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!

Short Story "Rob's Choice" Now Available!

I may have finished the Season Avatars series, but that doesn't mean I'm done with the characters or Challen. I've long planned to write a spin-off series set a generation after the Season Avatars series, mixing old characters and new, putting my own twist on a Victorian country moving into a modern age. I'm not quite ready to write that series yet--I'm still not sure what the series title should be, for one thing--but I'm starting to explore it with some short stories set in the interim.

"Rob's Choice" is the story of Robert, Jenna's son. I plan for him to be one of the protagonists of the first spinoff book, and this story sets up his situation. Maria Zannini of Book Cover Diva did a great job with the cover. Here's the blurb:

All his life, Rob has wanted to dedicate himself to the God of Summer. But when he tries to do so, he discovers the Four Gods and Goddesses of Challen have different plans for him. How can he serve Them and his own wishes at the same time? And what does his strange vision have to do with the barren country of Selath?

Although this story is meant to be a stand-alone, it does contain some spoilers for Summon the Seasons. Naturally, I recommend reading the other books in the Season Avatars series first. I currently have it listed as book 5.5 (6 on Amazon) in the series.

This short story is available for $0.99 at the major ebook retailers. You can access your favorite store through this universal book link.