I was doing that thing where you check out the agents who are looking at your full manuscript.  That’s a thing, right?  Not just me?

Anyway, I discovered that one of them leads a small group of authors in a forum for writers with disabilities.  They answer thought-provoking questions about their writing quirks and process, and enjoy each others’ answers.  Due to a busy schedule and unfortunate timing, I haven’t been able to join in, but I can still answer the questions.  This also solves the problem of my not having written a blog post in a while.

Give one of your character’s names [pronouns, also!], and a trait you both have in common.

           My main character, Thomas (Thom for short, he/him/his), is autistic, and like me he is capable of focusing intently on one thing for a very long time, and thinks of himself as a problem-solver more so than a mathematician or anything else.

What characteristics do you tend to give all your MCs?  What is your favorite trope to put in your writing?

           Heroism and achievement from people others often think less of.  All of my main characters have overcome disabilities, long odds, adversarial authorities, or all of the above, in order to become someone extraordinary.  True of some minor characters too.  But this is especially true of Thom’s main partner in each book.

(SPOILERS)

           In Blood Game, Thom teams with a kickass “female James Bond” type called Sondra.  Turns out she is in fact XX-intersex (she/they pronouns) with a backstory involving being misgendered male as a child.  She is also a lesbian and had to overcome the sort of difficulties typical of LGBTQ+ women in the military, though this is barely mentioned in the book (but it plays a factor when she returns in Book 3).

           In Crying Call, Thom’s main partner is Wendell “Dell” Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American NSA hacker from New Orleans, with great taste in wine and music and a sharp sense of humor.  He’s also missing his left hand, a birth defect, and has a mild heart condition (which doesn’t play a role in the book and isn’t mentioned).  With the help of a few special apparati, his “drum kit,” he’s not only capable, but amazingly fast.  He might be the best hacker in the world, but he’d rather be drumming in a Ninth Ward second line.

What is one writing quirk you have that makes your works unique and identifiable?

           My main character is naturally less emotive than others, but has an affinity with nature.  I often have him observe his environment through an emotional lens as a way of revealing his own inner emotions.

What is something your dream writing space would have if money wasn’t an issue?

           A bistro with pain au cholocate and good coffees in the mornings, and a fire table with good microbrews in the evening.  And lots of quiet conversations from nearby strangers that I can eavesdrop when I’m looking for inspiration or amusement.

In an alternate world, if your disability were ubiquitous and a majority of the population had it, how would society be fundamentally different?

           I used to contemplate a science fiction novel where what is now referred to as “high-functioning” Asperger’s – I hate that descriptor by the way – was the norm.  I imagined a protagonist who was neurotypical, actually, navigating a world where he is mistrusted and looked down upon because of his tendency to be too social, overly dramatic and emotive, say things he doesn’t mean, et cetera.

Ironically, this was years before I realized I was such a person myself.  I didn’t know I was autistic until my son was diagnosed.  I didn’t realize I had a disability until last week, when I googled “is autism a disability.”  I’ve never thought of it that way.

Is your writing targeted toward people who share your identity/disability as a core audience? If so, who are they, and if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

              I’m not deliberately targeting autistic or disabled people.  I just want to do my part to increase positive representations of under-represented groups, hopefully in a way that appeals to the popular thriller/suspense/mystery audience.

              It has occurred to me that there are lot of young adult books on the market with autistic protagonists, but not a lot of adult books, especially in the above genres.  Can’t say it would bother me if I ended up on the front crest of a wave of such books.

              What would I tell them?  PERSIST.  Giving up is the only failure.

Post a meme that reflects your writing process.

              From the moment I begin a first draft, until the moment I type THE END, the bottom line of my manuscript is always “All work and no play makes Jeffe a dull boy.” I’m looking forward to all the writing I’ll be doing on my upcoming academic sabbatical.

#writing #thrillers #autistic #disabled #writers