WPS Author Interview Day 24: Christopher Hartland

WPS Author Interview Day 24: Christopher Hartland

Welcome to day 24 of the Wonderland Pride Spotlight author interviews! Today I am interviewing Christopher Hartland. To see all of the spotlight posts created by my lovely community, head over to the hashtag #wonderlandpridespotlight over on Instagram! 

Christoper's Book

• Against the Stars

The Interview

1. Are you LGBTQ+? If so, how?

"Yes, I identify as queer"

2. What books of yours have LGBTQ+ representation, and what rep do they have?

"My debut novel, Against the Stars, has a gay main character, a bisexual main character, and a trans side character. My next novel (which releases in 2026) has a queer main character, a bisexual main character, and a non-binary side character."

3. Why do you think LGBTQ+ rep in books is important?

"If LGBTQ+ people aren't able to see ourselves represented in the books we read, we will forever feel like outsiders who don't belong in the same stories as cishet people. Explicit representation is one of the best (and easiest) ways to foster a culture where queer people are accepted. I think this is especially relevant in children's books, as homophobia and transphobia are learned behaviours which can be prevented if children see positive queer representation from the off."

4. What got you into writing?

"For as long as I can remember, I've been someone who comes up with characters and stories, whether that was through playing make-believe as a child or writing the stories down. As an autistic person, a lot of my special interests are works of fiction, so it has always felt natural to create my own fiction as well."

5. Who is a queer figure you look up to?

"Russell T Davies. I admire him greatly as a storyteller, but also as someone who truly paved the way for a lot of queer representation especially in the UK media. I started watching Doctor Who in 2005 when he began running the show, and it's been my greatest special interest ever since. Doctor Who has had a huge influence on my writing and it was also the first work of fiction in which I ever saw explicitly queer characters."