The terms fantasy and speculative work conjure images of creatures, machines, timelines, and whole worlds that don’t exist. If reality is based on facts and concrete details, then fantasy with its make-believe should be its opposite. But reality, fantasy, and speculative fiction are inextricably tied. No matter how imaginative a creator is, they can only reflect the world they live in, and that is what our stories become: reflection, response, and in works for children — relief.

My books are a mirror of what’s on my mind. I’m worried about the steady encroachment of technology into our lives, the reality of end-stage capitalism for our natural resources, the long-term effects of colonialism on Indigenous cultures, our inhumane immigration systems, and our refusal to address racial injustice, as well as the delusion of white supremacy and how it hurts even those who believe they benefit from it. My stories have reflected all of these things in various ways.

The Jumbies is a spooky story about a girl who goes into the forest and draws out a vicious creature bent on taking over her island. It is also a postcolonial look at what happens when Indigenous peoples are shunted off to the side as a new group comes in. Bonus: it’s also a “Cinderella” story.

An article about using virtual reality for pain management and healing inspired the plot of my book Minecraft: The Crash. When the main character immerses herself in a hospital video game, she has to beat the Ender dragon to get out.

I was thinking about immigrants who speak different languages as I wrote the sweet friendship in Mermaid and Pirate. It was my hope that newcomers could find friends to communicate with them as they navigated difficult situations.

As Black Lives Matter unfolded, I wondered how­ bio­technology, ­evolut­ion, and the lasting effects of brutally enslaving millions of people might collide; I had these ­questions in mind while I wrote Boy 2.0. Another bonus: it’s a reverse “Snow White.”

Every work of fantasy I’ve created deeply reflects my world, my worries, my wishes for a better future.

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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