Welcome back to our 5×5 interview series! This week, we’re introducing five different asexual authors who share with us their influences in the publishing world, their accomplishments as authors, how their sexuality has influenced their writing and successes, and what they want to see more of in future authors and novels. Follow along as we uncover these five talents and what they contribute to the publishing industry!
The Authors
Lacie M. Lou
Lacie Lou is the brilliant mind behind Prophecy of Blood and Flames, as well as the first novel in the Aurorian Trilogy. She currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and two cats. When she’s not writing, she loves to go on hikes, play board games, discover new adventures, and love on her cats.
Her upcoming novel, Children of Gods and Monsters, expected on October 17th, 2024, has been inspired by Lucie’s own struggles with anxiety, self-doubt, grief over loved ones, and assault. This novel also draws inspiration from the author’s want for more diverse representation and the normalization of various identities in the fantasy realm.
Shane Blackheart
Shane Blackheart is the genius creator behind Everything Is Wonderful Now, in the Requiem Series, and It’s Only A Little Death. A disabled nonbinary, trans masc author of dark queer fiction, they have been writing incessantly since the age of seven years old as a way to escape from reality while dealing with early trauma. Writing has helped Shane to understand and cope with the various mental illnesses they have been diagnosed with throughout their life. Writing has helped Shane to raise awareness for the misunderstood and stigmatized mental illnesses, although they also love to write about societal norms we’ve often been raised with, such as gender, sexuality, and spirituality. Through their career, they hope to share with the world that it’s okay to be different.
Talli L. Morgan
Author of Truthseeker, Talli is the author of numerous fantasy novels for both young adults and adults alike. When they aren’t devoting their time to their work, Talli loves to play D&D, draw, write, and think about writing. Talli also loves to throw out a good book recommendation here and there to unsuspecting library patrons while enjoying their day as a professional question-answerer.
Lyssa Chiavari
Lyssa Chiavari is an author known for her YA Fiction, including titles such as the The Iamos Trilogy, and Cheerleaders From Planet X. Her short fiction has been featured in several publications, including anthologies Magic At Midnight: A YA Fairytale Anthology as well as Perchance To Dream: Classic Tales From The Bard’s World In New Skins both of which she was also in charge of editing. Additionally, her first published story, The Choice, was named one of Ama-gi Magazine’s Best of 2014. Lyssa enjoys life with her family and abundance of animals in Northwest Oregon.
Anna Kirchner
Author of the Little Black Bird trilogy, Anna was born and raised in Poland, where she liked to listen to the Grimm Fairytales and other legends. She has loved to write her own stories ever since she learned to hold a pen. Now living in Malmö, Sweden, Anna enjoys spending her life with their partner, pet rats, and towers of TBR books!
The Questions
Was there an overall message about asexuality you hoped to spread in your books?
Lacie M. Lou: Representation matters. If there’s one thing I wish to convey, it’s that ace people are real, and we can experience romance, sex, and life the same as everyone else (or not). Asexuality is a spectrum, and my experience as an asexual person will invariably influence my writing as an author and is not meant to be the characterization of every ace experience.
I am a sex-averse, asexual woman in a heteromantic marriage. Widespread societal misrepresentation suggests that my experience and my very real love for my husband means I’m not ace. Even at the time of writing this, I suffer from worrying that I’m not “ace enough” to be part of this panel and that I might be taking away an opportunity from someone “more ace” than me. And I think it’s for that reason precisely that I have written Eliana, the main character of my dark fantasy trilogy, as asexual. I desperately wanted to see myself and the way I experience connection and attraction in fantasy literature.
I want readers who may not be familiar with the asexual identity to read Eliana’s story and come away with the little nugget that sexual desire ≠ romantic feelings. As an ace person, I have developed deep emotional connections, and one in particular became very romantic in nature (my husband). Eliana does not develop romantic feelings in the way romance or romantic fantasy stories portray the “instant attraction” or “slow burn” readers are becoming accustomed to. It’s a slow burn because Eliana requires a much deeper emotional connection in order to feel any sort of romantic interest or desire for a physical connection (not a slow burn toward the steamy scenes – there are none of those in my trilogy).
Shane Blackheart: Initially, I hadn’t intended to. I actually discovered I was on the asexual spectrum while editing the first book in my series, and in the second one, ‘Open Wound,’ I explored that identity in a way I hadn’t seen done, considering I’m a kink- and sex-positive ace. I struggled to realize I was on the ace spectrum because all I saw were sex-repulsed aces and no representation for aces who were sex-positive or who didn’t fit the label in such a black-and-white way. My history with sexual trauma complicated things, but when I started talking to others like me, I knew I wanted to fit that into my series, even if in a small way. I wanted to show aces who were sex and kink-positive, and I wanted to show how complicated asexuality can be in general; asexuality can be as complicated as any other sexual identity, and trauma can add a lot to that.
Talli L. Morgan: I don’t intentionally set out to spread any sort of messages in my books; any that are there show up by accident, even when it comes to queerness. I don’t write about queerness; I just write it. Representation in all of my books comes from the characters simply living authentically and sometimes discussing their identities with each other. It’s super important to me that the settings I write are queer-normative, so my characters have the space, support, and knowledge to figure out their identities without judgment. I suppose that can be a message of sorts: queer people thrive when our identities are validated, and we have safe spaces to feel out which labels—if any—feel right. I definitely like to show that in my books.
Lyssa Chiavari: At the time I started writing The Iamos Trilogy, there was next to no asexual representation in fiction, particularly in YA. At that point, I’d been struggling for years to figure out what was “wrong” with me because I didn’t know asexuality and especially aromanticism existed. It wasn’t until I read Quicksilver by R.J. Anderson that I really came to understand that I was ace. Because of that, I wanted to write a story that might help other ace people, whether they were just learning about asexuality or whether they already knew they were ace but just wanted to see characters like them on the page. I hoped that young ace people like me might be able to find the answers to their questions about themselves at an earlier age than I did and realize that there’s nothing “wrong” with them, that they’re not broken. I also hoped that non-sexual people would be able to understand experiences like mine a little better by seeing them through the eyes of my characters and learn more about asexuality that way.
Anna Kirchner: When I started writing Little Black Bird, there were very few books with asexual representation out there and I wrote it mostly for myself. Whenever my characters talk about their struggles or doubts, I have always given them the answers I wish someone had given me. That it’s okay to question things, that it’s okay if it takes time, that it’s okay to change your mind, that it’s okay to set boundaries. When I was writing the sequels, Tall White Tenement and Broken Red Sky, I was highly involved in the local queer community, running a local aromantic and asexual group, spAce Malmö, giving lectures and interviews, and fighting to start a Sweden-wide aroace network to boost the knowledge about the aroace issues as well as to fight for legal rights. Suddenly, it wasn’t just the online friends who knew about my identity but everyone from the boss at my day job to strangers I was meeting for the first time. It meant that I was dealing with a lot of ignorance and aphobia and had a lot of encounters that made me question myself. But for every aphobic thing, someone said to me, I decided to write a reaffirming scene in my books. Every time someone questioned whether I truly knew myself, I made my characters feel more secure in who they were. Every time I felt alone, I strengthened my characters’ platonic and familial ties and gave them the support and community they craved.
One of the most important things for me was the questioning arc of Little Black Bird’s main character, Wiktoria. She’s questioning whether she might be asexual (and aromantic) from the beginning of the story, but I didn’t want to rush her. Most ace people that I know took a longer while to figure out and later come to terms with their asexuality, largely because we don’t realize that we don’t experience something that others do or that we experience it in a different way. I wanted my books to honour that. In the end, Wiktoria doesn’t settle on a label until the end of the last book (also because she has bigger problems, like curses and a potential demonic apocalypse). I’m really glad I stuck to it and I’m proud of the journey she takes with embracing her identity — and that she has people in her life who support her through this process.
What are your thoughts on the intersectionality of asexuality with other identities, such as race, gender, or sexuality?
Lacie M. Lou: Asexuality is known as the “silent identity” because it largely flies under the radar. Even within the queer community it is not widely known, or acknowledged. It’s difficult to be part of an identity that is very real, and be told to my face that it’s not, or that I’m not accepted. I think so many who live with invisible disabilities, such as mental health and chronic pain, can relate.
Society at large is not welcoming to people and experiences that do not fit into neat boxes, and are not visible. It’s easier for the masses to ignore what they can’t readily define at a glance, and because I don’t “look queer,” and those with anxiety and depression may not “look sad,” it must mean that I’m making it up and it’s not real. And that sucks.
A large goal of my writing is to normalize the depiction of human experiences from all walks of life in literature. The main character of my trilogy is asexual, she has queer aunties who become part of her found family, and other aunties who are nonverbal, and deaf.
In my trilogy, the nonverbal and deaf characters are active, well-engaged members of a community that embraces them through adoption of sign language into daily conversational use. They’re empowered by their community, and become leaders, warriors, and healers (doctors).
It’s my hope that a reader is left with the image of how beautiful and full the world we live in could be if our society took the time to support, appreciate, honor, and embrace all identities and abilities for the unique perspectives they bring into the community at large.
Shane Blackheart: Anyone can be ace, even people who feel romantic attraction to varying degrees. It’s just another sexual identity, although people on the ace spectrum can also be gay, pan, lesbian, etc. To me personally, asexuality is about my relationship with sex or sexual attraction. Since I’m gray ace, which means I experience sexual attraction rarely or in certain circumstances only, I also consider myself pansexual since gender doesn’t matter to me when I do happen to experience that attraction. For simplicity, I identify as gray-asexual/panromantic.
Talli L. Morgan: I think everything is interconnected. People aren’t monoliths, so every facet of one’s identity is informed by all the others. An ace person of a different race or a different gender is inherently going to have a different experience with and understanding of their asexuality than me. Queerness is so personal, so individual and specific to each person, that if you put me in a room with 100 other ace people, I doubt I’d find a mirror of myself. And yet, here we all are under this umbrella that gives us something in common, and all the diversifying factors make it a richer community.
Lyssa Chiavari: No identity exists in a vacuum, so the experiences of each individual asexual person will vary and be influenced by other elements of their identity. An aromantic asexual person’s experience will be different than an alloromantic ace’s, and even among alloromantics, a panromantic ace’s experience will be different than a heteroromantic ace’s. On top of that, a person’s ethnic or cultural background can also influence both how they experience their asexuality and how their community accepts them.
It’s important when you’re writing ace characters to take all those elements into account. In my series, I have two main characters on the ace spectrum, and their experiences differ drastically. Isaak lives fifty years in our future, in a society that’s accepting of LGBT identities, and apart from a couple of bad apples, everyone he’s come out to has been accepting and affirming of him, so his identity is something that he’s comfortable with to the point that he doesn’t even think about it much anymore. On the other hand, Nadin lives in a different timeline and in a dystopian world that is rigid in its expectations of conformity. Because she realizes that she’s somehow different but doesn’t have a cultural framework for it, her identity causes her a lot of anxiety. It’s only when the timelines cross and she encounters people from Isaak’s world who are affirming of her that she starts to become more confident and comfortable in her skin and with her identity.
Anna Kirchner: I always say that there are as many ways to be ace as there are asexual people. Humans are complex beings, we’re never just a single label existing in a void, but rather a combination of many different layers, all the myriad of ways in which we see ourselves as well as how others see us. Race, gender, romantic and other sexual orientations, religion, disability or neurodivergence, culture, age, economic circumstances, and what country one lives in are just some of the ways that affect one’s experience with asexuality. And that’s before we start unraveling asexuality as an umbrella term for a multitude of experiences. That’s why it’s important to get as many asexual voices out there as possible, to describe many different ways to be ace. There are numerous asexual characters in the Little Black Bird trilogy, and they all experience their sexuality differently. While it doesn’t even come close to showcasing the breadth of asexual experiences, it was important to me to portray that there’s not just one way to be ace and that people can figure out their identity at different points in time.
Little Black Bird trilogy is set in Poland, and it has always been important for me to stress the queer Eastern European experiences- an identity that doesn’t exist in mainstream Western media. Just as the asexual representation was a response to the aphobia I’ve encountered, the setting of the story in my hometown, Bydgoszcz, was a way of processing all the complicated emotions I have about where I come from and a response to all the xenophobia I’ve been exposed to throughout the years. I didn’t want to be ashamed of where I come from, and I was fed up with people looking down on me because I wasn’t Western enough. I also wanted my readers to know that queer Eastern Europeans exist, even if we largely live in countries that don’t recognize it or actively persecute it. It was also important to me to prove that Eastern Europeans deserve to be heroes in stories, with all the human flaws and complexities, and not just a crack of a joke or villains with exaggerated accents. Queer Polish representation in media is still rare (though it’s getting better), and most of it exists only in Polish, so it isn’t available for the international audience. The publication of Little Black Bird coincided with the harshest wave of institutional queerphobia in Poland – it came out when the “anti-LGBT zones” were at their highest and just before the so-called Rainbow Night with all the police brutality and arrests of queer activists. You can say that the Little Black Bird trilogy is an urban fantasy not only because of all the magic and demons but also because of how queer-normative and queer-accepting it is. While it’s not set in a complete vacuum, and there is some queerphobia, I wanted to create a slightly alternate reality where my characters get to be all: Eastern European, queer, and safe.
What do you think are the most important aspects of accurate asexual representation in fiction?
Lacie M. Lou: One person’s depiction of an asexual character is just a blip on the spectrum of the asexual identity. I caution aspec authors and allies from falling into a pattern of only portraying stereotypes of the asexual identity in their characters. It’s dangerous and unfair to the community. The asexual community is so much more than how society at large views aces. They see us as those “who haven’t found ‘the one’ yet,” prudes, and loner outcasts that no one talks to. Or they refuse to recognize our existence altogether.
In the ace community, there are folx who are choosing to be sexually active and be in relationships. Asexual folx can enjoy sex and seek romantic partners — it doesn’t take away from the truth of their identity and their experience as a person identifying within the asexual spectrum. But, portraying asexuals only as their most popular archetypes really hurts asexuals who do not conform to those stereotypes and leads to misinformation and misrepresentation. I’m not saying that an ace character cannot be the quiet person who has never been in a relationship and eats copious amounts of cake — that is still valid and real and worth representation. I think it’s important to show more than just that particular archetype on the identity’s spectrum of lived experiences.
Shane Blackheart: Asexuals writing about their own experiences, however varied that may be. I don’t think anyone who isn’t asexual could really know what it’s actually like, although people who aren’t ace can certainly write good ace characters if they do their research and talk to the community first. There’s no one right way to be ace, but there are some experiences that are specifically ace, such as differences in how we experience or don’t experience sexual attraction; many of us experience it very little, rarely, never, or only in specific circumstances, which greatly differs from allosexual people — people who experience sexual attraction often. Generally, though, accurate asexual representation is what an ace person decides it means for them and their characters.
Talli L. Morgan: I can’t really tell anyone how to write (or how not to write) an ace character, because again, no two ace folks are the same, but one stereotype that I’ve seen is the ace character being extremely innocent and childlike, which is super ick. So that’s my biggest word of caution: don’t infantilize your ace characters. A difference in experience of sexual attraction doesn’t automatically make someone ignorant (or a child).
Lyssa Chiavari: I don’t think there’s necessarily a rubric since every ace’s experiences are different. For me, I was able to write based on my own experiences, so I can say they’re accurate in that they’re a representation of myself. I’ve had other ace people say their experiences match mine and those of my characters, but not every ace will be the same. I think the most important thing if you’re not writing from personal experience, would be to talk to ace people and learn more about them before writing them. Especially in the past, when ace characters first started appearing in TV shows, there were issues with them being written as “robotic” or as something being wrong with them medically or psychologically, and that was hurtful to ace people. Emphasizing that aces are human and that being ace is a normal human experience, even if it’s different from yours, is really important.
Anna Kirchner: Firstly, it’s getting the basics right, learning to differentiate between sexual attraction and libido (because it’s absolutely possible to be asexual and have a high sex drive!) as well as between sexual attraction and other forms of attraction, such as romantic, sensual, or aesthetic. Not all asexual people are romantic, and not all aromantic people are asexual. It’s also important to recognize that asexuality is an umbrella term, and it’s not always all or nothing when it comes to sexual attraction, which can make it harder to figure out your identity. Asexuality also shouldn’t be mistaken for sex-negativity. While attitudes towards exposure to sexual content differ from ace person to ace person, a lot of ace people are sex-positive and believe that everyone should have the right to engage (or not engage) in whatever consensual sexual interactions they wish to. There are a lot of misconceptions about asexuality, but the general knowledge has improved a lot since when I first came out, so I have hope for the future.
Also, it’s important to balance out the negatives and remember who your audience is. Is it other asexuals or the general public? While there is a lot of aphobia out there, in the real world, it can get overwhelming fast, and fiction is often a chance to escape. I strongly believe in giving your characters all the possible support and happiness, but it’s also a matter of personal taste.
For authors who want to write asexual characters and especially those who aren’t asexual themselves, I strongly recommend reaching out to asexual organizations for guidance and support, as well as investing in sensitivity readers, who might pick up on little things that sound jarring but aren’t that easy to notice without inside knowledge.
Who are your favorite asexual characters or stories in literature?
Lacie M. Lou: Jo March from Little Women came to mind immediately. I know she’s not canonically ace/aro, but a reader’s interpretation and connection to a character shouldn’t be limited to what’s explicitly on the page. The queer community has for a long time found representation in characters who are “different” than other characters in the world/story.
I want to incorporate more indie authors, and specifically aspec authors, into my reading habits. Seeking out opportunities to read asexual literature is on my list of reading goals!
Shane Blackheart: I have to be entirely honest; I haven’t come across many. I’ve liked some characters that were heavily ace-coded in shows, like Alastor from Hazbin Hotel (I’m not sure if he’s actually ace, but for a while, the fandom thought so). I really need to read more ace fiction, but it’s difficult to find these characters in the genres I enjoy in adult fiction, like horror and dark romance, so that’s mostly why I haven’t found many I can really relate to.
Talli L. Morgan: I absolutely loved The Cardplay Duology by Brittany M. Willows, in which one of the main characters is ace (and another is aromantic!). The Chronicles of Nerezia by Claudie Arseneault is also a great series and features a majority aro/ace cast.
Lyssa Chiavari: Obviously, I have to shout out Tori Beaugrand from R.J. Anderson’s Quicksilver, since she was the first ace character I ever read! Tori helped me see and understand myself—even though I’m aromantic and Tori is alloromantic, her experiences with learning she’s ace were very similar to mine. Another more recent favorite character is Ellie from Darcie Little Badger’s Elatsoe, who is aro-ace. Ellie is a confident character who knows who she is and is comfortable with it, and I think that makes her a great role model for kids who might be less assured than Ellie, because it shows them the kind of confidence that they can have. I wish a book like Elatsoe had existed when I was a teen!
Anna Kirchner: It’s perhaps a cliche, but Georgia from Loveless by Alice Oseman is one of my absolute favourites, mostly because of how similar our stories are and how hard it hit me. Nancy from Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire will always have a special place in my heart as well, because it’s the first asexual character I’ve ever read about. When it comes to demisexual rep, my favourite is, hands down, Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson. Another fave is Kamai from Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland, who faces so much amazingly described confusion and struggle when it comes to her asexuality — it’s definitely a book with an ace audience in mind. I also absolutely loved the family focus in Kaikeyi by Vishnavi Patel, and I Want to Be a Wall by Honami Shirono (the latter also has one of my fave queer-platonic relationships in fiction) — I love when asexual characters are allowed to have strong connections to people in their lives.
How can the publishing industry better support and promote asexual authors and others of the LGBTQ community?
Lacie M. Lou: They have an opportunity to bring queer authors to a larger audience and show readers that queer stories are relatable and accessible to more than just the queer community. There is a spectrum of experiences for the asexual identity and for the larger queer community. So, my recommendation to the industry is to do better. They are a large influence on what is considered “marketable” and “popular.” My desire is to see them highlight authors who write the more unexpected queer stories, not just the stories that fall into archetypes or are relegated to a secondary character briefly mentioned.
Shane Blackheart: Just publish our stories at all. Few of us get that opportunity from indie and trad publishers, so many of us go the self-publishing route, which makes it difficult to be seen. Our books are marketable. Romance, especially spicy romance, is huge right now, and it seems to be all anyone wants to promote or feature. This makes it nearly impossible for aces to be seen since our stories don’t follow an allosexual narrative that’s often marketed as the ideal way to write romance or to write a relationship in a book. Queerplatonic relationships are a great example of a different kind of relationship often in queer books, not just ace stories, that we need to see more of, too.
The industry needs to stop shoving the ‘sex sells’ thing down everyone’s throats and realize romance and erotica readers aren’t the only ones who matter, and allo relationships aren’t the only ideal relationships to strive for. A lot of great stories from queer people featuring non-sexual or non-romantic relationships exist, and those stories matter. They matter to the people who need them but can’t find them. So, the publishing industry really needs to consider how they talk about relationships and what the ‘ideal’ end goal usually is. Asexual relationships are just as fulfilling and important as allosexual ones, and they’re just as fun to read.
Talli L. Morgan: I feel like I rarely see book lists for asexuality the way I see them for other queer identities, so I think simply drawing attention to books with ace characters and/or written by ace authors would make a difference. Also, sharing and recommending LGBTQ books all year round instead of just during Pride month is key; when those recommendations are only shared during Pride, it feels rather performative. Like, “It’s June, so that means we have to talk about LGBTQ books,” as if it’s a marketing opportunity rather than a real celebration of queer books.
Lyssa Chiavari: Things have definitely come a long way since Fourth World was first published back in 2015! Back then, ace characters were a hard sell for major publishers, and the only way to get the stories out there without the characters being straightwashed was through a small press or by indie publishing. Now, there are a lot more traditionally published books with ace characters, as well as other parts of the LGBT community. However, I have noticed that as more books from Big 5/large New York publishers are published, the indie books that paved the way have been forgotten or ignored. That has been really sad to see, because I don’t think the books that are out there now could have happened without the indie authors who laid the groundwork. And now that there’s been some pushback to books with LGBT content through book bannings, I’m concerned that the bigger publishers are going to start cutting back on the LGBT content that they publish. It would be great to see more industry support for indie publishers as they are likely going to be picking up the slack again in terms of representation.
Anna Kirchner: Firstly, I want to note that there has been a big shift in recent years with so many more asexual and other queer stories getting published in the mainstream. When I first came out, I had to wait months to read my first mainstream book with asexual representation (Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire) (there were more ace books by then, but I wasn’t active on social media, so I wasn’t aware of them). Nowadays, there are so many coming out that I can’t keep track of them anymore, and it’s the best feeling in the world.
The most important part is to keep the momentum going. To make sure that there are as many asexual and other queer stories out there as possible and that they get all the publicity they can get. To make sure they exist in different genres and for different age target groups. To really tap into the intersectionality and showcase a diverse range of voices. As many asexual stories as there are, there are still very few mainstream stories with disabled and neurodivergent asexuals, older asexuals, and stories set outside of the US. There’s always room for improvement, and a lot of readers are waiting to see someone like them in a book.
Bonus Questions!
We’re invested in unearthing lesser-known asexual authors. Who are some of your favorite aspec authors that you wish had more spotlight?
Shane Blackheart: L.B. Shimaira is an ace author and her writing is fantastic. While it isn’t stated outright in their book, My Lord, Lord Deminas, one of the main characters, is demisexual. The story is spicy and doesn’t focus on ace relationships, but she has another book coming out soon that has an asexual/reciprosexual lead. It’s extreme horror and isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s one of my favorite books. Another ace author who doesn’t get enough love is Jake Graham. He writes a lot of poetry, and his two poetry books that I’ve got copies of, The Seeds All Turned to Dust and The Flowers Never Really Grew, are deeply moving poetry collections featuring many poems about mental health. He also released a short story collection called Caught Up in Leaves and Vines, and I’m currently reading it. So far, the stories are dreamlike and very interesting.
Talli L. Morgan: Rosiee Thor, Claudie Arseneault, Tabitha O’Connell, Brittany M. Willows, Blackbird (who writes the web serial Shadows Rise on RoyalRoad), and Bailey Elizabeth—to name a few!
Lyssa Chiavari: Janina Franck is a fellow asexual author over at Snowy Wings Publishing, who also published my series, The Iamos Trilogy. She writes sci-fi and fantasy, and her book A Spark in Space melds those genres together. It’s a really cool sci-fantasy that features interplanetary travel, alien contact, magic called technomancy, and an aro-ace protagonist! She’s working on a second book in the Space Witch series, An Oracle in Orbit, and I’m excited to read it.
Anna Kirchner: Moa Ericsson definitely deserves more spotlight. Sorcery of Words has an amazing asexual arc and is, overall, a great story filled with Norse myths set in Swedish Gotland. Hsinju Chen wrote an amazing ace-for-ace romance novella, A Milky Way Home, that is very underappreciated. Last but not least, A. Alex Logan, author of Royal Rescue, is an action-filled fantasy with a central queer-platonic relationship and dragons.
What advice would you give to someone who is struggling with their asexual identity?
Lacie M. Lou: Seek out community and resources to help you figure out where on the broad spectrum of asexuality you might fall. You might be surprised to find that there’s a community of folx just waiting for you to find them.
You don’t need to be anything but yourself in pursuit of your dreams–whether your dreams involve a prophecy and a mythical item that’s critical to your success as the ‘chosen one’ or the writer behind the character’s story. I spent too much of my life falling into harmful people-pleasing tendencies in relationships to fit the “expectations” of my partners and the pressure to be “normal.” When I accepted myself and vocalized my needs, I found so much more enjoyment in the way I experienced connection and romance. If romance isn’t the beat of your drum, then march to whatever your band is playing! Be yourself, love yourself, and build a community of love and support around you.
Shane Blackheart: As someone who really struggled due to a lack of information about the whole ace spectrum, as well as my own complicated history with sexuality, be kind to yourself and take your time exploring what being ace means for you. There are many ways to be ace, and it can be a little confusing at first figuring that out, but in the end, if you feel you don’t fit an allosexual definition, then chances are, you might be somewhere on the ace spectrum. And society doesn’t make it easy, either. We’re often raised to think finding a sexual partner is an inevitability, or we’re pressured to. Not wanting that, or maybe just wanting it a lot less than others, or not thinking sex is important in a relationship, or even just experiencing sexual attraction in a way that doesn’t often happen at all, is valid. There’s nothing wrong with you.
Talli L. Morgan: Know that there is no one way and certainly no “correct” way to be ace. What you are feeling is real, valid, and not unnatural. There are others out there like you, and your identity is worth celebrating.
Lyssa Chiavari: You are normal! Say it, believe it, repeat it. This was the important message Nadin learned in the Iamos Trilogy, and I emphasized it because it was such a struggle for myself when I was younger. I felt like a freak, for sure—like I said earlier, I thought there was something “wrong” with me. But there’s nothing wrong with you if you’re ace! You’re not broken. This is just the way you are, and it’s normal!
Anna Kirchner: You’re not alone. We’ve all been there, and we all go through phases of self-doubt. Western society is not built for asexuals, and it’s normal to struggle to navigate your life. But don’t let others make you doubt yourself, and remember that you’re not alone. There are so many people on the asexual spectrum out there experiencing very similar struggles. It helps to find ace friends, online or offline, to have people to talk to when things get hard. It might feel like you’ll be forever alone, but I promise you that there are a lot of us out there, and we have a way of finding each other and having each other’s backs.
Well, that’s it for this week’s 5×5! We hope learning about these authors and their inspirations have been an insightful read for you! Thanks for tuning in, and happy reading!
Make sure to follow Lacie on her Instagram to keep up with her latest work!
Follow Shane on Instagram to keep up with their exciting updates on their latest work!
Visit Talli’s page here to keep up with their latest works, and make sure to follow their Instagram page as well to keep up with their news and exciting life as an author!
Make sure to visit Lyssa online and follow her on Instagram to keep up with the latest and greatest!
Keep up with Anna’s works through their IG account, here.
To view these authors’ novels and more, check out our bookshelf, Hooray For Representation–LGBTQ+ Voices.
For another exciting 5×5 read, take a look at this article by Laura Nee, discussing female authors!
