Frequently Asked Questions of the Queer

Do you have a literary agent?

I’m represented by Kaitlyn Katsoupis of Belcastro Agency!

Have you published anything?

My horror standalone, The Other Face of Sympathy, will be published with Renaissance Press (available September 2025)!

I’ve also self-published two of the first novels I ever wrote! You can learn more about them through my page here.

Who does your artwork?

Assuming you’re talking about the stuff on my art page, everything I’ve ever commissioned or been given to me as a gift is credited to the artist below the image! For things like my banner image, credit goes to my graphic designer and friend, icedmako. I also had artist Trace Goldfarb create the chapter illustrations for my novel, Mr. Wolf. I can recommend every artist I’ve worked with highly, and if you happen to be looking to work with any one of them, let them know I sent you!

What are you currently working on?

I’m hoping to finish a new book by September 2025, about a mother discovering her daughter’s dollhouse can control people.

Why ‘theirritablequeer’?

My URL came at the recommendation of a friend, when I signed off a Facebook post as ‘the irritable queer’. In truth, I’m not a particularly irritable person, but I do get ornery when it comes to social issues and treating others with compassion.

The ‘queer’ part of the URL is probably self-explanatory.

Isn’t ‘queer’ a slur?

Like the words ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’, it used to be! The term ‘queer’ is a blanket term adopted by many (not all) of the LGBTQ+ community. Not everyone is comfortable using that term for themselves, but ‘queer’ tends to encapsulate a lot of ideas in one simple word, so it’s been widely reclaimed by the community. The only people I know of still really pounding away at the ‘queer is a slur’ argument are TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists), who are a hate group I don’t want anything to do with.

How long have you wanted to be a writer?

It’s a token answer, but I’ve always been a writer — ‘want’ didn’t even factor into it. I learned to read and write early, and started writing fairy tales in a big notebook when I was about three. I never stopped writing once I’d started. It’s who I am.

What sort of stories do you write?

I love writing fantasy (I’m a sucker for developing worlds and cultures) but my heart will always be with horror. I gravitate towards the macabre and occasionally have to do some heavy editing to lighten up my non-horror works. Outside of genre, I like to write about characters forming bonds stronger than family, the exploration of power and what people do with what they’re given, and diversity.

Do you have a favourite character you’ve written? Who is it?

I can’t even choose a favourite character per book, let alone an overall fave. If you’ve ever read my stuff and have a preference, though, I’d love to hear about it.

How much research do you do for your stories?

Anything rooted in the real world involves research! I do weeks (sometimes months) worth of falling down rabbit hole after rabbit hole of information, in an attempt to make my portrayals realistic. The stuff that doesn’t require research that’s 100% rooted in my imagination takes even longer. I also try to hire sensitivity/authenticity readers for my works whenever I can!

What are some of your favourite books/movies/media?

I’ve watched the first three ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies more times than I should probably admit, but unsurprisingly, I love a lot of horror. ‘The Babadook’, ‘El Orfanato’, ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’… I like things dark and emotion-driven. With books, I recently read ‘The Book Eaters’ by Sunyi Dean, and ‘My Heart is a Chainsaw’ by Stephen Graham Jones, and I freaking adored them.

Do you listen to music when you write?

I have Spotify playlists for almost every novel I write, for inspiration. And procrastination. If you’re ever interested in grabbing those links, contact me and I’ll happily share!

Any childhood inspirations?

Trauma! A lot of trauma!

Are you okay?

No, but thank you for asking!