Aaron H. Aceves Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Aaron H. Aceves

Mexican-American writer, Aaron H. Aceves, born and raised in east Los Angeles. A graduate of Harvard College, he received an MFA from Columbia University. He lives in Texas, serving as an Early Career Provost Fellow at the University of Texas in Austin. He’s also pleased to be teaching creative writing at UTA.

Mr. Aceves has written many short stories and a few novels. His fiction has appeared in Epiphany, them, and jmww. This is Why They Hate Us (TIWTHU) is his debut novel, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

As Chicano bisexual man, born and raised in East Los Angeles, he had never been able to find traditionally published young adult stories about those who are queer and hispanic. Mr. Aceves is pleased to be able to create representation by creating characters who represent himself and others like him. His YA novels written by a bisexual Mexican-American man, written about a bisexual Mexican-American boy hits him as being unique and he’s excited about the groundbreaking writing he’s doing.

With the launch of the publication of his novel, came the rounds of interviews. The LGBTQ community is highly excited to hear about his writing journey and what he has planned in the future. In one interview he talks about his first book. He wrote it in college which he describes as a “contemporary rip-off of Mean Girls”. Mr. Aceves says it was terrible; it was very bad and written about straight characters.

Since that first story, he’s written many short stories and several books he’s proud of. His eventually writing about his own queerness improved the quality of his work. He was ashamed about exploring his sexuality and worried about the blowback. He says he’s shoved his lifestyle and sexuality down people’s throats and it has worked for him, advancing the acceptance of the LGBTQ community.

Like most authors who are interviewed, a common question is what about the writing is the most difficult. He said for his novel TIWTHU, his novel is for YA and the primary character is seventeen years old. He needed to write in that younger voice. His first draft was completed when he was twenty-four and twenty-nine when he made his last edits. Finding that YA voice, the teenage language needed to discuss difficult topics he would write on about complex issues and demonstrate profound emotions and cap it with a typical teenage retort- “it sucks”.

Mr. Aceves describes his writing process as chaotic. He binge writes, going days, weeks, months not writing. Then he dives back in writing all day, skipping meals, staying up late, tuning out everyone to get his works in. He would tell his early-self, yeah, your life is totally a mess, but stop worrying and keep writing. It will all work out. Your writing stuff will be ok.

As a successful author and educator, he’s asked the common question of advice for aspiring writers. His answers are typical- that journey to becoming a published writer is very similar. Try to enjoy the act of writing and then getting published. Write whatever you want. Fantasize about the bidding war for your book deal.

Mr. Aceves’s book has been praised with statements such as being lyrical in expressing queer longing and romance and the yearn for true friendship and the anxiousness that can accompany. It’s “achingly tender and honest” with humor and passion the boldness of the title expressing the urgent need in this time presenting a new and fresh queer view.

The voice of the protagonist is unfiltered, chaotic, and genuine. Queer reviewers have expressed how wonderful and helpful it would have been to be able to read this book in their teen years.

Mr. Aceves’s book, This is Why They Hate Us (TIWTHU) starts with an oft-quoted statement by Maya Angelou. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

The primary character in the story This is Why They Hate Us, Enrique “Quique” Luna, has a deep crush on his friend Saleem Kanazi. Saleem will be gone for the summer before their senior year in high school and Quique has to get over his crush and figures while Saleem’s gone over the summer it’s the best time. He’ll do that by looking at other romantic possibilities. It could be difficult- only his best friend, Fabiola, knows he’s bi-sexual.

As the Los Angeles summer heats up, Quique’s anxieties and deeply hidden fears quickly come to the surface. His strategy to get over one love by falling for others is turning out to not be the best plan. Coming out to all, trying to find love in a world that fits his truth, is bound to create stress and pain.

Mr. Aceves wants readers to grasp one this one critical thought from his story- everyone deserves to feel worthy of love, not just romantic love, not just straight love. That love should be worthy for anyone, especially teens who are feeling not worthy of love and are unloved.

The inspiration for This is Why They Hate Us while Mr. Aceves was in his own very miserable place in life. He was twenty-four, hating the job he was working, and he came home and sat down and wrote over two-thousand words about a kid who was equally miserable.

The story that poured from him, was so clear, so true, he returned to it every day for the next four weeks until he completed it. That first draft poured from him in twenty-eight days. There is a commonality between he and Quique.