Essay in All Lit Up about older protagonists in speculative fiction

| News, Writing

Why do we need older protagonists in fantasy, sci-fi, and other forms of speculative fiction? I recently wrote an essay for All Lit Up about the value of north-of-25 protagonists in speculative fiction (and beyond). An excerpt: I do enjoy books where the protagonist saves the day at the age of 19, but it doesn’t take long before I start to wonder about the people propping up the rest of the world—the grumpy potion shop […]

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Being an outsider, writing the outsider

| Writing

The other day I went on an aimless walk while listening to an interview with the writer Nnedi Okorafor. She’s a very interesting interview subject overall, but one thing she said in particular really struck me: I’ve always existed on a lot of fault lines, and that does fuel what I write. She then went on to list a few ways she’s felt like “an outsider in multiple important groups in [her] life.” Since publishing

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diy writing retreat

Three ways to do a DIY writing retreat

| The Quiet is Loud, Writing

Since 2008, I’ve taken myself on three DIY writing retreats. I’m sharing the things I’ve learned about DIY writing retreats, and what I’d do differently next time. Or, will there be a next time? Writing retreat #1: 2008 The idea for my first DIY writing retreat came to me out of impatience. I had the urge to attend a formal retreat, but all the interesting ones had either just finished, or were starting months in

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In praise of older protagonists

| The Quiet is Loud, Writing

“She should have been more mature for a 40-year-old.” That’s a paraphrasing of a book review I read recently. It made me wonder if this person actually knew any 40-year-olds. Sure, there are people who should know better no matter how old they are, but why would a protagonist that age have to act mature, whatever that means? ⁠ In The Quiet is Loud, Freya is 28. In my fantasy novel-in-progress Seeker of the Lost

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Asian Heritage Month, Filipino Heritage Month, and The Quiet is Loud

| The Quiet is Loud | 1 Comment

Filipino Heritage Month follows Asian Heritage Month/AAPI Heritage Month.⁠ May and June kinda knock my mixed-race brain around. I sometimes feel like I don’t belong in these conversations – especially as a writer – but at the same time I feel like I deserve to celebrate my heritage as much as any Asian does. So I’d like to talk a little bit about The Quiet is Loud.⁠ ⁠ The Quiet is Loud didn’t start out

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I’m now a columnist at Open Book!

| News, Writing

In June 2021 I had a lot of fun as Open Book’s Writer-in-Residence, and so I’m excited to announce that I’m now writing a regular column for them! My first article is about my experience with the highs and surprising lows that arise after publishing a book. It’s a must-read for anyone who has a book coming out, or who’s published a book and felt some conflicting emotions (spoiler alert: it’s totally normal!). Check it

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Interview on Dear Lonely Writer podcast

| News, The Quiet is Loud

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Eden Boudreau on the Dear Lonely Writer podcast. The time really flew by as we talked about writing journeys, character-driven fiction, identity and belonging, small presses, and connecting with your people. You can listen to my episode here, and after you’re done I highly recommend listening to other episodes – Dear Lonely Writer is an interesting and engaging podcast for writers and readers alike!

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Want more journal stuff from me?

| Misc., News, The Quiet is Loud, Writing

I’m having a lot of fun with my newsletter. It’s been nice to return to slightly longer forms of expression considering, you know, *gestures vaguely at the state of social media*.⁠ I realize that this blog/journal can count as a longer form of expression, but honestly I’m still not sure how to best use this space. ⁠ So in the meantime, here are some of the recent topics I wrote about:⁠ ⁠ ☾ How pandemic

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Recommender Grants for Seeker of the Lost Song

| News, Twist the Branch, Writing

I’m grateful to ECW Press, Diaspora Dialogues, and the Ontario Arts Council for awarding me Recommender Grants for Writers to write Seeker of the Lost Song*, my fantasy novel-in-progress blending elements of Filipino and Finnish culture and history. It’s truly an honour to have this support. Arts funding is critically important not only to those receiving it, but to communities as a whole. *Ed. Note: The title has been changed to Twist the Branch as

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