V. S. Holmes

Making Fantasy Worlds Accessible with Top Shelf Magazine

8/18/2020

I joined Top Shelf Magazine to share my article "You Can't Miss the Library," an examination of disabled characters in science fiction and fantasy worlds. I'm grateful they provided the space to untangle these thoughts and hope you'll take a look, especially if you're a fellow author!

Stark land sweeps from the buildings atop the hill. I’d liken farm fields to skirts. This vista is too sharp for that. These are nature’s tassets. Narrow stone paths and hard-packed trails wind between sod roofs. This is a place with the brutality of Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. The latter was filmed here, and I can see why: I’d gladly immerse myself in this landscape. But it, like many places I’ve visited in the past year, has barriers.

Fantasy is known for austere settings, twisting streets, and remote cities. Even outside of the grimdark subgenre there’s a mercilessness. I settle against a wall across from the broad stairs, knuckles white on the handle of my cane. Pain tunnels my brain to the duality of dissociation and immediacy...read more

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Moral Disability: How Villainy Looks When You’re the Monster

7/5/2020

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I had the honor to write this essay for the Sirens Conference on how the conflation of villainy and disability impacts the disabled communities in our real world.

"Our depiction of disfigurement and disability in villains—those in speculative works, particularly—taints our perception of disabled people in our own world with a dangerous morality. All of us know the ache of being unable to find yourself in a book and the annoyance when a character is just the lovechild of stereotypes and bigotry. So much of Sirens focuses on the importance and beauty in seeing ourselves—our strengths, our flaws, our lives—in speculative fiction. But when I search for a character like me, I find Captain Hook’s missing hand. I find Viren’s magical staff. I find villains..." read more

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Surrender Isn't Giving Up: Unafraid Podcast

6/20/2020

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A few months ago I jumped onto Jae's Unafraid podcast to discuss my journey through being queer, and the strange dual dysphoria that comes from being disabled and genderqueer. It's much more autobiographical than many of my other interviews and touches on how I moved from a genderless ball of rage to a place of peace.

I hope you'll take a listen and reach out if you have respectful questions or feel the same. Love to all my queer family during Pride, and especially now, as our rights are threatened.

Listen now!

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Reforged tour dates (New England)

4/3/2020

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This summer I'm embarking on a small local tour to launch Blood and Mercy, the final book in the Reforged series! I'm so excited to have partnered with the Toadstool Bookstore with the help of the incredible Mickey at Creative Edge. I'll be hitting each one of their New Hampshire locations, signing copies, doing a reading, and answering all your questions!

Additional locations may be announced later, and dates may change due to Covid19

REFORGED
Smoke and Rain
Lightning and Flames
Madness and Gods
Blood and Mercy

dates, times, locations

July 11th
Peterborough, NH at 12 Depot Sq.
Saturday 11 am-12 pm

July 11th
Keene, NH at the corner of Main and Emerald (12 Emerald)
Saturday 1 pm- 2 pm

Nashua, NH at the Somerset Plaza, 375 Amherst St, Rte 101A
Date TBA