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Giving Readers a Chance to See an Autistic Character Save the World!

January 9, 2018 By Jodi Murphy Leave a Comment

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Mouse by Richard Ford Burley - Autistic Character

Richard Ford Burley is a Canadian living in Boston for the last seven years while he works on his PhD in English. Five years ago, he found out he is autistic and writing his first novel, Mouse, helped him figure out what the diagnosis meant to him. Mouse was published in hardcover by a small-but-growing publisher called Prospective Press, and a paperback is coming in 2018.

Tell us about  Mouse. 

Mouse is a young adult contemporary fantasy novel that tells the story of Mouse, a mostly nonverbal teenage boy, making friends, learning about his family, and trying to save the world. Moving to a new town isn’t easy at the best of times, but when an ancient cabal of alchemists and sorcerers tries to kidnap you in the middle of the night because you’re supposedly the reincarnation of the only person that can save them—well, that tends to make things more complicated.

Mouse an Autistic Character

What inspired you to write it? 

My work on Mouse began not long after finding out that I’m autistic. When I started writing, I think I was trying to figure out more about myself, having just realized how differently I’d been seeing the world. I think as I progressed, I moved from it being about that to being about giving readers an example of an autistic character who actually does things. By that I mean, just so much of the autism representation in pop culture these days is about simply being autistic, and if you ask me that’s not a story. Being autistic isn’t a plot, it’s just life.

I wanted to give readers a chance to see an autistic character trying to do the fantastic things other characters do, like save the world.

Who’s your illustrator and why is the illustration perfect for capturing the spirit of your book?

I think the credit for the cover (which I love) has to go to the good folks at Prospective Press. We went back and forth over the ideas behind different designs and I think the end result really works. The fragmentation acts as a kind of visual metaphor for the way Mouse sees the world.

Who is the ideal reader and how do you see the book being used? 

I suppose I’d like my primary audience to be teens who enjoy a good story. If they’re neurotypical, maybe they’ll get a peek at an experience of the world outside their own. If they’re not, maybe they’ll see a little of themselves in Mouse. And that’s not to say adults won’t enjoy the book, but I was trying to write a book I would have wanted to read when I was a teen.

What’s the message you want your readers to take away after reading the book? 

Maybe just that if you can imagine a world with magic and impossible things, you should be able to imagine it with a neurodiverse hero, too.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about Mouse?

I’m a little obsessed with anime, so there are a lot of little Easter eggs in the book for fellow fans.

Do you have a proud moment, inspirational story, or moving fan feedback you’d like to share?

I mean, I’d love to have one, but the best I can manage right now is “I survived 2017,” and I think we all deserve a pat on the back for that, others more than me.

If our readers leave with only one message after reading this interview, what would you like it to be?

If there’s something big you want to do, go try to do it. Mouse was written in twenty-five to thirty-minute chunks in between classes and assignments, before the start of the day or after the end of it. It’s a bit of a gross saying, but there’s definitely something to the whole thing about how you eat an elephant (one bite at a time).

Discover more about Richard and Mouse at:

  • richardfordburley.com
  • @iwrotemouse
  • Author’s Facebook Page
  • Prospective Press Author Page
  • Purchase Mouse on Amazon*

If you liked this post, you may like:

  • Nonverbal Autistic Boy is at the Heart of This Debut Novel
  • The Remarkable Courage of “Being Seen”
  • The Aspie Protagonist in “Secret of the Songshell”

*The link to buy the book is our affiliate link. By purchasing using this link will not only support the author but you’ll be raising funds to support our autistic team of contributors.

Find more SciFi/Fantasy books by autistic authors on our Amazon Shop.

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Filed Under: Blog Haps, Curious Interviews Tagged With: autism writer, YA authors, YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy

About Jodi Murphy

Jodi Murphy is the founder of Geek Club Books, a registered nonprofit committed to creating a world where autistic individuals are fully accepted, valued and have a voice. Her priority is bringing autistic individuals creative and leadership opportunities that are meaningful, empowering and support their advocacy. She works with a creative autistic team to produce pop culture-based autism awareness education that is innovative, engaging, positive and opens hearts and minds to a new way of thinking about autism. Sign up for Geek Club Books mailing list for free apps, resource guides, curriculum, audio stories and more: https://geekclubbooks.com/autism-bundle.

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