Asexual Authors Speak Out About Representation (And Ostracization) In Fiction
Too often, sexual and romantic relationships are presented as the most meaningful relationship you can have.
For a long time, I believed Lai — the main character in my debut YA fantasy novella, Keeper of the Dawn— had no interest in romance. She was too focused on trying to build a life that matched her ideals—to become a Keeper of the Dawn—to think about anyone else.
Somewhere along the way Lai fell in love, and I found myself writing a sweet romance between two women. But she still had no interest in sex. She didn’t feel that kind of attraction.
Keeper of the Dawn sat on my hard drive for three years between drafts, and when I finally returned to Lai’s story, I realized I also had a word for this lack of attraction: asexual.
At the time, everything I knew about asexuality came from the blog of author Amber Skye Forbes. I knew asexuality meant a lack of sexual attraction, and that many asexual people still had a sex drive and enjoyed masturbation, but that was about it.
