I've been struggling w/my Pesach story because its very much set in present day, isn't separate from the current timeline, but is very much in the now, in Pesach 2020, which we are literally in the middle of. & I can only sometimes tolerate being that much in the now. https://twitter.com/TGStoneButch/status/1249127102441566209

For me, as an immunocompromised disabled trans spoonie w/PTSD, writing a neighbors to lovers mutual aid focused Pesach romance betw 2 autistic diabetic trans ppl set in the present is to try to write folks like me into a hopeful future, one where we are caring for each other.

Part of what I do with my writing is to push myself to envision relationship possibilities & ways of connecting that hold the difficulties of everyday reality & imagine how we could support each other, be happy & joyful with each other, when the world says thats impossible.

CW eugenics
The world is screaming that people like me live in misery & that the best thing is for us to die so that others can live, My romances push back against that narrative about autistic fat disabled spoonie trans & queer ppl, insist that our lives are meaningful.

To write a romance that centers chronically ill fat trans autistic folks falling in love during this pandemic as they support each other to survive & try to carve out a way to honor their Jewishness is to even more directly talk back to voices that say our lives are worthless.

Sometimes I'm too tired to try to fight that directly. Sometimes I'm too overwhelmed by sorrow at ableism to be able to imagine that kind of hopeful counter-narrative, that path to a happy ending. Sometimes I need to write in a timeline that's not now. So I've been doing both.

I haven't talked abt this project much in public because I know some ppl think its distasteful to write romance set in the pandemic & talking about it invites those voices, which messes with my writing headspace. I've been trying to keep my head down & focus on the writing. But.

Folks are already targeting marginalized authors who write at a faster pace than I & have chosen to set their romances in the context of this pandemic. In particular, a Black woman author with asthma has been targeted. (I shared her thread earlier; I encourage you to read it.)

I'm glad to not be alone in choosing to write romances set in this context. I'm looking forward to reading both the books that are out & the ones to come, esp those written by the marginalized folks most disproportionally impacted by the pandemic.