BayCon Questions, Pt. III
Some amazing people writing amazing work! And did I mention they are amazing people?
Hi Folks!
I hope everybody is doing really well! I’ve been chugging along with the manuscript, but I think I came to a standstill to night. It's very hard to write a fresh hopeful character when you're coming down from 2 cups of coffee.
Maybe I'll grade some student essays. *laughs evilly*
I've really enjoyed posting here more frequently, though I'm not sure how I'll be able to sustain this pace. However, to all of you who are reading this now, thank you!
Also, I do want to talk about Arisia Con 2024 which happened some time back, but I got dumped into some life things right after I returned that have all worked out but were kind of annoying.
But gosh the Arisia was amazing. That was the first time that I had ever been the guest of honor for a convention. And I have to tell you, it was spectacular. Not just the guest of honor part, which is kind of cool, but the convention itself was amazing. Such a great community out in Boston--and this is coming from a Laker fan!
So that'll be coming soon. But for now, let's dive into the last two questions on the BayCon questionnaire!
:)
Ryka
Q: Who are some of your favorite fellow authors of speculative fiction? Is there anything you’re reading now that you’d recommend?
This might be my favorite question! My favorite authors?
There are so many of them. But I wanted to mention authors who had no particular reason to be good or sweet or reach out or be amazing. And yet they did so. Folks who might be much farther along their careers…far more established than I am, but still made it a point offer their support…to say “hey you belong here too.”
John Scalzi has been nothing but the sweetest cinnamon roll to me. Even though he's a freaking rock star, he’s been nothing but supportive and kind and generous. He invited me onto the JoCo Cruise. And because of the people I met there, I get to be at BayCon. To be honest, I was nervous as all heck to go on that boat. And John said, “You're going to have friends there! We’ll be there!” Which I thought was a nice thing to say, but when I actually got on the boat, there he was waving me over to hang out with him and Athena and Krissy. I met so many cool people—not just by hanging with him, but because he went out of his way to include me. As (I hope) my career grows, I see him as one of my role models of how to treat others (no matter how many necks my guitar may have).
Jenn Lyons has been like the big sister/literary fitness coach that I never knew I needed. I was getting a little overwhelmed with her next book, and she just told me what was up and get back to work. One of the coolest things she did was to advise me to work on my autograph. She reminded me how much signing a book meant to me and how much it means to others. She's one of those people that I feel I can call at any time, and she'll always make time for me. I hope she knows that I feel the same way. She's such the genuine article!
Nghi Vo is another one who reached out when she didn't have to. When I was nominated for a Hugo award. it was an overwhelming experience, and she was there talking me through me what to expect at World Con… that I could reach out for help if I needed it. It was just so out of the blue. She saw I might need a little reassurance and there she was. Amazing.
TJ Klune. Have you ever been to a TJ Klune book signing? Oh my gosh, it’s like a revivial—his readers just love him! And I totally get it. The thing about TJ is that he has always believed in me. He's always had faith in my work. And he's always the first one to say “you can do this. You can make it as a writer. You really can!” And whenever he's around, I know the room is going to be filled with some yummy unapologetically queer goodness and brilliance!
Gail Simone. I was at Wondercon this past year and Gail was signing at a table and there was this huge line. I walked by and waved to her and she gets up and waves me over and gives me a big old hug. That's the kind of person Gail is. She's funny and brilliant and can be tough as nails. But goodness she's a sweetheart.
Kate Elliot came to my rescue at a book signing that I was doing in Hawaii. The event and the signing and all that went super well. But I most remember hanging out with her afterwards. Listening to stories of what women went through in science fiction and fantasy. What she had gone through herself. And it was just so honest and eye opening in it made me so grateful for her and for all the other women who opened the door for so many other writers. And she's even more cool because she’s a competitive canoeist!
Foz Meadows jumped on the same train with me on the way to San Diego Comic Con a couple years ago and we've been great friends ever since. Every time we chat, I know a little bit more about queer K-Pop. They’ve been more than the colleague; they’ve been a partner in crime and is always ready for a drive to San Diego, a sushi lunch, or to take a picture when I'm holding stuffed animals or packages of beans.
Charlie Jane Anders. Wow. We go back decades, To some of the old queer and trans performance spaces in San Francisco back in the early 2000s. What I love the most about Charlie Jane is no matter how crazy the world gets sent and the changes that we've gone through... She still open and sweet. And when she signs books, she looks at every reader and actually talks to them. And thanks them. She's got such a beautiful, beautiful heart.
I know this question was probably asking me about books that I might recommend. But because the speculative fiction world is such a good community, and good communities are made of good people, I wanted you to know how cool some of these people are. I know that the saying is “never meet your heroes.”
But gosh, with these authors, I'm glad I did.
Q: Do you have any news to share about your new book? Or is there anything you’d like to plug? Please let us know!
By the time we get to BayCon, I should have sent a draft of my next book to Tor. I'm so looking forward to that. This was a difficult book. Those who follow me anywhere on social media know that I have been grieving. My mother passed in late 2022 and I was midway through the book. The book was already strained because I've been spending most of my time in the hospital. A lot of this book started out being written in hospital room or in the waiting area or the cafeteria that got really quiet late at night. After she passed, I realized that that wasn't the same person anymore. I think losing a parent can do that to you.
So I had to go back and rewrite the entire book into a story that I can believe in and I would be proud to give to you. There's a lot of grief in this book. But there's also dignity and hope and poetry.
There are also artificial intelligences and paranoid gods and trips across the River of Dreams. There are werewolves and angels and fairies who inhabit bobble heads. Pancakes and boil-fried dumplings and spoon bread wafting the aromas of nutmeg and honey being a scooped from a cast iron skillet.
And awkward romance. Yes. There's some awkward romance. Queer romance. Queer awkward romance. And a vintage skateboard.
Anyway, thank you BayCon, for giving me so many cool questions and for taking the time to get to know me a little bit better. Looking forward to meeting all of you soon!
Much love!
<3 Ryka