Nicky isn’t an athlete. But her experience as a musician and a performer, I think, has some parallels with the fact that many of our institutions in society simply do not have a place for these women who are simply following their passions and dreams. I hope that the debate between Nicky and Donnie reflects some of the tensions that trans people have to navigate. The very fact that Nicky had to be aware of what stereotypes she might unintentionally further, for instance, by performing on a stage shared with drag queens, is an unfortunate reality. To not only have to find places where one can be both accepted and appreciated, but to have to limit oneself at risk of perpetuating stereotypes, I cannot imagine is an easy road to walk.
In Scared Shiftless, Nicky and Donnie disagree on the appropriateness of her accepting the gig at Leotards and Lace. For Nicky, it’s the only place that will have her. And she can’t be her genuine self if she doesn’t have a place to perform. But her gender identity is also a crucial part of who she is. Why should anyone have to pick or choose between one part of oneself or another? There isn’t a clear answer for Nicky in terms of what’s right or wrong. The point isn’t to make a judgment on her decision, but only to show that people in marginalized communities often have to make choices that, no matter what they do, end up being unfairly limiting. By presenting this dilemma, my hope isn’t so much to solve it, but to simply shed light on the kinds of tensions that trans people, and other marginalized peoples, have to navigate in their lives. It’s about awareness.
Finally, I think it is important that transgendered persons have heroes they can identify with. I hope that Nyx does that. Nyx is meant to defy stereotypes. She sings, but she isn’t a drag queen. She struggles to find a place where she can embrace her passion as a singer where she’s accepted and not treated as a “novelty” act. And finally, she navigates the difficulties of finding love. To find someone who loves her, for who she is, rather than someone who sees her as an object to satisfy someone’s fantasies.
One of the strengths of fantasy as a genre is it allows us to take real-world issues and struggles and recontextualize them into other worlds. By doing this, we can set aside some of the baggage that blinds us when we examine the issues in the “real world.”
Since Nyx is a different species—which has no gender—I hope this novel provided a unique “lens” to engage with some of the issues that a transgender woman might face in our world in interesting ways. Nyx is also a fictional character. She certainly shares a “fantasy” of recovering her shapeshifting abilities so that she can have the body she wants… but she also comes to accept her beauty as she is.
This series is not meant to be a treatise, or political piece, or anything of the sort. I wasn’t trying to make a statement. Maybe it will be used that way by others. But that wasn’t my intention. I simply hope it encourages conversation and establishes some awareness. And also, I hope I provided a character and heroine that trans people can identify with.
Ultimately, I hope I offered a compelling story. I worked hard to try and avoid any damaging stereotypes or assumptions about the trans experience. If I in any way fell short of this goal, I beg the reader to simply consider the fact that Nicky is struggling, like many, to navigate the tension between who she is and who the world tells her she’s “supposed” to be. Things get messy. Her life is messy. My book is a little messy, too. And I encourage anyone who has something to add, who might object to any way I depicted Nicky’s experiences, to simply e-mail and let me know. I promise, I’ll read it and do my best to respond as soon as I can – [email protected].
And more than that, even for those of my readers who have no direct experience with the trans community, I hope that Nicky is a heroine we can all relate to. To various degrees, all of us have felt unwelcome, unloved, and unaccepted at points in our lives. We know the pain. Ultimately, this book is dedicated to anyone who has ever felt unloved, or struggled to accept one’s own innate beauty.
Hopefully, at the very least, this little story will spark some conversation. And more than that, a willingness on all our parts to listen more.
Everyone deserves a chance at love. Everyone deserves to be accepted for who they are. Even if, at times, we’ve been “scared shiftless” by a world that’s not always as accepting and loving as it should be.
- Theo
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Nyx's Beginnings
Nyx’s Story Begins…
…in the Second Book of THE LEGACY OF A VAMPIRE WITCH!
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Also by Theophilus Monroe
The Druid Legacy
Druid’s Dance
Bard’s Tale
Ovate’s Call
Rise of the Morrigan
The Fomorian Wyrmriders
Wyrmrider Ascending
Wyrmrider Vengeance
Wyrmrider Justice
The Voodoo Legacy
Voodoo Academy
Grim Tidings
Death Rites
Watery Graves
Voodoo Queen
The Legacy of a Vampire Witch
Bloody Hell
Bloody Mad
Bloody Wicked
Bloody Devils
Bloody Gods
The Legend of Nyx
Scared Shiftless
Bat Shift Crazy
No Shift, Sherlock
Shift for Brains
Shift Happens
About the Author
Theophilus Monroe is a fantasy author with a knack for real-life characters whose supernatural experiences speak to the pangs of ordinary life. After earning his Ph.D. in Theology, he decided that academic treatises that no one will read (beyond other academics) was a dull way to spend his life. So, he began using his background in religious studies to create new worlds and forms of magic–informed by religious myths, ancient and modern–that would intrigue readers, inspire imaginations, and speak to real-world problems in fantastical ways.
When Theophilus isn’t exploring one of his fantasy lands, he is probably playing with one of his three sons, or pumping iron in his h
ome gym, which is currently located in a 40-foot shipping container.
He makes his online home at www.theophilusmonroe.com. He loves answering reader questions—feel free to e-mail him at [email protected] if the mood strikes you!
Scared Shiftless: An Ex-Shifter turned Vampire Hunter Urban Fantasy (The Legend of Nyx Book 1) Page 23
