WPS 2026 Day 19: Kelly Preston

  

Wonderland Pride Spotlight Day 19: Kelly Preston

Welcome to day 19 of the 2026 Wonderland Pride Spotlight! This is my way to help champion LGBTQ+ books and authors this Pride month! Today I am interviewing Kelly Preston. Be sure to check out my Instagram for even more excitement with this event!

Kelly Preston's LGBTQ+ Releases

• The Demon To Your Right

• If I Could Drag You Under

The Interview

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

"Nonbinary lesbian"

2. What rep do your books have?

"I am Audhd and Chronic Illness Chronic Pain. My books all include rep of both and mental health. My books each have a mixed character"

3. If you were to write in a different genre, what would it be?

"So I write in multiple genres :) I have works in horror, thriller, romance, sci fi, contemporary. I think the one genre I would never touch is 'cozy' if you call that a genre or low plot. I am all about the artistry of crafting a story that makes people feel intense hurt/comfort. I don't think I could ever shy away from the intensities in life. But I love being a multi genre author with that sweet hurt comfort weaving through as the constant. I love to encourage others to grow in empathy for new groups they are not a part of. Example my first two works had a heavy focus on chronic pain and mental health woven in there."

4. What is your biggest writing inspiration?

"My trauma and trauma I have observed from others. Either characters or the people who play them themselves. You can't quite ever remove the person from the equation and I love the realness that always comes through. That inspires me to write real and flawed characters that can help show others a new experience and the depth of someone else's pain and comeback."

5. Anything exciting for you on the horizon?

"I'm a finalist for a Goldie Award this year for the Golden Crown Literary Society, which is pretty exciting for my debut book to get that kind of support. It's just an honor to be included. Mostly seeing if there is a way to accommodate my disabilities for a trip to Florida."

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

"Hannah Gadsby, and mostly for helping me explore my Autism and how that intersects with my queerness. I had never before heard someone talk about things that I experienced my whole life and I was only watching her at first because she was gay and queer like me. Her show Douglas changed my life quite literally. Another queer person I looked up to growing up was Angelina Jolie because there were not many publicly queer femme presenting people, aside from Ellen and I never quite vibed with her. I loved how different and relatable Angelina was. I loved the authenticity and her relationship with darkness and struggle. She just felt real. I loved that she never shied away from her sexuality and it for sure was a part of why I never thought being gay was strange. My friend also had a gay aunt and I had a gay uncle so shoutout to them as well for the visibility from a young age."

Outro

I adore this excuse to conduct little author interviews! Happy Pride everyone! Stay tuned tomorrow for another amazing indie author and their LGBTQ+ releases!