How did “Foresight” originate? What inspirations did you draw on?

It started as most stories do: a what-if that wouldn’t leave my mind, that demanded an answer. What if you had someone with precognition that somehow couldn’t see their own future? Their own tomorrow, a mystery. Initially, there was something a little funny in that idea, but as often happens with my stories, the little bit of humor caved in, fell away, and gave way to a deeper set of struggles, many of which I too was struggling with, as well as many around me.

I often let the first few pages tell me what a story is going to be, and Azahn found himself where a lot of people do: a life off-course, forces outside your control taking you from a tomorrow you’ve been preparing for your whole life, and without it, who even are you?

As for inspiration, my favorite stories often combine the epic and the intimate, raising and lowering the intensity of each aspect throughout, so balancing Azahn’s incredibly epic world, the journey to become Foresight, the legacy of his Auntie, alongside the very small, intimate, human fears, struggles, anxieties, and joys that Azahn faces were some of my favorite moments to navigate.

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

I got stuck about two-thirds of the way through because while I understood what Azahn was facing, I didn’t know how to navigate it.

So often in stories of magic and mental or physical health, one expects the former to solve the latter; many would tout, what’s the point of being in a fantasy world if that which is fantastical cannot solve the quote-unquote ordinary troubles and injuries of our own world? There are a multitude of reasons why I avoid that, not the least of which is that it doesn’t make for a very compelling story, and most of which is that it’s not the truth of our own world or ourselves. I have Anxiety, Depression, and ADHD, and those aren’t things I need to fix or solve about myself, but like Azahn, are aspects of life that need to be understood and worked with in order to manage them. While these things are exacerbated by his mystical condition, it would be a lie to think they could be solved by that same magic. So in becoming stuck, I was glad for it; that time let me work through how Azahn’s precognition would interact with his depression and anxiety. And how, through those interactions, I could approach the growth and management of his mental health in true, honest, and real ways that incorporated his abilities but didn’t use them to “fix,” or “solve,” things.

Where are you in this story?

I think I’m just really excited by a good, freshly baked, hot loaf of bread. But in all seriousness, as much as I want to say I’m present in Azahn’s mental health issues, his caring and supportive family trying to help him, and his continued struggle with what tomorrow could possibly be his, I think I’m most present at the end. Mostly because I think it’s a lesson I’m constantly trying to remember and embody as best I can; that tomorrow really is what you make it. That all you can do is your best. That the most powerful thing you can give yourself is grace. And maybe some of the best healing can be found in giving. In using your abilities to create and lift up, to nourish others in body or soul. Because I’m there with Azahn in his struggles, his fears, and his anxieties, in his weeping at the top of the world. But I aspire to be there most at the end, baking and laughing and feeding and celebrating, losing myself in the moment of the work, the care of others and myself, and not the long blue-shadow tomorrows of days yet to arrive.

Is there anything you want to make sure readers noticed?

I mean, more than the prose, the characters, the worldbuilding . . . I really hope readers noticed what it took for Azahn to begin to come to terms with his situation. Patience. Love. Grace. Flexibility. Empathy. Time. Having been the person going through it, overwhelmed and underwater, it’s never impatience or anger or demands that help move me back to a place of stability, but instead those aforementioned qualities. And I think it can be hard to tap into those things; I think impatience and anger and all that are natural and understandable. But if one is able to hold that space for a friend or family member having a tough time, to lend an ear, a hand, a shoulder, a word, I think more than anything, that is one of the true magics on display in this story.

Azahn got there in a moment all to himself, but he wouldn’t have gotten there if all the people in his life hadn’t given him the chance to get there, the space and grace to fuck up until he got it right, and when he does, celebrate that with him. I know it’s what I would hope for from those who love me.

I hope readers, at this time when it seems that everyone is just going through it, can hold even a little bit of empathy and understanding not just for friends and family, but for any fellow soul in the twenty-first century of today. Because we’re all going through it in our own ways and even a little grace extended to our neighbors, whether we know them or not, can make the world a better, kinder place.

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

Still working on my sentient hotel fantasy book, so maybe someday that will be done! In the meantime, you can expect the following stories from me in the years to come. A short, sharp piece coming in Lightspeed about a very quiet, very terrifying alien invasion. Two pieces forthcoming from Tor.com, one of which is about an older woman, an exorcist, and thirty-two angels who will not go quietly into that good night, and the other about an aging barber in a country besieged by imperialism, who must decide if he will give the closest shave in the world to a monster of a man sitting in his chair. Finally, I’ve a story in Sunday Morning Transport about two young people across time meeting each other at one of the most important sixty seconds one will ever go through: dying. I hope readers seek out these new pieces and enjoy them, and if they’re so inspired, they check out my older work on my website! As always, I’m forever grateful to anyone who takes a little time out of their day to visit my worlds, read my words, and hold my heart.