Hey, I’m Grayson, but you can call me G.T. Elliott.
I have two cats, a spouse, and an overactive imagination. My mom used to say I would be an author one day, but her backup plan for me was to go to college and become a marine biologist. Don’t get me wrong, I love fish just as much as the next guy, but large bodies of water give me anxiety. I was left with only one other option, so here I am.
I started writing when I was in third grade, living in a trailer park less than seventy-five feet from a giant lake. I remember when I was young, I thought there were sharks in the water, so I didn’t want to get in. It wasn’t until I was much older that I took the plunge. It was winter, and ice was starting to form around the shallow parts, but I didn’t care. I was ready.
That worry has followed me, though. It presents itself in my fear of rejection, how I would rather keep myself from doing something I want to accomplish because I’m afraid that just one person will hate it. I’m older, now. I’m so old that my bones creak and crack, and I found a gray hair last week. I don’t have it in me to be afraid anymore, so here I am, FINALLY publishing a book that I am so unbelievably proud of.
My mom doesn’t need her backup plan, because if I’m honest, this was always going to be my only route.
Hey, my name is G.T. Elliott, and I’m the author of your new favorite book.
My promise.
I promise to make you feel
I promise you will fall in love, you will cry until you blow snot bubbles, you will scream into your book from happiness, anger, and frustration. I promise that you will close the book, rest it on your chest, and let out a sigh.
I promise to write the epic queer stories we all wanted
And I will write them with the queer characters that look and feel just like us. As a queer person who knows what it’s like to not see yourself in media, this promise is especially important to me.