O. E. Tearmann is an author-duo made up of Olivia and Nonir, the minds behind the ongoing Aces High, Jokers Wild series. We spoke to them about their inspirations, favourite genres, some great books they would rec.
Don’t forget, you can also follow them on twitter.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first get into writing?
N: I always feel a little guilty telling this story! In seventh grade, I was ridiculously bored in one of my classes and discussing favorite books with a friend. She suggested I try writing my own stories, so I did–to keep my occupied in class. Working on my own fiction got me through loads of boring classes since.
O: I grew up in a family where we told stories, and for me writing things down just came as the next step from that: if I didn’t have a fire to tell stories around, a page worked pretty well.
What are your favourite genres to read and write?
N: I love both reading and writing fantasy and scifi, and tend toward YA. I’m also growing toward writing queer romance and erotica.
O: I adore cozy magical realism stories like the works of Catherynne Valente, Deanna Kipling and The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I love situational literary works like James Herriot, Patrick Taylor and Alice Hoffman. I’ve loved Terry Pratchett for years.
I generally write urban fantasy, but these days speculative fiction has taken a lot of my time. I also really have fun writing non-fiction essays on the intersection between folklore and the natural world. I’ve currently got 3 illustrated books out under my own name along these lines.
And are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?
N: I definitely stay away from horror, and probably mystery. I don’t like horror in general because I have an overactive imagination, and I’m too much of a pantser to plan a good mystery story.
O: Horror gets to me, so I avoid it. I generally can’t get into a contemporary romance story; I get bored. And I’ll never do anything with zombies. Ugh.
How do you get inspiration for your books?
N: Loads of different places. Some places I’ve found inspiration lately: dreams, song lyrics, documentaries, and other stories I’ve read. Sometimes it’s from seeing a person on the street and wondering about their story. Sometimes it’s a new headline or something a friend said. Pretty much anything can spark inspiration for a story! For Aces High, Jokers Wild in particular, a lot of inspiration, honestly, comes from my personal struggles with mental illness and gender identity.
O: for me stories from history regularly sparks thoughts on what it must have felt like to live through such a situation. For me, stories breed more stories, and ideas set off by something I’ve learned pinwheel off into all kinds of creative ideas. Getting inspiration is never a problem. Getting the work done is another kettle of fish!
Do you have a writing playlist? And if you do, does it focus more on the lyrics or melodies, vibe of the songs?
N: I have a couple of playlists I tend to cycle through, depending on what I’m working on and how I’m feeling. Sometimes it’s about songs with lyrics that I’ve heard a lot so I can tune out and kind of sing along while my brain is processing plot issues. More often, though, I like to use movie and video game soundtracks because a) it’s gorgeous, and b) there’s all sorts of moods it can help me create in the scene.
O: Oh boy do we have playlists. For our main project, there’s a playlist for each book, which we record in the back and also share on a page for our readers to listen along with while they read. Here that is. Enjoy!
I also have personal playlists for each area of interest and/or mood.
What’s your writing process? At what point do you let other people read your drafts and who are they?
N: I’m a pantser for sure, so I tend to write drafts without much of a plan. I get an idea and start working, kind of planning and making notes as I go and put pieces together. Once a draft is finished, I tend to shoot it to one or two of my good friends for feedback, edit a few times, and call it good.
O: Haha this is a joke between us, because I’m a plotter. I start the book with a table of contents and bare-bones outline, and build my way up from there. This started as a nonfiction habit, but it’s stuck around as I move into fiction.
Summarise your most recent/next book in up to 5 words and a meme.
N: Everything goes terribly, terribly wrong.
Bad Luck Brian with the text “finally gets gender affirmation surgery/rest of life falls apart”
O: This one’s a pessimist! ^^^ snicker. I’d sum it up as ‘Plant future seeds in current bullshit’.
Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?
N: Neil Gaiman, Tamora Pierce, and Gail Carriger.
O: Terry Pratchett, Larry Gelbart, and Charles de Lint.
If (when!) your book(s) were to be made into movies, who would you like to direct them?
N: Bryan Fuller. I’ve loved literally everything he’s done from Pushing Daisies to the American Gods adaptation and I’d trust him with my characters and story.
O: I trust their judgement on this, I have no idea who most directors are (shuffles feet)
And for something that is also very important to us & what we put a lot of emphasis on when blogging. What does ownvoices LGBT representation mean to you?
N: For me, having direct, explicit representation is incredible. Having characters on the page that LGBT readers can identify with because they know the character shares an identity (instead of being subtext or fandom-only), is so important. It’s not a book, but Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist recently used the term “gender fluid” to describe one of the characters and I literally cried because mainstream media had included people like me for the first time I remember.
O: The technical term is somebody writing from the life they’ve lived. And that is absolutely needed. But I like to expand this a little: it’s writing through the eyes of LGBT characters, through our experiences and through our feelings of being in the world. Sometimes I do write characters outside my lived experience, and I have a real dedication to doing that right, so I always find a sensitivity reader who is from that background to check me.
Rec us some great LGBT books you’ve read recently! One can never have enough recommendations!
N: The last one I read that I loved was The 5th Gender by Gail Carriger. And one that’s going to be amazing coming out in the fall is White Trash Warlock by my good friend David R. Slayton.
O: Ooh! Ooh! I have BOOKS to rec!
- Psions of SPIRE series by Alex Silver. Amazing queer rep all across the rainbow, with psionic powers!
- San Andreas Shifters series. Queer multispecies-inclusive werewolf pack living in modern San Fransisco. Sexy, sweet, and supportive
- Nonir said The 5th Gender, that’s covered.
- A Fall In Autumn by Michael G. Williams. A power spec-fic mystery.
- C. D. Tavenor’s First of Their Kind. An amazing explicitly nonbinary story
- C.B. Lewis’s Out of Time series. Time-travel agency drama/mystery with awesome queer characters across the rainbow.
What’s one piece of advice you would like to give your younger self?
N: There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being neurodivergent, but find a therapist and don’t be afraid to try medication to help. Playing into society’s stigma only makes things worse.
O: Raise your eyes. Raise your spirit. You are worthy. Don’t be afraid. You will do good things one day.
If you could have dinner with one member of the LGBT community, dead or alive, who would it be?
N: Rebecca Sugar, if only so I could cry to them about how much I love Steven Universe and how much their show means to me. And, I mean, if we happened to talk songwriting and have a jam session after dinner, I definitely wouldn’t complain.
O: Julie d’Aubigny, known as Madame Maupin. Because having a meal and a drink with a woman who was openly sapphic in the 1690s and took vows at a convent to get in and sleep with a girl she liked? Killed men in sword fighting duels? Oh I’ll bring the bottle and she’ll bring the stories. It would be amazing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
O.E. Tearmann lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, in what may become the Co-Wy Grid. They share the house with a brat in fur, a husband and a great many books. Their search engine history may garner them a call from the FBI one day. When they’re not living on base 1407 they advocate for a more equitable society and more sustainable agricultural practices, participate in sundry geekdom and do their best to walk their characters’ talk.
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