What you can expect from me in 2018
Over the last few weeks, the covers for three upcoming anthologies I'm in have been released, and while I've posted them on social media, I haven't yet had a chance to post them on my blog — so here they are! This means you're getting (at least) three new things from me in 2018!
coming Feb. 27, 2018
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages
Edited by Saundra Mitchell (Harlequin Teen)
This anthology of LGBTQ historical short fiction includes my short story "New Year," which is set in San Francisco's Chinatown during Chinese New Year in January 1955, and is about the moment seventeen-year-old Lily Ma recognizes queerness in the world and, potentially, in herself. "New Year" is also the inspiration for my next novel, which I'm currently writing.
Take a journey through time and genres and discover a past where queer figures live, love and shape the world around them. Seventeen of the best young adult authors across the queer spectrum have come together to create a collection of beautifully written diverse historical fiction for teens.
From a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in war-torn 1870s Mexico featuring a transgender soldier, to two girls falling in love while mourning the death of Kurt Cobain, forbidden love in a sixteenth-century Spanish convent or an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene, All Out tells a diverse range of stories across cultures, time periods and identities, shedding light on an area of history often ignored or forgotten.
coming May 1, 2018
How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation
Edited by Tim Federle and Maureen Johnson (Wednesday Books)
This collection includes an essay from me about surviving the horribleness of everything that is going on these days, complete with wisdom from my parents.
Now, more than ever, young people are motivated to make a difference in a world they're bound to inherit. They're ready to stand up and be heard - but with much to shout about, where they do they begin? What can I do? How can I help?
How I Resist is the response, and a way to start the conversation. To show readers that they are not helpless, and that anyone can be the change. A collection of essays, songs, illustrations, and interviews about activism and hope, How I Resist features an all-star group of contributors, including, John Paul Brammer, Libba Bray, Lauren Duca, Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita, Alex Gino, Hebh Jamal, Malinda Lo, Dylan Marron, Hamilton star Javier Muñoz, Rosie O'Donnell, Junauda Petrus, Jodi Picoult, Jason Reynolds, Karuna Riazi, Maya Rupert, Dana Schwartz, Dan Sinker, Ali Stroker, Jonny Sun (aka @jonnysun), Sabaa Tahir, Shaina Taub, Daniel Watts, Jennifer Weiner, Jacqueline Woodson, and more, all edited and compiled by New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson and Lambda-winning novelist Tim Federle.
In How I Resist, readers will find hope and support through voices that are at turns personal, funny, irreverent, and instructive. Not just for a young adult audience, this incredibly impactful collection will appeal to readers of all ages who are feeling adrift and looking for guidance.
How I Resist is the kind of book people will be discussing for years to come and a staple on bookshelves for generations.
coming Aug. 14, 2018
Fresh Ink: An Anthology
Edited by Lamar Giles (Crown Books for Young Readers)
This anthology, in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, includes my short story "Meet Cute," which is about two girls who meet at a Comic-Con-like convention. Yes, it is a rare happy f/f romantic comedy from me!
In partnership with We Need Diverse Books, thirteen of the most recognizable, diverse authors come together in this remarkable YA anthology featuring ten short stories, a graphic short story, and a one-act play from Walter Dean Myers never before in-print.
Careful—you are holding fresh ink. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink. Instead, you are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written—whose next chapters are up to you.
Because these stories are meant to be read. And shared.
Thirteen of the most accomplished YA authors deliver a label-defying anthology that includes ten short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play. This collection will inspire you to break conventions, bend the rules, and color outside the lines. All you need is fresh ink.