Autistic Reader Interview: Mad McDaniel
Everything Is True
Ada Hoffmann's author newsletter
Mad McDaniel is a cranky, disabled swamp hag. They're also a parent, grandparent, and occasional pseudo-parent to the next generation(s) of super cool neuroqueer weirdos.
They have a computer science degree that they used for maybe a year before successfully completing the hyperlexic toddler to perma-burnout pipeline. Their current long-term hyperfixation is autism, and they can occasionally be found shilling out their knowledge as a lived experience DEI consultant, educator and writer. They also sometimes try their hand at short fiction, usually pseudonymously.
Mad lives in the unceded vicinity of the beautiful Wolastoq River with their partner and miscellaneous descendants.
What are you reading right now? What are you looking forward to reading soon?
I’m not usually one for New Year’s resolutions, but I have unofficially declared 2023 my year of reading for hope and joy, and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to include a lot of cozy comfort re-reads; new choices that center queer/neuroqueer writers and characters; lots of spec fic, especially hopepunk and solarpunk; and absolutely no grimdark or copaganda.
Unsurprisingly, my top 3 new (to me) reads of 2023 so far are all sequels to recent comfort re-reads: your The Infinite, (I promise I’m not pandering!), Becky Chambers’ A Prayer for the Crown Shy, and Rem Wigmore’s Wolfpack.
What are some of the characters in fiction that you find most relatable? Some autistic readers love autistic representation, and others prefer aliens, robots, or characters who they relate to in a subtler way; do you notice any patterns in the kinds of characters that resonate for you?
Authentic, sympathetic neuroqueer representation in a book can add several points to the amount of enjoyment a book can bring me. Similarly, bad representation can make an otherwise okay story entirely unreadable. That being said, I’ll probably enjoy just about any protagonist who’s a misfit weirdo and spends a lot of time overthinking or otherwise stuck in their head.
Are there any tropes you really, especially love?
I could read Good Guy All Along and More Than They Seem subplots til the cows come home. Any time characters initially misunderstand each other but then are pleasantly surprised when they really connect and figure out the truth brings me joy. Also, well-done sympathetic villain redemption arcs are *chef’s kiss.*
Are there any tropes you really, especially hate?
Poor Communication Kills can die slowly in a fire. Seriously. Any time a writer tries to manufacture conflict or stakes that could have been resolved with a 30-second conversation, I become an uncontrollable ball of rage. I yell at the characters. I yell at the book. I yell at the author (…’s name on the front cover, I don’t actually berate them in person.) I often need to stop reading and hide under a blanket until I feel better.
I also get deeply, possibly inappropriately attached to most of the characters if I like a story. So no fridging, burying my lovely gays, or otherwise tormenting my sweet fictional darlings just to make me feel things, please and thank you!
I’m not sure that this counts as a trope or not, but even though I love the pacing and the slice of life flavor of romance, I absolutely cannot stand the romance formula. I mentioned that I get ridiculously attached to characters. The romantic formula always feels to me as if the author is stealing their autonomy by forcing them toward that happily ever after. I can buy not having much of a choice but to complete a quest if the fate of the world is at stake, but we should always be allowed to choose who we do or do not love, romantically or otherwise.
What makes a book difficult for you to read? What, if anything, helps make books accessible to you?
If I had to pick one thing that can singlehandedly determine how difficult a book is for me to read, it would be the pacing. I get that “unputdownable” seems to be the biggest compliment a reviewer can leave for a novel, but breakneck pacing muddles my head and is sure to give me a stomachache. I need breaks to parse and process what’s going on. Bonus points if the characters are processing along with me. Not getting those can suck all the enjoyment right out of a story. The action scenes might serve an important role in progressing the plot or character development, but for me they’re the least engaging part of the book. As blasphemous as it might be, I’ll often skim or skip them altogether, whether it’s steamy sex or a (differently climactic) epic battle.
This month at Everything Is True, we’re interviewing a wide variety of autistic readers with questions like these! You can find a schedule with the rest of the interviews here.
Meanwhile, some big news from Ada:
I’ve alluded to this before, but it’s formally announced now: My second short story collection, RESURRECTIONS, is coming out from Apex Books later this year! More about this to come in later posts.