I thought I wrote in only one genre but was grossly mistaken. But writing an Austenian ballroom scene in the middle of a military space opera queer romance gave that away… Well, I am Irish. I like mashing things. Spuds… genres… #SpoonieAuthChat

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), May 7, 2026: Do you ever write exclusively in one genre? Do you explore others? Or do you mash them like potatoes? (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

Did you know: You can search the #SpoonieAuthChat hashtag to discover people's responses and interact with each other? It's a way to build community!

I just love letting my imagination soar. And I love responding to the question, “What if?” My Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space is all about, “What if disability was considered first and not last? What if accessibility and accommodation were the norm?” #SpoonieAuthChat

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), May 6, 2026: If you write speculative fiction, what about it works for you? (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), May 5, 2026: Fantasy spans a huge spectrum. What kind of fantasy author are you? (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

We are so proud to endorse the #WeeknightWriters Storycrafting virtual one-day writers' con on May 30, 2026! This time, the theme is #Disability in Writing! It’s FREE to attend! You can learn more about each panel and how to register here: weeknightwriters.com...#WeeknightWriters#Disability#WriteSky #SpoonieAuthChat 1/6

Yes! Our friend Celu Amberstone. Gotta try her Tales of the Kashallans series: ten space fantasy/science fiction novels that explore the lives of humans and aliens on a strange planet. (the first two books are marked down! Get started!) books2read.com/amberstone #SpoonieAuthChat

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), May 4, 2026: May the Fourth Be With You! Do we have any space fantasy/science fiction writers here? (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

Like hopepunk? Like disability rep? What about disability-hopepunk? Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space stars the crew of a massively accessible ship who defy ableist pirates! It’s got humour, solid friendships, a touch of romance, and PEW-PEW-PEW! Winner of a 2023 Indie Ink Award! #SpoonieAuthChat

Since it's #ShamelessPromo Friday, #SpoonieAuthChat, why not check out my Gundam meets Dumas fantasy adventure, THE CATAPHRACT OATH? In which a disgraced alchemist and a swashbuckling countess must salvage a clockwork powered mecha to save the kingdom. (Also there is a dog). Available on KU!

Obligatory link, including a sign-up for my mailing list, which gets one access to an exclusive FREE short story, ON THE VIRTUES OF A FINE CLOAK. In which a young swordswoman and her loyal dog set out on a winter's night to rescue a young heiress (who may not actually want to be rescued).

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons): ARE YOU FEELING SHAMELESS? Because it's #ShamelessPromo Friday! Share with us all the awesome things! (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), April 30, 2026: Have you ever yelled in frustration at your own protagonist for making poor choices? (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), April 29, 2026: Have you ever gotten angry at your own villain and wished they would get eaten by a dragon? Or something? (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

As I was writing Hot Wings and Sauciness and laughing with my full uterus at what I wrote, I thought, “Oh please let there be people with as bizarre a sense of humour as I have.” Fortunately, those who have read it for blurbs have laughed too! Many blessings upon them! #SpoonieAuthChat

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), April 28, 2026: Have you ever laughed at something you wrote and hoped others would find it funny too? Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!

Remember you can read each other’s replies and connect by searching the #SpoonieAuthChat hashtag!

Yes, I get so attached to my characters & when one dies…ugh. One in particular was in my Kaitlynn Dahl Mysteries. When I wrote it, I couldn’t stop crying. Some of my readers commented it choked them up too. Love that it translated. #SpoonieAuthChat

Even though Hot Wings and Sauciness is filled to the brim with humour, there’s one scene that nearly broke me into a thousand pieces because it’s so moving and personal to me. I wept like a weeping willow. (But it’s all gonna be okay, folks! It’s a space opera romance after all!) #SpoonieAuthChat

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), April 27, 2026: Has a scene in your own book ever made you cry? (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

I will gladly share some promo for my sapphic, ace, cyberpunk Snow White retelling. A dose of cozy, anti-capitalist heist vibes w/autistic and trans rep is the sweet treat you deserve for the weekend 🥰 Universal Book Link: books2read.com/CyberSnow Itchio Link: aebrossbooks.itch.io/cybersnow

I’m shamelessly promoting my short story collection, Speculative Shorts: Stories that fell out of my brain! It’s been nominated for three 2026 Indieverse Awards, and one of the categories is #disability representation! Squee! Find it here: books2read.com/spec-shorts #SpoonieAuthChat

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons): ARE YOU FEELING SHAMELESS? Because it's #ShamelessPromo Friday! Share with us all the awesome things! (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), April 23, 2026: What do you like best and dislike (if anything) about being an indie author? (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

I'm going to be blunt again: There's not a path to traditional publishing writing stories about adult trans people. Before anyone counters, both The Hill and LGBTQ Nation did stories recently about rapidly declining interest trad pub has for overtly queer work.

I'm hybrid b/c the QFG book is trad published, but I went with the Indie route for my weird western b/c I didn't want to spend years in querying hell - I'd written it and moved on and wanted to focus on the future. Trad is working for my history books, but my fiction is all indie. #SpoonieAuthChat

I credit my 'tism with being the reason my brain doesn't turn off, so I'm drowning in story ideas. I'd rather write something I love and put it out in the world, knowing it'll find the right people over time, then have to keep convincing a publisher my work is worth investing in. #SpoonieAuthChat

#SpoonieAuthChat I chose to self-publish because I'm a control freak 😂 I love being in control of who designs my cover and what goes on it, who does the interior formatting, who creates my maps etc. Yes, the marketing is hard, but at least if something doesn't work it's *my* fault and I can fix it.

Seeking out a publisher (back when I first started and some still accepted open subs), then later an agent, was too overwhelming. Anxiety, waiting, rejection sensitivity. And as an indie I maintain creative control. I'm happy with how it turned out. #SpoonieAuthChat

I’m still learning about marketing, but I hope I engage readers just by being my quirky self, whether in person or online. I’ll do book fairs and conferences too because my favourite thing is meeting people. I’m a friendly extrovert who loves to interact with my fellow humans. #SpoonieAuthChat

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), April 22, 2026: How do you reach your readers as an indie author? (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

#SpoonieAuthorChar Honestly, I chose to be an indie author because of the control it gives me over everything. Sure, it means there's more opportunity for me to mess up (*laughs nervously*) and it's absolutely more work, but I enjoy doing all the aspects of getting my stories out there. 🥰

I wanted complete control over my work and I didn't want to spend years being rejected left and right for my stories being "too queer" which is what I was sure would happen if I'd tried to go trad. It's a lot of work and money upfront-- and a lot of struggle-- but I won't give up. #SpoonieAuthChat

#SpoonieAuthChat Because I want my stories out there, and I didn't catch the attention of any agents I queried with 4 different books. I'm either too weird or don't stand out. That's fine. All I really want is for the stories to be out there.

Please take the time to read this thread. It’s an important one that might relate to many of us Spoonies. #SpoonieAuthChat

I chose indie for creative control and immediate gratification.

I was a ghostwriter. After writing hetslop for years, I’m a little allergic to being told what to write. Then I learned that unless you’re huge on social media, trad publishers expect you to do the marketing. So if I’m doing the work regardless, why opt in to censorship? #SpoonieAuthChat

#SpoonieAuthorChat I pretty much have to go Indie to maintain rights and do what I'm trying to do. 8 interconnected books that share a universe, characters, and plot points. As well as supplemental short stories and novellas. It's a massive undertaking no sane publishing house would consider.

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons) April 21, 2026: Why did you choose to be an indie author? Welcoming hybrid authors to answer as well (those who have trad pubbed and indie pubbed). (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

Hi #SpoonieAuthChat! My name is Bev and I am an indie author publishing whimsical and heartfelt middle grade fantasy. MG is a hard sell these days and even more so in the indie spaces but my big claim to fame is that Kirkus has positively reviewed both of my books! bookshop.org/lists/bev-s-...

Hi! I’m Cait (pronounced like Cat). I’m now an indie author who founded a micropress with @bgordonauthor.bsky.social! My works have disability and queer rep, are often spec fic, and probably mention cake. My first work I indie pubbed just earned three Indieverse Awards nominations! #SpoonieAuthChat

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons) April 20, 2026: Are you an indie author? Please introduce yourselves! (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

On #ShamelessPromo Friday I'm happy to say my books on knitting are **popular** even if one is full of patterns & the other is full of footnotes. Find them both at books2read.com/paulaj #SpoonieAuthChat #booksky

Promoting Celu Amberstone's powerful series on #ShamelessPromo Friday -her nonfiction books on Rituals -her noncolonial magic realism series Tales of Tasimu -her science fantasy epic series Tales of the Kashallans books2read.com/amberstone #booksky

I have an upcoming queer cozy horror about a 43yo autistic guy who has a gay/lowkey monsterfucker awakening after getting lost in an enchanted forest, & his sister who goes into the wood to find him with the most annoying woman she's ever met #SpoonieAuthChat www.elizmanderson.com/the-lord-of-...

#SpoonieAuthChat #ShamelessPromo Both my books have neurodivergence rep, and often feature characters with physical disabilities as well. bsky.app/profile/auth...

Okay, I’m going to shamelessly post from here! My short story collection, Speculative Shorts: Stories that fell out of my brain, has been nominated for three 2026 Indieverse Awards!!! Best Collection, The Boundary Pusher, and Disability Representation! books2read.com/spec-shorts #SpoonieAuthChat

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), ARE YOU FEELING SHAMELESS? Because it's #ShamelessPromo Friday! Share with us all the awesome things! (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)

Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), April 16, 2026: Did you ever represent your own mental health through a character you wrote? (Please quote-post and add #SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)