SJ: I’ve always had a huge fondness for the superhero genre. The X-Men stories are something that meant a lot to me, a bunch of misfits coming together and trying to do good in a world that hated and feared them. Cute Mutants is a deliberate and overt homage to those stories, except coming into a fairly dark world with teenagers looking into an increasingly grim future and trying to figure out how to save it.
It’s hard to pick a favourite, because I love them all for different reasons, but I’m really proud of the upcoming book 5 which I feel is a great climax to this era of the Cute Mutants, as well as a springboard into what’s next. I’m really excited to see people’s reactions to it, because it’s the sort of big, wild story that drew me to the X-Men originally.
Talli: Your love for the X-Men series is so evident in Cute Mutants! I've only read the first volume, but it was such a fun ride and I could tell that you had tons of fun writing it. I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest, and can't wait to see all that chaos unfold in book 5 xD
So X-Men was clearly the major inspiration for Cute Mutants, but what else brought this story to life? What aspects of it came to you first, and what made you stick with it?
SJ: I actually wrote it when I was going through a period of low confidence with my writing. I was struggling to feel like I could do something marketable, so I decided to write something fun and indulge myself. And then Dylan came to me, like she woke up in my head and her voice was *there*. Then the rest of the story came easy—it was about friendship, finding your way to acceptance, and how having the right people in your life can make a huge difference. I also wanted to have some realism underpinning things, like them shopping for crappy costumes and having an awkward conversation about how to deal with a “villain” in real life. I wanted it to be a little grey and nuanced as well, like *what are these kids doing??*
I stuck with it because it was so much fun. I love these characters so much, and I immediately had so many plans for expanding their world. Plus I had a lot of encouragement from peers when I started posting snippets on twitter for hashtag games and the like, which made me feel there was at least some audience out there for queer superheroes hijinks.
Talli: Ahh I love that! The realism sprinkled into the plot, like the parts you mentioned, truly made the story feel so real. Like yeah, these are just a few misfit teens and they have no idea what they're doing, and it was cool to see them acknowledge that! I feel like that doesn't happen often in books with teen characters.
Your love for your characters really shows, too, and it's awesome that from one story you got a whole extended universe (in true superhero fashion!). What made you choose the self publishing route for Cute Mutants, rather than taking the books into the query trenches? Did you consider trad pub at all, or did you always know you'd publish them yourself?
SJ: I chose self-publishing for a bunch of reasons. First, because the market for non-IP superheroes seemed… unsure, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d need to spend querying before I found the right agent (and then the right editor and so on). Plus by the end of book one, I had a strong idea of where I wanted to go next. I didn’t want to wait seven years or so until the last book came out, without even a guarantee I’d get there! I knew self-publishing would be a lot of work, especially the marketing side, but it seemed something I’d have more control over and at least my books would be out in the world for people to find. I do occasionally have regrets, because it’s even harder than I expected, but it’s also been more successful than I ever imagined.
Talli: I can definitely understand those reasons! Trad pub is so tough to get into, so honestly I'm with you; I'd rather get my stuff out there when it's ready and not have to wait on the industry's timeline. And you seem to have had a lot of success with your self-publishing journey, which is amazing!! Do you have any tips for making the best of self pub?
SJ: That’s a hard question! I’m not sure exactly what I can offer here, aside from make good friends and listen to them! The writing community can be chaotic, but it’s also full of really good, kind people who can help you with so many things. You especially need people in your corner who encourage you and help you through the difficult times. I used to think writing was an inherently isolated and isolating experience, but I’ve learned that’s really not true and it’s both helped me grow as a writer, and enabled me to survive this experience!
I’m still feeling my way with marketing, but I’ve had some success with blog tours and just using my twitter network to reach people. I’ve still got a lot to learn in this area, but I’m hoping it’ll continue to grow.
Talli: Yesss, finding your corner in the writing community is so important, and once you're there it's honestly so great. You're so right, writing doesn't have to be isolating! Having writer friends is the best, tbh.
Marketing is definitely the tough part, tho! And speaking of which, do you have anything you'd like to promote? Drop some links, and I'll include them in the blog post :)
What's on the horizon for you, aside from Cute Mutants 5?
SJ: I guess the main thing to promote is the new spinoff book, Weapon UwU. It comes between books four and five and can be read standalone, but is better if you’ve read the main Cute Mutants series. People seem to really enjoy it—I’m calling it a cozy horror, because despite the gore and the creep factor, it’s a sweet story about romance, friendship, and relationships.
What’s next is big! Cute Mutants 5 is the end of “phase one” of the Cute Mutants Universe, so next year we’ll be going off in a bunch of different directions: there’s an MG book called The Mutantsitters Club, and a big weird sci-fi book about time warps and the power of narrative.
And then the sequel series to Cute Mutants, which will be a whole new jumping on point for new readers and a wild new story!
Talli: Ahh that's so awesome!! I am so excited for all of these :D
Best of luck with all that writing, omg. Idk how you do it lol
That's all the questions I've got!! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat, this was fun :)
I'll write up and post the blog a week from today!
SJ: Thank you! I’m glad we got it done! It was a lot of fun!
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I read the first volume of Cute Mutants a few weeks ago, and I absolutely loved it. I'm planning to start book 2 soon and I'm stoked for more chaotic fun! These books are stellar, so if you're looking for an action-packed story with messy teens and everything to love about superhero stories, look no farther!
You can find more information about Cute Mutants here, and check out SJ's upcoming book, Weapon UwU, here! And don't forget to follow SJ on Twitter!
That's all for today! I shall see you all next week for yet another interview!
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