Extraterrestrials: Another Autistic Trans Anthology is out now!

I’ve got a short story in an anthology that came out yesterday! It’s called Extraterrestrials: Another Autistic Trans Anthology, and it includes a bunch of different short stories about and for teenagers, centering characters who are both autistic and transgender/nonbinary, written by authors who live at the intersection of autistic and trans identities.

The cover of Extraterrestrials: Another Autistic Trans Anthology, edited by Ryan Vale.

My story, “Clothes That Fit,” is a prequel to an unpublished novel of mine. The main character of the novel has been out as nonbinary for a few months when the book starts, so I figured it would be fun to write a short story about their experience coming out to their friends. It’s a low-stakes feel-good story about supportive friendships and the joy and relief of shopping for clothes you actually want for the first time.

You can order the paperback or ebook here.

I Have a Story in Extraterrestrials: Another Autistic Trans Anthology

I know I just published a book two months ago, but I’ve got a different writing project to announce! I’m part of an anthology that’s coming out in ten days. It’s called Extraterrestrials: Another Autistic Trans Anthology, and it includes a bunch of different short stories about and for teenagers, centering characters who are both autistic and transgender/nonbinary, written by authors who live at the intersection of autistic and trans identities.

The cover of Extraterrestrials: Another Autistic Trans Anthology, edited by Ryan Vale. The cover shows five people facing away from the viewer, toward a door, which is opening into the starry night sky.

My story, “Clothes That Fit,” is a prequel to an unpublished novel of mine. The main character of the novel has been out as nonbinary for a few months when the book starts, so I figured it would be fun to write a short story about their experience coming out to their friends. It’s a low-stakes feel-good story about supportive friendships and the joy and relief of shopping for clothes you actually want for the first time.

The ebook is up for preorder. I’m not sure if there’s going to be a paperback, so if you only do physical books, maybe check back on the release date, August 27. But if you like ebooks, you can get it now for just $4.99 + tax!

Twin Cities Geek: Being Autistic, Seeing Myself Represented in Media Is Not Always a Good Thing

After over two years of copy editing for Twin Cities Geek, a Minnesota-based online magazine, and writing a couple book reviews and a few notices of fandom auctions, I finally decided to dig in and tackle a topic that had been kicking around my brain for a while: the way the autism community often receives “representation” in media by giving non-human characters autistic traits to demonstrate how different they are from humans. I talk about Sarah Rees Brennan’s The Demon’s Lexicon, Martha Wells’ Murderbot, and Star Trek. Read the article here.

Living Lutheran: The Power of an Autism Diagnosis

The April 2021 edition of Living Lutheran magazine included an article I wrote, titled “The Power of an Autism Diagnosis: Tips to Make the Church More Accessible.” I’m thrilled to be getting the word out about autism accessibility in the church, beyond the two articles I’ve written for the Sparkhouse blog. As I explain in the post, I love being autistic, and autistic people will be autistic regardless of whether we get diagnosed; the beauty of a diagnosis is that it helps us understand why we are the way we are, and thus gives us tools we can use to advocate for ourselves.

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