Dreams are funny things. They can motivate us. Challenge us. But sometimes they scare us. When a dream feels too big, it can be frightening to believe in it — because the more you want something, the more it hurts if you fail. Turning Dreams Into Goals For years, I’ve been in this (self-destructive) boat when it comes to my filmmaking dreams. I’ve always wanted to be a writer/director of epic stories. But for much of the past decade, I’ve had no idea how to go about pursuing the directing side of this goal. The film industry feels like such a mystery. And I’ll admit – I’ve ..read more

Every year, I do a little ritual where I research all the LGBTQ sci-fi and fantasy books coming out, and make a list of the ones I’m most excited for. Here are the queer SFF books coming out in 2022 that I can’t wait to read! A Quick Dislaimer Please note that this is not a full list of the queer SFF releases coming out in 2022. It’s not even a full list of the ones I want to read! If you want a much longer list, this community-built one on Goodreads will help. The list I’m about to share contains just those books I’m personally most pumped for, and thus it is biased to my tastes. Most of thes ..read more

Mental health and trauma are often represented poorly in fiction, particularly in the fantasy genre. And particularly when dealing with female characters and sexual assault. I wrote an article earlier this year expressing many of my frustrations with this issue. Today, fellow fantasy author Lucy McLaren and I decided to dive even deeper into the topic of mental health in fantasy, in a two-part interview series on both of our blogs. Go read Part 1 on her blog, where she interviews me. Then come back here for Part 2 below, where I interview Lucy. Why Talk About Mental Health in Fantasy? Brianna ..read more

My debut fantasy novel, City of Reckoning, is coming out really soon. (Eek!) But given that it’s a very dark, violent, and generally intense book, I’ve decided to provide some content/trigger warnings for anyone who might want them. Let me be clear that this list is not complete. It just reflects some of the bigger things that I figured more people would want to know. That being said, if you have questions about any specific kind of content that isn’t on this list, feel free to send me an , or a DM on Twitter or Instagram. I’m more than willing to provide additional information to anyone who w ..read more

In 2015, Corinne Duyvis created the now-popular #ownvoices tag on Twitter as a way to highlight books where the author shared a marginalized identity with the protagonist. For example, if a lesbian author wrote a story with a lesbian protagonist, that would be considered “own voices” for “lesbian representation.” This term and hashtag started as an innocent way to highlight books that weren’t getting enough attention and support. But its usage has spiraled out of control into something rather toxic in the publishing industry. Here’s where #ownvoices went wrong. How the meaning of #ownvoices sh ..read more

The cover reveal for my debut fantasy novel, City of Reckoning, is finally here! City of Reckoning is a secondary-world fantasy about group of young people who get caught up in a war, but begin to wonder if they’re fighting for the wrong side. Featuring winged people, wolf companions, and epic journeys, City of Reckoning is a dark, violent story that deals with trauma, revolution, and revenge. (Also, fair warning: No characters in this book are safe!) To celebrate the cover reveal and launch of pre-orders*, I’m sharing an excerpt from the book. Scroll down to read Chapter 1 for free! *Note: P ..read more

This is Chapter 7 of my story about femininity, sexuality, and faith. Read Chapters 1 — 6 first. I saw the boy and his family many times in the next few months. Here and there, I learned little things about him — examples of his character, personality, and interests — which I hoarded and guarded closely, like a silent dragon clutching treasure in her cave. I even learned his name. Charles Atwood.* It was a strange, but strong and masculine name, evocative of an 18th-century gentleman snatched from the pages of a Jane Austin book. I was high on excitement for weeks. I found myself smiling ..read more

Real talk: The fantasy genre has a problem with trauma. Far too often, the way trauma is handled in fantasy books, movies, and shows is unrealistic, and sometimes even sexist. Here’s what I mean. The erasure of trauma The first problem I want to address is when trauma isn’t even in a story. It strikes me as lazy to put characters through dark shit (as often happens in fantasy) without following through on the obvious consequences of said dark shit. As a reader, few things take me out of a story faster than a character who doesn’t act like a human. Who sees, experiences, or does disturbing thin ..read more

It’s undeniable: H.P. Lovecraft was an astoundingly important author. His stories left a permanent mark on horror and fantasy, and both genres are better for it. There is a dark side to Lovecraft’s fiction, however. And no, I’m not talking about the terrifying “dark gods,” nefarious magic, and alien races that show up in his stories. I’m talking about something deeper — a frightful outlook and philosophy that I find myself at direct odds with. What H.P. Lovecraft feared It’s hard to read Lovecraft’s stories without coming face-to-face with the man’s glaring xenophobia and fear of The Other. As ..read more

I’ve been reading Tamora Pierce’s classic Song of the Lioness series, about a girl named Alanna who dresses up like a boy and becomes a knight in defiance of her culture’s sexist gender expectations. While flawed and outdated (the series was originally written in the 1980s), these books deeply resonate with me. However, I have a major criticism of the third book in this series, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, in terms of the faulty feminism it represents. It may seem unproductive to criticize the feminism from a book that was written 30 years ago. However, this particular problem unfortu ..read more