My friend Jay is a nonbinary middle schooler living with their mother in Old York—a magical place located beneath New York City. They stopped wearing skirts and dresses when they were seven years old, and their favorite colors are yellow, white, and purple. (Can you guess why?)
But when the story was originally written, it was very different.
Sam wrote a trilogy of chapter books that started in second grade and ended in fourth. Many of the characters that you meet in this version were still there, but they weren’t as complex or interesting as the characters you now know.
Jayla identified as cis female, teskis wasn’t a sport, and I didn’t even exist!
Why did Sam change it?
Their goal had always been to make Jayla a middle grade series, so there wasn’t much of a point to writing chapter books at all.
But it was so much more than that.
Writing cis characters felt disingenuous. Not only was Sam not cis, but they knew middle school students who don’t identify as cis either.
Although humans have become much better at creating more diverse books, including those with LGBTQ+ characters, Sam couldn’t remember ever reading a nonbinary character when they were in school. Maybe if they had, they would have felt a little more seen and a little better understood.
When Sam made Jayla nonbinary, it was as if Sam was meeting them for the first time. Sam saw their world more clearly and had a greater appreciation for what happened in their head.
And everything evolved from there. Jay’s real name. The storyline. Damie. Everything.
In 2023, Sam started sharing the book with beta readers and editors, and received a lot of positive feedback. However, there were pieces of the storyline that were now too childish (like playing in sandboxes) and too heavy (like Marco’s story). So teskis replaced sandboxes, and almost 20,000 words about Marco were held back for a later book. (I’ve read it, and it explains so much!)
Then beta readers gave even more awesome suggestions. “Magegard should look like clouds,” one said. “There should be magical transportation instead of cars,” two others said. When one reader suggested more alliteration, “Quick Time” potion became “Brisk Brew”. Maybe one day, I can convince Sam to let me write a post about how the beta readers changed Jay, and how the book is better for it!
Draft after draft went to Sam’s editor and beta readers, and every draft was a little better than the one that came before it.
And while Sam was doing all of that, they were talking to Austin. The two met several years ago through a mutual friend, and Sam felt, and still feels, incredibly fortunate to have a professional illustrator as a friend. (Their mutual friend is also largely responsible for the first book’s title.) Austin completed two basic sketches in very early 2024, but Sam was burnt out, and they wisely took a step back from Jay to see it again with renewed eyes. Sam and Austin regrouped a few months later, and he began playing with ideas in December. That’s also when they started talking about me as a mascot, and that idea took off!
Personally, I think I make an excellent mascot.
The beautiful cover you see now was finished January 31, 2025.
And while Austin worked on the gorgeous illustrations, Sam worked with their editor, more beta readers, and a professional proofreader.
And now there’s a book.
Thousands of hours have gone into writing, editing, and finishing this book, and Sam is eternally grateful to everyone who has played a part in sculpting it.
Also, completely off topic, as this is my first post, I’ve been thinking that I need a sign-off, a closing. I strolled around the library while Wr. Mek was gone, and then I stared at the “Books Are For Everyone” poster behind the circulation desk. Wr. Mek took me on a book shopping adventure a few years ago, and we picked out the poster together, so it seems only fitting that I carry it into the digital world.
Stay tuned to my blog for more updates!
Book are for everyone!
–Chakey