Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Rachel: We’re delighted to have Nina Munteanu, author of Gaia’s Revolution, here to talk with us about eco-fiction, the climate crisis, and slime molds! Nina, please tell us us a little about your creative work. And what inspired you to write it?

Nina: My latest novel is Gaia’s Revolution, the first of The Icaria Trilogy, clifi eco-fiction that explores a collapsing capitalist society in Canada through ravages of climate change, societal decisions, and a failing technology. Gaia’s Revolution opens in Berlin, 2022, then moves to Canada, where ambitious twin brothers Eric and Damien ignite a revolution that could save the planet—or erase humanity altogether. Fanatical deep ecologist, Monica Schlange plays the brothers like chess pieces in her gambit to ‘rule the world.’ She captures three orphans in a web of intrigue to reshape humanity and its place in the natural world. But the orphans will ultimately determine the direction of humanity and launch a new set of rules no one envisioned.

This is a story about Canada’s future, a fast-paced political thriller that touches on issues Canadians may soon or already face: environmental devastation of climate change, social unrest and polarization, eco-terrorism, DNA-targeted plagues, techno-clones, environmental technocracy and behaviour engineering.

I originally wrote what eventually became the middle book of the current trilogy back when I was a teenager in the late 60s. The story, originally called Caged in World, featured a world forced inside sealed domes to escape the harsh uninhabitable environment destroyed by climate change (Yes! I knew about climate change back then!) and effects of unruly human greed. A teenager in high school, I was acutely aware of what we were doing to the planet; it inspired me to write this story, and this dystopia became the first full length novel I would write.  

Rachel: I did something similar, both in terms of conceiving of the middle book first, and in tackling the effects of the climate crisis in Canada. And, as it turns out, writing rather morally grey lead characters. Ecofiction these days often tends towards the utopian, with well-intentioned characters doing their best. Why did you decide to focus on manipulative and extremist characters instead?

Nina: The morally ambiguous character appeared much truer to what is going on with our current climate / environmental dilemma and what the trilogy is about. Our world is fast becoming more fractured, polarized and extremist in worldviews and actions; and we are growing less tolerant of any divergences. Under extraordinary circumstances, ordinary people may be driven outside their comfort level, to extremism and moral ambiguity. I wanted to explore that possibility by featuring actors deeply involved through their convictions in the big decisions that face humanity; questions that touch on ecocentrism vs. anthropocentrism; deep ecology, sustainability, and selfish vs selfless motivations. When faced with truly existential questions and extreme divergences in worldview, innocence is the first casualty.

The true—and the only innocent—protagonists in this story are the three orphans, who must navigate the harsh environment their elders have left them. In some ways they—and the casualty of their innocence—are at the heart of the story.

Rachel: Can you explain a little about limnology and how your background in ecology plays into your writing?

Nina: Limnology is the ecological study of freshwater. It is a multi-disciplinary field that incorporates chemistry, physics and biology to create big-picture analyses of systems and their surroundings. For that reason, limnologists also look at watersheds and land use, given their effect on water systems. I’ve brought much of my science background into my fiction writing—mostly for premise and background, but also as theme in many of my works (the majority of which are eco-fiction). My love for Nature and my study of the environment have informed my fiction incredibly: in the language, the direction of my works, in my choice of protagonists, even. When I was ten years old all I wanted was to be a paperback novelist. But I took some turns and pursued a science degree instead and became a science teacher and environmental consultant, only to return to writing books. The universe in its wisdom, provided me with the tools I needed to be the writer I was meant to be: a science-informed eco-fiction science-fiction writer of high-concept ideas with large scope.

Rachel: What is the role of speculative fiction in combatting the climate crisis?

Nina: The climate crisis and associated environmental issues are largely a global phenomenon—concerns like water and air quality and quantity, environmental exploitation and fossil fuel extraction, impacts to biodiversity and rampant extinction. Science fiction (and speculative fiction particularly) is the literature of consequence that explores large issues faced by humankind; This largely metaphoric writing can provide an important vehicle in raising environmental awareness. Literature in general has always served as a cultural reporter on themes important to humanity.  Critic Frederic Jameson argues that the literature of “science fiction is in its very nature a symbolic meditation on history itself.” The science fiction genre—and speculative fiction particularly—explores premises based on current scientific and technological paradigms. What if we kept doing this?…What if that went on unchecked?… What if we decided to end this?… These are conveyed through the various predictive visions from cautionary tales (e.g., Atwood’s Oryx and Crake) to dystopias (e.g., Huxley’s Brave New World). The power of speculative fiction over realist fiction or non-fiction reportingh to do with environment and climate change is in “showing us” instead of simply “telling us.” Using the tools of metaphor and personal dramatization, speculative fiction provides a palatable, and more meaningful narrative that readers can truly experience and connect with, learn and act on. 

Rachel: If you weren’t a writer, what do you think you’d do instead?

Nina: I’ve already done it! And I’m still doing it! I was an ecologist / limnologist, working as an environmental consultant for various clients, educating them and helping them comply with regulations and become better environmental citizens. I’d like to teach ecology in primary and secondary school, if such a program existed—which it doesn’t, unfortunately. Either way, both of these are aimed to educate toward more environmental awareness and sustainable choices. You could say, I’m doing that with my writing now, which is why I love it as a career. I currently teach writing at The University of Toronto. I also write non-fiction articles for various magazines and on my blogs, which see over 80,000 visitors a month.

The other pursuit I would have loved to follow is in the field of lichenology (the study of lichens) or mycology, (the study of fungi and slime molds). As it turns out, I’ve become a pretty good amateur mycologist and lichenologist. I walk the nearby forests daily and often come out with photos and an article in my head about some interesting specimen. Check out the blog on my site The Meaning of Water for some of them.

Rachel: I’m low-key obsessed with the strange organisms that make up our very real world. So…could you tell our readers a few interesting facts about slime molds?

Nina: I’d love to! Perhaps because—or in spite of—the bizarre designs of their fruiting bodies, their intriguing behaviour and success and ubiquity while remaining rather invisible and overlooked—slime molds have both defied taxonomic identification and been given some of the most colourful, disgusting, and wonderful common names. Some include: Moon Poo Slime, Wolf’s Milk Slime, Tree Hair Slime, Dog Vomit Slime, Bubble Gum Slime, Scrambled Egg Slime, Tapioca Slime, and Chocolate Tube Slime.

Slime molds are bizarre life forms, once classified as fungus—because they sort of looked like fungi. Unlike a fungus that is not capable of absorbing and digesting their food internally, a slime mold can. They can also move—unlike fungus; slime molds conduct phagocytosis—just like the amoeba I studied in school. They can move several millimeters in an hour and some may charge into a rapid movement of over 1 mm/second. That’s visible to the naked eye! Think Steve McQueen and The Blob. Shades of science fiction! Lastly, slime mold has been proven to have intelligence, able to navigate the most efficient route to a food source. We have much more to learn about these tiny intelligent beings who are silently taking over the world.

Rachel: While I am off forming a new punk band called Moon Poo Slime, where can our readers find you and your work?

Nina: Readers and other interested parties can find me and my work on several sites. www.NinaMunteanu.ca is dedicated to my writing; www.NinaMunteanu.me showcases weekly articles with my latest news and articles on writing; I post weekly articles on www.TheMeaningOfWater.com which explores all things environmental and about water, particularly. I’m also active on several social media platforms, including Bluesky, Twitter, and Linked-In. 

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Rachel: With us today is Joy Michael Ellison to talk about a book I’m so excited about. Joy, can you introduce yourself, and tell our readers a little bit about Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!?

Joy: Hey there! I’m Joy Michael Ellison [they/them]. I’m a white, disabled, queer and trans person currently living on the traditional lands of the Narragansett nation. I am a writer, a professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at University of Rhode Island, and a life-long grassroots, community activist. My approach to organizing is shaped by the three years I spent in Msafer Yatta, Palestine supporting Palestinian- led popular movements and my experiences working in transformative justice movements in Chicago, Illinois. As an author, I am interested in using stories, both fictional and true, to build community, document social movements, and imagine a liberated world.  I believe that storytelling is integral to healing, transformation, resistance, and survival.

Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution! is my first children’s book. It tells the story of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, two trans women of color who made history during the Stonewall Rebellion, kickstarting the movement for acceptance of queer and trans youth.  Sylvia and Marsha help trans girls like them by sharing what they have in abundance: friendship. They show us all that beside our best friends, we can change the world.

Rachel: Tell us about the journey from concept to publication. What was your process, and how did you collaborate with Teshika to bring the story to life?

Joy: Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution! is an unintentional case study in what it takes for queer and trans people to break into conventional publishing. In fact, this book started out as a joke—one of those unfunny things you tell yourself when you’re afraid to try because you know how much systemic oppression is against you. I decided that I was going to write a picture book about the Stonewall Rebellion that would never be published. I had been reading every primary source I could about Sylvia and Marsha as a part of my graduate studies and I yearned to share what I was learning with a wider audience. So, I wrote and revised the text, took a class on picture book publishing, (the teacher seriously told me that I should write a book about “trans seahorses” instead), revised more, and submitted to a dozen publishers. After receiving as much rejection as I could stand, I decided to self publish. 

I knew that my community would buy this book. I approached a local artist’s collective and hooked up with Teshika. Together, we crowdfunded the book. Naturally, as soon as we proved that there was a market for it, capitalists came knocking. Because I had discovered that self-publishing is a nightmare for my anxiety, we sold the book to a traditional publisher. Because of that, I was able to find an agent who turned around and sold four more picture books about queer and transgender history, the first of which is “Willi Ninja: Vogue Legend,” coming out May 2026. 

Now I spend more time writing and more time…let’s call it “gentle-parenting” publishers into letting me do right by the historical figures I write about. My experience shows how much we’re trapped by capitalism, and what queer and trans people can do when we go outside of normal channels. 

Rachel: Obviously, the history of the Stonewall Riots and the fight for queer and trans liberation is a beautiful one, but also one that involves state repression and police violence. How did you go about telling the story in a way that is appropriate for a young audience?

Joy: The first decision I made was to center Sylvia and Marsha’s friendship and mutual aid politics. Sharing and working together are ideas that children immediately understand and they encapsulate some of the central principles of trans liberation politics. Then I used all of the tools that children’s authors use to tell a good story: repetition, lively dialogue, and pictures that elevate the action further. 

I firmly believe that any form of violence that children go through is something that we have to talk about with them. It’s not kids that struggle with these topics; it’s adults. Picture books can be a powerful tool for starting those conversations because they provide grown ups with the information and the conceptual and emotional framework to start talking. Once that conversation begins, adults will discover that it’s really not that scary.

Rachel: I love how much you respect your young audience. It’s also so cool that you included a reading guide and teaching materials! As a teacher myself, I always appreciate when authors do this. Do you envision this book being used in classrooms?

Joy: Yes! I’m lucky to be a part of the Lambda Literary LGBTQ Writers in Schools program so I’ve visited many schools where teachers and librarians are using Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution! to talk about queer and trans movements. I firmly believe that picture books are for everyone and my classroom visits have proved it’s true. Teachers from third grade through high school are using Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution! to teach about queer and trans history and social movements, in the face of intensifying repression in public school and library systems. It’s honestly healing for me to see children loving this book and adults bravely sharing it. 

Rachel: We are seeing book bans and censorship of BIPOC and queer histories in both the US and Canada, especially in school libraries. If readers love your book (and they will) what can they do to ensure that new generations get to read about Sylvia and Marsha?

Joy: Yeah, censorship has been a pressing issue for a very long time, but it’s getting worse and worse. The most important thing you can do is get involved with a local network that’s protesting book bans and protecting teachers and librarians in your community. This issue is primarily fought in our neighborhoods. 

If attending a library or school board meeting isn’t within your capacity, there are lots of other small actions you can take. Buy books by queer, trans,  and BIPOC authors. Pre-order them and write reviews. Check them out from your local library or request that they purchase them. Donate books to a little free library near you (Is that a thing in Canada? It’s big here in the U.S. and I kinda live for middle-class parents getting into mutual aid without even realizing it). 

Rachel: It’s totally a thing in Canada.

Joy: Ask a teacher if they would like copies for their classroom. Read banned books out loud to anyone who will listen. Invite me to speak to your children (I’m available in person in the Northeastern United States, but I do a mean Zoom story hour. I’ll even do it in drag, if you like!). 

It’s also of vital importance that we support small presses. Most of the censorship of queer and trans authors takes place inside the publishing industry, firmly out of sight and pretty much impossible to track. Wonderful books are rejected because they’re too political or because publishers don’t understand that they will sell. If a book is acquired, publishers often pressure authors to remove content they see as a liability. I’ve had publishers say absolutely astonishing things to me, like telling me that I couldn’t define LGBTQIA2+ in a glossary because it would get the book banned—a pretty nonsensical claim for a novella about the Stonewall Rebellion that already gave plenty of ammunition to bigots. Small presses can be a powerful way to fight this kind of censorship and mistreatment of marginalized authors. 

P.S., if you’ll forgive me for going further: right now, trans authors in the United States like me, along with BIPOC, disabled, and immigrant people of all sorts, really need solidarity from people outside of our country. The most marginalized people in our communities are already facing violent repression from our overtly fascist government and the situation is getting worse. White people in the United States, including leftists, are often pretty crap at engaging in transnational movements and unpracticed in actually asking for support. Frankly, I don’t blame anyone who feels we hardly deserve it. But fascism is growing globally. Ousting Trump is an international issue. I really hope we can start having conversations about transnational strategies, like boycotting U.S. sports, refusing to travel to the U.S., and working to support people who are deported from the U.S. and U.S. citizens who may need to immigrate elsewhere.

Rachel: This is hugely important, and I hope our little platform can be part of that transnational movement. Where can readers find the book—and you?

Joy: Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution! is available anywhere you buy books, but the best place to buy it is on my Bookshop page. Buying your copy there gets me a little more $$$ and supports local bookstores instead of the billionaires who want to ruin this planet and then move on to ruining Mars. You can find me on Instagram, where I very reluctantly allow the algorithm to feast on my social anxiety, or my website. I have a lot of books in the pipeline right now, starting with Willi Ninja: Vogue Legend (May 2026) and then my first academic book The Trans Midwest: Trans Feminist Coalition Building Since World War II (January 2027), which will be thick enough to use as a weapon. So please, stay in touch. I’d love to hear from you!

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Rachel: I was blown away by Robin Wolfe’s new book, The Threads That Bind Us, and immediately contacted them to ask if they’d be willing to talk about it for our readers. Graciously, they accepted, so thank you for joining us today, Robin!

Can you tell our readers a little bit about the process? What is the book, and how did it come to be?

Robin: The most honest answer to “what is this book and how did it come to be” is that this book is my embodiment of community, and it came to be because I’m a nonbinary queer who struggled with finding community. 

I’ve always been too much: too out for my very anti-queer area when I was growing up, too bi (biphobia from both sides of the aisle is very real), too woman-perceived for the leather community in my city, then too disabled for in-person queer community. And yet I kept looking, because I ached to belong. 

About two years ago, I was lucky enough to stumble across a weekly online leather night. The host, a leather historian who works with the Carter/Johnson Library and Collection (the CJLC is a US-based library dedicated to preserving 2SLGBTQ+ and leather history), assured me I would be welcome and this wasn’t a men-only space. That first night I realized that I’d found the community I’d been seeking for decades. 

And they found me, too. They quickly realized I was a skilled leatherworker and textile artist, and they ensured that Vi Johnson, who runs the CJLC, knew all about me. About half a year later, I was asked to be one of the CJLC Artists in Residence for 2025. The plan was for me to do a project to increase leather accessibility by making custom leather for four disabled people and then creating a how-to book for leatherworkers. (As a disabled person myself, the inaccessibility of leather is a constant source of frustration. It crushes me when people come to me for custom leather and they’ve been turned away unnecessarily by other leatherworkers.) 

In March 2025 I realized that with the literal erasure happening in the US and elsewhere, there could be no project more important to me than recording our lives. Accessibility in leather would have to wait.

So with nine months remaining, I made a new plan: find 10 or so 2SLGBTQ+ and/or leather people who were willing to share their memories with me (kept in their own words). Do the editing and transcription required to be able to use their stories. Create an original embroidery for each story, inspired by their story. Photograph the embroideries and turn them into illustrations. Finally, turn the whole thing into a fully accessible ePub and a print book… 

…and do all of that in less than nine months (before my artist year ends). Never let it be said that I lack ambition. I figured, “I used to be a small-press publisher and fiction author; I have the skills. It’ll be fine.”

(Now imagine me with a thousand-yard stare, because that’s how I looked during much of March through December 2025. The stress was epic.) 

The book did come out on time though, and I’m so proud of it. This book is community itself; the foreword is by the leather historian who welcomed me, Vi herself donated a story, and the other stories are from eleven people who chose to gift me with their honesty, vulnerability, and courage. Yes, I created the art, did a lot of back-end work, and designed and formatted the book. But without the gifts of my collaborators, there would have been no art and no book to make. This was co-created by all of us.

Rachel: In the introduction, you situate your work in the context of political textile art, including Chilean arpilleros, the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and the use of quilts by enslaved people to escape to freedom. Why is textile art so often the voice of the unheard?

Robin: With regards to the art, it had to be embroidery. Embroidery was and is seen as “women’s work” in many cultures, which meant women weren’t policed about doing it. This led to many women in awful situations – enslaved, indentured, locked up in prisons and asylums – using embroidery to record their experiences and share information with each other in coded ways. With this project, I added my own threads to the global community that used (and uses) this art form to resist oppressors for centuries.

I used to hand-embroider but my joints can no longer handle it, so I taught myself to do digital art, digitize them into machine embroidery instructions, and then have a machine do it. (For the curious: it took about 15-25 hours per illustration, and I included an Appendix in the book with step-by-step instructions of my process.)   

Rachel: How did you collect the stories? 

Robin: I started out with an online Call for Submissions. Then I started posting online events titled, “LGBTQ people, come tell me your stories.” The Zooms ended up going on for hours. I’d curl up and  sob afterward, both in gratitude—these complete strangers trusted me with their memories!—and with emotional exhaustion. Creating a safe space for people to share their stories took a lot, especially for an introvert like me. They told me so many things; I even had two people come out for the very first time in those Zooms. (Those stories are not in the book. They both decided afterward they weren’t ready to share their life with the world yet. I respect their wishes, and am still honored that I got to be the first to validate their truth and welcome them to the community.)

Rachel: This almost feels like an oral history (and in some cases was, with the interviews conducted on Zoom). Can you tell us a little about the responsibilities and considerations involved when collecting these stories?

Robin: There’s a lot of stress involved with a project like this. I’m literally carrying people’s memories. They’ve given me part of what makes them, them, and I need to do it justice. It needs to be kept in their own words. But it also needs to be edited for readability and to avoid the book being deemed pornography. (Young people desperately need access to supportive media too, so I wanted it available to an audience of mid-teens and older.) 

So I had to decide on all my rules early on. Would I edit for grammar and word choice? (No.) Punctuation? (Yes.) Obscene words and slurs? (Censor them with stars, if egregious.) How much sex is okay? (Brief references are fine, but no in-depth descriptions.) When using a Zoom transcript, is it okay to remove side chats that had nothing to do with the narrative? (Yes. Nobody wants to read three pages of us commiserating about the pain of Payless Shoes closing.) Can I adjust for flow, because when people are talking they jump around non-chronologically and keep returning to earlier bits to add previously forgotten details? (Yes. Cut-and-paste entire sentences and paragraphs, moving them elsewhere in the story to ensure it’s reasonably chronological. Send it to the person afterward for review and possible further editing by them if they want.)

Rachel: The use of embroidery as an art form signals, to me, incredible care for these individuals and communities—the sheer effort it takes to create each piece, as you describe at the end of the book, elevates each memory, no matter how small, to the level of art. Are these extraordinary people, or do we all have the extraordinary within us? Who are some of the people who shared their memories?

Robin: Before starting this project, I believed everyone had an interesting story in them. During this project, I realized I hadn’t gone far enough; the truth is that every “everyday person” contains the extraordinary. Perhaps that’s a young trans person finding a way to hold their true identity close – with their new name written in created symbols that only they can interpret – until it’s safe to share it when they escape in the future. Or a teen who spent his days offering comfort, validation, and love to men dying of AIDS. Or people who heal enough from religious trauma and conversion camps to live authentic lives. All of those experiences are within the book, and so much more. When I was given these stories, many made me cry. Many made me smile. Most made me do both.

If I learned one thing about my community during this process, it’s that we are survivors. We are courageous and so very determined. We cannot be erased, and we cannot be destroyed. This community is stronger than anyone can imagine. This book is my love letter to all of us. 

Rachel: I am begging readers to check out The Threads That Bind Us.Where can they find it (and you, if you want to be found)?

Robin: All profits from the book (both the accessible ePub version and the print version) are being donated to the CJLC. If people wish to purchase the book, direct links can be found at https://robinwolfe.com/store.html . I avoid social media these days, but readers can email me through the website. 

I’m currently collecting memories for the second/final volume of this project, so if you are 2SLGBTQ+ and wish to donate your story, please reach out. I can’t use every memory in the book, but those that I can’t use are still sent to the CJLC, where they are made available to researchers and visitors.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Rachel: I’m a huge fan of Jordan S. Carroll’s nonfiction, so it’s super exciting to see him venture into fiction as well. Especially because it’s about pro wrestling, which is inherently hilarious to me. Please tell our readers about it!

J.S: My short story “Romeo Popinjay vs. Iron Hans in the Beauty and the Beast Match You Won’t Want to Miss” is a fantasy narrative about a professional wrestling promotion in an early modern world where some of humankind’s ancestors or cousins have evolved in alternate directions. It’s also a bit of a buddy comedy about a big hairy wrestling savant teaming up with a vain heel who prefers to go it alone. 

Rachel: I need it. What inspired you to write this story?

J.S: I’d been reading books about the evolution of human cognition by authors such as Gary Tomlinson and Merlin Donald, and they led me to imagine a hominin species evolving more-than-human powers of imitation and rehearsal or “mimetic skill” instead of developing symbolic thought.

Originally it was going to be a folk horror story in which some wildmen of the forest who’ve been forced to do repetitive manual labor join in solidarity with humans to start a peasant revolt. But then I thought about the time I saw Mojo the monkey fight at an SOS Pro Wrestling show here in Tacoma. He was amazing. That’s when I realized that my wildmen would make really good pro wrestlers.

Rachel: Is there a visual image—a painting or a photo—that inspired you?

J.S: For Iron Hans, I was really inspired by videos of George “The Animal” Steele gnawing on turnbuckle pads. Romeo Popinjay’s wrestling persona draws on performances by Gorgeous George, the pretty boy wrestler who audiences loved to hate. I tried to find YouTube clips of many of the moves I wrote about. I watched a lot of Wrestling with Wregret. Other inspirations included Scott Beekman’s Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America and Josephine Riesman’s Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America.

Rachel: Ringmaster in particular has been on my TBR list forever, having heard her interviewed on a number of podcasts. But anyway. Why do you write? What drives you?

J.S: Writing is a way for me to make sense of things. Plus it’s fun to have a good excuse to read and think about a lot of topics that I would not have otherwise considered.

Rachel: What’s the secret to editing?

J.S: I read things out loud to myself—even nonfiction. I also spend an inordinate amount of time cutting prepositions.

Rachel: So far I’ve enjoyed everything that you’ve come out with (and I suspect our readers will too). What’s next for you?

J.S: I’m writing a novel titled Fellow Creatures. It’s a gothic picaresque adventure about a shapeshifting ghoul. He’s bouncing around a world that recalls 17^th century Europe, but all the wars of religion are fought over the best method of preserving the dead to ensure that they can be resurrected intact on judgement day. Needless to say, being a cannibal makes his life difficult. I don’t want to give away much more, but the title is a phrase often used by religious radicals such as the Diggers and the Ranters around the time of the English Civil War.

You can find “Romeo Popinjay vs. Iron Hans in the Beauty and the Beast Match You Won’t Want to Miss” here. I post about new publications and projects here.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Rachel: Nick Mamatas and I go way back on the internet, but it was only last summer that we finally met in real life. He was launching the first issue of a new zine, Billions Vs. Billionaires, which is so my jam it’s not even funny (unlike the zine, which is hilarious). The second issue is out now, and Nick is here to talk about it!

Tell us a little bit about the project. Why use a zine to fight back against the fascist billionaire class?

Nick: Well, there are forces at work. Forces inspired by DOGE and the weird nerds who enthusiastically signed up as Elon Musk’s anti-spending budget-cutting squad. While DOGE actually didn’t cut much out of the federal budget despite expansive claims about millions of dead people on Social Security rolls etc, plenty of damage was done. USAid for example, was all but destroyed–all the good stuff the program did was cut, but the imperial interventions (spying, funding dirty little wars etc.) were just integrated into the State Department without the public-facing vaccination programs or cultural programs.

The idea, from a former acquaintance of Musk, was to try to make Elon seem less cool to the sort of very online audience that he had cultivated. And the acquaintance had a little bit of money. So zines via itch.io, YouTube shorts, RPGs, bumper stickers and badges to be handed out at science fiction cons and the like.

Rachel: I remain big sad that I didn’t get one of the badges at Worldcon. 

So even for a zine, there’s a ton of formal experimentation in Billions Vs. Billionaires, from a fold-out one-page RPG to…math questions??? (Dear readers, I promise they will make you wish you paid more attention to math in high school.) Did you seek this out, or did it happen organically?

Nick: Surely seeking something out is organic! We use our spongy brains to do things. But we basically wanted multiscale meme warfare, so any bundle of ideas is good.

Rachel: What can we expect to see in the second issue? Is there anything that really stood out for you?

Nick: The infographic! A little two-page play (but with three actors, so a role for an entire polycule!), a story by Rich Larson, who is a very successful short story writer (which is why nobody has ever heard of him).

Rachel: I’m clearly one of the cool kids, having hung out with Rich Larson on several occasions. He’s rad af.

Whenever I go to zine fairs, I’m impressed that there are more, and more sophisticated zines, than there were even before social media and print-on-demand made the photocopier less of an influential technology. What’s the state of the zine publishing scene?

Nick: Print is back, baby. The algorithm, and the five big social media platforms that are all just screenshots of the other four, have ruined online, so people are returning to print, and with the graphic design skills people learned online.

Rachel: I’m here for it. 

Given the level of surveillance and repression of speech in the US, were you and/or other American contributors worried about putting this out?

Nick: We had a brief conversation about even using the word “antifa” in the zine, and we always ask if contributors wish to be pseudonymous. We also recommend people print out the zines in such a way that printer-identification marks can’t be used to trace where the zine was printed. But thankfully, as Musk himself once said, “comedy is legal.”

Rachel: What’s next for Billions Vs. Billionaires, and where can we find you/more of your work?

Nick: At least two more volumes of the zine:
COMMUNIQUES FROM THE GRIMES LIBERATION FRONT

And

ENTER…THE KILLIONAIRE K-HOLE.

And if anyone wants to produce the play “Grimes and Elon In..Roko’s Basilisk!” from our new zine BREAD AND JAM FOR BIG BALLS  and put it online as a tiktok or reel or short or or or or…drop me a line!

Find Billions Vs. Billionaires on itch.io!

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: Poetry is a delight for all ages—Yewande Akinse has written some for children. Today, Yewande is here to talk about it!

Yewande: I am excited to introduce my latest poetry collection, The Rise and Fall of Rhymes and Rhythms. This book is a heartfelt exploration of life’s essential lessons, crafted specifically for children. Comprising 100 poems, it aims to engage young readers through playful language and vivid imagery, while imparting valuable insights on themes such as kindness, resilience, curiosity, and self-discovery. Written in the structured form of dizains, each poem is designed to be both rhythmic and memorable, making it accessible and enjoyable for children. The collection reflects my deep love for my daughter, serving as a guide to help her navigate the complexities of growing up. The Rise and Fall of Rhymes and Rhythms is not just a collection of poems; it is an invitation for children to explore their emotions and the world around them. I hope that through these verses, readers will find inspiration, joy, and a sense of connection to the lessons that shape their lives.

Zilla: You write about birth and death. Do you see this as a linear passage or as a cycle?

Yewande: I  see the themes of birth and death not as a linear passage but as a profound cycle. This cyclical perspective reflects the interconnectedness of life, where each ending gives way to new beginnings. Birth represents not only the physical arrival of life but also the emergence of ideas, experiences, and transformations. Similarly, death is not merely an end; it signifies a transition, a release that allows for renewal and growth. In my poetry, I explore this cycle by highlighting the beauty and complexity of both birth and death, emphasizing how they coexist and inform one another. This perspective encourages readers to embrace the full spectrum of existence, recognizing that every moment of joy and sorrow contributes to the richness of the human experience. Ultimately, viewing life as a cycle fosters a deeper understanding of resilience, continuity, and the enduring nature of love and memory.

Zilla: What do you want to teach people through your poetry?

Yewande: Through my poetry, I aim to teach people about the beauty of resilience, the importance of empathy, and the power of self-discovery. I want to encourage readers to embrace their emotions, whether they are joyful or painful, and to recognize that each experience contributes to their growth and understanding of the world. I also seek to illuminate the richness of cultural heritage and identity, fostering a sense of pride and connection among individuals from diverse backgrounds. By exploring themes of belonging and community, I hope to inspire readers to appreciate the shared human experience and the stories that unite us. Ultimately, I want my poetry to serve as a catalyst for reflection and dialogue, prompting readers to consider their own journeys and the impact they can have on others. Through my work, I aspire to create a space where individuals feel seen, heard, and empowered to express their own truths.

Zilla: Your poems are about community. What communities nutured you during your life?

Yewande: Throughout my life, I have been nurtured by several communities that have profoundly shaped my identity and creative voice. First and foremost, my family has been a foundational community, providing unwavering support and encouragement for my artistic pursuits. Their love and values instilled in me a deep appreciation for storytelling and cultural heritage. Additionally, the literary community has played a significant role in my development as a poet. Engaging with fellow writers, attending workshops, and participating in readings have allowed me to share my work, receive feedback, and learn from diverse perspectives. This sense of camaraderie and collaboration has enriched my understanding of poetry and its potential to connect people. These nurturing communities have collectively shaped my journey as a poet, providing the support, inspiration, and context necessary for my growth and creative expression.

Zilla: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Yewande: My books are in bookstores and online on Amazon and Google books. My books can primarily be found on my website. I am on social media @adwande on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: Jaime Castle is here with a horror full of demons and angels. Jamie—can you introduce your book to us?

Jamie: On the run and out of time…

Everything changed back in Crescent City when Crowley made his choice to stand up to his angelic handler Shargrafein. It was either her or Rosa, and the choice was clear. Now, there’s no going back.

Something about Rosa has everyone scrambling—a hidden power. It’s up to Crowley to bring her back to land of the living, and discover exactly what she is. Only then might they have a chance against the forces of Heaven and Hell, both of whom want her for their own devices.

So what if that makes him a traitor to the White Throne? They kept the truth about her from him. Made him a pawn in their endless war.

But those above and below aren’t the only ones after Crowley and Rosa. An old rival has resurfaced and he’s out for vengeance, no matter what takes.

If they hope to evade capture, Crowley will need to trust old friends and allies. And trust doesn’t come easy to a man shot to death by his own boss.

Zilla: What inspired you to write this book?

Jamie: I’ve always been a fan of westerns, and I believe that’s true for most people, even if they don’t know it. In the science fiction and fantasy community, shows like Firefly, Mandalorian, West World, and The Witcher are huge—and they are all forms of westerns. Sure, they don’t all have cowboys with pistols, but the concept remains the same: a sole individual rides into town, beats the hell out of injustice, and rides off into the sunset. For me, what could be better than smashing together a true western with the fantastical elements you might find in a Harry Dresden novel?

Zilla: How much research did you need to do for your book?

Jamie: Black Badge, the series, required a ton of research and a historian on hand. We wanted these books to feel authentic to the era in all possible ways. We researched guns, ammo, city maps from the time period, technology, and did all we could to incorporate those things into the story in a believable way.

Zilla: Is your work more plot-driven or character-driven?

Jamie: My books, including those I write with Rhett Bruno, are heavily character-driven. I believe a plot can only take someone so far if the character feels like cardboard. Meanwhile, I’ll read a book about nothing if the character is someone I can get behind.

Zilla: What’s your next writing project?

Jamie: I’m currently working on book two of a literary role playing game novel. Book one, An Unexpected Hero, is out and if you enjoy comedic fantasy with heart, it’s for you.

Zilla: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?
Jamie: You can find my books at www.jaimecastle.com. Additionally, we own aethonbooks.com. You can find me anywhere on socials at Jaime Castle.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: I fell in love with Justine Manzano’s books when I first read her YA fantasy romance Never Say Never. When I got the chance to interview her about her works, I jumped at it! Justine, can you tell us a bit about your books?

Justine: I’m the author of four YA Fantasy novels. I have an action/adventure series, Keys & Guardians, about a teenager entering a corrupt monster-hunting organization and fighting to overthrow it from the inside. I also have a standalone romantic comedy, Never Say Never, which is about a girl who, after the divorce of her parents, declares she’ll never fall in love. But Aphrodite, disguised as her human teenager friend, sees that as a challenge.

Zilla: What inspired you to write these books?

Justine: Never Say Never was inspired by being a child of divorce, but not just any divorce. I was a kid who grew up knowing my parents didn’t belong together and would be better off without each other. But I’d never read a book about a family like mine. So I wrote one.

For Keys & Guardians, the series was about the abuse of absolute power in its many dynamics. I grew up in an abusive household, and there’s the exploration of neglect, and child abuse, abuse of power in society, in politics…I wanted to explore all of the ways I felt helpless in my life…and then I wanted to craft a character who would stand up against that. In many ways, the main character, Jacklyn, was my hero too.

Zilla: I can see how characters play an important role in your stories—is there a character in fiction that’s been important to you during your life? 

Justine: Batman is my special interest. I love the idea of a hero who chose to protect people. He doesn’t have any special abilities to protect him. Everything about him he chose to hone and to dedicate toward the people of Gotham. He’s a hero built from the strength of his brain more than anything else and I love that.

Zilla: You’ve got so many stories inside you—what’s your next writing project?

Justine: I currently have two writing projects in progress. The first is a short story collection that takes place in the Keys & Guardians series. I’m unsure about the title currently. I’m still sorting that out, but it’s in edits. I believe it will be called Tales of the Dawn.

The other project I’m working on is a new book called Reality Check. It’s a YA Contemporary novel. Leah Marinello deals with an abusive life by throwing herself into imaginary worlds—but when her school theater club offers her an actual escape, she discovers her imaginary friend might not be so imaginary—and he doesn’t really want to let go.

Zilla: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Justine: My books are available anywhere books are sold. My website is justinemanzano.com, and you can find me on social media as @justine_manzano on Instagram and Threads, @justine_manzano1229 on TikTok, and as @justinemanzano.bsky.social on Blue Sky.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: Science fiction exists to show us an alternative future—and sometimes, an alternative past. That’s what we get in Peter Fatouros’ novel, Nine to One: A New Generation. Peter, can you introduce us to your book?

Peter: Nine to One: A New Generation is a story that takes place in an alternate universe where starting in 1965, the birth ratios changed so that instead of boys & girls being born in essentially equal numbers, from that point on, nine girls were born to every boy. The book follows several characters as they navigate their lives in a world that’s struggling to adjust not only to the changes of the 60s, 70s & 80s, but also the fact that the new generation is 90% female.

Zilla: What inspired you to write this book?

Peter: It started before the pandemic when I was riding the bus home from work. One day, I noticed that even though the bus was packed like a sardine can, there were only two or three guys on the bus. I ignored it at first, just a funny thing to notice. But then it kept happening, every night, five days a week. No matter what time I took the bus, it was the same thing, a bus load of women with a handful of men. I started wondering what was going on. That led to me imagining if the whole world were like this & what that would be like. That then led to me wondering how such a world might have come about. Before I knew it, the ideas for a book were coming to me.

Zilla: What a neat beginning! From there, did you do a lot of research?

Peter: A good bit. I spent a good deal of time looking up historical figures, election results, and government agencies that don’t exist anymore. Towards the end of the book & into the sequel that I’m writing, historical accuracy isn’t as important as things have changed wildly. However, at the beginning, a number of things happening in history would still be happening in the book, even with a change as wild as this book’s premise. So I wanted the beginning of the book at least to be as historically accurate as I could get it.

Zilla: Is your work more plot driven or character driven?

Peter: Character driven. There are a few subplots here and there, but it’s mostly a story about these characters and the world that they are living in. A look into how they’re changing themselves, trying to change society, or just growing up in a situation unlike anything that the world has seen before.

Zilla: What’s your next writing project?

Peter: The sequel to this book, which will pick up where it left off in 1985 and continue the story. I’m also working on a science fiction podcast called What Could Have Been.

Zilla: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Peter: I can be found on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, and Tik Tok. My Book can be found as an Amazon eBook, Amazon Paperback, or read about it on Goodreads.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Zilla: Transmentation | Transience is a novel of a science fiction multiverse that blew me away with the rich characters and deep worldbuilding. Its creators are collectively known as ‘Darkly Lem,’ a five-author collaboration consisting of Josh Eure, Craig Lincoln, Ben Murphy, Cadwell Turnbull and M. Darusha Wehm, who make up part of the larger writing collective Many Worlds. Being a huge fan of writing collectives in general and Darkly Lem in particular, I was delighted that they agreed to join us for an interview. Before we get into my questions, can you tell us a bit about the book?

Darkly Lem: Transmentation | Transience is the first book of the Formation Saga, a novel trilogy set within the Many Worlds shared multiverse. The trilogy is an introduction to the much larger Many Worlds narrative universe, which already consists of short stories by numerous authors, which can be found on the Many Worlds website and in the Many Worlds print anthology.

The publisher’s blurb for Transmentation | Transience is:

Over thousands of years and thousands of worlds, universe-spanning societies of interdimensional travelers have arisen. Some seek to make the multiverse a better place, some seek power and glory, others knowledge, while still others simply want to write their own tale across the cosmos.

When a routine training mission goes very wrong, two competing societies are thrust into an unwanted confrontation. As intelligence officer Malculm Kilkeneade receives the blame within Burel Hird, Roamers of Tala Beinir and Shara find themselves inadvertently swept up in an assassination plot.

Meanwhile, factions within Burel Hird are vying for greater control over their society in a war of cutthroat machinations–at a heavy price. Elsewhere, two members of rival societies lay their own plans for insurrection–with ramifications that will ripple across the Many Worlds …

Zilla: I was fascinated by the mode of travel between dimensions, where characters inhabit different bodies. I’ve often thought about the distinction between my “self” that is my identity and the chemical and physical “self” that is my meat prison. I come at it from the perspective of mental illness, but I’ve often had these conversations with disabled and trans friends. As authors of these characters, and as humans in your own right, how do you grapple with this duality?

Cadwell: I think this has been a big question for us, and something we’ve only cracked the surface of. In our stories and within the Formation Saga we’ve explored the cognitive dissonance of entering bodies that don’t quite match the traveler’s sense of self. Often the differences are more superficial: muscle mass, hair and eye color, height. But these differences can also be fundamental: ethnicity, gender, orientation, formative memory, even personality. We’ve done a lot with memory and personality, but there’s still so much we can explore with other aspects of identity. That sort of exploration can be tricky, so we’ve been very careful so far. But as the project progresses, we’ll be looking for more opportunities to push our boundaries.

Darusha: If I had to choose my single favourite part of the Many Worlds narrative, this is it. I’m obsessed with questions of individuality, authenticity, selfhood and how those intersect with embodiment and time. I feel like there is no one answer, not in our reality or in the reality of the Many Worlds multiverse, but it is in asking the questions and interrogating our experiences we can come close to glimpsing a grimy reflection of the truth.

Craig: I find the implications of traveling meaning you’re exposed to new environmental and chemical stimuli, from the world you enter as well as the new tailor-made body for you to inhabit, to be exciting and worth exploring. Part of my personal experience with this is also related to my son’s journey with ADHD, and how different medications vastly altered his demeanor until we honed in on one that worked for him. I imagine similar things can and will happen to people who get new bodies, whether it be subtle or overt and obvious.

Zilla: Your world building is stunning, with multiple distinct societies that cross dimensions, and each flavoured subtly differently depending on the universe where we encounter them. But one commonality is that most (maybe all) of your characters are compelled by a desire to belong to one of them—to be part of a society that’s bigger than themselves. Are all people susceptible to this? Would it be better if these characters could escape it?

Ben: I think this is partly a product of simply being the first book in a series, so we’re keeping the difficulty (relatively) low. As such, things like unaffiliated travelers or “city-state localities” just haven’t shown up yet–but they’re certainly out there! At the same time, you’re pointing to a topic that we explore with greater depth in subsequent books; these characters exist within the context and the schema of the “society,” and they don’t necessarily see all that many viable alternatives to it. In much the same way that the nation-state feels like a rather inescapable paradigm to many of us in our own earth-type locality, the society is likewise (seemingly) pervasive as the default unit to organize people in the multiverse.

That’s not to say it’s a rational way to organize people, any more than the nation-state necessarily is, but it’s hard for some of our characters to conceive other ways of being. Whether we’re all susceptible to that pressure I couldn’t say. As one of your previous questions suggests, it’s worth asking how much of our identities are a product of the chemical cocktail percolating in whichever meat-mech we’re piloting at a given moment, and whether such considerations are even meaningful. But I do hope some of our characters can find a place they’re happy–whether it’s within a society or without.

Craig: Some of our travelers’ societal memberships come about not so much from desire as it is that these societies are monolithic presences within the localities people travel to, so you have to interact with them frequently if you travel. Of course there are also plenty of true believers.

Josh: We do have a character in the Formation Saga who does not initially belong to any given society, but you’ll have to wait to read about them.

Zilla: I look forward to it! Looking at reviews of this book, one common element is readers commenting on how, despite 5 authors contributing, the story read as a seamless whole. I completely agree. What process did you use that resulted in a novel with such coherent plot, characters, and world building?

Cadwell: I’m curious what others of us might list here, but I think the big thing we did to create a consistent voice was simply spending a lot of time talking with each other. We planned the series together, outlined together, edited together, and (especially in the beginning) wrote sections of the novel together on a singular Google document. That process was as chaotic as it sounds. But because we were motivated by the same/similar goal, we played off each other really well. When we didn’t align, we debated, talked it out. Sometimes that process was challenging, but almost always it resulted in a more synchronized view of what the story and characters needed.

Ben: What Cadwell said. We’re conditioned to think of writers as lone, towering geniuses, but there’s no reason the process of writing can’t be as collaborative as making music. It’s just a very, very, very slow form of improvisation.

Craig: Slow improv is a great way to put it! I’d say our process also evolved from lessons learned, and we weren’t afraid to change things when things didn’t work as well as we hoped.

I also feel like having an odd number was a real boon for us. Debating some things can take a long time, and if we’re under time pressures we can simply take a vote on it. Ultimately, though, we try to satisfy everyone’s concerns as much as possible, even if someone gets out-voted.

Josh: The band analogy is the most accurate for sure. We also evolved the process over the years to the point where we give each other grace re: writing tendencies which aren’t singularly our own. One of us may tend to write with more or less commas, for example. Or one of us uses character interiority while another tends to drill down into setting detail. We let the fullness of our writing selves bloom—creating a new self, I suppose.

Darusha: Oh, commas! How many hours have we lost to commas? The other thing no one has mentioned yet is that we all touch every word. It’s a demanding process but by the end of it there’s no part of the book that hasn’t been informed by each of us, creating what is ultimately a unique voice: Darkly Lem.

Zilla: Where can people find the book? And where can they find y’all on the internet?

Darkly Lem: Links to most stores are here and you can find Darkly on our website here. We post very sporadically on BlueSky.