We are delighted that we got to have a chat with Adan Jerreat-Poole, the author of the queer fantasy novel The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass, which is about a teenage assassin who is created and sent out by a witch coven to hunt ghosts. The second installment of this gorgeous and captivating duology, The Boi of Feather and Steel released on May 25th, which seemed like a great opportunity to grill Adan about all things bookish!
Hi Adan, thank you for chatting with us! Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I like to introduce myself first through my identities and positionalities — I’m a white settler from a middle-class suburban house in Kingston, and I’m nonbinary, pansexual, and disabled (chronic pain, depression, and anxiety — so fun! Haha. Honestly though, my sparkly cane is the coolest, and I’ve met the most amazing people through disability justice activism). Today I’m wearing a pair of tie-dye sweatpants, a crop top that reads “love” in rainbow colours, and a denim vest. So basically I’m living my best “queer Sporty Spice” life and making my ‘90s kid self proud lol. Outside of creative writing I’m definitely a nerd — I finished my PhD in English and Cultural Studies last summer and I’m now a postdoc at Ryerson in the School of Disability Studies. More and more my creative and academic writing are blurring together, which has been really exciting for me. I live with my forever-partner, Rida Abu Rass, and our two amazing cats, Dragon and Malfouf.
Your second novel The Boi of Feather and Steel was just published, congratulations! It’s the second installment in your The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass duology. What drew you to the genre of fantasy?
I came for the escapism during a devastating round of depression and I stayed for the intersectional feminism and social justice themes 🙂 Also, as a millennial with anxiety and two cats, I identify more with angsty teens in YA fiction than the 30-year-old corporate stars/parents in sitcoms and much of so-called “adult” literature. The truth is that I’ve been writing fantasy stories since I was a kid. I was obsessed with Redwall, The Song of the Lioness, and The Silmarillion and spent all my time playing make-believe games, inventing worlds, and imagining adventure stories. I moved away from fantasy in my teens and early 20s, thinking it was a “kid” genre, but rediscovered it in my late 20s (it’s actually a genre for all ages!). Getting published is a childhood dream come true for me.
Where did the inspiration for the The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass series come from?
It started as a writing exercise playing with one of my favourite YA tropes (magical teenage assassin), and was developed through my desire for queer found family and my interest in bodies, transformations, and activism. In The Boi of Feather and Steel I also added some of my other favourite fantasy staples like enchanted libraries and masquerade balls. Along the way, I was inspired by many other fantastical stories and settings, including Labyrinth, Madoka Magica, Steven Universe, and Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Without giving too much away, what can your readers expect from The Boi of Feather and Steel?
- Assassin daughters constructed from stained glass, barbed wire, insect wings, and stinging nettle
- Epic battles with magicked machines
- Queer make-outs
- A sentient motorcycle
- An angry library
Tav, the main character in book two, identifies as nonbinary and your books are generally full of representation, be it BIPOC or Queer rep. How important do you think it is for books to be as diverse as they can be, especially in YA?
I think it’s incredibly important both to publish, promote, and celebrate a diverse authorship, and for all writers to respectfully, with care, consultation, and research, represent the diversity we see in the world. I don’t want anyone growing up thinking there is only one demographic of hero (i.e., white able-bodied straight cisman). I think every writer has a responsibility to challenge the harmful stereotypes that exist in our society. Through representation and imagination, writers can start to tear holes in the violent systems of oppression: white supremacy, cisheteronormativity, patriarchy, etc.
Thankfully, the bookworld is changing and we are seeing more and more representation. However, it still seems rare to find nonbinary characters in books who use they/them pronouns. How important was it for you personally to create a kick-ass character like Tav and showcase their story?
You’re so right! It’s definitely still uncommon — rare enough that when I come across any nonbinary character, even a very minor one, who might have only one line in the entire novel, I still get this electric feeling of being seen. I came out as nonbinary after I finished the first draft of The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass. Writing a side character (who later becomes a main character) who was nonbinary was really helpful in my journey of thinking about gender identity and playing with ‘they/them’ pronouns. While I’m still not sure if I should have written a POV Black character, I do think that Tav is a well-developed and complex character rather than an amalgamation of the racist stereotypes found so often in literature written by white authors. It felt very necessary for the leader to be Black and trans — I mean, just look at who’s leading real-world activism and change — BLM, Idle No More, the Stonewall Riots, etc. White queers owe so much to the advocacy and activism of woman, trans, and queers of colours. (P.S., if I messed up Tav’s character, I hope someone will tell me so I can do better!) There are also so many amazing Black authors writing YA fantasy, including Tracy Deonn, Nnedi Okorafor, Tomi Adeyemi, Akwaeke Emezi, Bethany C. Morrow, and Ciannon Smart (just to name a few), and you should definitely check out their books 🙂
What kind of representation would you like to see more of in YA literature?
We need a lot more diversity when it comes to trans rep. So many of the nonbinary characters I encounter are white, thin, androgynous, and often seemed to be named Taylor (or other gender neutral names). So many of the trans women characters I read are hyper-feminine, while the trans men are often hyper-masculine. All of these identities are real and exist, of course, but there’s so much more, and I want to see that. A big of part of this is publishing more trans voices, but I think all authors — especially those committed to writing feminist and queer lit — could make a point of writing trans side characters who don’t fall into stereotypes or reproduce whiteness, thinness, and able-bodiedness as “the norm”.
Are there any authors that influenced you and your writing?
So many! Ursula K. Le Guin, N.K. Jemisin, Kameron Hurley, and Erin Morgenstern come to mind.
What are some of your favourite current releases we all should read?
- Bruised by Tanya Boteju
- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
- The Fascinators by Andrew Eliopolus
- Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler
And finally, is there anything new in the making that you can already tell us about?
I’m working on a new fantasy series right now. Very queer, with trans, QPOC, and disability rep. If you’ve ever built a pillow fort as an adult, played a drinking game, thrown confetti at Pride, or stargazed from a rooftop dreaming about the future; if you believe in magic and social justice organizing and protests — then this series is for you.
