Meet Andora

A drawing representing Andy, done by artist Sleepy

Hi! I’m Andora and my pronouns are they/she. Feel free to call me Andy!

I’m a writer, a a winter person, and a mostly harmless panromantic asexual from Washington state.

When I’m not writing own-voices queer polyamorous romantasy, you can likely find me watching the Seattle Kraken or an obscure low budget movie with a crochet hook in hand, out on the mountain with skis on my feet, or hanging out in my community with a smile on my face as I try to spread good throughout the world.

I can’t tell you what color my hair is likely to be as that changes too frequently. But my skin is pale and my eyes are olive green.

Line of small snowflakes

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Link: https://writing.exchange/@andyb
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link: https://bsky.app/profile/andybwriting.bsky.social
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andora@andorabrokaw.com
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  • Interview with a Teashop

    Participants:
    Kiyli, A foxkin reporter
    Yp Yetsona Yetsona Yetsona, a teashop

    Yp Yetsona: Hi, Kiyli! Welcome back! It’s been a while.

    Kiyli: Yeah, I haven’t been here in years. Not since I moved to the capital. You look much like you did when I was a teenager.

    Yp Yetsona: You should move back! But, yeah, Vil didn’t change much after he took over. I think he feels like if he leaves everything the way his mom left it, it’s sort of like she’s still around.

    Kiyli: I can understand that sentiment. I can almost see Viyanna peeking out from the kitchen, trying to keep a discreet eye on things.

    Yp Yetsona: I see you selected the mint-bluebark soother. She loved that tea. 

    Kiyli: It’s my favorite here when I don’t need caffeine. What’s yours?

    Yp Yetsona: The smokey pine black tea. It was the first tea Vil designed.

    Kiyli: I remember that. We were, what? Fourteen?

    Yp Yetsona: I’m bad at keeping track of what year it is. But he was shorter than now.

    Kiyli: Not that that’s hard.

    Yp Yetsona: He does seem rather tall for an elf.

    Kiyli: So, I’m including a write-up of you in my Guide to Niaretya. How would you introduce yourself?

    Yp Yetsona: Oh… Um… I’m Yp Yetsona Yetsona Yetsona. If the reader isn’t from the area, they may not know what that means. It’s The Quiet Yetsona Teashop. Viyanna, my founder, loved puns. And yetsonae are cute. Everyone says so.

    Kiyli: A yetsona, for anyone who’s never seen one, is like a cross between a miniature dragon and a bunny.

    Yp Yetsona: Yes. I’ve always had the one in the front window mosaic, but I recently obtained a series of paintings of yetsonae in various seasons. They’re hanging behind the counter.

    Kiyli: I noticed. Vil’s new boyfriend did them, right?

    Yp Yetsona: Yuri. Yes. I’m told the pair met because Vil wanted to buy the one with the yetsona playing in snow. It was sort of perfect for me.

    Kiyli: It is. Talking to you, you sound very fond of Vil.

    Yp Yetsona: Oh, yes! I love him very much. I love all of my elves. Sascha tells me they’re only half-elf, that their father was a human and that’s why they could grow their beard. And supposedly Vil and Vanya are part elemental. But I count them all as elves anyway.

    Kiyli: Does that love for your elves extend to your customers?

    Yp Yetsona: Absolutely! I love having visitors! Elves, pixies, stonekin, whatever! Anyone who appreciates tea is more than welcome!

    Kiyli: Do you have a favorite time of day?

    Yp Yetsona: I love opening the best. Oh! And midday, when people are less groggy and talk more. And of course, closing is nice because I get extra alone time with my caretakers.

    Kiyli: What about a favorite season?

    Yp Yetsona: Winter, for sure! The whole town is happiest in winter. I get so many extra visitors then! And they’re all extra cheerful about getting something warm to drink. A lot of times in summer, people are already so hot they don’t want tea.

    Kiyli: I’ve heard about a trend for cold teas. Do you offer those?

    Yp Yetsona: We do. But they’re just not as popular.

    Kiyli: If there was one thing you could tell the world, what would it be?

    Yp Yetsona: Be kind to yourself and drink more tea!

    Kiyli: Excellent advice.

    Yp Yetsona: If you wanted to include a picture of a yetsona, Sascha’s nephew has brought his pet one in to visit.

    Kiyli: Oh! That’s a lovely idea!

    A yetsona sits by a teapot

    Yp Yetsona: That came out well. But I see you’ve finished your tea. Would you like more?

    Kiyli: I need to get going. But I’ll take some of the smokey pine to go.

    Yp Yetsona: It was good seeing you. Come back soon!

    Kiyli: I’ll do my best. You are my favorite teashop in the world.

    Yp Yetsona: Ahhhh. Thank you!

    (Note: If you are in love with the plush “yetsona” in the picture, she is the Year of the Dragon Rabbit from Plushie Dreadfuls. If they still have any, they’ll be listed here.)

    a line of purple snowflakes
  • Releasing The Harmony of Falling Snow

    The Harmony of Falling Snow cover, featuring a dragon on a mountaintop looking up into falling snow

    Me: Hey, Harmony, check this out!

    Harmony: I have a cover? Really? That’s mine?

    Me: It is!

    Harmony: I HAVE A COVER!

    Me: You seem to like it. It’s by Cat Psychic, who people can find under that name on Ko-fi.

    Harmony: Does this mean I really am going to be released soon?

    Me: The finalized files have been uploaded to itch.io, Kindle, and Draft2Digital. And some stores are even allowing people to pre-order you already! (Including itch.io, which is where I make the largest profit off the same cover price should anyone ask.)

    Harmony: They are? Wow… I can’t believe I’m finished.

    Me: I know, right? But here are the preorder links:

    itch.io
    Everywhere Else

    Me: Also, people will be able to purchase you via Ko-fi. I can’t set up preorders there, but anyone who wants to follow me can see when the digital book is available.

    Harmony: So I come out on… Wait. Does that say June 1st? I thought we were aiming for June 21st.

    Me: We originally targeted the 21st for both print and digital, but the digital is ready to go now, so why wait that long?

    Harmony: Why wait at all?

    Me: We want a LITTLE bit of anticipation.

    Harmony: I guess. So the print will have a different release date?

    Me: Yeah. I’m sticking with June 21st for that. Although we’ll see how much of a nightmare getting the formatting and such right is.

    Harmony: Can people pre-order print copies?

    Me: Not right now. I’m working on some Clever Ideas about that, but nothing’s ready yet.

    Harmony: And the listing says I’m on sale, not just for sale?

    Me: Yep! From now until July 5th, the digital version of you costs $4.99. After July 5th, the price increases to $7.99.

    Harmony: I seem cheaper than many comp titles.

    Me: Because you’re the first in a series and I’m not exactly well known.

    Harmony: Will my print version be the same price?

    Me: I wish! But printing costs are going to be higher than either of those numbers.

    Melody: What about me?

    Me: You’ll probably be a similar price for debut.

    Melody: That’s not what I meant. You haven’t touched me in the last fortnight…

    Me: Oh! I will be getting back to you as soon as I can, sweetling. Between the stress of formatting, dealing with new systems, and staring at proofs, I’m rather frazzled. And I’m going to be hanging out with my daughter at a Ren Faire this weekend. But I’m going to leave this meeting to work on your outline, then hopefully give you some quality time next week.

    a line of purple snowflakes
  • Interview with a Zymra

    Me: I want to help Sugary Carousel, one of the many small businesses hurt by the inane and unprecedentedly high tariffs recently inflicted upon the US by the megalomaniac in the White House.

    Ko-fi: The artist behind their cuteness opened commissions for just that reason!

    Me: (hands over money as fast as a human can) Please draw me a winged ferret in a purple and yellow color scheme?

    Sugary Carousel: Here you go!

    Me: Squee! I have a picture of a zymra!

    Zymra: What am I? I appear to be a winged-ferret-like-something?

    Me: That’s exactly what you are!

    Zymra: Okay… That’s a thing in your books, is it?

    Me: Yep! Main Character Yuri has two pet zymrae (In Ashereek, you make nouns that end in ‘a’ plural by adding an ‘e’ at the end). But they’re black and white.

    Zymra: Noticing I’m not those colors…

    Me: That’s because you are a special zymra! YOU are a political statement.

    Zymra: Uh…

    Me: The statement is ‘Democracy is good and we deserve more of it!’ with connotations of ‘Down with fascism!’ and ‘Don’t be a racist!’

    Zymra: I’m okay with that.

    Me: I figured you would be.

    Zymra: What about me states all that though?

    Me: It’s a little complicated. But basically, you’re the symbol of the Yskies, a movement to bring democratic representation to an area that currently lacks it. Think DC, except it’s the size of a large state, the reason for it being unrepresented goes back to a state marriage a thousand years ago, and a marginalized demographic despised by many in power is heavily represented there. Uh… Noticing that last one isn’t a way it differs from DC… But moving on…

    Zymra: That’s a lot. I was hoping I was just something cute…

    Me: You ARE cute! I can see you as a plushie in the in-book toy store. Although this drawing of you is incredibly close to what I think some of the protest graffiti that pops up around Niaretya looks like.

    Zymra: I’m still a little confused. I thought the books were romances? Now you’re saying they’re political?

    Me: They are predominantly romances. But there are Yskie plotlines in both of the first two books, and likely the third. I’ll know for sure when I outline Book 3.

    Zymra: How important are the politics?

    Me: Moderately? Multiple characters directly impact the Yskie organization and its goals. And the Yskies’ public-transit-closing protests are a repeated frustration in Book 1. Less so in Book 2, but mostly because there isn’t anyone commuting into Niaretya like Yuri does in the first one. But also (mumbles) …spoilers… (/mumbles).

    Zymra: Will MAGA consider these plotlines leftist propaganda?

    Me: Oh, honey… The MAGA crowd won’t make it through the cover material before screaming, “It’s woke! Get it away from me!” It implies Maggie shouldn’t have been deported AND mentions two men in love with each other AND makes it clear the story is polyamorous. But, yeah, the political plotlines assume agreement with the concept of democracy being a good thing, so… They may be offensive to some of MAGA.

    Zymra: Oddly enough, I’m okay with that.

    Me: Me too.

    Image with zymra and the text 'Yskies Rise! Democracy Now! Peace, Love, and Voting rights for all!'
    a line of purple snowflakes
  • Review: Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton

    I read this YA novel several years ago, so I’m not going to attempt to write a new review. I do want to mention it here though as it is a polyamorous romantasy. This is a cleaned-up version of my Goodreads review from right after I finished it. (Note: I’m no longer active on Goodreads, but you can find me on Storygraph as andybrokaw. I’m going to attempt to be active there, but it it also has all my Goodreads data from when I waws using it.)

    This is the story of a boy and the girl he loves. And the boy they both love.

    We start with a town where everything is idyllic. The weather is perfect for crops, wounds heal overnight, no one ever gets sick, and all pregnancies go well. There’s a price for this, of course. Every seven years, a young man is sent into the forest. He typically doesn’t survive meeting with the demon therein.

    Our story starts when the bargain becomes due earlier than expected. A horse is sick, there’s a blight in the wheat field, and a child is born premature. Sure enough, the blood tree turns red to signal it’s time for a new sacrifice. Three teens now come together to work out why the sacrifice is being called for early and to try to save the boy who “wins” the right to enter the forest under the full moon.

    I’m gonna get a tad spoilery now, so you might want to skip the rest and just go read this book. The writing is almost lyrical, the plot is captivating, the characters are detailed, and although it’s a little on the dark side, the gore and violence are actually pretty low-key.

    Our leads are the daughter of the local witch, the boy so wonderful everyone has been certain he will be the next sacrifice for years, and an angry hunter who was raised as a girl for the first years of his life because his mother didn’t want him in the running for death-by-demon.

    The cover copy didn’t present this as a romance, but it very much is. It’s a love triangle, but an actual triangle and not the V’s people call love triangles. My first hint that this was more than it seemed was when Rhun thinks of Mairwyn and describes her as “the person he loves who he is allowed to love.” My eyes went wide and I may have shrieked happily over the implication that he loved more than one person and that there’s something others consider unsuitable about the other one. It’s obvious from soon thereafter that Mairwyn knows her boyfriend is into their mutual friend and is absolutely cool with it, perhaps because she also loves the other object of his affections.

    I was scared for a little that this was going to be a “gay boy tries to force himself to love a girl because he’s scared of being out in a medieval society and winds up hurting people” story, but was very happy to be wrong about that. Rhun absolutely loves and is attracted to Mairwyn. He just also loves and is attracted to Arthur. Yay, bisexuality! 

    5 Stars

    a line of purple snowflakes
  • Interview with a Hometown

    Niaretya: the mountains are calling

    Participants:
    Kiyli
    , a foxkin reporter
    Niaretya, a quaint mountain village

    Kiyli: I don’t think I’ve ever interviewed a village before, but I suppose my hometown’s a good one to start with.

    Niaretya: Never been interviewed before, if it makes you feel better.

    Kiyli: The last interview I did was about pokemon. They’re a thing from Erfaereen. I don’t suppose you know what those are?

    Niaretya: Afraid not. For obvious reasons, I don’t travel much.

    Kiyli: No, I don’t suppose you would. It would be hard for you to leave Faereen. And I’d prefer you not slide down the mountain…

    Niaretya: I’ve been sitting in this valley for over two thousand years. The river seems like it’s a little further down than it used to be, but that could be my imagination.

    Kiyli: How much has changed since you were founded. Er… Born?

    Niaretya: Founded is fine. Obviously, my residents are completely different. Although some of them do look a bit like the old ones. The castle on the ridge over me, Sky View, is a different castle than used to be there. This one isn’t as friendly, frankly.

    Kiyli: How would you describe your relationship with Sky View?

    Niaretya: I get the impression Sky View thinks it’s better than me. The old castle wasn’t like that. The Castle Made of Snow and I were best friends. It needed me and I thought I needed it. Of course, those weird fire people murdered her and built this new one… As you can tell, I’m still upset about it. Which I suppose could mean I never gave Sky View much of a chance. Maybe I should try to do better.

    Kiyli: Weird fire people? You mean the Asharae Empire?

    Niaretya: I guess? I’m told I’m part of that now? I still consider myself part of Ysk. You know, the nation. Not whatever the rot Yskereen Province is. I was founded by icekin, you know. And I’m only truly happy when I’m covered in snow. What do these empire people know of snow?

    Kiyli: Much of the Empire is rather warm, including the capital. But let’s talk about your snow. Even in the middle of summer, you can see snow, yesno?

    Niaretya: Oh, yes! For sure! The lower ridges directly over me melt out in early summer, but several of the peaks peeking over them stay blissfully snow-capped year-round.

    Kiyli: As someone who grew up skiing at Snow Song, I must ask how you feel about the ski area.

    Niaretya: People have skied around me since my founding, and I never minded. I love people who love snow! But recently, a bunch of folks decided to build lifts. I’m mostly used to them now, but when they first went in, they made my edges itch like crazy.

    Kiyli: I’m sorry to hear the lifts bothered you. I hope things continue to get better, because I really do love having the lifts there, but don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Do you consider the ski area part of you, then? Not a separate entity?

    Niaretya: Oh, absolutely! Do my residents not?

    Kiyli: I think most of us do. Although the tourists seem to think it’s the other way around, that you are part of the ski area. They go around being confused by things like the local businesses not being owned by Snow Song. They keep asking local businesses for things like discounts that are only valid at the ski area.

    Niaretya: I’m told I’m an official Accessible Recreation Village. But no one’s told me what that is. I think it has something to do with the tourists?

    Kiyli: It does. So, those empire people we were talking about earlier believe that it’s important all citizens have access to affordable recreation. Consequently, the Empire has programs to subsidize things like ski areas, beaches, and other destination-type locations. They give boons to local businesses in exchange for businesses agreeing to modest pricing structures. A lot of countries don’t have anything like that, and as a result, it becomes prohibitively expensive for many to visit those places. In Ashareen, it can actually be cheaper to do things like go out for a meal while you’re in a high-demand tourist area than it would be to eat at home.

    Niaretya: So it means I’m easier for more people to visit?

    Kiyli: That’s the idea. Although, of course, there are only so many people who can do that before there’s too much of a crowd for anyone to have fun. So there’s stuff like lotteries during popular times, like Reset.

    Niaretya: But my residents always get to ski, right?

    Kiyli: We get a set number of reservations we can make for free and we can opt to buy an unlimited pass at a steep discount, even if the non-resident season passes are sold out. And every other First Day, we get two hours of morning snow all to ourselves!

    Niaretya: I’m glad. I understand the tourists help me flourish, but I wouldn’t exist without my residents. They’re my favorite thing about me.

    Kiyli: That’s really sweet. What is your second favorite thing about yourself?

    Niaretya: My location! Actually, that might be tied for first. Oh! And my weather! I have the best weather for all but like four verses of the year!

    Kiyli: Those four verses are the ones when snow’s unlikely?

    Niaretya: Precisely. Although I don’t like spring much either and it does snow then. But mostly snow melts in spring, which just feels awful. It saps my energy, makes it difficult to breathe, and itches a lot. It’s even itchier than when they installed the ski lifts.

    Kiyli: Sympathies. I have allergies in spring myself. Our time is about up. Is there anything you want people to know about you that hasn’t been covered?

    Niaretya: I want everyone to know I welcome visitors in all seasons, but I do believe that on average, they could be a little more respectful to me and my residents. If they have litter, they should take it to an incinerator rather than leaving it at a trailhead for someone else to deal with. Basically, if you’d mind a stranger doing something right outside your house, don’t do it here. And be nice. If you’d be upset over someone saying something to a person you love, don’t say it to strangers you meet here.

    Kiyli: Picking up after yourself and being kind to others are things most of us learned in preschool, but I have noticed many people forget to do either when they’re on vacation. So, be clean, be polite, and come visit?

    Niaretya: Yep! And you should move back home, Mx Kuznalov. It’s way nicer here than in Heart’s Palace.

    Kiyli: I have been considering it, but I’ll have to get back to you on that. Thank you for your time. What are you doing next?

    Niaretya: I’m going to focus on the Community Center Iceplex for a bit. There’s a curling bonspiel going on, and I think a hockey game’s about to start. Then I’m going to watch the sunset. Feel free to join me!

    a line of purple snowflakes