Children are receptive to talking about gender creativity, confirming the importance of the book as a means to instigate this dialogue at an early age.

When I was writing, I wanted every word to be not only deliberate, but musical. Precious.

I am more likely to get paid for my art if it's presented alongside a white artist, so the questions around value and agency arise: What choices should I make, or do I have to make, if I want to be compensated for my work? Why isn't my art valued on its own?

My intention was never to write a "trans novel" - which is perhaps an effective strategy for writing a trans novel.

Writing about racism requires a directness that writing a love story does not.

If anything, I have witnessed the ways my art travels, or is rendered more accessible, when sanctioned by or connected to white artists.

I recently did a reading at an elementary school in Ottawa, and one of the children asked me if I was a girl. I said yes. Another child commented that I had a deep voice. I responded: "Can girls have deep voices?" There was a pause and then the group responded, "Yes!"