REVERIE is now OUT THERE

Reverie is my first book, and my only book, and now it’s published. It’s out there, and the thing that sustained me for so long has become something I hope others find refuge in. Or at least entertainment. Certainly bad puns.

I am a lot of things right now. Mostly excited. Absolutely grateful. And a little betrayed, to be honest. When something needs you to guide it for so long, but suddenly it’s rushing in front of you into the arms of other people, it’s a sense of betrayal that underpins your pride. Or maybe you don’t have a complicated relationship with the things you create? I don’t know! It’s hard to describe. I think it’s a bit like a bird settling into their newly-emptied nest, marveling at how it feels a whole lot bigger, and just a smidge colder.

Reverie belongs to the world now. It’s mine, but it’s also the reader’s. I’m very proud of it, and of the buzz it’s picked up, and of the impact it’s had even in the few months it’s been accessible. I’m very much looking forward to all the things I cannot say about what’s next.

But mostly I’m thankful! So many people had to come before me for me to sit here, typing up some gratitude as my extremely queer book tumbles through major channels and many hands. I’m extremely aware of the ghosts I can’t thank, but only name, and the many more I can’t know about at all. It’s a marvelous thing, taking part in the legacy of a community seeking to define itself. Reverie is a small contribution, but I hope it’s a potent one for those who pick it up.

And again, if nothing else you might as well just enjoy the horrible puns.

So thank you, everyone. I hope you love reading Reverie as much as I loved writing it. Say hello to Kane for me, and remember to put down the book at some point and pick up your own dream. That’s my big hope, actually: that something as strange and indulgent as Reverie inspires other people to create, whether out of spite, wonder, or a bit of both.

But please, whatever you make, just know that the Others are watching from the background of your story. Please, for the love of Poesy, give Ursula something she can fight in.

-Ryan