retelling too, but that’s all I’ll say for now…

Since Geeks OUT is a queer centered website, could you tell us a bit about the LGBTQ+ characters featured in your books?

We have the darling Marshall Seo who is out as queer, described to have a Cheshire cat smile because he’ll be a ray of sunshine if you’re on his good side but he won’t hesitate to smack around anyone on his bad side. He has a budding romance with Benedikt Montagov, who is more hesitant toward embracing his identity because he’s an intense thinker and feeler living in his own head so much. And of course one of my favorite characters to write is Kathleen Lang—she’s a trans girl who is fiercely devoted to her family and will do everything in her power to protect them. I somehow accidentally gave her a line from Taylor Swift’s mirrorball before Taylor Swift even released mirrorball.

The central conflict is between the Scarlet Gang and the White Flowers, Chinese and Russian groups respectively. What was the process like for you, writing about a culture that you were already familiar with versus one that you weren’t?

Most of the cultures I wrote about in These Violent Delights I’m actually quite familiar with! I included these groups because of Shanghai’s true history and I’m in Shanghai often (at least, in our pre-pandemic days), where the remnants of the 1920s immigrant groups are still around in what I hear about from my relatives or in the shops and areas I go to. I did a bit more nosing around on Russian words as opposed to Chinese words I already knew, but ultimately I just approached all cultures with a lot of respect and wrote on what I’ve researched and soaked in about Shanghai. In general, I actually read more translated Russian literature than I read translated Chinese literature!

In various interviews, you’ve discussed how intense the research process was behind writing These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends? Could you describe that for us?

I flipped through soooo many textbooks. I spent a lot of time very early in the process only absorbing information so that I could properly imagine the world as it was in history. That meant it came a lot easier once I was working on Our Violent Ends or on the spin-off duology that’s coming after that, because I already had the base work from all my heavy researching pre-These Violent Delights. 

What’s an interview question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were?

If I could fight any animal which one would I fight—and I would answer a salmon fish. I don’t know why, I just think it would be kind of funny.

What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?

To keep writing and writing! Craft can only develop with practice—it’s truly impossible to get something right off the bat or in one go. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen immediately as you want it to, and don’t buy into people who say they can teach you something fast. Writing is something that gets honed with time and effort.

Are there any other projects or ideas you are currently nursing and would be at liberty to say?

In Fall 2022, I have a spin-off duology coming! Set after the events of Our Violent Ends, Foul Lady Fortune follows a character who we’ve already met in the previous duology, but we can’t reveal who until Our Violent Ends is out so that we’re not spoiling anything! But I always pitch Foul Lady Fortune as a political C-Drama meets a Marvel movie as it’s about two fake married spies infiltrating a corporate workplace to uncover an imperialist scheme, and I’m very excited to reveal more eventually.

Finally, what are some LGBTQ+ books or authors you would recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie is releasing February 2022 and it’s described as a coming-of-age/coming-out story as Ophelia navigates the end of high school and contemporary lovers absolutely have to scramble to pick it up. And for SFF lovers, Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta is the most wild ride of found family and giant mechas in truly the best possible way so read it before the sequel Godslayers releases in June 2022!

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Interview with Paige McKenzie and Nancy Ohlin

Paige McKenzie is a millennial hyphenate: a New York Times bestselling author, YouTuber, actor, influencer, creator, artist, and producer. Her first book series, the Haunting of Sunshine Girl, was on the New York Times bestseller list for over a month. Paige is constantly creating. Her Etsy shop, the Homebody Guild, is full of her art and designs, and she is always updating it with new creations. Paige also interacts daily with her Sunshiners across a variety of media including YouTube (where she has over half a million subscribers), Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Paige is a founding member of Coat Tale Productions, with three projects in active development. Paige lives in Portland, Oregon, with the love of her life, a seven-pound Chihuahua named Pongo. 

Nancy Ohlin was born in Tokyo and moved to the United States when she was nine. She has written, ghostwritten, or collaborated on over one hundred fiction and nonfiction books for children, teens, and adults, including her YA novels Consent, Beauty, and Always, Forever (Simon & Schuster). Most recently, she collaborated with Paige on The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl (Hachette Books), Quvenzhané Wallis on the Shai and Emmie chapter book series (Simon & Schuster), and Chloe Lukasiak on her memoir Girl on Pointe: Chloe’s Guide to Taking on the World (Bloomsbury). 

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

NANCY: Thank you for inviting us! So I was born in Tokyo, Japan and moved to the U.S. with my mom and my little brother when I was nine. English is my second language. I’ve written or ghostwritten over a hundred books for teens, kids, and adults. These days, I live in Ithaca, New York, where my husband is a law professor and dean. Our son, Chris, is a classical pianist and lives in Chicago with his partner John, and our daughter, Clara, is a 7th grader and future bestselling author. Our family includes many cats who have all perfected the art of adorable Zoom-bombing. In my spare time, I read, cook, do yoga, play board games, and watch a lot of TV (and cute cat videos, of course!).

PAIGE: Hi there! I am a New York Times bestselling author, YouTuber, actor, influencer, creator, artist, and producer. I am constantly creating in my art studio. ​I have an Etsy shop (The Homebody Guild) with rugs, clothing, earrings. and much more! I spend most of my time being creative and snuggling my 10-pound chihuahua, Pongo. 

Could you tell us what your series, B*Witch is about? Also, how did you come up with the awesome name?

B*Witch is about two covens of teen witches, one “good” and one “bad” (those distinctions get very blurry over time) who have to work together to solve the mystery of a sister witch’s untimely death. In the world of B*Witch, witchcraft is against the law, so our witches have to practice in secret. On top of this, anti-magic hate groups are on the rise, adding to the drama and danger. There’s also a 19TH-century witch-hunter who may still be alive, although it’s unclear whose side he is on; is he with the hate groups, or is he with the witches? 

The sequel, Witch Rising, picks up where B*Witch left off, with the stakes (and peril) being even higher. There’s also a lot of complicated romantic stuff going on amongst our witches: Iris and Torrence fight over Greta’s affections; Ridley can’t get over her crush on a dead girl; Div (who happens to have a “more than friends” history with Greta) and Mira fake-date two members of the anti-magic hate group; and Binx has feelings for someone who may be a valuable ally or a very dangerous enemy … or a little of both.

The name, B*Witch, was a collaborative lightbulb moment by us and our (amazing) literary agent, Mollie Glick. The asterisk was meant to evoke the contemporary vibe of the books and was also a nod to Binx, who is a cyber-witch.

How did you two come to work together on a book series? Did you know each other prior to writing together?

We did not know each other prior to writing together, although we were definitely fans of each other’s work! Our first project together was The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl, the third book in the Haunting of Sunshine Girl trilogy. Mollie introduced the two of us and brought us together for this book. Afterwards, we were like, “that was so much fun, let’s write something else together!” So we brainstormed ideas by Skype—Paige is West Coast, and Nancy is East Coast. We almost immediately said “A BOOK ABOUT WITCHES!” to each other, and the rest is history.

Nancy Ohlin

How did you both find yourselves getting into writing? What drew you to the Young Adult genre?

PAIGE: I have always loved YA and still pretty much exclusively read YA. My path to writing was very untraditional. My YouTube series, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl, has over half a million subscribers, and I have always told stories on that platform. I was approached to do a book about my life but that didn’t feel like me, so I wrote a novel instead, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl, and thus the trilogy was born. And now, B*Witch and Witch Rising!

NANCY: I’d wanted to be a writer ever since I was little. I started out writing poetry at age thirteen, continued with poetry through high school and college, and then shifted to fiction, very tentatively, in my twenties … tentatively because poems are (generally) short and fiction is (generally) longer and involves plots and characterization and other hard stuff that I’d never studied in school. I got into kidlit when I was hired for my first ghostwriting project, for a popular girls’ mystery series; an editor friend gave me the opportunity to “audition” for the job, and I got it! Working on those books, I realized how much I liked writing from a young POV. That led to more ghostwriting gigs for various early grade, middle grade, and YA series, and eventually, to writing my own original stories for those age groups. 

Of those age groups, I find YA the most rewarding, and the most challenging, to write. Being a teenager is so intense and complicated (understatement!), and creating teen characters, telling their stories, is equally so. I also draw from my own experiences as a teenager—my teen years were not awesome—and that’s a scary place to go. Scary but necessary … two words that kind of sum up writing for me.

Aside from B*Witch, what are some other witchy universes you love or draw inspiration from?

NANCY: I’m a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Willow and her girlfriend, Tara, are two of my favorite fictional witches. I’m also a fan of Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Witch books. My passion for witchy things started at a young age; when I was a kid growing up in Japan, I was obsessed with a super-popular anime character named Sally the Witch. Oh, and did I mention that I love Wanda a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch from the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Beyond specifically witchy worlds … while writing the B*Witch books, I drew inspiration from folklore and mythology from different cultures. Also poetry, feminism, and herbology … and of course, the stories and experiences of people who represent the LGBTQ+, BIPOC, AAPI, and other marginalized communities. 

PAIGE: I LOVE Practical Magic with a burning passion … the house, the characters … oh, it is just everything! I also love Stardust and, really, any universe Neil Gaiman creates. And I grew up in the 90’s, so the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus are queens!

Out of the main characters in your series, who do you find yourself relating the most to?

PAIGE: This question is always the hardest for Nancy and me! I would say Binx because of her sassy nature, and Iris because of her emotions and anxiety, which I certainly suffer from!

NANCY: I think there is a part of me in all of the characters! My top three would probably be: Binx, because she is Japanese American; Iris, because of what Paige said; and Greta, because she loves cats and nature and is very nurturing. 

Since Geeks OUT is a queer website, could you talk a bit about the queer representation/themes we can see in the book?

B*Witch and Witch Rising are very much about a (fictional) marginalized group—witches who live in a place where witchcraft is illegal—and for us echo experiences that LGBTQ+ and members of other marginalized groups may experience in the real world. We have several queer characters in the series: Greta, Div, and Aysha are bi; Iris is a lesbian; and Ridley is trans. And as we mentioned earlier, the books include several non-cis-het romances.

What advice would you have for aspiring writers? 

Read lots. Keep a journal. Draw inspiration from everything around you. Remember that a first draft is just that—a first draft—and it’s important just to get the words down; you can rearrange them later. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or take creative risks. Be kind to yourself while writing, and also remember to take care of yourself when you’re not writing; it can be easy to lose track of Life with a capital L when you’re staring at your computer screen and trying to make brilliant words happen.

Paige McKenzie

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

Question: Books are usually published a year or more after an author finishes the manuscript. How do you get excited about a just-published book you wrote ages ago when you’ve already moved on to other books, other projects?

Answer: Writing a book can be intense and consuming. The two of us have been known to walk around our respective houses speaking in our characters’ voices, to get the dialogue right; we’ve also been known to cry (and cry and cry) while writing emotionally difficult scenes. So once B*Witch and Witch Rising were done and delivered to the publisher, that “all-in” commitment had to be put behind us so we could move onto new ideas, new stories.

So it can be hard to get our heads back into a newly published book, like Witch Rising which just came out, when the creative experience that went into it happened long ago. But. When we recently revisited Witch Rising to talk about it with readers and to prepare for book events, we were drawn back into the intensity of its creation, the all-consuming vortex, all over again. We remembered how much we loved our characters. We cried at the same emotionally difficult scenes. It’s truly a wonder and a blessing to be able to pick up our book and relive its magic again. And again. And again.

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

NANCY: I’m currently working on a middle grade novel about a Japanese American girl growing up in Ohio. It’s kind of funny, kind of dark, and definitely very real. It deals with fitting in, friendships, family, racism, and #MeToo. And Star Trek. And cats. 

The pandemic year has been a weird one for me in terms of creativity. On the one hand, I’m so focused on staying safe, keeping my family safe, and worrying about the world, that I don’t have a lot of mental and emotional energy left over for writing. On the other hand, writing is the one place where I have the freedom to imagine different, better worlds. Also, there’s something comforting about writing (and reading and watching) stories about characters whose problems are ultimately solve-able and manageable. 

PAIGE: I am constantly working on things, whether it is a rug in the studio or an interview for Geeks OUT! Currently I am putting myself through school, with only about a year left. And I am trying to get more detail in my rugs, so wish me luck! 

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

There are so many wonderful LGBTQ+ books and authors that we could name! Definitely at the top of our list would be books by: Phoebe North, Katherine Locke, Alex London, C. B. Lee, Adib Khorram, Tessa Sharpe, NoNieqa Ramos, Bennett Madison, Robin Talley, Eliot Schrefer, and Bill Konigsberg. 

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Interview with Author Kit Rosewater

Kit Rosewater has a master’s degree in children’s literature from Hollins University. The Derby Daredevils was her debut book series, illustrated by Sophie Escabasse, with three volumes currently available. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself and your series, The Derby Daredevils?

Thank you so much for having me on the blog! I am a queer, cis children’s book author and I use she/her pronouns. I currently live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but a few years back I lived in Austin, Texas and got the idea to write a middle grade series about a quirky junior roller derby team based in downtown Austin. That idea eventually grew into THE DERBY DAREDEVILS!

Where did the inspiration for The Derby Daredevils come from? Do you yourself have any personal connections to the sport of roller derby?

When I first moved to Austin, I quickly dove into the roller derby scene. I loved the chaotic energy and open acceptance in that world. I attended a lot of bouts (official roller derby games) and then started to get into the sport as a referee. I trained as a referee with a New Mexico team when we moved, but had to drop out due to health issues before our league got into the main bout season. I will never stop being a humongous roller derby fan. 

What inspired you to get into writing for younger audiences? Were there any writers or books that made you think “I want to do this, too someday”?

Oh gosh! I’ve wanted to write for children for as long as I can remember… basically since I was a kid. The books I read when I was eight, nine, ten—those are the books that have stayed with me the rest of my life. I was obsessed with Louis Sachar’s HOLES and E.L. Konigsburg’s THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER. Around that time, my mother quit her job as a paralegal to write a children’s book manuscript, and I thought that was super brave and inspiring. I knew I wanted to do that too someday. 

On your website page, it says you’ve had some education in Children’s Literature. Could you discuss that a bit in detail?

You know, I was vocal about loving children’s books from the get go, but for some reason when I was in high school and college I lost my nerve when it came to creative writing. I was afraid someone would come along and tell me my writing was bad and then my one major dream would go up in smoke. So when it came time to hop into graduate school, I decided to take a critical analysis track and study children’s books as a scholar. And honestly I am so glad I did! Investigating themes and trends in the canon of children’s literature has made me a better writer, but even more importantly, it helped me discover a long history of radical queer themes in children’s books. I feel very close to this category of literature as both a queer writer, but also as a young queer reader. 

Since Geeks OUT is a queer website, could you talk a bit about the queer representation/themes we can see in your books?

Absolutely! One of my main objectives with THE DERBY DAREDEVILS has been to create a setting and cast of characters that normalize and celebrate queerness. The books feature queer role models—a funny and loving trans dad in one, a great non-binary friend and mentor in another. The books also feature a young queer relationship, or really more of a queer crush that at least one character develops. It was important to me to not have the queer aspect be a source of tension in the narrative, but to simply exist and be visible to the reader. I think in a lot of ways I’m writing stories I wish I had access to as a kid when I was trying to figure myself out.

What advice would you have to give for aspiring writers, particularly for writing sports and other physical activities? 

My advice to all writers is to keep learning and not give up. If you learn something new with each story you write, then no words are ever wasted. To sports or action writers in particular, my best writing advice is to tackle action scenes with lots of interiority. By this I mean that it’s important to really get into the heads of your characters, and allow the reader see and smell and taste and feel what it’s like to be in the middle of action rather than watching it from the side. Sometimes I’ll be working on stretching a two-minute long derby jam into four pages of text, and in order to keep things engaging for the reader, that means I need to get into the head space of what my characters are thinking and how they’re communicating and the way they’re interpreting the action going on around them.  

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

I’ve been really lucky over the past couple of years, as young readers in particular have asked me some stupendous questions. Once a student asked me if I tested out all the Daredevils’ moves myself before putting them in stories. The answer is complicated, because technically I’m not supposed to be on wheels body-checking people left and right at the roller rink. But nearly every Daredevils move or play is something I did with my friends and cousins as a kid. There’s a move where the Daredevils join hands around their team’s jammer and squawk like birds to ward off the other team. I actually did that move in a flag football game! Turns out it was completely illegal, but it’s one of my favorite memories. 

In addition to being a writer, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?

I love reptiles, especially snakes! I had a pink albino corn snake when I was a teenager and I named her Dina after Alice’s cat in ALICE IN WONDERLAND. My hero when I was young was Steve Irwin, a nature conservationist based in Australia who would go out and catch animals and give them loving little pats while explaining their importance to the ecosystem. If I wasn’t a writer, I’d want to be snuggling sloths and helping animals and the environment. 

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

I am working on a couple of other projects, though I can’t talk about any in too much depth right now. I will say that I am definitely still writing books for young people and I am definitely still writing books that feature sports. ☺ 

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

There are so many great authors out there!!! For middle grade I highly recommend A.J. Sass’s ANA ON THE EDGE and Ash Van Otterloo’s CATTYWAMPUS. In the young adult world, Brian D. Kennedy has a hilarious and swoony queer debut coming out next summer titled A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY. 

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Interview with Author Nafiza Azada

Nafiza Azad is a self-identified island girl. She has hurricanes in her blood and dreams of a time she can exist solely on mangoes and pineapple.

Born in Lautoka, Fiji, she currently resides in British Columbia, Canada where she reads too many books, watches too many K-dramas, and writes stories about girls taking over the world.

Her debut YA fantasy was the Morris Award–nominated The Candle and the Flame. The Wild Ones is her second novel.

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

Hello! My name is Nafiza Azad and I’m still navigating my many identities. I like to call myself an Indo-Fijian Canadian Muslim. I was born and grew up in Fiji and immigrated to Canada with a whole lot of emotional baggage when I was 17, along with my parents and a very tattered copy of Anne of Green Gables. I write female-centric books that celebrate life in all its messy (and often violent) glory. In the times when I’m not plotting or daydreaming, I watch Kdramas, embroider, and read.

How did you find yourself getting into writing fiction, particularly Young Adult? 

As I often tell people, writing isn’t something I choose to do. It’s more of a calling than a carefully chosen career. I have been writing (not very well) for as long as I can remember. I started with these particularly atrocious poems when I was still living on a sugarcane farm in Fiji and hadn’t begun school. For a long while, I thought I wouldn’t be able to write anything but poetry. I have taken many writing classes that have, whether intentionally or accidentally, shaped my writing, but almost all the professors who taught them told me that I had no future in writing. So, of course, I had to prove them wrong. I write YA because when I was a young adult, I never could find the books that I saw myself in. I want to change that for other young adults like me who are searching for reflections not just of their faces and persons but of their lives. I want to write a book that is a friend, a home, for someone who might not be welcomed elsewhere.

Where did the inspiration for your latest book, The Wild Ones, come from?

The Wild Ones is fueled by anger. It came from the girl in the mirror who was determined to take the awful experience she had gone through and create something out of it that would render her more than just a victim. THE WILD ONES is a scream out in this world where women are considered expendable, dismissed, an afterthought. Women, especially POC women, are constantly fighting to be heard, to be respected; we put our dignity on the line, we put our lives on the line, every time we step out of the door. The Wild Ones is an explicit call to arms and also an invitation to a sisterhood. A sisterhood that’s often denied and denigrated. 

How would you describe your writing process? Are there any methods you use to help better your concentration or progress?

The first thing I learned after writing my first book is that no, writing one book does not automatically mean you know how to write books. Every project is a different beast and often requires a different set of processes. However, there are certain ones that work for me. I start with a question and then elaborate on that question. I do a lot of work before I start writing the novel. A notebook accompanies me as I write and I fill it with character profiles, book aesthetics, research, plot, questions so that at the end, I end up with two books instead of one: the actual novel and a book that documents the journey that led to the novel. Drafting is the most difficult step in the process for me. Every word feels like it’s torn from me so when I’m drafting, I write a maximum of 2k words per day every day. It’s the longest process and the most painful one. I like to work in complete silence so I end up working late nights. I only work on one book at a time because I immerse myself completely in the world to the point that I feel like I miss entire seasons and months when I’m writing.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your writing journey? 

This might sound odd but for all writers looking to write professionally, understand that writing is a business. Yes, it is art but it is also a product to be consumed. Don’t be too attached to your way of doing things. Your way of doing things might make artistic sense but if it doesn’t make retail sense, you will be in for a lot of heartache. I wish I had understood that at the beginning. Sometimes success does not depend on the quality of your prose but on how saleable your story is. 

As a writer, who or what you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration?

There are so many. I gravitate toward female writers like Kate Elliott, G. Willow Wilson, Alison Croggon, Stephanie Burgis, Sylvia Plath and poets like Pablo Neruda, Warsan Shire, Safia Elhillo, Fatimah Ashgar. I am also inspired by my fellow writers like London Shah, Julian Winters, Adib Khorram, Axie Oh, Kat Cho, Karuna Riazi amongst many others. Their passion for their stories, for their works, inspires mine.

Aside from writing, what do you enjoy doing in your free time? 

I read webtoons! Korean webtoons are a whole new level! I watch dramas, accompany my mom while she gardens (I have a cherry tree I call Gerard). I returned to embroidering during the pandemic and I enjoy creating explosions of colour on fabric. I bake cakes and play with my niece and nephew who think that like them I’m also under ten. I take pictures of flowers and dream up more stories I want to tell.

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

I just finished a draft of my second novel for S&S and all I  can say about it is that it’s a faery tale. I’m also working on an adult fantasy which is a whole new ball game as I’m discovering. I have many more stories planned. Hopefully I get to write a good lot of them.

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)? 

“Is there really a sugar festival in Lautoka (the first city the Wild Ones visit)?” Answer: Yes, there is! I was born in a village a few km from Lautoka and the sugar festival which takes place in August (or took place in this Covid-fested world) was one of the highlights of the year. I have many fond memories of attending the festival. 

What advice would you have to give to aspiring writers? 

You’ve already made the decision to be a writer and it’s probably because writing is in your blood. The bad news is: success the way it traditionally looks doesn’t come to everyone. The good news: we live in a new world and you define what success is. So the only thing between you and success is your grit and your willpower. Write every single day. Read everything, even books that don’t speak to you because those are the ones you will remember longest. Share your work with people whose criticism won’t cripple your creativity but also know that writing as a craft is one you will be working on forever. Learn to do close reading. Write in different styles. Be bold but also be respectful. Some stories you can tell, others you don’t have a right to. Respect that.

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

Instead of books, I will recommend authors whose books are lovely in their exploration of romance. Mason Deaver, Julian Winters, Adib Khorram, Zen Cho, Benjamin Alire Saenz.Tasha Suri‘s newest book is amazing in its representation. Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is also great. 

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Interview with Author Amanda Lovelace

amanda lovelace (she/they) is the author of several bestselling poetry titles, including her celebrated “women are some kind of magic” series as well as her “you are your own fairy tale” trilogy. she is also the co-creator of the believe in your own magic oracle deck. when she isn’t reading, writing, or drinking a much-needed cup of coffee, you can find her casting spells from her home in a (very) small town on the jersey shore, where she resides with her poet-spouse & their three cats.

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

thanks so much, and of course!

my name is amanda lovelace, and i’m an author, poetess, and oracle deck creator.

i’m most known for my first poetry series, “women are some kind of magic”, which includes some bestselling and award-winning titles: the princess saves herself in this one, the witch doesn’t burn in this one, and the mermaid’s voice returns in this one. there’s also an oracle deck based on the series, believe in your own magic, which i co-created with illustrator janaina medeiros.

my more recent releases include my modern-day persephone collection, flower crowns & fearsome things, as well as my “you are your own fairy tale” trilogy: break your glass slippers, shine your icy crown, and the yet-to-be-released finale, unlock your storybook heart (march 15th, 2022).

most of my works explore things like trauma, feminism, and empowerment.

What first drew you to poetry? Do you remember any poets or poetry collections that inspired your love for the medium?

music, actually!

the lyrics in songs always moved my soul and helped me cope with the more serious things going on in my life, especially as a child and teen. i loved bands like linkin park and evanescence, and i eventually began writing my own “lyrics”, which i realized later were also poems.

in terms of poets, though, emily dickinson is always the first name that comes to mind. her simple-yet-intricate verses about nature, religion, and death continue to haunt me through adulthood. i’ve visited her old home in amherst, massachusetts (which was turned into a museum) a few times now, and i’m moved by the beautifully intense energy there every time.

What can you tell us about your latest book, flower crowns and fearsome things?

as you may or may not know, persephone is the greek goddess of spring as well as the queen of the underworld. on the surface, these titles directly oppose one another. how can someone frolic through a meadow yet still manage to reign over a place like the underworld? regardless of how impractical it may seem, persephone chooses to be both, embodying them for equal parts of the year.

flower crowns & fearsome things begins with a poem that reads, “who said you can’t / wear a flower crown / & still remain / a fearsome thing?”, and it’s titled “make persephone proud.” 

i wanted to write a collection about a modern-day speaker who seeks to make persephone proud—embracing both the sensitive wildflower and the angry wildfire inside of her. much of it is loosely based on the myth of hades and persephone, but i would call it an archetype exploration more than anything. 

the poems are a little messy and contradictory, and they’re supposed to be, because that’s the whole point of the collection: women should be allowed to be those things and so much more. this collection is me shamelessly reveling in that.

From the looks of your poetry, fairy tales seems to be strong component of your work. Why do you feel you keep getting drawn to these stories?

i’ve asked myself that a lot, haha!

i think it’s because fairy tales and fantasy books were my coping mechanisms growing up—when things felt hopeless, the magic in those stories inspired me to keep living to see another day, even if it was just to read another chapter. 

since my very first collection, the princess saves herself in this one, i’ve wanted to write my past and present struggles into those fairy tales and give myself a happy ending. it gives me a renewed sense of hope, and people have told me it gives them hope, too, so i keep doing it, and luckily, people keep reading.

though my more recent collections (i.e., the “you are your own fairy tale” trilogy and flower crowns & fearsome things) are a *little* more fictional than my previous collections, there’s always a piece of my truth in everything i write, whether it’s a feeling, a belief, or a personal experience. these collections have given me the chance to explore topics that didn’t fit into other collections, so in some ways these ones feel even more personal to me, and they give me just as much hope.

Aside from fairytales, is there anything else you feel inspired by?

magic—real life magic, which some people might spell like magick. 

when i started to call myself a witch, my perspective on the world and on life itself completely changed, and i think that’s something that can easily be seen when you look at my earlier works versus now. i see the sparkle and purpose in everything, and that inspired me to create the believe in your own magic oracle deck, and it’s inspiring even more projects that i can’t wait to share! ?

As a queer/ Aspec person, I just want to say it makes me really happy to see more asexual/ queer writers out there? Are there any times you would say this part of your identity plays into your work? 

yes, absolutely! 

it’s not always very obvious because, well, poetry, but that piece of me is in almost every collection i write.

in shine your icy crown, the second installment in the “you are your own fairy tale” trilogy, the speaker realizes that she has “much more interesting things to do” than to kiss boys. she ultimately chooses herself, not one of the many princes vying for her attention. as the collection goes on, she makes it clear that she wouldn’t mind ending up with someone else, but she’s not totally attached to the idea, either – it would just have to be the right person, the one who will “let in more stardust than storm clouds”. that’s something i can definitely relate to as someone who’s demisexual (which is on the asexual spectrum). i view her as demisexual as well.

in my next collection (and the finale of the “you are your own fairy tale” trilogy), unlock your storybook heart, the speaker is pansexual, which is another one of my queer identities. i can’t say a lot about this project yet, but i will say that i’m super excited—and admittedly also very nervous—for it to hit shelves. sadly, some readers made it known to me that they didn’t appreciate it when the speaker in break your glass slippers (the first installment) expressed her attraction to women. i’m not going to let that hatefulness effect my work, however.

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

what else is there?! haha~ ?

  1. the only place i like better than home is the woods.
  2. spearmint tea > peppermint tea
  3. i’m a huge swiftie.

What advice might you have to give to other aspiring writers?

write that idea, even if it’s a little weird. (weird is good, actually.)

write that idea, even if no one else has written anything like it before. (maybe that means you should be the one to do it.)

write that idea, even if everyone around you tells you that there’s no market for it. (who says you can’t make one?)

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

Question: You co-created an oracle deck, believe in your own magic, based on your first poetry series, “women are some kind of magic”. Will we also see an oracle deck based on the “you are your own fairy tale” trilogy?

there’s nothing currently in the works, but as that trilogy comes to a close, it has admittedly been on my mind more and more. may the stars align to make that happen!

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

literally anything by anna-marie mclemore. they’re an extremely talented YA author, and they make me question my writing skills daily. if you’re looking for a more specific recommendation, then my personal favorite would have to be blanca & roja!

for poetry: nikita gill, renaada williams, and ari. b. cofer.

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Interview with Kat Calamia

Kat Calamia has been working in the comic book industry as a critic for over a decade with her YouTube channel, Comic Uno. She’s been writing for Newsarama since 2017 and also currently writes for DC Comics’ DC Universe – bylines include IGN, Fandom, and TV Guide. She writes her own comics with her titles Like Father, Like Daughter and They Call Her…The Dancer. Calamia has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and minor in Journalism through Marymount Manhattan and a MFA in Writing and Producing Television from LIU Brooklyn.

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

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

Of course! My name is Kat Calamia. I’m the editor, creator, and one of the writers for Bi Visibility: A Bisexual Anthology. I’m the writer/creator for the superhero drama, Like Father, Like Daughter, and the psychological martial arts thriller, They Call Her…The Dancer. I’m also the co-creator for WebToon’s queer romance, Slice of Life.

I’ve been a comic book critic for over a decade with my YouTube channel, Comic Uno. I currently write for Newsarama and have bylines with IGN, DC Comics, Fandom, and TV Guide. 

What can you tell us about your upcoming work, Bi Visibility: A Bisexual Anthology? What inspired the project?

Bi Visibility is a comic book anthology about bisexuality. It features 20 creators, telling a total of 9 stories ranging from romance to high fantasy.

As a bisexual creator myself, this is one of the most important projects I’ve ever worked on and a subject near and dear to my heart. Growing up, I had very little bisexual representation. I knew the label existed, but I didn’t know what it looked like, how it felt, or that I could be bisexual. This was the driving force towards putting together this anthology. Representation matters! 

Can you tell us a bit about some of the artists/stories we can expect to see featured in the anthology?

There’s such a great range of creators and stories on this book. There are some creators that have worked on other sides of comics like journalism, PR, and lettering. Then we have other creators that are making their comic book debut with this anthology. 

As for the stories, we really wanted to display a diverse palette. This volume dives into dramatic stories like coming out, but then on the other side of the spectrum we have stories that dive into the fantastical world of D&D. We really have a narrative for everyone! 

Credit: Melissa Capriglione

Also, what exactly goes into making an anthology? Could you describe what it was like for you working in that process?

Well, first there’s the call for action. A couple of months ago we asked for writers and artists to write a script or showcase their portfolio if they wanted to apply for the anthology. This is how we picked the 20 creators that are now featured in the book. Once we narrowed this down, it was smooth sailing. We had an absolutely wonderful team, which really made everything a well-oiled machine.

As a comic book creator and journalist, what pulls you to comics? Do you remember any of the first comics (queer or otherwise) that drew you to the medium?

I’ve honestly been a comic book fan all my life. My dad got me into comics when I was really young. Instead of reading Snow White, we read Silver Age Superman comics. 

What pulls me to comics? I would say at first superheroes, but as I learned more about the medium it was the marriage of literature and visual storytelling. It really is the best of both worlds. The only limitation is your imagination! 

As for queer comics, I’d say Yuri manga really got me into queer storytelling. They have a plethora of queer content that traditional American comics just hasn’t fully tapped into – well at least to the extent where you get monthly physical releases from a solely GL genre.  

As a bi person, what do you hope this anthology says about bi identity (other than the fact that it’s real and people should stop calling it a phase, urgh)? 

I just hope people see the different facets that bi people go through, even if they learn that through an action spy thriller about having to give up your “bi card”. 

What advice would you give to other aspiring creators?

CREATE!! Put the stories out there that you want to tell! There are so many avenues opening up that’s making this more and more possible. 

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

You’ve asked all good ones! 

When can readers expect to see the completed anthology?

The book is actually all wrapped. I have the printed books all in my living room HAHA. They can expect the digital book a week or so after we wrap the Kickstarter and the physical book a few weeks following that.  

Are there any others projects you are working on and at liberty to discuss?

Our next Kickstarter we’re launching is actually in October. It’s for a physical version of our queer romance WebToon, Slice of Life. 

When gritty anime protagonist, Lady Vengeance, is brought to the real world by a super fan, she’ll learn there’s more to life than darkness and revenge…and she’ll find love with the super fan’s twin sister – a kind-hearted cheerleader.

Slice of Life is a queer romance that deconstructs the “Slice of Life” genre, unpacking the importance of everyday narratives to tell a larger story about the meaning of life from the point of view of a fictional character.

Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/comics would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?

For manga, I recommend books like Girl Friends and Bloom into You. For traditional comics there’s some great representation in Ms. Marvel with Zoe’s character, Heavy Vinyl is a wonderful queer book over at BOOM!, and, of course, there’s Runaways. 

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Interview with Author Gary Lonesborough

Gary Lonesborough is a Yuin writer, who grew up on the Far South Coast of NSW as part of a large and proud Aboriginal family. Growing up a massive Kylie Minogue and North Queensland Cowboys fan, Gary was always writing as a child, and continued his creative journey when he moved to Sydney to study at film school. Gary has experience working in Aboriginal health, the disability sector (including experience working in the youth justice system) and the film industry, including working on the feature film adaptation of Jasper Jones. His debut YA novel, Ready When You Are, will be published by Scholastic in the United States in February 2022 and is available for pre-order now.

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

First of all, congratulations on your debut book, Ready When You Are. Could you tell us a little about yourself and the book?

I was born in a little town called Bega in country New South Wales and moved to Sydney when I was 19. Ready When You Are is a story about an Aboriginal boy named Jackson who is also growing up in a small country town. Jackson meets a boy named Tomas who begins to awaken all these hidden feelings in Jackson – feelings that terrify him and excite him at the same time. It’s a story about falling in love for the first time and accepting who you really are. 

Where did the inspiration for Ready When You Are come from?

The inspiration for the book came from my own teen experience of growing up in a small country town as a closeted gay Aboriginal kid. I was really inspired to start writing after reading Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. 

What drew you to writing? Were there any stories or authors you felt inspired you or touched you as a reader?

I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember. When I was nine years old, my teacher had me read a story I wrote in front of the class and I think that seeing my classmates’ reactions – laughing hysterically and rolling on the floor – really made me realise the power of writing. I loved books as a young kid as well. I loved Australian books by authors Paul Jennings and Andy Griffiths, I loved the Goosebumps books but my favourite was Captain Underpants. 

As an Aboriginal queer author of a book centered around an Aboriginal queer teen, this story seems like an intimate story for you. Were there any challenges, benefits, or unexpected discoveries in drawing from such personal experiences?

This is a really personal story for me and it was so important to allow myself to be vulnerable when I was writing, because I really wanted to articulate how I felt when I was a teen. It was challenging at times to explore the racism Jackson experiences in the book and hone in on those emotions, but by being vulnerable as a writer, I was really surprised by the authenticity I was achieving and how true to my experience the story began to feel.

Are there any other books you think stands in conversation in yours, in terms of queer or Aboriginal representation?

To be honest, I have rarely seen any books featuring queer Aboriginal characters. The only one that comes to mind while I’m typing this answer is Songs That Sound Like Blood by Jared Thomas.

Aside from writing, what are some of your other hobbies and interests?

I love watching Rugby League and have recently fallen in love with walking. I listen to at least twenty minutes of Kylie Minogue music each day and I’m a filmmaker as well, so I love watching movies and making them.  

What advice would you have to offer to aspiring writers?

Just keep writing. I believe you have to get through a lot of bad writing before you get to the good stuff, and that was certainly true for me. Just keep writing and reading and writing!

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

I’ve never been asked for my top three favorite Kylie Minogue songs. They are: 1. Your Disco Needs You. 2. On A Night Like This. 3. Get Outta My Way.

Are there any projects you are currently working on that you feel free to speak about?

I’m currently working on another YA novel as well as a MG fantasy! Both feature Aboriginal protagonists and explore growing up Aboriginal in Australia.

What are some things you hope readers will take away from reading Ready When You Are?

I hope readers will feel both hopeful and satisfied when they finish the book. The most important thing I want readers to take away is that it’s okay to be yourself. It’s okay to love yourself and love who you are.

What LGBTQIA+ books/ authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?

Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard.

Loaded by Christos Tsoltakis 

Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertally

The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis

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Interview with Author Steven Salvatore

Steven Salvatore (they/them and he/him) is a gay, genderqueer author, writing professor, Mariah Carey lamb, and Star Wars fanatic. They hold an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. They currently live in Peekskill, New York, with their amazingly patient husband, whose name is also Steve. They are the author of CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY and AND THEY LIVED…. They are also the co-founder of Pride Book Fest. Steven is represented by Jess Regel of Helm Literary Agency.

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

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

Thanks so much for having me! I’m honored to here! My name is Steven Salvatore and I’m a gay, genderqueer (they/them and he/him) author—my debut CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY came out this past March, 2021, and my next novel AND THEY LIVED… comes out this coming March 8, 2022. I’m are also the co-founder of Pride Book Fest. I spend most of my time daydreaming about all the stories floating around inside my head. Honestly, if I could live inside my stories, I would. That’s kind of how I write: Embody my main characters, walk around in their heads, do what they would do. Thankfully, it hasn’t gotten me in trouble yet, but maybe that’s because so many of my main characters tend to share my same obsessions: Like, Carey Parker in CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY, I’m obsessed with Mariah Carey. Like Chase Arthur in AND THEY LIVED…, I’m a Disneynerd. Like the main character in my 2023 release A SUPERCUT OF US, I’m a Star Wars fanatic. I could go on and go, but basically, if you want to know who I am, read my books and meet my main characters and that’ll tell you everything you need to know. 

When did you know you were first interested in writing, and what drew you specifically to Young Adult Fiction?

I’ve been writing stories since I was eight years old (that’s as far back as I can remember, anyway.) I started by writing The Lion King fanfiction, and eventually that lead to me trying to write original stories. It took me a long time to hone my craft, though. I got my undergraduate degree in writing, and went on to get my MFA in creative writing, but I had to really work hard to improve to get to where I am today, where I can more easily tell the stories I want to tell; a lot of that had to do with my identity because I lied to myself and suppressed who I was for such a long time that my stories felt like they were lying or that they just existed on the surface of something much, much deeper. Once I came out, I was able to start writing my truth, and as I continued to explore my genderqueerness I really came into myself as a storyteller.

I was first exposed to YA in undergrad in a children’s literature writing course, and the voice of YA drew me in. It felt raw and honest and chaotic and straightforward in a way that adult literary fiction just wasn’t. Now, you see more voice-y adult commercial fiction being published, but that wasn’t the case 15 years ago. 

Where did the inspiration and the impetus to write your debut book, Can’t Take That Away, come from? What about for your upcoming book, And They Lived…?

When I started CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY, I was processing my own complicated relationship with gender and realizing that I’m genderqueer. It started when I was teaching a creative writing course in the spring of 2018 and I decided to participate in the free-write prompt I gave my students. Carey Parker appeared on the page in their therapist’s office, holding a pair of ruby red slippers that were destroyed. I knew immediately who they were: a diva without a stage. I didn’t know the full story yet, but Carey was the person I wanted to be in high school. I imagined what it would have been like if I knew all aspects of my identity in high school and as I wrote, I channeled all my thoughts and feelings and experiences into Carey and their story.

AND THEY LIVED… has a slightly different origin story. The main character, Chase Arthur, has existed in my mind since I was 15-years-old. He was my way of escaping the world around me. And I’ve tried to write his story so many times over the years but could never get it right. Then I realized that his story is not just his story, but his story with his first love, Jack, who is based on the first person I fell in love with. It didn’t go the way I had hoped, so this was a way for me to rewrite my past and give myself and my version of Jack our happily ever after.

Like Ali Stroker’s book The Chance To Fly reimagines Wicked with a disabled lead, you also reimagine a more diverse portraying of the Broadway musical, this time with a genderqueer lead. What do you think your book has to say about musical theater, both its power, limitations and possibility for reinvention?

I think the beauty of musical theater is the energy and creativity and power of the live performance structure. The obvious limitations—the fact that everything exists on one stage, in the performances and dialogue, and is person-made as opposed to computer effects—are its greatest strengths, and in that stage has the ability to reinvent what’s possible: gender-diverse, racially diverse, and ability-diverse casting can broaden up the possibilities, and the fact that actors are always rotating in and out means that many different actors can embody lead roles, which will show audiences that the only limitations that exist are the ones that imposed by those in power. So really, that’s the real limitation: the imagination and agenda of those in power, who hold the purse strings (who are usually cis, straight, white, able-bodied men.) Theater has and always will be the most progressive and imaginative and raw form of entertainment. Hopefully Carey Parker can represent that for readers.

On that note, what’s your favorite number from Wicked and are there any other musicals you enjoy?

“The Wizard and I” will forever be my favorite. I will always love RENT, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Newsies, Beauty and the Beast (my first Broadway show—it will always stay with me!)

Something I’ve noticed with a lot of queer authors is that they often write the books that they wished their younger selves had. Did that in any way feel true for you?

Absolutely. I wish I had a gay genderqueer diva like Carey Parker as a teen. I wish I had a supportive mom, like Carey had. Perhaps if my book existed for me, I would’ve felt less alone and could’ve shared that with my own mom. Likewise, if I had a love story like Chase’s in AND THEY LIVED…, maybe I wouldn’t have thought that love wasn’t just a fairytale idea. It’s so important to have stories like these so that young people—and older folks too!!—feel valid, loved, supported, and can see themselves and all the possibilities, good, bad, and in-between.

Were there any stories (queer or otherwise) that you read or watched growing up that had touched you or felt relatable in any way? What stories feel relatable to you today?

Queer stories? No. I had nothing growing up but Will & Grace, and while I enjoyed it, I never felt like a “Will” or a “Jack,” so I didn’t think I fit in anywhere because those were the only two representations of gay male archetypes I saw. I wish I saw more stories that reflected me when I was young so that I could have related better to myself. 

The stories I relate to today are the ones that showcase the queer experience in all of its shades—from identity to sex.

I also want to address the idea of relatability, too. Because for me, stories shouldn’t necessarily be just about that aspect. I love stories that showcase something different than what I know because it’s about exposing me to different thought processes, different cultures, different practices and such. I think that every good story is a human story, and in that way, we can and should all relate to the humanity that exists in every story. But beyond that, as an adult, I don’t feel like I need to personally relate to everything I read in order to love and enjoy them the way I did was I was younger and never saw any aspects of myself.

What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?

Don’t give up! Writing is fun, but it’s also hard work, and it’s a long path to publication, if that’s your journey. But that doesn’t have to be your journey, either. Every writer has their own relationship with writing, and the most important thing is to keep doing it, over and over again. Try and fail. And then try again. Find your people, other writers you can trust to share your work with so that you can improve and learn from and share in successes with. Write, write, write. If you can’t live with telling stories, then do whatever you can tell to share that. Because the truth is, only YOU can tell YOUR story. 

Aside from writing, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

There are so many things, so many goals I have, so much of my past and present, so much of my personhood and personality that I could share if I wanted to. But honestly, I just people to remember that I’m human. I’m vulnerable and sensitive and emotional. Sometimes I think people forget that writers are human. 

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

I am obsessed with cheese, so “What’s your favorite cheese?” 

Thank you for asking! I would have to say a good cambozola. 

Can you tell us about any new projects you are working on and at liberty to discuss?

My third novel, A SUPERCUT OF US in coming out Spring of 2023, and I’m super excited about that—very Jandy Nelson’s I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN meets Dawson’s Creek with a bit of HBO’s Euphoria, which is told from two points of view—a brother and sister—who are dealing with their incarcerated fathers’ death and the mess he left behind for them, including an unknown half-sibling. I also have other projects in the work s

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

Jason June’s JAY GAY AGENDA, Julian Winters’ THE SUMMER OF EVERYTHING, Nicolas DiDomizio’s BURN IT ALL DOWN, Kalynn Bayron’s CINDERELLA IS DEAD, PJ Vernon’s BATH HAUS, Kacen Callender’s FELIX EVER AFTER, TJ Klune’s THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA, Margot Wood’s FRESH, and anything by Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera, and Casey McQuiston.

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Interview with Ryka Aoki

Ryka Aoki is a poet, composer, and teacher and author of Seasonal Velocities, He Mele a Hilo (A Hilo Song), Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul and The Great Space Adventure. Her next novel, Light from Uncommon Stars is forthcoming from Tor Books September 2021.

I had the opportunity to interview Ryka, 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! It means a lot to be chatting with the folks at Geeks OUT. I’m Ryka, and I write, compose, and teach martial arts and self-defense to queer and trans women at the TransLatin@ Coalition in Los Angeles. My favorite composer is Chopin and since COVID, I miss eating hot pot with friends. I think everybody reading this should watch “Yuri on Ice.” I have a pet python named Peppermint. And my latest novel is Light from Uncommon Stars!

What inspired you to get into writing, particularly speculative fiction? Were there any writers or stories that sparked your own love and interest in storytelling?

I can’t ever remember not being a writer. It always just seemed to be that thing I did. Even when I tried to do something else, I always came back to writing. 

Growing up, I enjoyed science fiction and fantasy. Magazines like Analog and Amazing made me fall in love with the short story. Isaac Asimov’s “Nightfall” was another one. But I also felt there was something self-assured in that writing—it seemed almost overly indulgent—in a way that I wasn’t allowed to be. When it came to my own writing, I was quite aware of my own nonwhite background and outsider identity…and I realized that people like me were not meant to save the Universe.

Instead, I found much more resonance with writers like Toni Morrison and the late Primo Levi who wrote of worlds much closer to us, sometimes tragically so. So, I channeled my writing into poetry and literary fiction and essays. In fact, I still love all three.

What brought me back into speculative fiction was a short story I wrote for the trans speculative anthology Meanwhile, Elsewhere. I didn’t expect it, but writing a science fiction short story gave me a very familiar thrill. I wanted more,

And I as started watching anime and manga like “Aria,” “Space Battleship Yamato,” and “Sailor Moon” and “Macross” I realized, in a very SMH way, that there was more to speculative fiction than what was being produced in the United States. 

And so, I took everything that I knew, and channeled it into imagining what I wanted to know. I’m very happy with the result. ☺

Music and food seem to be pretty strong elements of your latest book, Light From Uncommon Stars. What prompted you to write with this in mind?

Culture is conveyed so often and so well through food and music, yet there’s comparatively little cooking and music in science fiction. Yes, I know there’s some, but compared with space battles and aliens and epidemics and geologies…not too many depictions of rice porridge. 

More personally, unlike a lot of my friends, I don’t have the constant “internal monologue” that people were talking about so much a year or so ago. So nonverbal forms of communication such as food and music feel very close and real to me.

I tell people that I love them with my cooking. And sometimes, I don’t need to watch a movie; all I need is the soundtrack.

When I write, I have music playing and I have rice cooking. I have images and smells and tastes and dreams of where I want a story to go. But words on the page can feel almost after-the-fact. I have these feelings and they go on the paper and everything that I was feeling at the time—the music or the food or the way my feet feel on the floor—makes their way into my work.

But often, I don’t even know how the words are going to be coming out. Of course, later I’ll go back and edit them. But the way the words form is still a mystery to me. 

On that note, what would you say are some of your favorite things to eat and favorite artists/ types of music to listen to?

I’m particular with the music I listen to as I write. I use a lot of YouTube. I search for what would make a great soundtrack for the story or chapter that I’m writing. For example, the novel I’m working on right now has a lot of wistful, slightly mysterious music because I’m hoping to put some of that into the book. In general, I like music that’s not too percussive, because it startles me, and I try to avoid piano music because when I hear piano, it just makes me feel guilty that I’m not practicing.

Also, some music is just too emotional. If I am listening to the soundtrack of “Your Lie in April” I’m not going to get any writing done. I’m just going to be crying.

With food? Even though I talk about them all the time in Light from Uncommon Stars, my main writing food is not donuts. It’s potato chips. I have to be careful when I’m writing because if I’m not careful, I can cut through an entire big bag of potato chips while I’m concentrating on work. So instead of buying a big bag of potato chips, I have to buy small bags of potato chips so I can keep track of all the potato chips that I’m eating.

At least that’s the theory. What usually happens is that I just eat all the small bags of potato chips anyway.

When many people think of science fiction, many often think old white cis men. Yet as a genre, science fiction has always attracted marginalized writers, from female authors such as Mary Shelley and Octavia Butler (who also further revolutionized the field as a woman of color) and Jewish science fiction writers who invited new realities outside of the hostile ones they inhabited, as seen in the various Jewish comic book makers who were drawn to the field due to anti-Semitic hiring practices in other fields. What’s your take on this as a trans woman of color? 

This is not an easy question to answer. On one hand, so many amazing female writers and artists have done brilliant work before me, and it feels natural to want to continue this legacy. 

However, there are in cases where some of my writing role models have said damaging things to queer and trans women. And there’s always the possibility of anti-Asian sentiment. So, I will always respect and admire the work, but will also be careful not to idealize the creators themselves.

I guess that’s just another way of saying that I try to keep grounded and focused on own universe and my own writing, because I know that here I can find inclusion, possibility, and love—at least in a way that works for me.   

What are some of your favorite elements of writing?

Besides the potato chips? I love the first part of writing, when there’s a blank page in front of me and I have pretty ink and a nice fountain pen.

And I love all the middle parts, and the frustration when something’s not quite working because then I just laugh at myself and say, “You asked for this! You’re the one who wanted to be a writer—now look at you!” I love writing a scene and crying while I’m writing, and thinking, “Gosh, I don’t know for certain, but think my readers are really going to like this!”

I also love people-watching, and going to places that I’m writing about to catch a scene, maybe taking a picture. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to catch. Maybe it’s just a color or maybe it’s someone pushing an ice cream cart. And then it’s going to show up in the book, and that’s the best thing.

And I also love the last part of editing, where I’m just tying up those little loose ends here and there. But each time I do it, the manuscript shines—it’s amazing how much like poetry a late-edit novel can behave.

What advice would you have for aspiring writers, especially other queer writers?

It’s good to be queer. It’s good to be trans. It’s good to be beautiful. It’s good to be badass. It’s good to be a pillar in the community. It’s good to be a good friend. (Actually, it’s really great to be a good friend.)

But if you’re going to be a writer, what’s most important is to be good with you. Sometimes, even though you are part of a queer chosen community, you must consciously disengage from that queer chosen community. And you’re going to feel guilty sometimes. 

But please try not to. 

Yes, there are so many compelling stories around you, but as a writer, you desperately need time and space to listen to your own.

And I know that can suck, because being queer or being trans is lonely all on its own. I know all about that one. 

But nobody else can write your story—the one only you can write. The one that the world needs to read. When they talk about bravery as a writer, I found where I’ve had to be the bravest is where I’ve had to be alone. But so many readers have been grateful for what that loneliness produced. 

So, is it worth it? For me, absolutely. 

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

“So many of the bonds in Light from Uncommon Stars are maternal. What does motherhood mean to you?”

One of the toughest parts about my being a trans woman, taking hormones and doing all the medical things that one does, is that I sterilized myself. Sure, I can bank my semen, but even then, I’m never going to be able to physically give birth. Speaking for myself, because all trans women are different—but speaking for myself—this is emotionally the most difficult part about being trans.

However, life goes on. I teach, and I have these books, and in these books, I can write characters who are mothers. I think I’m always going to have mother figures in my work. I’d like to say it’s for altruistic reasons, but some of it is envy. I so wish I could be a mother.

And yet, my books are like my children, and seeing them out in the world interacting with folks that I will never meet making new friends…that makes me so very, very proud.

In addition to being a writer, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?

Gosh, the whole point of being a writer is that it helps me interact with people. I don’t know where I would be without writing. 

Let’s go with this—I am very grateful to be able to pursue something that I love very much. However, being transgender in this country remains precarious for all trans people. It seems that every time we relax, someone wants to take one of our human rights away or another. I’m very lucky to have had the chance to speak with you, and even more so to have this opportunity to become a writer. I am very, very grateful. 

However, having this sort of opportunity and feeling safe are two different things. 

So, I encourage non-trans-identifying people to get to know more of the trans people in your community. Maybe first as allies, but as later friends–even as family. Not the lip-service kind, but the real kind. There’s a lot there to love. I think your life will be so much better for it. And, if enough of y’all do this, I think it’s going to be easier for trans people like me to exhale and sleep at night.

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

I’m deep in the middle of my next novel. It’s not a sequel, but it’s going to take place in the same universe as Light from Uncommon Stars and there may even be a couple characters that carry over. I can’t talk about it too much, but, as I told my editor, if I can write the story that’s in my heart, I’m going to be thrilled and proud to bring it to you.

I’m also writing a weekly newsletter called “Ryka’s Most Excellent World” (rykaworld.bulletin.com) where I can explore topics that might seem random, even contradictory, to uncover insights and relations that may be hidden in plain view. One of my recent essays discussed supermarkets and supersymmetry and makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin. 

And, because of COVID, I’ve not been able to have self-defense classes in person. so, I’m working with two of my senior students to create a manual of everything we teach for the TransLatin@ Coalition. It’s exciting because we’re going to be writing it in Spanish and English. 

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

Sure! The first is Samuel R. Delany. A good place to start is Dhalgren. The second is Rachel Pollack, with Unquenchable Fire or Doom Patrol. Both Delany and Pollack are in their 70s—Samuel Delany will be 80 next year. 

With so much beautiful queer (and BIPOC) and trans literature being produced, by so many beautiful LGBTQ+ writers, Delany and Pollack remind us that so much of what we think is new today was also new years ago. 

And that’s the way it should be, because as long as humans have been able to see the stars, LGBTQ+ people have been there to fill the skies with stories amazing and profound.