Finding Queer Joy: An Interview With Author C.B. Lee

With the recent attacks on marginalized folks and efforts to crush our progress, representation is more important than ever. Author C.B. Lee is doing just that, one book at a time. 

CB Lee is a New York Times bestselling author of young adult and middle-grade fiction author. Their work includes “Minecraft: The Shipwreck,” the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selected “A Class of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix,” and the Lambda Literary Award-nominated Sidekick Squad series.

Lee’s upcoming book, “Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe,” is a “sapphic, cozy fantasy YA romance” involving “a geeky overachiever determined to save the world through science and a troublemaking chosen one lashing out against her destiny,” who “meet and fall in love in a magical coffeeshop as their two very different universes begin to collide.” 

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Lee themselves to talk about their upcoming book, their work as a queer author of color, and how they champion telling the stories of young queer people.

Unwritten: Thank you so much for coming here to talk to us. Can you tell me a little about how you got into writing?

Lee: I’ve loved storytelling since I was a kid. I was super into developing games and stories, and I’ve always loved fantasy. I consumed all these books as a reader and as a kid. But I always noticed how these stories were only for, like, straight white people—something I internalized in my writing. 

I used to wonder why I would write about these white straight characters when that wasn’t who I was. As an adult, when I realized I internalized that, I decided to write the books I wished I had as a teenager. In my stories, these queer characters of color also got to have those fun adventures, romances, happy endings, and all the fun that comes with storytelling.

Unwritten: As you mentioned, you didn’t see a lot of queer representation in books growing up. Were there any books you read as a child that inspired you to publish these stories yourself?

Lee: I enjoyed Laurence Yep’s work. I also liked Octavia Butler, who I probably should not have been reading at 12, but what can I say?

Tamora Pierce was another author I read a lot as a kid. She’s great and writes a lot of fantasy if you’re into that genre. Her magic system is thoughtful and engaging, and I love that her stories include characters of color.

Unwritten: I know how important representation is to me and others. Do you ever get comments from young readers about how much your books have impacted their lives? And if so, which ones have stood out to you?

Lee: Yeah, it’s happened several times. During my first time at the San Diego Comic-Con as a guest panelist, I saw a long line of people waiting at someone’s panel. And it wasn’t until I got there that I realized they were waiting for my panel in particular!

I remember, in particular, an Asian girl holding my book who also attended my panel. She sat up front the entire time, and we chatted a bit at the end of the panel. She told me she was Vietnamese and how powerful it was to see my character Jess Tran, who is Chinese Vietnamese, in the first book of my Sidekick series.

It’s always humbling when that happens. I’m awed and appreciate our community.

Unwritten: When I read your summary for your upcoming book, “Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe,” I couldn’t help but smile. As someone in the fanfiction space, I know how popular the “coffeeshop alternate universe” trope was. Can you talk a little about your inspiration for this book? 

Lee: It’s an original story, but the title is a tribute to the fanfiction tropes. These two girls try to date and find spaces in a universe where they can spend time together. But the universe is also falling apart, so they have to fix it on top of everything else. And, as someone who loves liminal spaces, I thought having a coffee shop in that space would be fun.

With “Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe,”  you have this meet-cute with your love interest, and then you have this date, but it’s horrifying because you’re stood up. But you’re not stood up because you and your date are both from different universes. It’s fun.

I love fanfiction. I hope that people who love fanfiction also love my novels. 

Unwritten: Besides fanfiction, I feel that young adult novels get a bad rep for being too “juvenile,” therefore, it’s assumed that the writing is “bad.” But I’ve read a lot of great YA literature. Do you face any of these challenges as a YA author, and how do you combat them?

Lee: CB: I feel like there’s a bit of a stigma around YA fiction where people are like, “Ha! Ha! That’s for kids; YA authors aren’t real writers.” It’s kind of like how romance is treated as “inferior,” too, you know? But while YA, as a genre, might not be taken seriously, there’s a dedicated readership to it. I’ve always found YA to be accessible, which is wonderful. 

I think there’s so much YA authors have to say, and they do it innovatively. There’s such an immediacy to YA fiction. We all know the feeling of growing up and figuring ourselves out. And that doesn’t just go away when you’re an adult! There’s always something new happening.

Unwritten: Given America’s history and recent policies targetting marginalized groups, I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of backlash. Do you remember a time when you had to deal with that backlash? How have you handled that?

Lee: Yeah, it happens. Some people gave me dirty looks at the first con I went to since my table was decked out in rainbows. And when I wrote for Star Wars and Minecraft, the dudebros came out, wondering why someone “like me” had written these books.

However, when people have the power of anonymity on the Internet, they’re much more emboldened to be cruel. So, I don’t like to draw attention to this because I think it makes the comments and the harassers feel more powerful. 

I also protect my mental health when it happens. I tell myself it’s not personal; it’s more about this person taking the time to send me these mean messages than me. This person is spending their energy doing this when they could do anything else.

Unwritten: Protecting your mental health is so important, which brings me to my last question. Do you have any advice or words of encouragement for queer and other marginalized folks on how to survive during this administration and beyond?

Lee: Be proud of yourself, and know you’re not alone. We’re here, still fighting and resisting, and folks are doing their best to fight for your rights. I know we wake up daily to bad news about what’s happening in the world, but that’s intentional. They’re using many tactics to overwhelm you and make you fatigued so that you don’t care and give up.

I think there’s too much finger-pointing happening in our community as well. People criticize you for not “doing enough” or tell you what you “should be” doing activism-wise. But activism looks different for everyone, and that’s okay. If your form of activism means continuing to live your life, breathing, and finding joy in the small things, that’s enough. Yes, it’s great if you have the brain space to call your representatives. But we can all fight in different ways. 

So don’t give up. Keep breathing. Keep living. 

Unwritten: Thank you so much for those beautiful words and your time, C.B. I’m sure I speak for all our readers when I say that we need to hear this now more than ever, and we appreciate the work you continue to do.

Lee’s new book, “Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe,” will be released on June 10, 2025. Visit their website to preorder the book!

Image via cb-lee.com