99 Erics on Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Books of 2021!

Earlier this year, I was happy to announce that my first foray into fiction, 99 Erics: a Kat Cataclysm faux novel, was the winner of the Publishing Triangle’s 2021 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, and an Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) 2021 silver medalist in LGBT+ Fiction.

On top of all that, Kirkus Reviews just released their "Best Books of 2021" issue, and they included 99 Erics on their Best Indie Books of 2021 list! The entire list can be found via that link (you'll have to scroll down for 99 Erics, as the list is alphabetical by author last name). 

The full Kirkus review of 99 Erics is available online; here is an excerpt:

“Serano has written about gender identity and feminism in her nonfiction books Whipping Girl (2007) and Excluded (2013); she explores many of the same ideas in her debut work of fiction. The writing is conversational in style, and though Kat claims to be uninterested in banal descriptions, the scene-setting in various California locales works well. Kat recalls the Manic Pixie Dream Girls so often used in male-oriented stories, but she’s decidedly more warts and all in her presentation, almost too quirky to function, and enthusiastic about her role as ruler of all the Erics. The result is a lovable composite of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1966) and a less murder-y version of Marvel’s Deadpool, using absurdism and humor to break down the fourth wall and the very idea of ‘normal,’ with all its silly little boxes and prejudices. If that makes the book sound serious, it isn’t — and that might be the most effective way it makes its readers think about identity. Knocks down literary conventions, sexual stereotypes, the fourth wall, and more in enthusiastic defense of the weird.”

As always, for more reviews, excerpts, details, virtual book readings, and where to purchase the book, please check out the 99 Erics webpage!

end of year update, plus signed books for sale!

Last week, I published my latest email update, you can read it via that link. (If you want to receive these email updates directly into your inbox, you can sign up here.)

The update includes links to all my writings from the past year! On top of that, it includes a special deal that I will reiterate here:

I am once again offering signed copies of two of my books – 99 Erics & Outspoken – for sale! (for $25, shipping included, provided that the address is within the U.S.)

99 Erics: a Kat Cataclysm faux novel is silly, surreal, and sex-positive — click that link for book reviews, praise, and excerpts. 99 Erics is the winner of the Publishing Triangle’s 2021 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, and an Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) 2021 silver medalist in LGBT+ Fiction.

Outspoken: A Decade of Transgender Activism and Trans Feminism collects many of my trans-themed writings from 2002-2014, including my early slam poems, and numerous essays written contemporaneously with my books Whipping Girl and Excluded.

All of the book-purchasing details (including signing instructions) can be found on the STUFF TO BUY page of my website. That page also has links to purchase my other books and music too. While I cannot sell signed copies of Whipping Girl or Excluded online, I do sometimes offer them as gifts on Patreon, so please consider supporting me there...

2 new essays on anti-trans activism & the "sexual predator" trope

A few months back, I published an essay entitled Transgender People, Bathrooms, and Sexual Predators: What the Data Say. It cited numerous research studies showing that trans people and trans-inclusion policies pose no threat to cis people in sex-segregated spaces. It also chronicled how similar campaigns to smear an entire marginalized group as supposed "sexual predators" have occurred previously, for instance, against Black people, Jewish people, and gays and lesbians. In other words, this is a standard trope that bigots and haters love to wield.

In the wake of recent events, I have two new "sequels" to that essay. The first is my formal response to being named in that anti-trans manifesto that was going around last week. (For the record, I am doing okay, all things considered.) In my response, I discuss how anti-trans activists' increasing attempts to smear trans people (and particularly trans women) en masse as "sexual predators" is directly responsible for expressions of violence such as this. You can read it here: On Being Explicitly Named in a Violent “Gender Critical” Manifesto.

The second new essay chronicles anti-trans activists' increasing promotion of "autogynephilia," a debunked psychology theory that they use to ... wait for it ... smear trans women en masse as "sexual predators." I also describe their recent attempts to wield "autogynephilia" in tandem with the fake diagnosis "ROGD" in order to undermine trans healthcare more generally. You can read that one here: Autogynephilia and Anti-Transgender Activism.

By the way, both are on Medium (these are no-paywall links), so please read & share widely & give them lots of "claps" (up to 50, I believe).

[note: If you appreciate my work and want to see more of it, please check out my Patreon page]

6 recent Medium articles!

As some of you may know, I sometimes publish articles on Medium – that link will take you to my Medium page, where you can find all the pieces I've written there. Here, I will share my six most recent Medium articles, spanning back to December of last year. All of the links below are "friend links" that bypass the site's paywall – so feel free to read them all for free! 

For Bisexual Visibility Week, I published Bomb (image to right), which is a chapter from my award-winning book 99 Erics: a Kat Cataclysm faux novel. It humorously defuses many of the assumptions people face upon coming out as bisexual. It also critiques what Kat calls the "stereotype trap," as well as authors who turn their LGBTQIA+ characters' identities into "plot twists." If you enjoy it, many more excerpts from the novel can be found on the official 99 Erics webpage.

Transgender People, Bathrooms, and Sexual Predators: What the Data Say was months in the making. The piece not only compiles numerous research studies showing that transgender people are victims (not perpetrators) in such settings, but it also places these "bathroom panics" in historical context, showing how they evolved directly from Anita-Bryant-1970s-era claims that LGB people are "child molesters" out to "recruit children." The final section debunks more recent outlandish claims that trans people are "grooming" and "sexualizing" children. I wanted to touch on all these themes, not only because they unfairly disparage trans people, but because they are all more generally used to smear marginalized groups who are perceived as "other" in some way, and thus misconstrued as a potential "threat to women and children." 

I don't usually write about TV shows and pop culture, but I did just that in Here’s why some people find the Loki-Sylvie romance unsettling. Hint: the answer (or at least one of the answers) is unconscious transphobia...

I compile many of my writings related to transmisogyny in the piece What Is Transmisogyny? It includes a downloadable link to a brand new academic review article that I wrote on the topic.

The Dregerian Narrative (or why "trans activists" vs. "scientists" framings are lazy, inaccurate, and incendiary) is a new essay describing a very old anti-trans trope.

And finally, Transgender People, “Gay Conversion,” and “Lesbian Extinction”: What the Data Show was my response to the increasingly common anti-trans memes that lesbians are supposedly going "extinct" due to people transitioning, and/or that transitioning constitutes a form of “gay conversion therapy.” As the title suggests, I show that current research data do not support these claims.

That's it for now. If you appreciate the fact that I make these articles available for free, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

a statement about the thing

CW for mentions of child sexual abuse (CSA) and accusations thereof

so basically, it’s a trap. no matter what you do. 

because person X (who you don’t know personally) has threatened that if you (and 65 other people they “follow” on Twitter, the majority of whom you also don’t know personally) don’t immediately “unfollow” person Y, then they will publicly “name” you tomorrow. even though they have already tagged you and all these other people on a giant multiple-tweet public thread as part of said threat.

in other words, you’ve already been named, pre-naming.

99 Erics Wins Two Book Awards! (plus other news)

I recently sent out my latest email update – you can read it at that link. And if you want to receive these email updates directly to your inbox, you can sign up here.

The biggest news is that my latest book 99 Erics: a Kat Cataclysm faux novel, is the winner of not one, two book awards! 

First came the Publishing Triangle’s 2021 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction (shown to right). And I have since learned that it is an Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) 2021 silver medalist in LGBT+ Fiction (medal below). 

I am honestly a bit flabbergasted! Two of my past books were nominated for awards, but this is my first actual "award winning" book! 

Publishing Triangle described the book as: "Whip-smart, fast-paced, and drop-dead hilarious, Serano gives us the lighthearted fun read that we all need right now." So please consider adding 99 Erics to your summer reading list!

The book is available at all the usual online booksellers, and can be ordered from your local independent bookstore too – in fact, you should encourage them to carry it! 

If you're still tentative, check out the 99 Erics webpage, where you can download the first 5 chapters for FREE, plus read other excerpts, blurbs & reviews, or watch recordings of my virtual book readings.

Publishing Triangle finalist, review, and reading!

As some of you may know, my latest book 99 Erics: a Kat Cataclysm faux novel was recently announced as a finalist for the Publishing Triangle’s 2021 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction!

On April 23rd, the Publishing Triangle published a lovely review of the book; here it is:

99 Erics is such a delightful read! Julia Serano attacks gender norms, sexual stereotypes, gentrification, and homophobia. In addition, she breaks the fourth wall and gets super meta in this romp as her main character, Kat Cataclysm, dates 99 people—each of whom is named Eric. Kat is a writer who wants to learn how to better write conflict, so decides to go on these dates in the hopes of gaining enlightenment, in the process handing us hysterical anecdotes from dates with various Erics. Serano expertly navigates heavy issues while at the same time embracing the absurd. Whip-smart, fast-paced, and drop-dead hilarious, Serano gives us the lighthearted fun read that we all need right now.

The awards are on May 12th – wish me luck! Leading up to that, Publishing Triangle is hosting two finalists readings, featuring many of the writers up for awards. I will be a part of the Monday May 10th reading – all the details (including how to register) can be found on their Eventbrite page.

Hope you can make it out to the reading, and/or share the review, and/or spread the word about 99 Erics more generally!

new 99 Erics book reviews!

So a couple new 99 Erics book reviews were recently published and I wanted to share excerpts with you!

This excerpt is from Kirkus Reviews:

Serano has written about gender identity and feminism in her nonfiction books Whipping Girl (2007) and Excluded (2013); she explores many of the same ideas in her debut work of fiction. The writing is conversational in style, and though Kat claims to be uninterested in banal descriptions, the scene-setting in various California locales works well. Kat recalls the Manic Pixie Dream Girls so often used in male-oriented stories, but she’s decidedly more warts and all in her presentation, almost too quirky to function, and enthusiastic about her role as ruler of all the Erics. The result is a lovable composite of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1966) and a less murder-y version of Marvel’s Deadpool, using absurdism and humor to break down the fourth wall and the very idea of “normal,” with all its silly little boxes and prejudices. If that makes the book sound serious, it isn’t—and that might be the most effective way it makes its readers think about identity. Knocks down literary conventions, sexual stereotypes, the fourth wall, and more in enthusiastic defense of the weird.

the full review (with a few spoilers) can be found here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/julia-serano/99-erics/

The second review is from BookLife:

Serano (Whipping Girl) drenches readers in satire and absurdity in this “faux novel” written from the perspective of Kat Cataclysm, a wannabe author who decides to jumpstart her career by introducing more conflict into her life -- in the form of dating 99 men named Eric and novelizing the experience. With light chapters that recount Kat’s dates and failed relationships, the tone akin to conversational journal entries or letters to friends, Serano delves into issues of city life and contemporary romance, such as how money destroyed San Francisco or an analysis of Kat’s annoyance when straight men assume bi women will want a threesome ... The appeal, here, is in Kat’s noxious encounters with Erics and how she heroically mines them for witty considerations of the absurdities women face when dating -- and even occasional catharsis ... Takeaway: This meta-fictional satire in which a woman dates 99 Erics will please readers who favor pointed absurdity over emotion. Great for fans of: Daniel M. Lavery’s Something That May Shock And Discredit You, Spike Milligan’s Puckoon.

the full review (with a few spoilers) can be found here: https://booklife.com/project/99-erics-a-kat-cataclysm-faux-novel-52545

As always, you can learn more about 99 Erics (including free downloads, excerpts, virtual book readings, and how to purchase signed copies) at my website.

One final semi-related thing: Esquire recently published a piece called These 15 Feminist Books Will Inspire, Enrage, and Educate You, which includes my first book Whipping Girl!