Every fantasy novel I write is grounded in our world. That’s no secret. Elatsoe, Sheine Lende, and A Snake Falls to Earth all occur in an alternate version of Texas (in the present, the past, and the future, respectively). Their worlds are similar to ours; however, they also harbor impossibilities such as ghostly mammoths and transportation mushrooms.

My books are interested in the issues that affect young readers, ­particularly ­Indigenous readers. In Elatsoe, a girl seeks justice for her murdered cousin. In A Snake Falls to Earth, the protagonists must protect each other in a world beset by climate change and ecological destruction. In Sheine Lende, a girl embraces her strength after tragedies displace her ­family (against the backdrop of 1970s south Texas, when the Lipan Apache ­experienced both hardship and ­growing recognition). These themes could be expressed in any genre, but I love fantasy because it empowers me with unique, imaginative tools to highlight and expand upon the story I want to tell.

For example, the main character in Sheine Lende, Shane, lives during a period of intense Indigenous erasure in the southern U.S. Her home was stolen after a hurricane based on Hurricane Beulah (1967), family was lost, and her culture as a Lipan Apache (food, ceremony, stories, and language) is slipping away. She wonders if there’s a place for her in the world anymore. Or if she’s a living ghost. Then, there’s a moment when Shane realizes: I do deserve to live.

Well, I emphasized that tipping point by literally sending Shane to the underworld and allowing her to choose her future: remain with ghosts or go home to Texas. So, her inner conflict takes a literal form through the tools of fantasy. That’s why I love working in the genre. It challenges me to be imaginative with my craft.

From the May/June 2025 special issue of The Horn Book Magazine: Perception and Reality. Find more in the "Reality Reimagined" series here.

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