LBGTQIA Characters in My Writing

As an author, I believe a diverse group of characters, if written with empathy and knowledge, can enrich a story. Diverse characters bring different perspectives, goals, and values to the story, leading to conflict and/or collaboration. That said, it's important when writing someone who's different from you to treat them as a three-dimensional human being, not a stereotype or a trope to serve the main characters. Writing the Other is a lifelong project. I've learned a lot about creating characters with a different gender or sexual orientation than mine.

In both of my main series (Catalyst Chronicles and The Season Avatars) there are secondary characters whom I originally envisioned as straight (even giving them partners) but later revealed to me that they have crushes on the same-sex main character. (I don't want to name them in case of spoilers, but one character has lesbian moms and the other a gay son. Refer to Twinned Universes and Chaos Season.) I have a couple of different ways to give the bisexual characters a Happily Ever After; I just have to get the stories written.

The religion of Challen in The Season Avatars gives me plenty of opportunities to explore gender. The people of Challen reincarnate after each life, and they often switch genders between lives. (The exception is the Fall Avatar, who is always female.) Most Challens don't remember their past lives, but they have a slightly higher chance of not being heterosexual or cisgender than people from other countries in their world. Fortunately, the Four Gods and Goddesses of Challen provide a socially acceptable alternative to traditional marriage. People who don't want to marry someone of the opposite sex and raise a family can pledge themselves to either the God of Summer or the Goddess of Fall. (My short story "Rob's Choice" is about a pledging.) These people are commonly known as Summersmen or Fallswomen. Some of them may devote themselves to a business or creative calling, but many of them become layservants for the Four. They may be healers, archivists, assistants to the Season Avatars, or other types of respectable roles. I expect to include more of these characters in the still-unnamed spinoff series.

I have future stories planned that include genderfluid and transgender characters. These types of characters require more research on my part to portray them accurately and compassionately, even though they're not in our world.

I plan to finish off Pride Month by highlighting some LBGTQIA authors I know. Come back next week for some good recommendations!

After Christmas Sale

 If you celebrated Christmas or any other holiday this month, I hope it was an enjoyable and meaningful experience for you. I have some news that I hope you will enjoy. For the final week of the year, all of my novels that regularly sell for $2.99 are only $0.99. This includes SF novel Twinned Universes and fantasy novels Scattered Seasons, Chaos Season, Fifth Season, and Summon the Seasons. Prices are good on all eBook platforms and through 1/1/18. Please take advantage of this offer while you can!

Happy Summer Solstice!

The summer solstice was technically last night in the Northern Hemisphere, but I figure it's not too late to celebrate with some music, both really old:



and a little newer:



Also, happy birthday to Jenna, the Summer Avatar and heroine of Chaos Season!

Season Avatars #A-ZChallenge: Reincarnation

Everyone reincarnates in Challen, but only the Season Avatars remember anything from their past lives.

Challens view the dead as resting in the God of Winter's domain until they're ready to be reborn. They refer to the dead as "absent" and believe that they will be reunited with their loved ones in a different life, though their relationships may change. For example, a parent and a child may switch roles in their next life.

For Season Avatars, reincarnation is different. They're reborn in different parts of Challen and different classes so they know the needs of the entire country. They need to know as much as possible about what their magic affects, such as the human body, plants, animals, or the weather. Therefore, they remember what they learned in their previous lives. It doesn't all come back to them at once, but gradually, when they need it. (They always know they're meant to be Season Avatars, as if their birthdays and auras didn't give it away.) They may remember some personal details from previous lives, but not all of them. (This affects the story in Chaos Season.) It's also easier for them to remember recent lives instead of earlier ones. This is why they don't remember the Four as clearly as Kron does.

Here's the full list of Season Avatars, with their names in Season's Beginnings (their first life as Avatars) in parentheses next to the names they have in the rest of the series:

Group 1  (Future Avatars--They become official mid-series)

Gwendolyn lo Havil (Galia)—Spring

Jenna Dorshay t’Reve (Janno)—Summer

Ysabel s’Ivena Lathatilltin (Bella)—Fall

Kay Seltich (Caye)—Winter

Group 2 (Current Avatars in Scattered Seasons and Chaos Season)

Margaret gran Garnell (Magstrom)—Spring (deceased)

Charles vin Estcher (Carver)—Summer

Sophia vin Estcher  (Sylva)—Fall

Dorian gran Garnell (Domina)—Winter

Group 3 (Past Avatars—all deceased)

Tylon fi Vort (Tylan)—Spring

Frederick min Jole (Flilya)—Summer

Helene ava Hartfut (Hala)—Fall

Olivia ava Kalt (Ocul)—Winter

Season Avatars #AtoZChallenge: Nils

It's hard to believe this is the third full week of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. To celebrate, Chaos Season is on sale this week for $0.99.

"Nils" is an insult Salth and her son Sal-thaath call people who can't use magic. Although ordinary people can't use magic, they do have some magic associated with their souls. (This is what allows Gwen to see people's auras and tell what their birth seasons are.) Salth realizes that since there are so many more Nils than magic-users, she could gain a fair amount of magical power if she could harvest the small amount of magic each of them has.

This term only crops up in Seasons' Beginnings.

Season Avatars #AtoZChallenge: Jenna and Jon

Jenna Dorshay t'Reve is the Summer Avatar, with the gift of plant magic. It's not surprising that she's a farmer's daughter (what better way to practice growing plants), or perhaps that she's red-haired, passionate, and has a bit of a temper. What might be surprising is how protective she can be with Gwen or how she struggles to balance the needs of her baby with the demands of being a Season Avatar. Add to that her relationship with her child's father, the need to hide a shameful secret from Gwen, and an invasion of plants tied to Chaos Season, and Jenna's first summer at the One Oak proves to be anything but relaxing. Read her story in Chaos Season.

Jon, a locomotive crewman, met Kay when she was hitching a ride on a train. He gradually fell in love with her, but he didn't learn until much later that she's the Winter Avatar. Feeling unworthy of her, he distances himself from her while at the same time trying to better himself. Although Jon appears briefly in Scattered Seasons and Chaos Season, he'll get a larger role in Summon the Seasons.

Blogging A-Z Challenge--Theme Reveal

Happy first day of spring--and Happy Birthday to my character Gwendolyn lo Havil, the Spring Avatar! It's supposed to be warm but rainy by me today. I hope you have better weather for your vernal equinox.

With spring here, April isn't far behind, and that means the A-Z Blogging Challenge will start next Saturday. Yesterday was the official theme reveal. I realized that in the evening, so I decided to share my theme today. (I normally don't blog on Sundays.)

My theme this year will be my fantasy Season Avatars series. There are currently four books available: Seasons' Beginnings, Scattered Seasons, Chaos Season, and Fifth Season. Each day, I'll discuss at least one character, place, or idea important to the series. There will be sales and possibly some giveaways during the month, though I haven't worked out all the details.The posts are all written and scheduled, so I should have time to visit plenty of other blogs during the month. Hope you'll stop by Monday through Saturday to learn more about the Season Avatars series.

Chaos Season and Fifth Season--Free for Review!

This is the final week of the Reviewer Roundup Event on Facebook. Both Chaos Season and Fifth Season are part of the collection of free books being given away in exchange for honest reviews. Please make sure to read the rules pinned to the top of the event page. Happy reading!

Blurb for Chaos Season

Jenna Dorshay t’Reve isn’t your typical farmer’s daughter. Blessed with plant magic, she’s been impatiently waiting to take her place as Summer Avatar of Challen. All she and her sister Season Avatars have to do is tame a Chaos Season, a magical weather storm sent to Challen by a wrathful demigoddess. They’ve done this many times in other lives, but now dangerous plants resistant to Jenna’s magic make Chaos Season worse. Even the assistance of the War Avatar, father of Jenna’s child, may not be enough to stop the plants. Before Jenna can conquer the deathbushes and tame Chaos Season, she must fully link with the other Avatars in her quartet, but to do so means revealing a secret that can tear them apart.

 
Blurb for Fifth Season

Ysabel became the Goddess of Fall’s Avatar to care for animals, but her kind heart may prove fatal to her loved ones.

When a pair of strange animals, part bird and part lizard, invade the country of Challen during a magical weather storm, Ysabel must learn if they’re ordinary creatures or if they’re connected to Salth, the Season Avatars’ sworn enemy. However, the clawfeet, as she calls them, are resistant to her magic.

After tragedy strikes the Avatars, Ysabel comes up with a desperate plan to allow all twelve of them to face Salth together as required by the Four Gods and Goddesses of Challen. Jealousy, however, tears an ally from the Avatars during their most vulnerable time as even more beasts rise against them. If Ysabel cannot control the strange animals and use justice as well as mercy, she will not only lose her position as Avatar but the people she loves.