Kyra Nelson
@kyramnelson.bsky.social
1.1K followers 300 following 460 posts
She/her. I Write Cinamon Roll Characters Not Tragedies 💜🤍🖤 @wwcomicspodcast.bsky.social‬ Rep: Ginger Clark Literary
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kyramnelson.bsky.social
New art from the YA contemporary romance I'm revising about a high-strung ace actress and an awkward teen heartthrob falling for each other on set.

Art by @gidgetdraws.bsky.social!

I wanted these two to be so soft and Gidget understood the assignment. I'm so obsessed with them.
A girl with long brown hair cups the face of a red-headed boy as they gaze into each other's eyes.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
This is callous and as someone who lives in Utah I'm really baffled by the implication that you would be happier with Utah politics.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
Soup 5: Mac and Cheese soup

A little experimental. This was good but pretty rich and I wished I had some bread or something to go with. Still a win though!
Bowl of cheese soup with macaroni noodles in it.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
Phoebe has a best friend and I love writing their dynamic. It was also really important to me that her bff had his own storyline and stuff to deal with. I didn't want him to be just a cardboard cutout for Phoebe to talk to.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
I've written several other manuscripts dealing with celebrity and fame. I don't know, it's just something that fascinates me and something I like exploring.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
This is the 20th manuscript I've completed
kyramnelson.bsky.social
It's a recurring bit that Nolan hates kale.

I told my boyfriend awhile back that I hated kale only to remember I'm actually indifferent to it, I was just really into Nolan's headspace.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
Attend signings and other events. A lot of authors do virtual events now!
kyramnelson.bsky.social
If you like a book, let the author know. It doesn't pay the bills, but the encouragement can do a lot for morale in an industry that's soul crushing.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
Advocate for resources like grants and endowments to be funded and available for creatives.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
Follow any movements (eg, the Harper Collins strike) that are advocating for fair wages in publishing. Many problems authors face are downline results of editors and other publishing professionals (particularly from marginalized communities) being overworked and underpaid.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
Likewise, support indie bookstores. They are also an important part of the book ecosystem, and stores succeeding helps authors get their books to readers.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
Help keep bookish ecosystems healthy. Support libraries. Be involved at your library, encourage legislators to prioritize library budgets.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
Hype them up. Marketing budgets for midlist books has been slashed, and a lot of authors have to spearhead their own marketing.

When you take the time to spread the word about books, you can help take a little pressure off authors to promote their own books.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
Publishing is a broken system, and most individuals can't fix a whole-ass system, but a thread of ways you can support marginalized authors.
ingloriousgigi.bsky.social
You should be concerned about the rate of authors leaving publishing. Especially from marginalized communities. This year I have seen so many authors just pack it up and go. And it's only getting worse.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
When/if I get published, it won't be because I'm a harder worker with more grit than others. It's because a variety of factors make it so that I can afford to spend hundreds of hours on work I have yet to be paid for.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
One reason I'm averse to people framing my long-haul publishing journey as inspirational is that I have only been able to stay in the game this long because I'm wildly privileged.

It's increasingly difficult to create a sustainable career in pub and marginalized professionals take the biggest hit.
ingloriousgigi.bsky.social
You should be concerned about the rate of authors leaving publishing. Especially from marginalized communities. This year I have seen so many authors just pack it up and go. And it's only getting worse.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
There's very deliberately a mix of queer characters who deeply understand their gender/sexuality and labels, and characters who are questioning or don't love labels.

I wanted a range 💖
kyramnelson.bsky.social
One of the pop culture influences for this book was Riverdale's decision to ignore Jughead being canonically asexual in the comics.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
There's a character I had to rename after draft 1 because they shared initials and it would be too obvious what well known Hollywood professional he was based on.

It might still be obvious but hopefully not in a way I can be sued for.
kyramnelson.bsky.social
Phoebe has a giant fluffy cat named Blockbuster.
Reposted by Kyra Nelson
lilymeade.bsky.social
OCTOBER UPDATE: For my mental health, I cannot be online right now. I’m only logging in long enough to post this as I don’t want to let the kindness that has been extended to me go unacknowledged, especially after such a hard week.

(No Alt-Text but transcript at link in next post in thread) 1/3
kyramnelson.bsky.social
I've been in a loosing fight with the executive dysfunction on revisions so as a little game to try and trick my brain into getting some work done, I'll post a fun fact about the book for every chapter I finish revising.