A Basket Full of Mini Rants!
Sorry, there's no big essay or interview this week. Instead, here are a bunch of topics which I thought about writing a whole newsletter about — but...
Fandom Has Made Me a Bigger (and Better) Fan
So I guess there’s some kind of holiday situation going on, and people are buying presents and stuff? In which case, I just wanted to point out that you can...
Superheroes Will Never Again Be As Good as the Arrowverse
Quick housekeeping before we get started… first, I have a few bound galleys of my new novel for adults, Lessons in Magic and Disaster, which comes out August...
Does An Unreliable Narrator Need To Be an Asshole?
Narrators! You can't rely on them these days. They always let you down, even the ones who have five stars on Yelp. One time, I hired a narrator to move a...
Can You Write a Book That Speaks to This Terrible Time?
Nah. You can't ever write a book that speaks to a particular moment in history. Sorry. This is mostly due to the timescales of writing and publishing. No...
5 Words That Might Help You Deal With What's Coming
(Hey, before I get started, please please pre-order my novel Lessons in Magic and Disaster. It’s about queer families and surviving in spite of right-wing...
"It's Not About Making the Word Count, But Making the Work Count"
Hey, thanks for reading my newsletter! There’s no paywall, and I have no plans to monetize it in the future, but if you would like to support me financially,...
They Ran For President. What Did They Learn?
First of all, in case you missed it: I have a new novel for grown-ups coming out in August 2025! Lessons in Magic and Disaster is about a young trans woman...
Please be a book hipster!
This is a free newsletter! If you would like to support me — and give your future self a gift of a lovely read — please do pre-order my upcoming adult novel...
Why Are Toxic "Superfans" Such a Nightmare for Hollywood?
ICYMI I have a novel coming out next August called Lessons in Magic and Disaster, about a young witch who teaches her mother how to be a witch. Along the...
San Francisco's Next Election Is a Referendum on Billionaires
Before we get started, hi! This is a free newsletter, but I really appreciate your support as a trans author and organizer. I have a new novel coming out in...
They Can't Get Rid Of Us — Our Parties Are Too Good
Hey, this is a free newsletter — but if you would like to support me, please pre-order my novel Lessons in Magic and Disaster (August 2025). A young trans...
Where do genres come from?
We spend a lot of time discussing how genres work, where to draw the lines between genres, and which tropes and motifs are essential to a particular genre....
I'm Obsessed With This Cute Time Travel Show
One thing I appreciate about Netflix is the wealth of Brazilian TV shows and movies — this was super useful when I was learning Brazilian Portuguese. But...
One More Vital Reason Why Community Gives Me Hope
A week or so ago, I was the closing speaker at the final XOXO Fest in Portland, which was a huge honor. I was asked to come talk about reasons to have hope...
Here's Why You Suck At Predicting the Future
This past weekend, I was super honored to give the closing talk at XOXO, a wonderful festival in Portland OR that was happening for the very last time. I was...
10 Literary Books That Made Me a Better Science Fiction Writer
I love literary fiction, whether it’s grand pomo experiments or a totally grounded personal stories about one family. I’ve been reading literary writing my...
Why I Go To Conventions
While I was at Worldcon last weekend, Emily Wilson (writer for New Scientist and author of the Sumerians trilogy) asked me why I go to conventions. This...
Another Way To Think About "Conflict" and "Stakes" In Your Fiction
Last week, I was an instructor at the Lambda Literary Workshop, and it was an utter privilege to get to work with some brilliant writers whose bravely...
I Love It When a Plan Doesn't Come Together
This is going to be a short newsletter. I’m afraid things are going to be a bit spotty for the next couple weeks: I'm an instructor at the Lambda Literary...