Mara Reboi

Q&A with Mara Reboi

Introduction

Q: Please introduce yourself! Share your name, pronouns, and something fun, interesting, curious, or important (take your pick) about yourself that you would like our audience to know about you.

A: Pleased to meet you, I am Mara Reboi, a non-binary, neurodivergent, Finnish-Karelian indie author inflicted with a real-life sleeping curse, and I like to spend the few hours that I manage to stay awake by writing and creating art. If I am not trapped by layers of dreams, I am creating worlds, or bringing the imagination of others alive with my digital paintings.

Q: What genre or format do you write in? (for example: romance, fantasy, short stories, poetry, etc.)

A: I write in many genres; Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Sci-Fi, and have published a couple poetry books in finnish as well using a different pen name. I love both short stories, and longer works, though the latter takes me a long time to hone on the account of my disabilities.

Q: Who do you write for? Who is your audience, and are you seeking to reach a particular type of reader with your work? Why?

A: My audience is anyone who enjoys a bit of whimsy but doesn’t shun away from the darker aspects of humanity because I really enjoy digging into the wider, deeper growing pains of all types of beings from the horror of gender, to what it means to have faith in different things.

And for the age range…I’d say that if I haven’t marked it good for kids, you might want to check the trigger warnings first. (:

Q: Where do you get your inspiration as a writer?

A: I wrote my first story when I was five, and from that on I was hooked on what words could do. I have the ability to see my ideas as full blown feature films in my head, and things like smells can trigger entire scenes to erupt in my mind. I have always wanted to find a way to show those to others, and to explain the other aspects of my own being in a way that they could understand what I am going through. Writing has been incredibly helpful with that, and is the main way I process my life and the maddening amount of ideas that run through me every single day. It was just natural that I would want to become an author, no matter how small my audience may be.

Q: There are so many possible avenues to take. Why write?

A: This might sound a bit grim, but…it keeps me alive. It helps me process things, and allows me to get out all of the thousand ideas that plague my mind days in days out. Without writing, I would be a mess of a being, a useless husk.

Q: Similarly, why pursue being an indie author? What is your goal?

A: As a disabled person, I don’t really have the ability to seek the traditional route with the thousand hoops to jump through, and mandatory advertisement goals where authors must go to meet-and-greets. Being an indie allows me to do the little I can, with minimum pressure beyond the ever growing backlog of ideas.

Q: What tricks do you use to get out of writer’s block?

A: I don’t really get writer’s block because writing is so fun for me. Sometimes a story just isn’t working and I need to scrap it, but when I jump back to the plotting phase and enjoy the work again. I also don’t have fear of a blank page since my official first draft is not the first step I take in the process.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration?

A: Dreams, nightmares, politics, disasters, religion, people, and everything around me.

Q: Do you consider yourself a minority? If so, would you be willing to share the ways in which you are?

A: I am disabled both by my severe neurological sleep disorder (Idiopathic Hypersomnia), ADHD, and assortment of various ailments that compound to the issues the main two have cursed me with. These factors also cause me to have badly impaired working memory, very little energy to do things, and a life that has been mostly survival.

To top it all, I am trans, and label myself as non-binary, and pansexual, and have medically transitioned after years of trying to resist the innate need to be myself.

Q: How do you fit into the disability and chronic illness community?

A: I think I fit fairly well within my own sleep disorder community as someone who also makes comics about our sleep disorder (Idiopathic Hypersomnia) to spread awareness, but I haven’t had much chance to spread out to the community as a whole. But as someone whose disabilities are rather invisible (unless you spend longer time with me), I haven’t found my slot with the community beyond the online spaces. So I’d say I fit, and don’t fit in. (:

Q: Does being disabled/chronically ill impact the way you write? For example, do you have to pace yourself differently than your colleagues or structure your writing sessions in a particular way?

A: Yes, my disabilities impact the way I write by a lot; I run out of energy very quickly and must count that into every action in my life. So even though writing is my life-blood, I don’t always have the energy or time for it as I must first prioritize pesky things like eating, cleanliness, and sleep. If I don’t count my spoons well, and push myself to write, I can be immobilized by brainfog that absolutely destroys my cognitive abilities…which results in me just sitting in place, impotently staring at the words - unable to process them into proper sentences.

That is why I have adopted the “WIC” approach. I write “When I Can”. This does have the downside that sometimes I have had years between when I couldn’t produce anything as I had to pace myself and focus on health and survival…but when I can pick it back up, it feels like coming home.

Q: Does being disabled/chronically ill affect the content you write? Does it affect the audience you try to reach

A: It has given me a lot of perspective I find many abled people lack. I have lived a life that at times has been overtaken by sleep, and so know isolation, loneliness, pain, rejection, and many other things on a very personal level. I bring these experiences out through my characters, but I don’t really aim them to be for any particular people as I hope that anyone could resonate with them and perhaps learn empathy through them. I would wish my stories could be for anyone (as long as they like the genre, and type of things I am writing about in the story they are holding in their hands).

With my comic though, which I will count as writing, I do try to find a specific audience. And the audience is people with IH, their loved ones, and anyone who wishes to learn about Idiopathic Hypersomnia. That audience is a bit tougher to find at times, since so many of us have no spoons to give to even read a single 4-panel comic.

Q: What do you do to hone your craft as a disabled writer that might be different from other writers who don’t have your set of experiences?

A: I have memory issues, so I have to process my life through everyday journaling - though you might think it more like documenting my life so I could remember things. I struggle both with memory retention, and withdrawal, as my working memory is fried, so I spend a fair amount of time making notes and compiling my plots before I ever step on the computer to write. I have to have the most minute details, and names, all by my side, so I can keep the plots coherent and don’t need to stop to dig the thoughts out with pliers to the point of exhaustion.

But, through these extensive notations, I also try different ways of writing the same things over and over again. I turn ideas around and around, until I find the one that fits. And I process them out loud in many parts of the process to “taste” how they feel, and what the conjured image now turns out to be.

So, I could say I repeat a lot, practice a ton, just so I could make sure my stories don’t sound repetitive, and clumsy. This way the plotting is far more to me than just remembering, it becomes my spare brain, a piece of me that I try to arrange and make clear to those who should have no idea how hard it was to get to the finished product.

On Representation

Q: Do you wish you could read more books with disabled or chronically ill characters? Do you wish there was more diversity in the types of stories told? Overall, how do you think we are doing when it comes to disability representation in literature?

A: I always wish there was more disability, and chronically ill characters in literature and more diversity in the stories that break it to the mainstream. Our stories help people learn empathy, and think beyond themselves, which is one net positive to humanity as a whole. But - I don’t technically want more stories that process those disabilities, or chronic illnesses themselves. I would like to see stories where we exist, and it is just A part of the story, not the main plot itself. A perspective among perspectives not treated as different, wrong, something to overcome, or inspirational to others…but something some people just happen to live with.

In that, I think we have a long way to go to seeing disabled, and chronically ill characters in books and media in general. We lack the perspective of existing without needing to change or being there to support others to see how “lucky” they are.

But perhaps one day we will see people in books who have disabilities, and chronic illnesses, and it isn’t a tragedy that they take a nap sometimes, have medications, or use a wheelchair intermittently. I for one do plan to write these characters myself in hopes that I could bring forth more of these perspectives.

Q: What does disability representation in literature mean to you? Is it important to you? Does it affect culture - or is it a side effect? What are your thoughts in this area?

A: I think disability representation in literature should be important to everyone since pretty much everyone becomes disabled in some way or another if they live long enough, and everyone benefits from a kinder, more understanding world. The same way everyone benefits from lowered curbs, clearly marked bathrooms, and less harsh lighting, or benches - everyone would benefit from reading and educating themselves through understanding disability perspectives.

Disability representation affects culture and has always affected culture in a way or another because we are part of humanity. From shamans of old with suspected brain differences, to feudalistic fools, freak shows, lovingly tended elderly, and many-many stories that have survived the decay of time, we too leave a mark and that mark has already made a big impression. That is why sign languages have been accepted worldwide, braille books are being secured by libraries, and more and more people are seen as people - not monsters to be hidden away.

We have a long way to go, but we also have come a long way. Books with representation have a big part in that.

Q: Does disability representation play a role in what or how you write? Please talk about why or why not.

A: I don’t write disabilities into all of my stories, because I already make a comic about my sleep disorder and it can get very heavy to keep these themes in mind all of the time. But at times, I really wish to bring representation out while also delivering a meaningful story that matters to me. Not all stories can carry this weight, nor should all stories try to since it would not bring them justice.

Q: Do you come across bad disability representation in the books you read? How does it make you feel? How do you think we can do better when representing the disability community in literature?

A: I am a bit slow reader these days, but I love to binge book reviews while I work on my art, so I have heard a lot of snippets of terrible representation in my time. No matter how it comes to me though, it feels awful because I know those ideas the author wrote down and decided to publish have, and will, influence people and how they see disabled people. The worst is when they get things wrong, or when they write “miracles” where the characters are suddenly better - either by the fact that the author forgot about the character’s physical limitations, or decide it was time to erase it from the story.

As I already brushed on previously - I think the disability community should be depicted just as any other community. It should be just as boring to use disability aids as it is to wear shoes, or to need accommodations as it is to get some coffee. We should be depicted as equal as anyone else, part of the fabric of life far more often. As important as our struggles are, our existence in the background and in the limelight should be just as normal as it truly is.

We are the largest “minority” in the world, and everyone may join it at any time so seeing us everywhere should be the default, and as boring as can be. That is the message that should be brought out front and center.

Q: Do you have any further thoughts on disability representation you would like to add?

A: I think I tried to summarize it pretty well already, thank you for giving me a moment to share my thoughts about the matter.

On Advice

Q: What advice would you give to new writers?

A: Your writing should make you feel things. If you want to make people laugh, cry, feel pain - you should first go through the motions yourself. This ensures that you will have fun, but also makes that first draft something you will not feel like chewing cardboard.

And, if I may give more advice that I myself have struggled with: Share your love for your world with others whether it is story snippets, blog posts, doodles, messy maps, incoherent bits and pieces…and Don’t think of it as “marketing". I spent far too many years stressing about “the perfect social media image” and “how do I spread the word on my stuff?” when I should have focused on the excitement that pours out of me in rivers and just needed another outlet.

Yes readers do need reminders of preorders and release dates…but what they need and yearn for more is to hear about your story. So be excited to share it as if you were speaking to a friend.

If you can follow this advice, you will find that writing will be fun, editing will feel like an adventure to hone your craft and your world, and sharing about it doesn’t feel like stepping on legos.

Q: What writing or life “hacks” would you recommend to other disabled or chronically ill writers, especially those who are still starting out on their writing journey?

A: I wholly recommend making notes on paper first because it helps you remember the story beats when you are writing your first draft. It is scientifically proven to help with memory retention, and is also better for your eyes, AND there are less distractions when it is just you, paper, and pen having fun.

Q: What do you wish someone had told you when you were finding your path?

A: I wish someone had told me where to find people who are willing to help you with the parts that I find hard to do. As a disabled person who is also poor, and for some reason could not fight the call of artistic career, my tiny village of people who are happy to share my stories, help me with edits, and lend me a hand when marketing is sapping my writing time are a resource I would have always needed.

Can I add to the “advice for new writers” bit this gem: Make friends with other authors, readers, and people online. Real friendships where people are willing to help you - and whom you also will help in turn when you can. They will keep you afloat when things get tough. (:

Q: What was the best piece of advice given to you as a writer, or even as a disabled writer?

A: My German indie author friend once said to me in passing, “Forget the audience, write for yourself and have fun with it.” It has really helped me back to that mindset that I had as a kid when I was writing complete nonsense stories and absolutely loving every single one of those moments. Though these days I have reduced the nonsense, and amped up the joy to match my adult mind.

About Your Work

Q: Would you like to share anything about your writing process?

A: I use a big notebook with a small-ish grid and pencil to jot down ideas for each story. The first things that I write are a flow of sensations, feelings, snippets, and a messy stack of words that feel like they describe where I know it is going to. Those pages look like a madman was writing them, and often have messy drawings, maps, graphs and the like on the pages as well. It is as if I am mining or fishing it out of my head, and seeing it unfold in puzzle piece by piece.

Once the “dump” is done, I then tie those nebulous ideas into a very loose plot, which I keep honing page after page and let the worldbuilding splatter around the plans for days until the final idea has crystallized and is ready for chapter planning. I call that part the “bones” of the story, when I jot down every important action in each chapter and often also the emotional highs and lows.

And then I finally move to the PC, fire up ellipsus, make each chapter its own file, and slowly work my way through each chapter whenever I can. The goal is to have fun with each chapter and not worry about spelling words perfectly - I do those in editing, when I hone each part to serve the plot, tighten the prose, and make sure the image I have in my head matches the writing as well as possible.

I enjoy every single part of that.

Q: What do you love most about crafting a new work?

A: How the pieces fit together. It is incredibly satisfying to have a dozen or so plot points snap together as if they had always been like that and I had just not flipped the pieces the right way. The picture forms, except it is a feature length film magically brought alive by graphite on paper. It feels like real magic.

Q: Do you have any work already out there that you would like to talk about? If so, please tell us about the project, why you wrote it, and what you hope readers will take from it.

A: As this interview was to celebrate the anthology “Once Upon a Fairytale” release, I would like to talk about my story within it “Beasts at Arms - the Myth of Forest’s Blessing”.

It is the first in many fairytales in the world I named Rümen; a world that has and will go through multiple nearly world-ending cataclysms, and the people who live through those times. But the main focus is not in the endings, but how the people react to the changing world, and in turn alter the world around them. The plot, the people, and the world are bound together in more ways than one and with each chapter I aim for the story to feel like it oozes history, but also keeps the adventure going.

In Beasts at Arms, within the Once Upon a Fairytale, I present it as a fairytale that is themed around choices, and what happens when someone doesn’t know where need and want cross into greed. It also hides themes that I will bring out in the next book, not by using the same characters but the momentum from the first will push forward the plot of the second.

And though Once Upon a Fairytale is not an illustrated anthology, and runs only for a short while, I will republish Beasts at Arms myself eventually and aim to add many illustrations, and the first map of Rümen onto its pages. It is the second most ambitious project I have ever done, just after my first comic book “Idiopathic HypersomNIA, Prison of sleep”, which is the culmination of years of webcomics tied to single paperback/hardback with bonus illustrations and facts about IH (Idiopathic Hypersomnia). These works may be entire worlds apart, but they do both bring forth what I love the most - writing, and art.

Q: Would you like to share anything about your current work in progress?

A: I have two works in progress, but the one I am most excited about is tied to the story I submitted for the Once Upon a Fairytale anthology and it delves into the themes of control and what that means to different people. It will go through things like religion, control of information, and gender through people experiencing at times claustrophobic experience in a city that is teetering on the edge of destruction after what happened in the first story. The characters are not the same, but what happened in the first story will get more context in the first. I do aim to make sure that the second can be read before the first, but for the lore hungry GrimDark Fantasy lovers out there I would recommend reading both of them.

Q: Where can readers find your work? Please share links and pertinent information.

A: 

• My main online presence is in Mastodon ( @hiisikoloart@writingexchange ) where I talk about my writing, art, and everything in between and beyond.
• My author website is: https://mxmilo.wixsite.com/marareboi
• My artist ko-fi which I also use from my author blogging, and where I also sell my eBooks as ePub files: https://ko-fi.com/hiisikolo_art
• And my entirely free webcomic: https://tapas.io/series/Idiopathic-HypersomNIA/info 

Final Thoughts

Q: What would you like to share or say to the Underground Bookshelf audience that hasn’t already been brought up?

A: I would like to thank anyone who reads this interview, and hope that they would give not only me, but the anthology a chance. I don’t look to become a “famous author” or anything like that but would hope that my story would resonate with some of you so I could share the joy, and devastation I have planned for the future stories.

Q: Thank you for sharing your thoughts, today. Any final words?

A: I would like to thank you for the interview, and for giving me a chance to share about me, my writing, and my thoughts. I am honored to have been invited.