Queerly Beloved

From summer flings and first crushes to slow-burning romances – these authors know what it takes to write a nuanced queer love story. Sophie Gonzales (Only Mostly Devastated) and Anna Whateley (Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal) have written warm, funny and occasionally awkward stories of LGBTIQA+ teens figuring life out. They join Erin Gough to discuss queer perspectives on love story clichés and why their depictions of high school life have resonated so strongly with a new generation of readers. 

Sophie Gonzales (Australian)

Sophie Gonzales writes Young Adult queer romantic comedies with biting wit and endless heart. Her debut YA rom-com, Only Mostly Devastated, icame out March 2020, and her next novel, The Ex-Girlfriend Experiment is scheduled for 2021. She is also the author of The Law of Inertia. When she isn't writing, Sophie can be found ice skating or singing. She lives in Melbourne, Australia where she works as a psychologist.

Anna Whateley (Australian)

Anna Whateley is an 'own voices' author, proudly autistic, with ADHD and sensory processing disorder. Her debut novel, Peta Lyre's Rating Normal will be published in May 2020 with her essay contribution inGrowing Up Disabled in Australia published June 2020. Anna lives in Brisbane with her family, two dogs, and two rescue guinea pigs. She has always worked in literature and education, and holds a PhD in young adult fiction.

Erin Gough (Australian)

Erin Gough is a Sydney writer whose award-winning work has been published globally. She is the author of two books for young adults: The Flywheel, which won the Ampersand Prize, and Amelia Westlake, winner of the Readings Young Adult Book Prize and the NSW Premier's Ethel Turner Prize for Young Adult Fiction. Erin’s short fiction has been published in many journals and anthologies, including The Griffith Review, Kindred, and Best Australian Stories.