✨Last night we had the pleasure of hosting AIDEN THOMAS (@aidenschmaiden), with LIZZ HUERTA (@lizzhuertawrites), to celebrate THE SUNBEARER TRIALS! The event kicked off with Aiden giving a summary of THE SUNBEARER TRIALS, followed by what inspired the story. Growing up, Aiden loved the Percy Jackson series, but he couldn’t see himself in the characters or the world. Now an adult, he decided to write the story he wished he had as a kid: a Mexican Percy Jackson set in a contemporary Mexico environment. In fact, Aiden threw everything that he wanted in THE SUNBEARER trials, like societal commentary, his favorite cities in Mexico (inspiring cities in the story), and powerful queer and trans characters. “I wanted to make it queer as hell!” exclaimed Aiden. Community was another important topic Aiden made sure to explore, as he sees too much of American exceptionalism, or “The One”, in stories, and not enough of a communal effort. But with so much that Aiden wanted to put in the book, bit off more than he could chew, especially with the choice of have ten main characters. As for what’s next for Aiden, he’s writing the sequel to THE CEMETARY BOYS, then his first contemporary romance (a stealth trans boy experiencing his first year in college), and lastly a sci-fi novel tentatively titled “Gay Titanic in Space,” THE SUNBEARER TRIALS is perfect for Latino and queer readers who have longed to see themselves in fantasy stories. If you missed last night's event, signed copies of THE SUNBEARER TRIALS, as well as Aiden's backlist, are available for order! ✨ #aidenthomas #thesunbearertrials #fiercereads #lizzhuerta #2022authorevent #mysteriousgalaxybookstore #mystgalaxybooks #mysteriousgalaxy #independentbookstore #authorevent #sandiegobookstore #sandiego