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If you've met me (and even if you haven't) you probably know that I'm a huge fan of writing. I've written a ton. I'm currently co-writing story number 11 in a series of disability fiction with Tara. These are the second set of writing questions that can be found at the link. If you want to read the first set of writing questions: Interview Questions About Writing, you can find those at the second link.
I'm going to use these questions to talk mostly about my series, which is not traditionally published, but which I will link to further down so you can find it.
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1. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?
Eleven in my current series.
My favorite one is probably Quite Alive which is book number ten. It unpacked a lot of disability culture issues, like medical privacy and family PCAs and the nuances there. It also got a lot of negative feedback, like, weekly, so it makes me really happy and proud that I was able to persevere and finish it.
But I also really love Windows which is book number eight. Because telling a story of disabled kids just having fun at summer camp felt, in and of itself like an act of resistance. People so often want to see suffering and sadness when we speak about disabled stories, and I just wanted to tell a story of disabled kids being kids, making lasting friendships and dealing with everyday life, while also experiencing the life-changing atmosphere of a camp where for the first time in their lives, these kids, like so many of us, have found their people.
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| [Image: The cover of my eighth book, Windows, shows a blue sky and a wooden sign reading CAMP BRAVERY surrounded by children's handprints] |
And I still think Found is so super important. If you haven't read Found yet, it is book five and it is so important, regarding disabled / nondisabled family dynamics, ableism and more.
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2. What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?
I wrote probably the first three books in the series largely unaware of my own trauma background. It took until book four to really start unpacking my own trauma and understanding the extent of it that I live with on a daily basis.
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3. Who is your favorite character?
Since this question is asked twice, I'm going to answer it twice! It's so hard to narrow down to one favorite character because I love them all (and this will not be including book eleven because there's another set of questions for current work that Tara and I are tentatively planning to answer together.
But the first person who comes to mind as a favorite character is Levi. We meet him in book four, Somewhere Inside. He grows so much over the series. When we meet him he's so far in his trauma he feels like an entirely different person than who he grows up to be.
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4. Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special.
Can I have a favorite family? Because I really love the Jensens. We meet Sarah in Found and Weston in Windows and Sam in Quite Alive. They're all amazing.
I love Sarah because we literally never get to see a wheelchair using foster / adoptive mom who's taking in so-called "hard to place" kids. The narrative we usually see is children being removed from wheelchair using parent's custody, and I went completely against that for That Summer, which is book nine. I ended up telling Weston's entire life story, including he and Sarah meeting and becoming family. We also don't often see a wheelchair-user who is unapologetic about her choices and her existence and her life. I love that about her.
I love Weston because of his honesty. He's always as honest as he can be and I adore that about him. I loved learning more about him in That Summer. I love him because he makes me laugh. Because he's just a good kid, who so often got typed the opposite. He's a sweetheart and so vulnerable deep down.
And I love Sam for a similar reason. She's gloriously blunt, and guarding such a soft heart. She has so much going on, and I feel so happy we got to go with her on her journey of self-discovery in Quite Alive and continue to follow her and a few of her students in the current story we're writing.
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5. Where do you get your inspiration?
From my life, from disability culture and from the media and TV shows I currently watch.
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6. You’ve written poetry and disability fiction. Do you have a preference?
Definitely disability fiction. All day long.
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7. Is it easier to write poetry or disability fiction?
Here's the thing. Poetry takes zero effort for me to produce most of the time. I put literal hours, and tears and stress into writing disability fiction. That is where my heart lies. That's what I wish was more widely read. And what I wish people really wanted to discuss with me, because I am here to discuss the Disuphere (pronounced "disappear") series always.
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8. Where can readers purchase your books?
Bonus! The Disuphere series is free! If you have a Kindle you can even download it there! Just click the link to find it!
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9. Where can readers find out more about you and your books?
To read more about my series, click here. To find out more about me click the ABOUT tag on the upper right hand side of the blog.
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10. Have any of your books been made into audiobooks? If so, what are the challenges in producing an audio book?
No, only if you count reading out loud on Marco Polo to friends.
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11. Which of your books were the most enjoyable to write?
I'm really enjoying writing the current one (which you'll hear more about in the future) because I love writing with my sis!
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12. Tell us about your first published book? What was the journey like?
I first published a book of poetry in 2007. I was at a super different time in my life in almost every way. The book was full of mostly Christian poems. I followed it up getting published in a couple of anthologies in 2009 and 2010 and then got another book of poetry published in 2011.
It was weird. I was (and remain) super shy so I was terrible about self-promotion. And I was at a way different point in my life where I craved validation from others.
Now, I'm more committed to my work being accessible (and free) to as many people as possible. I understand making a living (especially disabled folks) and I don't fault anyone who does get published, but I don't believe it's right for me to charge money in order for people to enjoy something I created.
Please read my series and come talk to me about it! Especially if you loved it or learned something new!
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