How did “To the Waters and the Wild” originate? What inspirations did you draw on?

This story originated with a Twitter thread. I don’t recall now who wrote it, unfortunately, but the author argued that the idea of sirens as seductresses was a later invention, and what the sirens’ song originally offered was knowledge.

I wondered what it would be like to have strange men continually throwing themselves in the ocean to get at you when all you wanted was to sing with your siren siblings. That’s where this story was born.

Where are you in this story?

I’d like to say I’m one of the sirens, but I think I’m the sailor—wanting to reject the hetero- and cisnormative assumptions of my society, wanting to cultivate spaces of mutual support, places where hierarchies of power and possession are rejected in favor of community, but also knowing I’ve got work to do to get there.

Is there anything you want to make sure readers noticed?

I often borrow titles from works I admire. This one comes from W.B. Yeats’s (my problematic fave) poem “The Stolen Child.” It’s not the first time I’ve worked lines from Yeats into one of my stories, and I suspect it won’t be the last.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

If you’re a writer reading this, you’re probably invested in speculative fiction. I suspect you share with me the sense that our world could be—and should be—much better than it is! I believe fiction can make space for imagining better worlds and how we might get to them. And I believe your work—yes, you, personally—matters. No one but you can write the stories you need to tell, so I hope you write them!

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

Most of my writing time is devoted to my novel-in-progress, a queer science fantasy space opera filled with terrors, feelings, and intrigue. My debut novella, These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart, a queer noir technothriller murder mystery is coming out in March 2024 with Tachyon. (Pre-orders available now!)