Alex Peachy

I am not. I am a cisgender, straight white man. I do have family members and friends who are transgender, and I am a committed advocate and ally for them and for the LGBTQ+ community broadly.

While the world was different when I started writing Distilled Magic, I aimed to provide a cozy, joyful story that might make the trans and LGBTQ people in my life feel better. Now, it seems needed more than ever.

I don't claim authority on trans experience. I tried to write with care, consulted with trans people before and during the writing, and hired a non-binary sensitivity reader before publication. Trans readers are the ones who can tell you whether I succeeded.

Before writing the book, I consulted with Justine, a transgender woman and personal friend, who provided early input on the story. Before publication, I hired Emeric, a non-binary, Black sensitivity reader, whose feedback shaped the final manuscript in meaningful ways. Both Justine and Emeric are acknowledged by name in the book's acknowledgements.

For the audiobook, I cast Alexis Vandom, a transgender woman, as the narrator for both Distilled Magic and Social Sorcery. She does an extraordinary job bringing these characters to life.

These aren't talking points, but they're genuine acts of care that I'm grateful for and that I think are simply the right approach when writing outside your own experience.

Distilled Magic includes instances of transphobia, body shaming, gender dysphoria, misgendering, dead naming, unaccepting family, and mentions of physical abuse. They are not overly prevalent but may trigger some readers. The novel also contains themes of adoption, infertility, and substance abuse. There are small sections involving experimentation on animals and people (goblins), which may be disconcerting to some readers.

Social Sorcery includes a character dealing with and overcoming fat-shaming and low self-esteem. It is a minor point in the story with a positive resolution, but those triggered by such things should take care. While on an adventure, a lizard-like creature is killed, and a component is harvested from the corpse. This may be disturbing to some, but it is a brief portion of the adventure. During one scene, a cat sustains a minor injury, but I assure you, she turns out well. This novel describes the consumption of alcohol (whisky) for relaxation and, at one point, escapism. Finally, for those with arachnophobia, spiders play an essential role in the story, but they are quite friendly.

Full content warnings are included at the beginning of each book.

Sadly, no. Dragonroot is fictional. But the tea Trinx drinks in Distilled Magic was inspired by a warm, spiced milk tea with earthy, slightly sweet depth. In the real world, a well-made masala chai or a spiced rooibos comes very close to what I had in mind. Cardamom, ginger, and a hint of something smoky — that's dragonroot tea, if you squint.

A proper dragonroot tea recipe is one of the things I might share with newsletter subscribers.

Both books are written for adult readers but are accessible to teens (13+) who are comfortable with the content warnings listed above. There is no explicit sexual content. The themes are mature, including identity, grief, infertility, and substance abuse, but they are handled with care rather than graphic detail.

Several parents of trans teenagers have told me they read the books alongside their kids. That means a great deal to me.

Yes! Both Distilled Magic and Social Sorcery are available to libraries through standard distribution. If your library doesn't already carry them, you can request them. Most library systems have a simple online form for purchase requests, just ask for the book by name and author. Libraries are a wonderful way to discover indie authors, and I'm grateful for every request.