Tehlor Kay Mejia Books In Order

Publication Order of Paola Santiago Books

Publication Order of We Set the Dark on Fire Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Are You Afraid of the Dark Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Tehlor Kay Mejia is a writer, editor, and poet. She is an Oregon native that is in love with the evergreen forests and alpine meadows in her home state, where she lives with her daughter.

When she is not writing, she can be found stealing rosemary sprigs from overgrown gardens, plucking at her guitar, or trying to make a perfect vegan tamale. She is passionate about representation for marginalized teens in media, and is active in the Latinx lit community.

Her first passion, as far as writing is concerned, is poetry. At some point, she would love to release a book of her poems, but is content with sharing some of them with the people who support her on Patreon. She is content just reading a bunch of poems until that happens. Through poetry, she is fed creatively in a way that nothing else does. For her, it is a gorgeous way for people that are outside of the mainstream to talk in a secret language to each other. These are the words of the resistance, to Mejia.

Tarot is a huge part of her life, and is a part of her novel. It is a way for her to tap into ancestral wisdom and an expression of her faith. In the book, it is a reminder of where Dani comes from, proof that she was actually there, and that part of her still belongs there. It tugs at her heartstrings and shows her there is more to the life she than the lie she is living out.

Being part of an anthology is very collaborative about the whole process for Mejia. She had support from everybody else the whole way and while you promote the release, there is a sense of camaraderie. She promoted her own work, and she hyped up a bunch of excellent authors at the same time, which takes the pressure off of herself, and is fun, too. She swapped stories with the friends she had that worked on both anthologies and it felt like a big community effort.

Releasing a novel, for her, is a tad lonelier. There is still the publishing team, but there isn’t the community feeling there in the same way. Some are really cool, because people (both reviewers and readers) are talking up a story she wrote by herself. She also had more say in every little thing that happens with the project.

Teen girls are endlessly inspiring for Mejia. She sees a fierceness and a determination in them while they stand up in the face of being underestimated and overlooked all the time. It is for this reason that she doesn’t like that young adult books are dismissed, as it is not much more than a thinly veiled dismissal of teen girls. Mejia is super proud and grateful to be able to join the ranks of some awesome authors that are helping to change that narrative and writing for some marginalized teens that deserve to their own selves in it.

She writes young adult fantasy, and her debut novel, “We Set the Dark on Fire”, was published in the year 2019. It was published by Katherine Tegen/ Harper Collins.

She views the book to be a f/f love story and a Latinx story, even though it is also a fantasy tale. It is also just one corner of the whole Latinx experience. She wants the readers who pick it up to understand this, and view it as part of a varied and wide canon of Latinx writers.

She found Dani to be a totally fun character to write for. She is very ambitious and driven by a lot of nature. A lot of her ambition has been required to meet the expectations of other people: her parents, the maestras at her school, and the new high-society family. Like when she starts being aware of the politics in the world all around her, however, she channels a lot of her drive into some pretty challenging and dangerous stuff. Not the least of which is falling in love one girl she really shouldn’t be.

“We Set the Dark on Fire” is the first novel in the “We Set the Dark on Fire” series, which was released in the year 2019. Distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles within their polarized society, at the Medio School for Girls. Depending on her own specialization, a graduate is going to one day run a husband’s household or raise his kids. Both are promised to live a life of luxury and comfort, and be far away from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class.

Daniela Vargas is the top student of the school, but her bright future is resting on no one finding out her deepest and darkest secret. Her pedigree is all a lie. Her parents sacrificed everything they had to get forged identification papers so that Dani could rise from her station. Her marriage to an important politico’s son is quickly approaching, making it vital that she keep the truth hidden or be sent back to society’s fringes. Here, poverty and famine reign supreme.

Dani’s graduation night comes and she would appear to be in the clear, even with all of the surprises that come. Nothing at all can prepare her for all of the difficult choices she has to make. Not even when she is asked to spy for some resistance group that is desperately battling to bring equality to Medio. Is Dani going to cling to the privilege that her parents fought to get for her, or give everything she has been working for for a free Medio, along with an opportunity at forbidden love?

The book is an original and refreshing read that takes on some of the most prevalent issues in today’s society. This is a beautifully written story that has been gorgeously built. It is set in a world that feels a lot like our own, even though it is set in a futuristic place. Some read the story in one sitting and was immersed in each and every single word of it. The main character is extremely likable, as she is resourceful, strong willed, smart, and confident.