yainterrobang:With the Queer YA Scrabble running all weekend long, we’ve redevoted the site to talki
yainterrobang:With the Queer YA Scrabble running all weekend long, we’ve redevoted the site to talking about issues and writing relating to queer YA.Today, Laura Lam is stopping by to talk about writing as a bisexual woman writing genderfluid characters! In Pantomime, the first in her Micah Gray series, the Circus of Magic is where Micah joins as an aerialist’s apprentice. But a secret in her blood could unlock secrets of the country where the Circus resides.While the original books in her series were published by the now-defunct publishing imprint Strange Chemistry, the Micah Grey series (now dubbed the Dark Circus series) has been picked up by Pan Macmillan! Pan Macmillan will re-release the original two books as ebooks this fall, with physical copies available next summer. Masquerade, the final and as-of-yet unreleased book in the series, is scheduled to release next summer.Do you identify along the LGBTQ spectrum in real life? How does that affect your writing?Yes, I am bi. It took me writing five books with bi protagonists before it really struck me. I married my first boyfriend, so I didn’t really question my sexuality until my mid-twenties. For me, it’s the natural default to have a character that is attracted to both genders. I also think being bi makes me think about other characters’ sexualities more. I don’t assume everyone is straight or cis in my books.What was the hardest part of writing authentic LGBT fiction? Do you tackle intersectionality in your writing?You have to do a LOT of research to avoid stuffing things up, and no matter how much you research, there’s still a good chance you’ll get something wrong. Intersectionality tends to come quite naturally to me. Micah is genderfluid, intersex, and bi, so that right there looks at physical sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Micah also started as a daughter of a noblewoman and then joined the circus as a pauper runaway, so I’ve investigated class. A lot of my work features intersectionality—my upcoming book False Hearts stars white/black/Polynesian bisexual twins who were formerly conjoined and raised in a cult. Whew.Keep reading -- source link
#cooooool#laura lam