Tell us about your books
I’ve just finished a middle-grade contemporary fantasy trilogy, Lyssa’s Holiday Hijinks, featuring LGBTQ characters. In addition to LGBTQ characters, my books offer a representation of all different types of family units- two moms, two dads, one character is raised by her aunt and uncle. If this first series goes well, I hope to get each of the other characters I mentioned their own spinoff series. I think it will help to bring families together because it addresses complicated issues such as grief and forgiveness and loving yourself in a way that is both authentic and appropriate for the age group.
Claerie’s previous series: Lyssa’s Holiday Hijinks
Which books did you enjoy growing up?
Percy Jackson was and is still one of my favorites. I also loved The Magic Treehouse, anything by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and anything by Barbara Dee because she was the first author I saw write LGBTQ MG and showed me it was possible
What is your favorite food or foods?
Sushi
Tell us about your pets
I have one cat, a five year old calico named Molly. She runs the house
What inspired you to write your book series?
I want to show kids they’re not alone and provide parents with another source of representation for their LGBTQ kids. These are the books I wish I had growing up and if I can help even one kid feel more confident in who they are, I will have done my job
Where is your favorite place to read?
By the fire with the Christmas lights on
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love singing (so much so that I almost got my BA in that instead of English) coloring, doing puzzles, going out with friends and baking. My favorite show to binge as a procrastination tool is Queer Eye.
What did you learn while writing your books?
Oh my, you’re just asking for a novel, aren’t you? Ha! OK I’m a massive over-writer but I will try to keep this brief. Every book I’ve written has taught me something new about myself and my writing process, so I’ll give you the top lesson I learned from each book. Book 1: It is, in fact, possible for me to write a book backwards (though this hasn’t happened since. Book 2: The thing that gets me most excited about any of my projects is when I have really, complex, compelling character journeys Book 3: Rough drafts will probably always take my forever and the process will be different for every book; I DO NOT work well under pressure. Now I only book editors AFTER my first draft is done. (With this one, I booked them while drafting, thinking that writing toward a deadline would help me stay on track. It did not)
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
I basically wanted to be Ali Stroker (the first actress in a wheelchair to perform on Broadway AND to win a Tony)
What is a writing tip for aspiring authors?
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story”- Terry Pratchett. In other words, while you’re writing, just write for the love of it. Everything else can be fixed in editing.
You can find Claerie online: