In my Urban Fantasy series, the Bolingbrook Babbler Stories, Wendy Onofrey is a supporting character in three of my books: A Fire in the Shadows, The Rift, and Revenge of the Phantom Press. She’s the admin for the Bolingbrook Babbler’s website and their unofficial paranormal expert. Before joining the Babbler tabloid, she was a member of the skeptical movement. Until she discovered the truth that the movement was part of a grand coverup of the paranormal. Rather than join the inner circle of the movement, she left, or, as she puts it, the movement left her. Now she’s a valued member of the staff.

Wendy also happens to be a trans woman. I didn’t mention her gender identity in the last two books because it wasn’t a big deal with the staff. In earlier drafts of The Rift, Wendy’s twin brother hinted at her identity and showed that her family supported her. Though the brother character was cut, in my mind, Wendy was still a trans woman. During the character’s creation, I asked myself why she shouldn’t be trans? I couldn’t think of a reason why she shouldn’t.

In Revenge of the Phantom Press, I decided to make it clear that Wendy was a trans character. It wasn’t to score points. In the face of growing trans erasure and President Trump rolling back progress on LGBTQ+ rights, one thing I could do was make Wendy’s trans identity visible. While I do touch on transphobia in ROTPP, her presence in my stories helps normalize trans characters. It’s not much, but it is one of the things I can do to help.

Currently, Smashwords is holding their End of Year sale until January 1, and they have hundreds of LGBTQ+ ebooks on sale. It’s a great time to support these authors, and get great deals on eBooks.

If you also want to check out my books, I’m participating in the sale too. Pathways to Bolingbrook and A Fire in the Shadows are free. The Rift is $.99. And you can preorder Revenge of the Phantom Press. The release date is January 31.

Whether or not you buy my books, representation in fiction, especially LGBTQ+ representation is important. Stories can allow readers to see the world through a different lens and build empathy. And we could certainly use more empathy in the world.