How did “She Blooms and the World is Changed” originate? What inspirations did you draw on?

Some of my stories have a pretty clear point of origin. This one has several that intermingle.

Despite being from a big family, I realized I hadn’t written many sibling stories, and I wanted to change that. I loved getting to explore the sisters’ relationship and follow how it changed and grew over the course of this story.

The plot grew out of my suspicion of colonization stories, and of the assumption—still prevalent in more science fiction than I’d like—that there’s a non-problematic way to colonize. And, while I admire the ethos of “leave no trace,” I also wanted to explore its limitations.

Most importantly for me, though, was the question of what we do when our options are limited because of choices others have made. When there are no good choices, how do we proceed?

Did you get stuck at any point while writing this? How did you get past that?

Several times! I think I have more drafts of this story than any other short fiction I’ve written. I tried it with different structures, with different timelines, different starting and end points. There were months where I set it aside, only to come back to it, hunting for solutions.

I think I got past blocks by letting time pass and listening to trusted beta readers, who believed in this story and helped me both with insight and support to keep pushing through. It’s amazing what it does for my motivation when someone I trust tells me a story needs to be finished.

Where are you in this story?

I’m an oldest sibling, trying to manage my own hopes and fears and also do right by my younger siblings. My stakes are much lower than those in this story, but the dynamic there is very closely borrowed from my own life in a way that’s rare in my fiction. And I think I’m also present in another way: as a teacher, I frequently find myself hoping that the role I play is to be an important supporting actor in my students’ lives. I’m not the hero of any tale, but I hope that I provide some help as their stories unfold.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Just one bit of advice: write the stories that call to you. Try not to worry too much about following market trends or anything like that. Especially early in the writing process, what’s going to make your story work is that it’s your story, the one no one else can tell. When I started writing queer antifascist fiction (which is my brand, to the extent I have one), I didn’t know if it would matter to anyone but me. I’ve been delighted to know there are in fact readers out there who want that kind of story, but the truth is, the stories you see from me are the ones that I’m compelled to write.

Write the story that you need to write. I guarantee there are people out there who long to read it, even if they don’t know it yet.

What are you reading lately? What writers inspire you?

I recently got to read an ARC of Iori Kusano’s Hybrid Heart, their debut novella. It’s amazing and unlike anything else I’ve read—the story of an isolated, surveilled, and abused idol/pop star trying to find autonomy and purpose in a near-future hyper-capitalist hellscape that is basically our world with disturbingly few additions. It’s deeply moving and it made me see life in new ways, which are among the best things I can say about a book. Pre-order it!

Speaking of pre-orders (and sharing with “She Blooms” a deep interest in the stories of sisters), Emma Törzs’s Ink Blood Sister Scribe is out this summer, and it’s a delight. It follows two sisters from a family who have been tasked with keeping safe a library of magical books. The story ranges across continents, yet always feels grounded in memorable characters. Plus there’s a dog and a cat! What’s not to love?

What are you working on lately? Where else can fans look for your work?

I’m currently in the middle of drafting a science fantasy novel. I can’t say a lot about it, but it involves characters at the edge of a collapsing empire exploring a ghost ship that might be their salvation or their doom.

You can find a lot of my short fiction collected in All the Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From, which came out in 2022 with Neon Hemlock Press. My debut novella, These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart, is forthcoming with Tachyon Press in 2024.

I also have work coming out in upcoming anthologies, including Android Press’s Fighting for the Future, Apex’s Robotic Ambitions, and Neon Hemlock’s Luminescent Machinations.