Rachel Eliason is a deeply thoughtful writer, speaker, and author whose life’s calling has always been two-fold: a passion for storytelling and an unyielding journey to live as her true self. Growing up in the U.S. Midwest during the 1970s and ’80s, she harbored fantasies of transformations and adventures within the pages of science fiction and fantasy, worlds where the impossible felt not only possible but profoundly personal. Her path led to the creation of The Agony, The Ecstasy and The Buddha: One Woman's Month in Thailand having a Sex Change, a work that blends memoir with courage. Alongside, she nurtured a reflective creative life, crafting both fiction and nonfiction from the quiet of her attic office.
One of her proudest works is Run, Clarissa, Run, a novel born from her determination to portray the intricate and beautiful diversity of transgender lived experiences, and from her belief that no single story can encapsulate them all. Rachel’s activism is rooted in gratitude. She credits her supportive community in Iowa, including the civil rights climate, her transition-friendly workplace, and vibrant local groups, for helping her embrace her identity with grace and resolve. She stands inspired by trailblazing voices like Aleshia Brevard, Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, and Michelle Hendley, along with younger activists like Jazz Jennings. Driven by earnest conviction, she remains active in politics and education, giving talks, supporting causes like One Iowa, Des Moines Pride, the ACLU, and the Sierra Club, and trusts that courage and focus can change even the smallest part of the world.
Monika: Today, I’m truly honored to welcome Rachel Eliason, a gifted fiction and nonfiction writer, inspiring speaker, and author of the powerful memoir The Agony, The Ecstasy and The Buddha: One Woman’s Month in Thailand having a Sex Change (2017). Rachel, it’s such a pleasure to have you with us!
Rachel: Thank you so much, Monika. I’m really happy to be here and to share my story with you.
Monika: Rachel, could you share a bit about your journey? When did you realize that writing was going to be more than just a passion, but your true vocation?
Rachel: I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I wanted to transition. For years, these were my two secret “W’s”: wanting to be a woman and wanting to be a writer. Growing up in the U.S. Midwest in the 1970s and ’80s, I never heard anyone say the word transgender, and as far as I knew at the time, changing sex was something that only happened in science fiction. So I dismissed those feelings and tried to make the best of my life in the wrong gender. But I developed a love of science fiction and fantasy, the one place where such things did happen. I read voraciously growing up, and those stories became a private refuge where my dreams could take shape.
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Monika: How did those early experiences influence your path toward becoming a writer?
Rachel: Being a writer wasn’t impossible, but it felt impractical at best. I made scattered attempts as a kid and later as a young adult to write and sell stories, but I never really stuck to it. I remember telling my mother, shortly before leaving for Thailand, that what really scared me wasn’t the surgery or the transition. It was that it meant I had to become a writer. I had done something I once thought impossible, become a woman. So what was my excuse for not pursuing my dream of being a writer? I had none. That moment became a turning point, a call to finally embrace both parts of my truth.
Monika: You write both science fiction and fantasy as well as contemporary YA LGBT fiction. How do you decide to present these different kinds of work to your readers?
Rachel: I do differentiate. I use my initials, R. J. Eliason, for my science fiction and fantasy writing, following the tradition of many authors in the genre, from J. R. R. Tolkien to J. K. Rowling. Not that I’m on par with either of those names, of course. I do this mainly as a courtesy to my fans, so they can easily tell what kind of story they’re picking up. Writing in two very different genres allows me to explore different parts of my creativity and to reach diverse audiences.
Monika: How do you balance these two writing worlds when interacting with your readers or at events?
Rachel: I have many sci-fi friends, I’ve been attending local science fiction conventions for years, who love speculative fiction but rarely read books set in this world. Then I have literary friends who do the opposite; they read tons of contemporary fiction but loathe science fiction. Since I write both, I wanted it to be obvious at a glance whether a book is contemporary LGBT YA or speculative fiction. I don’t hide behind these names, and when I make appearances, I usually bring both sets of books and talk openly about all my writing, embracing every part of my literary journey.
Monika: Your novels focus primarily on LGBT youth. What draws you most to writing these characters? Do you find their stories especially inspiring?
Rachel: I find the outsider perspective incredibly intriguing. I’m drawn to characters who struggle to find their place in the world rather than those who fit easily into it. Living that experience myself, like many of us do, is tough, but it certainly creates richer, more complex characters. These struggles bring depth and authenticity to the stories I want to tell, making them resonate on a deeper level.
Monika: How has your personal experience and community influenced the representation of LGBT characters in your work?
Rachel: I’ve spent a large part of my life surrounded by LGBT people, even before I came out myself. My older sister is a lesbian, and when I came out to my best friend from high school, he told me he was a cross-dresser. As an adult, my circle includes many LGBT, polyamorous, and queer friends. For me, not including at least a few LGBT characters in my novels would feel inauthentic. When I read novels featuring only straight characters, they often don’t feel completely real to me. Sadly, I know there are people who have zero LGBT presence in their lives, but for me, those stories miss something vital.
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Monika: In your novels Run, Clarissa, Run (2012) and The Best Boy Ever Made? (2014), your transgender teenage characters face significant challenges when trying to build intimate relationships with their families. How do you approach portraying these difficult dynamics?
Rachel: Don’t we all face challenges like that? These two books, in particular, are set in my home state of Iowa and are deeply rooted in my personal experience growing up in a small town. Clarissa’s mom loves her child but has no idea how to raise or support a trans child. The same goes for Sam’s parents in The Best Boy Ever Made. At least Sam’s parents do a much better job of showing their love for their transgender son, especially compared to how Alecia’s family reacts to Sam’s coming out. Writing these stories was a way for me to explore those complicated family dynamics with honesty and compassion.
Monika: What message do you hope readers take away about family acceptance from these portrayals?
Rachel: This is the reality for many transgender people I know. The best many of us can hope for is family members who don’t fully understand but are willing to love us anyway. I hope that as society changes, more parents and family members will come to fully understand and accept their trans kids. It’s that hope for greater empathy and unconditional love that I try to weave through my stories, encouraging readers to open their hearts and minds.
Monika: In your 2011 collection Tales the Wind Told Me, you explore myth and magic in ways that seem closely intertwined with daily life. What drew you to blending the fantastical with the ordinary?
Rachel: I’ve always been very imaginative. I’ve loved myths and fairy tales for as long as I can remember. In the late nineties and early two-thousands, I was also a big fan of Charles De Lint. I loved the way he wove fairy tale creatures and ideas into the everyday world in his novels. I was especially drawn to the idea that we all have a “heart place,” the center of who we are, some can go there in their minds, others physically through magic. That concept resonated deeply with me, especially as someone trying to navigate questions of identity and self.
Monika: How did that inspiration shape the stories in the collection and reflect your personal journey?
Rachel: I wrote several of the stories in Tales the Wind Told Me in the early 2000s, and I tried to consciously recreate De Lint’s style in my own voice. "The Maiden and the Troll" and "Troll Child" both feature trolls living in Des Moines, Iowa, a quiet twist on urban fantasy rooted in my hometown. I wasn’t out as transgender at the time, but my gender identity is on display in the collection nonetheless. In “Gemone,” a science fiction story, a sexless servant on an alien world is offered the chance to become female, a reflection of questions I was quietly asking myself then.
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Monika: In The Case of Nikki Pagan (2013), you explore the emotionally complex issue of intersex children undergoing unwanted surgery. What inspired you to tackle such a sensitive subject?
Rachel: The Case of Nikki Pagan is about an intersex child going through surgery against her will. Intersex is a term for people who aren’t easily defined as male or female, and it can result from a wide variety of medical conditions. These individuals are often subjected to surgical “correction” into the gender that the doctor deems most appropriate. However, we are learning that doctors are often wrong and that early surgical intervention can lead to a great deal of trauma for intersex people. Opinions on these issues are slowly shifting, and more and more intersex people are now being allowed to grow up and voice their opinion before doctors try to “correct” them. I wanted to help raise awareness about this injustice through storytelling.
Monika: Writing about trauma, especially when it echoes real-life struggles, can take a toll on the author. How did the writing process affect you emotionally?
Rachel: It was an emotionally difficult topic to tackle. My own mother was nearing the end of her life at the time I wrote it, and that personal grief seeped into the writing. Nikki Pagan became a cathartic character and book. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much at the keyboard as I did while writing that book. In hindsight, it helped me grieve while also giving voice to an often-silenced community.
Monika: You mentioned that Run, Clarissa, Run, The Best Boy Ever Made, and The Case of Nikki Pagan form a sort of legacy. Could you elaborate on the emotional thread that connects these books?
Rachel: Run, Clarissa, Run, The Best Boy Ever Made, and The Case of Nikki Pagan form a kind of emotional trilogy for me. All three speak to the pain I felt as an outsider growing up. They are all attempts to speak to my younger self and say, “No matter how bad it seems now, you will get through it.” Writing them was a way of transforming personal pain into something that could empower others. Each book has helped me connect with readers who needed to hear that same message of survival.
Monika: The protagonists in these books seem to carry a strong message of resilience. What do you hope young transgender readers take away from their stories?
Rachel: The main characters in all three books have a lot on their plates. But they are the heroes of their stories. They find a way to get through it. And to young trans people I say: you will find a way too. No matter how hard things seem right now, keep fighting. You are stronger than you think. You will make it through. Together, we will create a world that’s better for people like us. I truly believe that sharing these stories can build bridges between generations of LGBTQ+ resilience.
Monika: Since then, you’ve returned to genre fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and urban fantasy. How have you continued to weave LGBTQ+ representation into these new, imaginative worlds?
Rachel: Since those three books, I’ve returned, mostly, to the kinds of books I loved as a kid, science fiction, fantasy, and urban fantasy. Bear Naked starts a three-book series about shapeshifters. The main character is a were-bear in love with a werewolf, and she’s best friends with two were-otters, because who doesn’t love otters? And because I can’t write a book without LGBT characters, the two otters are genderqueer lovers, and there’s a lesbian werewolf in the pack.
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The Mage Chronicles is an epic fantasy. Mary, an orphan with mage-level magic, is content to be a simple healer until a mission from her old teacher forces her to realize her full powers and confront her past. (And, of course, there are several LGBT characters.) Zoey and the Zombies is an apocalypse novel featuring a trans character who fights zombies and helps lead her group to safety. I’m currently working on an ongoing sci-fi serial, released in monthly “episodes” on Amazon and as twice-weekly scenes on the free reading app Wattpad. I love exploring how queerness thrives even when the world turns upside down.
Monika: What’s the premise of your current series, The Galactic Consortium, and what can readers expect from it?
Rachel: The Galactic Consortium opens with aliens appearing in Earth’s skies. But they aren’t aliens at all, they’re humans like us, claiming they terraformed this planet ages ago. Now they’ve returned to use Earth as a base for exploring this galaxy. Season One, The Girl in the Tank, is completed and available as a single volume. Season Two, Shoshone Station, is currently being released on Wattpad. It’s a space opera filled with intrigue, identity questions, and of course, queer characters discovering their power in strange new worlds. The series lets me ask big questions about who we are and who gets to define humanity.
END OF PART 1
All the photos: courtesy of Rachel Eliason.
© 2017 - Monika Kowalska