PRIDE 2020 INTERVIEW: Bernadette Gambino

Today’s Pride Month (EXTRA!) Interview is with former police officer and current private investigator Bernadette Gambino:

Bernadette Gambino (left) and business partner AnGèle Cade

Hi, Bernadette! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during current events. What are you doing to stay creatively motivated in these unusual times?

Wow, that is tough! I have been working on a few projects. One is a musical, where I am Executive Producer. It is called Empty Hands, which is the English translation of Karate. It is about bullying. A sort of cross between High School Musical meets Karate Kid.

Retired police officer, actor, business owner, CEO, athlete, parent, grandparent, life coach and private investigator. Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: how has being lesbian influenced or informed your very varied career path?

I came out late in life. I was about 25 years old in 1990 when it hit me that I was gay. When I say hit, I mean jumping off a cliff about a thousand feet high and hitting the ground. I was suicidal. Picture this… I just graduated from the Sheriff’s academy and would sit on my couch with my revolver and my 18 month old daughter asleep in the next room.  It was a very traumatic time not to mention my counselor said not to come out at work because the Sheriff’s department was still firing people up until 1988. Also, my very Catholic parents did not react very well.

As I grew older and through meeting my late wife, I grew to love all of me and recognized that God chose this path for me and now I honor that! For me, it’s not about being a lesbian that defines me but learning to love me who happens to be gay…if that makes sense.

It wasn’t that long ago that it was difficult to be openly gay or lesbian and be a police officer. I’d be interested in hearing your experiences while on the force.

I stayed in the closet a long time. Even when I got together with my late wife in 2002 and wore this beautiful diamond ring she gave me, I still pretended it was from a guy. It took a long while for me to love me enough to be in a position that I didn’t care what others though of me.

I know there were those who spoke behind my back or said things that were homophobic. I came to realize it was their problem not mine. My late wife, Mona Miller, showed me and taught me about loving all of who I am without judgement or shame. It took some time, but eventually I came out and embraced that part of my life without fear of who I was or fear of other’ judgement of me.

I’d also be remiss, given everything that’s going on recently, if I didn’t ask for your take as a retired officer on the nationwide systemic problems when it comes to police and minority populations.

 I believe some of the issues we face as a nation and the issues Law Enforcement faces with the general public and people of color is self- induced. Yes, there are very racist Police Officers who take advantage of the power coupled with their own egos to prey on minority communities, but we also have to be careful not to dismiss the Law Enforcement Officers, of all races and colors, who are an example to the profession and to the communities they serve.  A knee jerk reaction to the current climate is like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

If Law Enforcement agencies took a more proactive approach to community policing….. if the good citizens of the various communities worked in conjunction with their local law enforcement…if problem officers were held accountable sooner… and I can go on.  We are facing a multi-faceted problem that requires a multi-faceted solution. It cannot be a one size fits all solution because most of the time there are too many variables.

You’ve recently started up a private investigations firm. What inspired you to move into that sphere?

After I retired, I was asked so many times to conduct or assist in a variety of investigations. I finally decided to open my own firm. In addition, I am a full-service private security firm as well. We have some very interesting specialties. You can check out my website: eipainc.com

You’re a mother and grandmother. Kids today are facing possibly more pressure socially, academically, and in the virtual online world, than ever before. Teen and pre-teen suicide seems to continually be on the rise. What advice do you have for coping with those stresses, and especially those dealing with the added stress of being LGBTQIA in a world that professes acceptance but often acts just the opposite?

Having been in that queue I know that self love without judgement played a significant role in my survival. Learning to love one’s self in spite of the damaging world around us is a journey filled with lots of peaks and valleys but when truth becomes the paramount goal it can change everything.  BELIEF IS STRONGER THAN TRUTH UNLESS YOU BELIEVE IN THE TRUTH. We will create from that which we believe…..what we believe about ourselves.  We can only change ourselves and when we search for self love we find empowerment. It is in that empowerment that we can combat the judgement and hate from others. A miracle is a change of perception. When we work on ourselves from the inside out, find our own self love, leave judgement and fear at the door, others can’t hurt us. Is it an easy task….HELL NO! But definitely a worthwhile one!

In my life coaching business, it is issues such as these that are my specialty. I help people get out of their own way so they can find the person they were intended to be, not the circumstances of their life that made them!

And finally, where can people find you and your work online?

My life coaching website is:  Communicationartscompany.com  or they can email me at:

bernadettegambinocomart@aol.com

My private investigation and security business website is:  eipainc.com  or they can email me at

bernadette@eipainc.com

Executive coach Bernadette Gambino of Communication Arts Company and business consultant AnGèle Cade of Executive On the Go joined forces this year to create Empowering the Business of YOU—presenting conferences and one-on-one coaching to help women who feel stuck, frustrated and unfulfilled. Bernadette has more than 25 years of experience in mentoring, coaching and counseling individuals to help them achieve their goals. For nearly 20 years, AnGèle Cade has counseled more than 15,000 entrepreneurs across the country on starting or fixing their businesses. 

PRIDE MONTH INTERVIEW: Jordan L. Hawk

Today’s Pride Month (EXTRA!) interview is with author Jordan L. Hawk:

Hi, Jordan! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during the current events. What are you doing to stay creatively motivated in these unusual times?

Hi, and thanks for having me on the blog!

I’ve tried a few different approaches, but focusing on getting what feels like a “small” amount of work done every day seems to work best. What would have been a small amount before is about all I have the energy left to do, so I do that and refuse to feel guilty about not doing more.

Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: this past year, you announced you are transgender. How has that self-discovery influenced or informed your writing?

I don’t think I’ve had the chance to really notice yet. Certainly it’s shone a light on a lot of the themes present in my work, but I find I’m still drawn to “person with a secret about their identity” stories.

You’ve recently ended your well-regarded Whyborne & Griffin series. Did you always intend for the series to run the number of books it did? I know I’m not the only fan who wishes it were longer!

I’m a big believer in endings, and though I know I could have continued on indefinitely, I felt ending the story would give it weight and meaning. I think we’ve all known series that overstayed their welcome, and I did not want W&G to turn into one of them! I never had a set number of books so much as “here’s a list of what I want for the story, so which part or parts works for the next book.” I’d say by Maelstrom (book 7) I did know it would end with book 11, though.

You’re not done with the city of Widdershins, though. Can you tell us anything about the spin-off series you’re launching?

Rath & Rune follows the adventures of Sebastian Rath, librarian and chief archivist at the Ladysmith Museum’s library, and Vesper Rune, newly hired bookbinder and conservator. There’s murder, evil books, necromancers, and of course romance. Book 1, Unhallowed, will be out July 17.

Since I recently ran a “Series Saturday” post about your Hexworld series, I’d like to focus a few questions there. The world-building is a bit more intricate than in W&G or Spirits – tell us how magic works in Hexworld.

Magic in Hexworld needs three ingredients: a hex (usually a drawing) to hold and shape the magic, a familiar to provide the magic, and a witch to channel the magic from familiar into hex.

Familiars shift between human and animal shapes. They have to form a magical bond with a witch in order for the witch to use their magic, as they can’t charge hexes on their own. Unfortunately this has led to a societal view of familiars more as resources to be exploited than people with their own lives and desires.

The formula for Hexworld so far is that you’ve introduced new witch-familiar combinations in each book and focused on their romantic ups-and-downs. Will there come a point where you’re no longer introducing new couples?

The upcoming Hexworld series, Roaring Twenties, will focus on a single couple.

If I remember correctly, the characters from your novellas “A Christmas Hex” and “Wild Wild Hex” have yet to be tied into the main novels. Is there any plan to see those characters again? (Given where Wild Wild Hex takes place in relation to the novels, that one might be a bit hard.)

Those were both one-offs, and I don’t currently plan to revisit those characters.

What are you working on now? What’s next out of the gate?

I’m currently working on the next SPECTR novella, Harvester of Bones, and doing research for Hexworld: Roaring Twenties.

And finally, where can interested people find you and your work online?

The easiest place to check is my website: http://www.jordanlhawk.com, which has links to all the places my books are sold. You can also find me on FaceBook at http://www.facebook.com/jordanlhawk and Twitter at https://twitter.com/jordanlhawk.

Jordan L. Hawk is a trans author from North Carolina. Childhood tales of mountain ghosts and mysterious creatures gave him a life-long love of things that go bump in the night. When he isn’t writing, he brews his own beer and tries to keep the cats from destroying the house. His best-selling Whyborne & Griffin series (beginning with Widdershins) can be found in print, ebook, and audiobook.

PRIDE 2020 INTERVIEW: Michael Sonntag

Today’s Pride Month (Extended!) Interview is with stay-at-home dad Michael Sonntag:

Hi, Michael! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during current events. What are you doing to stay motivated in these unusual times? 

Thank you, yes - we’re all doing well - a little stir crazy, but healthy which is the most important.  I will admit that being motivated can be a challenge during these times - I think we’ve all managed to slack on schedules and things like that during this time.  But honestly, with three little kids 6 and under at home 24/7 now, staying active and busy is not too challenging.

Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: how has being gay influenced or informed your career? 

Hmm… that’s an interesting question.  I think it’s affected my career, and honestly my life in general, in a number of ways.  Feeling free to “be myself” in every way fully - it’s allowed me to unleash my creativity and not censor myself in any way because I might be worried about what people think.  It’s also allowed me to be more compassionate and think of others as I go about my day.  Let’s face it - being a white male from an upper-middle class family in America, I grew up with a fair amount of privilege - and honestly never really faced a lot of challenges.  But as soon as I came out - and as a result became part of a minority that people sometimes looked at differently (or even disapprovingly) - it changed the way I saw the world, and maybe for the first time, I truly understood what it was like to be marginalized.  I had a good education, often focused on social justice - so I thought I was pretty aware - but facing adversity only because of who I was - that was a new thing.  It made me so much more compassionate for others that face adversity in their lives, for all sorts of reasons, too.

You and your husband are raising three kids in St. Louis. What assumptions or prejudices have you faced as a gay couple with kids?

People might be surprised to hear this - especially since we now live in a red State (although the City of St. Louis is quite liberal politically) - but Nick (Kasparek) and I have not really faced much in the way of prejudice, as a gay couple with kids.  At least, not overtly.  I’m sure there are people that disagree, but we haven’t felt treated differently in any way.  I think that’s a good thing - I’ve found it surprising for sure - and I think it’s indicative of how far gay rights have come in a short period of time.  Plus, the fact that we’re choosing to live in places that we know are open to us to begin with.  If people do ever say anything about it, it’s really very positive - they think it’s great.  Now, in terms of assumptions, there have been some misconceptions at times, but they are mostly humorous.  People assuming we’re brothers (and not married to each other) hanging out with our kids while our wives are shopping (that’s happened several times) - I think that’s funny!  Especially when we explain it to them.  Otherwise, it’s really just navigating things sometimes in a society that’s set up for one mom and one dad.  Filling out forms, and having to fill out the “Mom” side (and skip the pregnancy questions).  Being in a group of Moms, and not losing your male identity - but that’s with any stay-at-home dad, gay or straight, I think.

Adoption of children by gay couples is still under attack in the courts, spearheaded by the current administration. And on the anniversary of the Pulse massacre, the administration issued a new regulation allowing healthcare professionals to deny treatment on the grounds of religious belief. Do you think we’ll ever see a day where sexual orientation is not a roadblock to adoption, proper healthcare, etc.?

I certainly hope so.  Just when it feels like we’ve come really far, there is a reminder of where we still need to go.  It’s really so often about fear and ignorance.  As more and more people continue to live their lives as their authentic selves, then I think that’s how we shift society.  Nick and I have made an active choice to proceed through everything with our kids acting as if no one will have a problem with it.  We know that’s not really the case.  But it forces people to confront.  And if we don’t act strange or put off in any way, it often diffuses them.  It’s sort of like killing someone with kindness.  Plus, our kids are little, and they should not feel anything is different.  We have begun talking to them about how some people might see us as being “funny”, and we’ll need to address it with them more as they get older.  But we want them empowered and self-confident, and living a life proud of our family and who they are.  One last thing, specifically about adoptions - honestly, I don’t understand it.  There are all kinds of different families these days, and there are so many kids in the foster care system in need of a good home.  Kids need love.  The rest can be filled in.  Adults who love and care for them - whoever they are - that’s what’s needed, and it shouldn’t matter whether it’s one or two dads, moms, grandparents, etc.  If there’s a want-to-be parent out there with love to give, why would we ever want to try to stop that??

On a happier note: as a parent, what do you think is the most important lesson for your children to learn?

It’s actually pretty simple - do what makes you happy, act out of love for your fellow man, and do something that serves the world.  If we can teach them to follow these three simple guidelines, then we will be successful in raising content, caring members of society.

We can all use inspiration in these trying times. So what inspires you? What causes are important to you, and to your family?

I am inspired when I see other people making a difference.  Whether it’s at my kids’ school, in our neighborhood, in the City, in the country - when people act unselfishly to make the world a better place - that’s what I find inspiring.  It makes me want to get up and do the same.  And thankfully, there are lots of examples.  We have a multi-racial family - we are white, and our kids are Hispanic and African-American.  After the death of George Floyd, the protests against systemic racism in the U.S. have been quite inspiring.  I’ve gotten a chance to protest a little myself.  It’s important that we stand up and speak to the injustice that has gone on for far too long in our country.  It’s probably the thing I worry about most for my kids - we are teaching them already that not everyone treats each person fairly - and often, just because of the color of their skin.  I want them to understand and FEEL what true equality is - and recognize that it is possible for them.  But sadly, I also need them to be very aware that there are other people who don’t agree - and they need to be vigilant, smart, and protective at the same time.  It’s something we’re going to really need to instill in them as they get older.  We’ll eventually be having “the talk” with all of them - I wish it weren’t so.

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to say about raising kids in the 2020s?

It’s not easy!  And doing it in a pandemic is something that we definitely didn’t account for.  The world moves at such speed now - life just seems to fly past, and there are so many different pressures.  Just trying to keep your kids healthy is a full-time job!  And I feel that there are lots of resources available to help us navigate our way through this - it’s just about balancing life.  Kids are way more resilient than we are.  Our goal is to not let them grow up too fast - it’s great to be a kid, and we want them to have every chance possible to do that for as long as they can.  It’s an awesome thing getting to be a parent (even an older one!) - we learn every day from raising our kids and they bring us so much joy, even when they’re driving us crazy.  It’s about slowing down enough to enjoy this time with them because they grow up fast.  I feel very lucky that I get stay at home with them right now - there’ll be plenty of time to do the other things in life later.  It’s a cliche - but, they’re only this young once.

Michael Sonntag spent 25-years working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, CA as a film/tv/theatre producer, casting director, teacher, and actor, before moving halfway across the country to the greener pastures of St. Louis, MO to become a full-time Dad in Chief to his three little kids.  In Hollywood, Michael founded and ran two businesses - as Executive Director of the non-profit One World Stage & Screen, and as President of Studio C Artists, a production, casting, and arts education company; worked as an independent producer in film and television; produced 35 theatrical shows, cast numerous commercials for clients such as Southwest Airlines, Intel, NFL Networks, Cisco, TV Land, Walt Disney Studios, and the U.S. Army.; and served as President of the Mid-City Neighborhood Council for the City of Los Angeles.  Michael now spends his time in his most important role yet - as a stay-at-home Dad raising his three young children, with his husband, Nick Kasparek.  He also currently works as a general contractor on the extensive gut-restoration of their 125 year old historic home, serves as President of the Compton Heights Neighborhood Betterment Association, and acts as President-Elect for the PTA at his kids’ school.  If there’s any spare time left, Michael enjoys cooking, throwing lots of parties, and watching anything on TCM.

PRIDE 2020 INTERVIEW: Nisi Shawl

This afternoon’s Pride Month interview is with author Nisi Shawl:

Hi, Nisi! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during current events. What are you doing to stay creatively motivated in these unusual times?

I’ve been meeting daily with other writers via Zoom and doing a combination of talking about craft, talking about what’s happening in the world, and writing silently.  It seems to have really helped so far--it’s keeping me going and inspiring others, too.  At the moment my co-writers are L. Timmel Duchamp, Joanne Rixon, Kristin A. King, K. Tempest Bradford, Manjula Menon, Teri Clarke, Leslie What, and Eileen Gunn.  There are two distinct groups, and we get together for two separate sessions of two hours each.  Virtual presence seems to provide the right mix of community and solitude for me, and the socializing punctuates the work focus very nicely.  I’ll be adding a series of Saturday sessions in July which are supposed to be attended by some of the participants in Clarion West’s Write-a-thon fundraiser.

Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: how has being non-binary influenced or informed your writing?

It’s made me open to the possibilities of the many-faceted aspect of life, and the myriad ways of representing that.  It’s also led me away from the trap of mapping the binary onto most elements in life’s literary depiction.  I very much hope that it has helped me understand the marginalization of other identities--especially the intersections of those marginalizations.  I’m sure there’s plenty more--I plan to keep figuring it out as I go along.

It seems like non-binary and gender-fluid folk often get left out of conversations about LGBTQIA rights (and even left out of most acronyms for the community, as evidenced right in this question!), as do queer POC, despite being at the forefront of the movement from the beginning. How do we change that?

I think this interview is a great start!  Also, can we make weirdness equal coolness?  Can we set up some sort of scoreboard where people get geekpoints or something along those lines for every difference from the dominant paradigm?  Because being counted as weird even among the weird should be like a feather in my cap.  It should add to my luster, and the luster of all the other ultra-outsiders.  But in line with my point concerning the interview, the thing is that stories are what move and motivate people.  More relevant fiction, more movies, more songs, will change the narrative and render it much more inclusive.  This will allow people to see themselves in less distorted ways--they won’t have to throw their necks out tilting their heads to get a glimpse of someone with at least one of their traits.  And that atmosphere can encourage yet another increase in examples--another wave of stories to model the next on.  I’ve seen it happen with BIPOC representation, so I know it works.

Back to writing, what inspires you? What does your creative process look like?

Everything inspires me: weather, animals, machines, songs, wounds--you name it.  Ideas are everywhere.  I know I’m onto something when one of these elements stays with me, looping on constant replay, carrying a powerful emotional burden.  Sometimes I’ll see that an issue is touching other people as well, and that’s even more motivation to explore it.

The creative process for me begins when these ideas come together and form a critical mass.  The ideas are usually embodied by characters, the plot by questions.  Finishing the story doesn’t necessarily mean answering the questions; sometimes the end is about understanding enough to ask it.

I always pray when I write.  I practice an indigenous West African spiritual tradition called Ifa.  The divinity in charge of stories is the Trickster, the one who makes the impossible not just possible, not just probable, but true.  Writing is a religious process for me.  I’m creating worlds, inhabiting them.  That’s holy work.

And it’s work readers do too, creating worlds from writers’ words.  Every day.

Everfair was such an amazing alternate history novel, and inspired me to read more about the actual history of the region. Is there any chance you’ll be returning to that world?

Yes.  And no.  I’m drafting a sequel to Everfair.  It’s called Kinning, and I’m a few chapters in, and so far we’ve had scenes in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Egypt, and Kenya.  I’m hoping to reach Everfair’s borders soon.

There are already a couple of Everfair sequels published.  They’re short stories, though, not novels.  And neither of *them* takes place in the country of Everfair, either: one’s in Cairo, and one’s on Zanzibar.  “Sun River” is in the anthology Clockwork Cairo, and “The Colors of Money” is in the anthology Sunvault.

I also published “Vulcanization” at Nightmare Magazine, online.  It’s Everfair-adjacent.  It’s a horror story from Leopold II’s viewpoint.

Finally, I put a few Everfair-related pieces on my website, like an essay about nonstandard sexuality in African countries, and an outline of Matty’s play “Wendi-la.”  Check it out.

What are you working on now and what do you have coming out soon?

As I said, I’m mostly focused right now on Kinning.  A couple of months back I finished revisions on a Middle Grade historical fantasy called Speculation.  That should be coming out next year.  Sometime this year an anthology called Sword Stone Table will be published with one of my stories in it: “I Being Young and Foolish.”  It’s a subversion of the Merlin/Nimue episode of the Arthurian mythos.

I have an essay due next month on how to describe African-descended people’s hair, and that anthology, Pocket Workshop, will appear this December.

And finally, where can people find you and your work online?

NS: Google me!  I have a very Google-able name, don’t I?

I did just get a piece of flash fiction featuring a nonbinary character published on the Arizona State University website.  The story is called “Fourth and Most Important.”  The character is called Mx. Pickell.  Read it--it’s short!

Nisi Shawl, winner of the 2019 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award, wrote the 2016 Nebula Award finalist Everfair about an imaginary Fabian socialist Utopia in the Congo, and the 2009 James Tiptree/Otherwise Award collection Filter House.  Shawl co-wrote Writing the Other: A Practical Approach.  Their story collection Talk Like a Man is part of PM Press’s “Outspoken Author” series.  They live in Seattle and take frequent walks with their cat.

PRIDE 2020 INTERVIEW: Ellen Kushner

Today’s first Pride Month interview is with author Ellen Kushner:

Hi, Ellen! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during urrent events. What are you doing to stay creatively motivated in these unusual times?

I’m having the most incredible experience! My wife Delia Sherman and I always leave our apartment in NYC in late February to stay with friends in the magical city of Tucson, Arizona, at the edge of the Sonoran desert, to take a couple of weeks’ retreat to work on our novels. Our friends there have a little guest house, and a big yard with a wall around it to keep out the desert creatures that live all around us and will come in and wreak havoc if they’re not kept out. We were here when the pandemic hit, and decided, wisely, not to go back to New York City. We’ve been here ever since – and for the first time, I’ve seen the desert wildflowers come up after the spring rains, then the cactus flowering, and even a baby monsoon. It’s incredibly stimulating, being somewhere so completely and utterly different from anywhere I’ve ever lived before. I finally understand why Terri Windling wrote The Wood Wife when she lived out here. (We visited her a lot, but never for enough time to see the year turn like this.)

I’m now working on the garden, learning the ways of decorative desert plants in the amazing heat (it hasn’t been under 105F all week! But neither has the humidity been over 12%), as well as what familiar ones like tomatoes and basil will do under conditions that couldn’t be farther from my last garden in Massachusetts. We’ll have to go home eventually…but I hope I get a couple of little tomatoes first!

If by “creatively motivated” you mean “working hard on your overdue novel,” well, I’m not sure any of this counts. But I’m definitely re-filling the well. And working on the novel….some. I love looking out at the mountains when I work.

Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: how has being lesbian influenced or informed your writing?

Well, for one thing, I find it incredibly awkward to write about women having sex. It’s far too personal. But then, fantasy literature in particular mediates between raw experience and subtle art . . . . My work tends to be very sexy; I just inhabit all the roles.  At this point, I’m coming to realize that I’m not merely bisexual, but genderqueer as all getout. I dislike labels as a rule, and have resisted them all my life; but this one, being so protean, is actually kind of a relief.

As you know, The Fall of the Kings, which you co-authored with your wife Delia Sherman, made a huge impression on me. It was, I think, the first fantasy novel I was able to see “myself” in after I started my coming-out process. So thanks again for that. Over the years from Swordspoint to The Privilege of the Sword to The Fall of the Kings and the four seasons of Tremontaine on Serial Box, plus countless short stories, you have populated the world of the Riverside district and the City that surrounds it with such a wide range of LGBTQIA characters that I think every reader can find themselves. Did you imagine the world growing so expansively when you were writing Swordspoint?

Not at all! In fact, I planned never to write a sequel to the novel. And so my next book was Thomas the Rhymer (which did win some awards, so that was nice). But I found I missed my imaginary city, as well as my characters, and wanted to see how they were progressing. And so I made a rule that I was allowed to return, as long as I kept playing with viewpoints and styles, so it didn’t get stale or repetitive. I hope you can forgive me.

Tremontaine was an adventure in “shared world” writing: we gathered a group of mostly gay and lesbian writers together to write a collaborative prequel to Swordspoint. There’s almost no one straight in the entire four seasons of serial stories we wrote for Serial Box! The only one I can think of, in fact, is one of the villains.  But only one: in Season Two, for example, Tessa Gratton created the most chilling pair of rogues imaginable, who are always having spontaneous hot sex up against a wall when they’re not trying to murder someone. And even most of the “straight” people turn out to be bi, which is very much in keeping with the series as I first imagined it. Of course, I never, ever imagined a project like this growing out of my first novel! But Serial Box invited us, and we had a blast. I’d do it again in a heartbeat – especially with colleagues like Tessa, and Joel Derfner, and Malinda Lo, and Karen Lord.

That was such an amazing crew of writers. I loved every minute of the series, and I wish Tremontaine had continued beyond Season 4, and that sales had supported print versions of seasons two through four. Rumor has it there’s more Riverside/City/Land books coming. What are you working on now and what do you have coming out soon?

My WIP is another novel written out of order in the Swordspoint/Riverside/Tremontaine sequence: It takes place fifteen years after The Privilege of the Sword, and is the story of Jessica Campion, Alec’s bastard daughter, the angriest teenager in the world.

Currently online is a little fantasia made up of some of the child Jessica’s flashbacks to her visits with her father and Richard St Vier on their island of exile: It’s called “On the Island,” and it’s part of Jo Walton and Maya Chabra and Lauren Schiller’s wonderful Decameron Project, which they began the minute the pandemic hit. They have a spectacular array of work up there, ranging from unpublished chapters from the WIP of lesbian genius Laurie J. Marks and SF writer Rosemary Kirstein’s “Steerswoman” series, to work by Usman Malik, Laurie Penny, and many, many more.

I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Coming in November is a story I wrote for Silk & Steel: An adventure anthology of queer sf&f with high femmes & dashing women. It’s another Tremontaine story, featuring a challenge by a new Riverside sword, a woman named Angwar Bec, who loves pastry almost as much as she loves steel. It was a lot of fun to write – and thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, I’m even getting paid for it!

I’m always happy to have more Tremontaine/Riverside/The City in my life! Finally, where can people find you and your work online?

I’m over-active on Facebook and Twitter (@EllenKushner), under-active on Instagram. I have a website, which I try to keep reasonably up to date: www.EllenKushner.com If you got to my Bibliography page, you’ll find links to a lot of the short stories that are up online.

Two recent interviews that are very thorough but not yet on the website are:
https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2019/11/interview-with-ellen-kushner-swordspoint/

http://locusmag.com/2017/01/spotlight-on-ellen-kushner-tremontaine/

Ellen Kushner usually lives in New York City with her wife, writer Delia Sherman. They also spend a lot of time in Paris, which hardly influences their writing at all not even a little bit, no. During the CV-19 lockdown, they are sheltering in a friend's guest house in Tucson, Arizona, where they happened to be on a writing retreat when the Virus hit the fan. Kushner's novel Swordspoint introduced readers to the city to which she has returned in two more novels (one co-written with Delia), a growing handful of short stories and the collaborative serial prequel, Tremontaine (SerialBox.com). A longtime performer and public radio host, she narrated all three as audiobooks for Neil Gaiman Presents. Her award-winning Thomas the Rhymer is a Gollancz “Fantasy Masterwork…..” But wait! There’s more!  EllenKushner.com

PRIDE 2020 INTERVIEW: AW Burgess

Today’s Pride Month Interview is with author and educator AW Burgess:

Hi, A.W.! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during current events. What are you doing to stay creatively motivated in these unusual times?

What a great and terrible question, in the same way that OZ is the great and terrible. I feel like I almost need to distract your dear readers with some fanciful magic that would have them believe I’ve been muddling through just swell! The truth is, the pandemic and other issues, like what is happening with the Black Lives Matter movement, have done a toll on me, emotionally and physically. It has been very difficult to be creative. I’m not the kind of thinker or writer who does my best work in times of strife; I know that a lot of writers thrive on turmoil and uncertainty, but I find that it is when I’m most at peace that I am able to focus and to put out my best (and greatest amount) of work. That said, since my output has been low, I have increased my input. I’ve been reading a lot; fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. I’ve been finding inspiration in the bodies and voices of people on the front lines, and I’ve been trying my best to avoid social media so that I can actually and effectively take in all that is happening, all that I’m thinking about, and all that I’m feeling about it. This has always been a cycle of mine, though; a year of furious output followed by a year of immersion in others’ works. So, perhaps I’m just on that particular swing. I do have a complete draft of a novel that I need to get to work revising (beta reader feedback has begun to come in!) and I’ve been writing and submitting some poetry. I may turn my attention more to poetry in the coming year, to be honest, which is new and unsettling, but also wild. Speaking of which, I was interviewed in a 5-part series at Poetry Mini-Interviews, if anyone is interested: http://poetryminiinterviews.blogspot.com/search/label/Adam%20W.%20Burgess.

Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: how has being gay influenced or informed your writing and blogging?

Well, being gay has turned out to be a rather important part of my academic and creative life. Much of my graduate work focused on LGBTQ history, particularly literature, and I wrote my dissertation on gay literature in the United States before Stonewall. Similarly, my creative work has been inspired by what I learned as a student, both in terms of being a student in dozens of classes where gay issues never came up, and feeling so very alone; but also in terms of my work, which very much came of those lonely experiences and the curiosity it generated. Did gay people not exist before the 1960s? Does it not matter that these writers, male, female, and other, were not heterosexual? Why do all my professors avoid these issues, these questions? I did not want to be that person, that kind of professor. And that commitment has overflowed into my creative writing, insofar as I try to write the stories that I wish I would have found when I was a kid. The ones I needed desperately, sometimes.

In 2019, you published From a Whisper to a Riot: The Gay Writers Who Crafted an American Literary Tradition, covering a period in the development of gay literature that has been under-represented in other histories. Tell us a bit about the inspiration for the book, and about your research.

Thank you for mentioning my book and for reading it. Your review was absolutely wonderful, and I’m very grateful to you for it. That book came directly out of my doctoral work mentioned above. It was an interesting journey, really. I chose a specific PhD program because the University was ranked highly for LGBT+ inclusion and because it offered a graduate certificate in LGBT Studies (which I pursued and earned). It was my time in that certificate program more than my time in the literature classroom that influenced me, really, because even in graduate courses, I was getting very little from my professors as far as diverse representation in the required reading. Ultimately, I created my own course of study, which meant I had to come up with a list of 100+ texts to read, a course to take with a faculty advisor, and then an exam based on that extensive reading and study (supplemented by my certificate program in LGBT Studies). When I managed to complete all of that, I was allowed to propose a dissertation topic. That topic? Openly gay writing by openly gay writers before Stonewall. Gay history is so long, has so much depth, but nobody knows about it. Everyone knows Stonewall. Everyone knows what has happened since Stonewall. But the reality is, so much was happening before the 1960s. Before the 1900s, even! I thought it was important to get this information collected and put out there into the world, if only so we can have a healthy rebuttal to that dismissive attitude we sometimes face, that gay/trans issues are just “too new.” They’re not. They’re a human constant.

You’re an English Professor, specializing in LGBT Studies and American Literature among other things. I’d love to hear about the process, and challenges, of developing an LGBT Studies curriculum, especially with the boom in LGBT fiction (and especially genre fiction) in the past decade or so.

Yes, it has been a blessing and a curse! You want to teach all the things, particularly when there’s such a new interest in this field. College is the time that a lot of people are coming of age, which means, for many, coming out. I want to do justice to everyone who might be in my classroom, whether they signal anything personal about themselves. One of best ways I know to do that is to diversify my reading lists in every course. A colleague recently commented, after a review of my last three years’ syllabi, that I always have more women than men on my reading lists. That’s true. And I also have writers of color, queer writers, translated writers, writers with disabilities, etc. The toughest part is still the debate about who and what to include, especially now that I know how long and rich our history is. My goal right now is to offer as much of a historical and contextual experience as I can for my students, which means regardless of the class topic, I try to include readings that cover a broad timeline, many places, and multiple perspectives. Something I hear repeatedly from students is that they have seen themselves represented for the first time in something they’ve read from my class, whether that be a text by a Latinx writer, or about a transgender experience, or a translated text from a Filipinx native. This is the most rewarding comment I can ever hope to receive, because I know how valuable it is to see ourselves represented in what we are expected to study. When a professor elevates your experience to something worthy of scholarly consideration, it is beyond validating.

What has “distance learning” looked like for you and your students over the past few months?

Fortunately, I have taught some of my courses online and in hybrid formats for many years. To be honest, though, this has been a challenge. It is not just the fact that all classes moved online, but that combined with the circumstances that required it, which have everyone feeling stressed, confused, and sometimes defeated. When we moved online mid-semester in the Spring, I did everything I could to keep my students motivated and encouraged, from allowing extra time on assignments to incorporating “mental health break” activities, like visiting a virtual zoo or going “star-gazing” online. The funny thing is, I think these challenges, these experiences, have added an entirely new and welcomed perspective to my pedagogy, things I will keep in mind and keep adapting even when (if?) we return to a more traditional environment.

You’re also a well-published essayist and book reviewer, and you’ve talked about working on short stories and a novel. So what are you working on now? Do you have anything coming out in the near future?

Ah, did I give away the game already? I have two major projects right now. The first is revising my young adult novel (it is so queer!) based on feedback from beta readers. I hope to then send that off to publishers and agents for consideration. I had received two full manuscripts on it already, but the work simply wasn’t finished. The other thing I’m working on is my poetry. Poetry is something I’ve been reading and teaching for years, but I hadn’t really tried writing much of it. But in the last year or so, it has been calling to me. The worst thing a writer can do is ignore whatever is calling to them. So, if anything comes out soon, and I hope it will, it will be either my very first novel, or some poetry. I’ll be sure to share any updates to my blog and on social media.

And finally, the usual: where can people find you and your work online?

The best place to keep up with me will be my blog, Roof Beam Reader. I have a love-hate relationship with social media, so while I do have a few accounts, my impulse is not to use them very much. Thanks so much for having me, Anthony, and happy pride!

A. W. Burgess is a southern Nevada writer whose works of fiction and non-fiction have appeared in various creative and academic publications, such as Towers Magazine, Brave Voices Magazine, America’s Emerging Writers, and Watermark Journal. Among his greatest inspirations are Kurt Vonnegut, Joan Didion, Ocean Vuong, and James Baldwin. Currently, he lives with his husband in Las Vegas, where he is an Instructor of English and a frequent explorer of Clark County’s trails, mountains, and wetlands. In 2019, Burgess began work on his first novel. More information can be found on his website, http://www.roofbeamreader.com.

PRIDE 2020 INTERVIEW: Daniel Rhyder

Today’s Pride Month interview is with actor Daniel Rhyder:

Hi, Daniel! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during current events. What are you doing to stay creatively motivated in these unusual times?

Thank God definitely staying safe and healthy during these crazy times! At first I was kind of numb and didn’t have any kind of creative spark.  I actually got scared for the future of the entertainment Industry and was worried that we might never get back to work.  After a few panic attacks, and many glasses of wine, I decided to start painting again.  It was never meant to be more than a hobby, it was always there to calm my nerves and keep my creative juices flowing.  I had abandoned it, probably because of a brunch invite or a fun date night. Literally being stuck at home I was forced to find a way to not go crazy and a quick visit to Amazon.com got all of my supplies to me!  My main inspiration has been rainbows (this was before I knew we’d still be in lockdown during Pride month!) Needless to say I have MANY rainbow paintings throughout my apartment.

Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: how has being gay influenced or informed your acting?

I started acting when I was 9 years old and basically have never stopped.  In my teens, as most of us are discovering our sexuality, I became hyper aware of my “lightness.”  I had an agent insist I get vocal lessons to help with my “voice, and speech.” I was terrified for people to find out I was gay. I thought it would ruin my career.  You have to remember I was a teen in the late 90’s, it was a very different time.  When I entered my 20’s something clicked. I didn’t want to hide. I wanted to be authentic in every area of my life so I decided to come out professionally.  I booked my first gay role on an MTV show called “Undressed” and I never looked back. And I’ve had the pleasure of playing some very interesting roles regardless of their sexual orientation through the years. Truthfully if I only ever play gay characters again, I would be thrilled.  A character’s sexual orientation is only one part of the whole person.  

Once you’ve booked a role, what’s your process for understanding or enhancing your character?

I’m really big on character development and the creative process.  The human condition is also extremely fascinating to me.  I’ve had a lot of great acting coaches through the years and everyone has reminded me that no matter what character you are playing you need to make them human.  Not necessarily likable, but HUMAN, without judgement.  So that’s always my goal to create a real life person from these words on paper.

What are you working on now, and what do you have coming out soon?

My last film, Façade, was actually released on Amazon Prime during the quarantine! I’ve been virtually auditioning as much as possible and as things start to open up I will hopefully book something else soon!  In the meantime I might start a rainbow Etsy store.  Just kidding, but actually might not be bad idea!

Where can interested people find you and your work online?

I have a number of projects that are available on Amazon Prime so search my name, Daniel Rhyder, and they should pop up. I am also on all social media platforms as Daniel Rhyder.   And finally, I have a YouTube channel where you can view my reel and music video parodies I have written and starred in as well. More content to come soon! And my website is www.danielrhyder.com.

Daniel Rhyder is a Santa Monica, CA native, and has studied the Stanislavsky Method of acting for over 20 years.  He has been in several independent films, most notably “Façade”, “Savage”,“Outcasts” , “Hatchetman”, “Far Flung Star” and “3 -Day Weekend.”  Daniel started his career as a recurring character on the popular MTV scripted series “Undressed” which received a GLAAD Media Award for his episodes.  Aside from starring in the critically acclaimed two-character feature film, “Layover,” Daniel can be seen in a Guest Starring role on the season two finale of ABC’s "Happy Endings.” He had a lead role in the popular web series “ The Cavanaughs,” which ran for four seasons, and had a recurring role on the outTV series “Boystown.”  Recent press includes a feature story in "Hollywood Covered" where Daniel was listed as "one to watch". 

PRIDE 2020 INTERVIEW: Jeffrey Ricker

Today’s Pride Month Interview is with author Jeffrey Ricker:

Hi, Jeff! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during current events. What are you doing to stay creatively motivated in these unusual times?

Thanks, Anthony. I hope you're staying safe as well. I’m privileged in that my day job is such that I’ve been able to work from home, and I can afford to have things like groceries delivered. As a result, I’ve stayed home for about 99% of the past… how many months has it been, three? Four?

Creative motivation is another thing, though. I have not had as much luck in that department during this plague year. I try to cut myself some slack—there’s the day job, and up until the middle of May I was also teaching a class, so time has been short for a while. Besides, discipline and focus are a challenge for me at the best of times, anyway.

So I’ve focused on trying to finish things I’ve already started: short stories, a novel revision, that sort of thing. I’ve also been taking part as often as I can in a monthly flash fiction challenge that writer Cait Gordon organizes. She posts a prompt on the first Monday of the month based on some random playing card draws—one card for genre, one for setting, and one for an object to be included in the story. You’ve got a week to write a thousand words inspired by those elements and post it somewhere online. It’s been good fun, and I’m a big fan of prompts as a way to get the creative wheels turning. I use them a lot when I teach.

Recently, I think the dam may have broken when it comes to creating new work. I started developing characters for what will hopefully be my next book. It’s not the one I thought I’d work on next (I’ve had a few ideas floating around for a while), but sometimes the project chooses you rather than the other way around.

Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: how has being queer influenced or informed your writing?

Honestly, I don’t think anything about the way I look at the world (i.e., highly suspicious and slightly terrified) would be the same if I wasn’t queer. I’d be hard pressed to pinpoint a part of my life that being queer hasn’t influenced. It’s kind of like the water a fish swims in—the fish takes it for granted.

I don’t think I should make too big a deal about feeling like queerness has given me an outsider’s perspective, because other than that, my identity (white cis male) is pretty much packed with privilege. Still, I feel like it made me an observer—partly as a survival instinct, I guess. But being observant also comes in handy as a writer.

Suffice it to say I have a hard time writing anything that doesn’t have queer characters in it—and besides, there’s more than enough non-queer books being written as it is, I think.

Whenever I interview someone for the first time, I always have to ask: what does your creative process look like?

I’m totally a process nerd, too. Right now, my own is a bit of a mess. I used to be a “go-upstairs-and-write-until-midnight” person, but the older I get, the more the midnight oil burns out around nine-thirty. I became a “get-up-early-and-write” person, but that was before my most recent day job (so, four years ago). Now, I get to write for maybe a half hour before work and an hour in the evening, if I’m lucky. I try to cram in as much as possible on the weekends. Since my social life is nil at the moment (it wasn’t all that before quarantine, either), that’s a bit easier to do.

What are you working on now and what do you have coming out soon?

In addition to the novel revision, the new novel, and the short stories I’m trying to finish up, I’m going through edits for a science fiction novella, The Final Decree, that I’m going to put out myself. The guy who’s doing the cover design, Matthew Bright, pretty much works magic. I can’t wait to show it off.

Other than that, I’m really perfecting my skills as a sourdough bread baker.

And finally, where can people find you and your work online?

The best place is probably jeffrey-ricker.com, where you can find out more about my books and how to read excerpts from them (try before you buy!), and there are also links to a lot of my stories, including many that can be read online.

Jeffrey Ricker is the author of Detours (2011) and the YA fantasy The Unwanted (2014). His stories and essays have appeared in Foglifter, Phoebe, Little Fiction, The Citron Review, The Saturday Evening Post, and others. A 2014 Lambda Literary Fellow and recipient of a 2015 Vermont Studio Center residency, he has an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and teaches creative writing at Webster University.

PRIDE 2020 INTERVIEW: Casey Stratton

Today’s interview is with musician Casey Stratton:

Hi, Casey! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during current events. What are you doing to stay creatively motivated in these unusual times?

I don’t know that I am actually all that motivated, to be honest. I have been struggling with motivation for a long while, even before COVID-19 hit the states. I often wonder if it’s my medications for my heart. After having two heart attacks in 2017 I have lost a lot of motivation. I did get a little spike over the last weekend and started the first song I’ve written since August of 2019. I am hopeful this well of inspiration will continue. One thing that is really inspiring me is Brené Brown’s new podcast, Unlocking Us.

Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: how has being gay influenced or informed your music?

It’s interesting that my first thought was about pronouns. In my teens I used “he” but then I entered the music business in 1995 and it quickly became clear that I should not reveal my sexuality so everything turned to “you.” I never lied and said I was straight and it was pretty obvious I wasn’t but I wouldn’t talk about it to the media. I am somewhat conflicted about that now but at the time my motivation was that I wanted to be known as a musician, not as a gay man. And then, and probably still now, that adjective will always be there. “Gay musician.” I just thought it would be a distraction and labels were pretty clearly rejecting me for it. The music was “too sensitive.” Coded language. Then Sony famously asked me not to come out then got lazy with marketing and outed me to the media without my permission! I was furious. So for years gay media tried to trick me into disclosing. I had a reporter openly admit his editor told him to trap me. It was a very uncomfortable time. Now - being gay is something that I feel I have worked out in my songs over the years. I have processed all my relationships through music and I think being gay does bring a sensibility to things, knowing what it’s like to be “other.” Many people say my songs say the things we think but don’t admit. Maybe that is part of it.

I’m always interested: what does your creative process look like? Has it changed at all since you started writing music?

My creative process is slower than it used to be. When I was young I sometimes wrote two songs a day! Now I can go months or years without writing anything. I’m less compelled to do it. Every once in a while I get an idea from a thought or dream, or another song will inspire me. But on a regular day I start with the keyboard, guitar or harp. I start playing, sometimes with a sound I like or the piano. My brain starts deciding what chords to put together, what the instrumental structure should be. I will get the main idea and play it over and over, then start deciding what the production should be like. The song kind of knows what it wants and I have to translate that as best I can. Along the way I usually start singing nonsense to get a sense of the melody and rhythm for the vocal. I put the whole track together and then I write the words, generally about 3 hours into the process. This is usually done quickly. I sit with my feet on the piano bench when I write words. I always use card stock and a black, ultra-fine Sharpie. It’s like a ritual that I have been doing since 1998.

You recently made a series of posts on Facebook celebrating the anniversary of your album Standing at the Edge. What inspired you to talk about the writing of each song on the album? Did the writing of those essays get you thinking about the songs in a different light?

Standing at the Edge is my most listened to work, mostly because it was my only major label release. I had an uneasy relationship with it for a really long time so it was bittersweet that it was so many people’s favorite. I was not happy with the compromises I made and felt it was my least authentic work. But my relationship with it has softened over the past few years. While it may be the “least me” it was also the most collaborative thing I’ve ever done. So now I feel all the people in it. It’s not just about me like the rest of my catalog. I leaned in and decided to reflect on each song, mostly as something to engage in during the quarantine. “Normal” shifted for so many of us and I wanted to put something out there. Because it’s such a listener favorite I thought it would be fun to talk about the songs but also the recording process. It was such an amazing experience and a time of my life that I look back on with great affection. I loved being in a professional studio 6 days a week and working with an amazing team of creative people. So I enjoyed taking the trip down memory lane and hearing from people about how the songs affected them as well. I love hearing how people interpret my work or how it has influenced them or helped them process things.

You’ve launched a new weekly podcast. Tell us about it!

With a wink to the audience it’s called Standing at the Edge. Season one is going to be 12 episodes focusing on the theme of identity. The first 4 episodes will be me talking to the audience but eventually I will have a weekly guest as well. People in my life who inspire me. We’ll talk about the various identities we inhabit and how that affects our lives. I wanted to do something new and different and engage with people through the podcast medium. I listen to podcasts every day on my 3 mile walks so that inspired me to come back to podcasting since I ended my last podcast in 2011.

Other than the podcast, what are you working on now and what do you have coming out soon?

I have just finally started my 30th album. I feel the pressure! It’s been 3 years since I made a record which is the longest I have ever gone since 1995 when I made my first record. 25 years! Time has flown. This one feels huge not only because it’s my 30th but because I have had two heart attacks, a spinal surgery, lost a job, gotten a new job and met my husband and got married during those 3 years! Quite a lot to process. The theme is going to be  resilience. I have learned how much I can survive, quite literally. I have seen how strong I can be. It’s very eye opening when you face death. I’m going to be exploring that and approaching things with the lens of survival and tenacity.

And finally, where can people find you and your work online?

I’m on most of the social media platforms except Tik Tok. I feel too old for that. I am @caseystratton on Twitter and Instagram and @caseystrattonmusic on Facebook. My website is caseystratton.com and my Bandcamp store is at store.caseystratton.com - My work is also on Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal although there are more titles to stream on Bandcamp than anywhere else.

Casey Stratton is a singer/songwriter/producer who has recorded 29 albums and has released even more EPs and B-side collections over the past 24 years. He graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in 1994 and began his professional music career in Los Angeles in 1995. In 2002 he signed to Sony Music Entertainment and released his debut major label album, Standing at the Edge, in 2004. In 2005 he returned to being independent after realizing the corporate music world was not a good fit for him and his process. He continues to write and record from his home in Grand Rapids, MI. He is also a non-non-profit professional and serves as the Y-Achievers Director at the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids which provides free programming for middle and high school students.

PRIDE 2020 INTERVIEW: Sina Grace

Today’s Pride Month interview is with comics writer/artist Sina Grace:

Hi, Sina! I hope you’re staying safe and healthy during current events. What are you doing to stay creatively motivated in these unusual times?

Hey, thanks for "having me," hah!

Staying creatively motivated has been an ongoing process, and different from month-to-month. I've been all over the place. In the beginning, it was really easy to just escape into drawing. Also, a few of my favorite musicians sent me some new music to vibe to, and that helped inspire me- I always need the reminder that art saves! Some days, it's been drugs. I repeat: I've been all over the place. Right now, I'm slowly getting back to drawing after a hard stop during the Black Lives Matter protests, and Persona 5 has been a great escape that inspires me to draw when I'm done playing for a few hours. The main rule I've adopted in all of (waves around the room) *this* is that I just have to be okay with where I am at in any given moment.

Since June is Pride Month, I have to ask: how has being queer influenced or informed your writing and art? (I use “queer” whenever I’m unsure of exactly how someone identifies.)

Queer is a great word for my identity, but I'm also just plain ol' gay. There are the obvious ways my sexual identity plays into informing my writing- making sure that members of my community are responsibly portrayed and given compelling storylines, but I'd say it's also challenged me to be a better writer/ artist who can basically kick ass on any job assigned to me. Folks tend to be more judgmental about my output as a writer, so I work extra hard on projects like Go Go Power Rangers or anything with DC Comics for any potential haters to see what I'm about when there's not a gay protagonist front and center. I came to make friends AND be the best at my job, sorry not sorry.

Whether it's being gay or just Me, I'd say that my work is informed a lot by pop culture, fashion, history, current events, politics, issues surrounding intersectionalism, etc. Like, you could say that has to do with being queer, but does it have to do with being Middle Eastern? Does it have to do with being raised in Los Angeles and being exposed to Tinseltown at a young age? I have no clue. But I'm happy with the results.

You write, you illustrate, you collaborate. This might be too broad a question: what does your creative process look like?

My creative process always begins from the same place geographically and emotionally: from my sketchbook... from a sense of having fun. Back when we were allowed to go to restaurants and sit at the bar during happy hour, my favorite thing to do would be to take whatever my task was for the day/ week/ month, and mess around in my sketchbook while sipping lemon drops and scarfing French fries... just writing key lines of dialog, or doodling out iconic moments. I feel like my most successful and fulfilling work has always come from a place of feeling like I was having fun at that birthing moment in the process. You can't ever escape that work is WORK, but when you're smiling, or trying to find one person in your text messages you can share this crazy idea you came up with and not feel like a self-absorbed prick? That's how my creative process looks. From there, it's a matter of forcing the beast out of me... usually it happens at my dining table on my iPad, but sometimes I mix things up and work on my couch or- back in the good ol' days of BC- at a cafe.

I thought your run on Iceman expertly captured what if feels like to come out “later in life” after having several girlfriends, and I really want to thank you for that. It’s the first time I’ve felt like I’ve seen my experience in a comic or book. The book’s cancellation, revival, and cancellation again was … rocky might be the best way to put it. I asked Steve Orlando this and it feels right to ask you as well: why do you think there just doesn’t seem to be an audience for a successful ongoing title featuring LGBTQIA super-heroes?

Firstly, I appreciate your words about Iceman! That book is so special to me, and I'm grateful whenever anyone tells me they connected with the material. Thanks!!

Secondly, I do want to correct the phrasing of your sentence... Iceman's return was planned as a five-issue series and actually had so much value with readers and editorial that we had to continue the story to a 30 page special in the Uncanny X-Men: Winter's End Special. So it wasn't cancelled again and actually low key thrived! But, I get what you're saying. I think comic book titles featuring LGBTQIA heroes have a tough go at Marvel and DC because they require a specific kind of editor, and a specific kind of marketing. Notice how specific I am with my words. First Second had NO problem making Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me and Bloom into bestsellers. Both of those books were way more expensive to produce than Iceman or Midnighter and they didn't have the benefit of being released first as serial issues with paid advertisements, but they were backed by a team that believed in the stories, and were marketed to an audience that was craving to read said stories. I love my mainstream comic companies, but I don't think I'll get blacklisted saying they don't necessarily think outside of the box when it comes to marketing and promotion.

Whenever I complain about my experience at Marvel, I usually focus on the fact that I didn't feel supported. My editor for the majority of the series didn't quite "get" me and was just trying to do his best to make me fit with the vibe over there. They needed to pair me with someone who understood that getting written up in the New York Times TWICE meant that what I was doing had a little more nuance than your typical action book and was meant for a different audience than an action book.

What are you working on now and what do you have coming out soon?

Tonight I'm wrapping up some illustrations for the band Phantom Planet. Their new album DEVASTATOR should be out by the time people read this, and we're sorting out how to utilize my drawings... either way it's a major feather in my cap 'cuz I've loved that band for ages. After this, I'm jumping back onto an upcoming Image Comics series I'm doing with some friends called Getting it Together. The book was supposed to be out this month, but we had to move it to October 'cuz of coronavirus. It's basically the TV show Friends, but with a cast that reflects our actual factual lives... y'know: queer folks. Brown folks. Plus it's just hilarious and dramatic. I can't wait for people to read it. Please pre-order!

We're wrapping up the final two issues of Ghosted in LA at Boom Studios. I love that book so much. It's Melrose Place, but with ghosts! The next issue, number 11, has the living cast at a queer prom and my little heart melted so hard when I saw the final art. Additionally, it looks like the final issue of the Read Only Memories series I'm writing at IDW will be out in August. That's based off the video game of the same name, but my story follows cool-ass lesbian P.I. Lexi Rivers as she goes down the rabbit hole of a missing persons case that involves a robot-human love story.

Oh! I'm done with my work on it, but the Haunted Mansion graphic novel I wrote will be coming out in August. It's a special project, and I really want people to pick it up 'cuz I think it's a bit of a heart warmer... also it includes so many deep cuts for the hardcore fans of the attraction at Disneyland.

And finally, where can people find you and your work online?

I'm pretty much @SinaGrace anywhere I want to be.

Sina Grace is a writer and artist living in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his work on the GLAAD award nominated series Iceman at Marvel comics, where he depicted founding X-Man Bobby Drake's journey out of the closet, and into the world as a gay man... complete with mutant drag queens and social issues aplenty. Having worked in comics since his teen years (as an editorial intern at Top Cow Productions), Grace has made had the great privilege to work for every major publisher under the sun, including DC, Archie, Image, Dark Horse, IDW Comics and Boom Studios. He's also worked for all of his favorite bands, including Jenny Lewis, Childish Gambino, Tegan & Sara, and Metric. Oh, and somewhere in all of this he also was Editorial Director for Robert Kirkman's Skybound Imprint at Image Comics.