Amara Gale

I'm a fantasy author in the Midwest, Illinois is as specific as I'll get. I moved around a lot as a kid. We were always broke. I have PTSD from being bullied. I also have depression and social anxiety. I was parentified as a child, having to take care of my younger sisters, and my mom. My sisters' father, my step-father, became abusive as his addiction to marijuana spiraled out of control and constantly put us all on a knife edge financially. (That's not to say I don't support legalization and decriminalization. I also think there should be less of a stigma for people suffering from drug, alcohol, or other addictions.)



When I went to college, I had a rocky time because of poverty and my undiagnosed mental illnesses, even though I was an excellent student and Scholastic Bowl wiz kid in high school. I eventually dropped out because of what I now recognize as depression symptoms. I'm bisexual and in October of last year, I married a high school friend, Trish, who is a transgender woman. Now I have some stability in my life from her, but my mental health remains an ongoing battle. 



I write and draw because I feel like I need it during the hardest times. I also prolifically read fiction, being drawn to the escapism of unusual and bizarre worlds in art, literature, movies, anime, and so on. That's why my favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy. I'm hoping that my work will resonate with others and inspire them the way fiction I have read did for me. I love what an understanding, caring, generous, and mutually supportive community the creative people of the internet are.