Every Friday, we meet a member of the BFS and peer deep into their soul (or, at least, a form they filled out). Want to be featured? Email us: online@britishfantasysociety.org
Name:
Dr. Gabriel Elvery (They/Them)
Which region are you based in?
The Unseelie Court, currently accessed via a fairy door in the North West of the UK
If you write, which genre:
Fantasy and horror
Are you drawn to any specific SFFH sub-genres?
I dabble in most subgenres of fantasy but I am particularly drawn to high/epic fantasy.
If you don’t write, what do you do?
I have a PhD in Fantasy Literature and Game Studies. I specialise in interdisciplinary literary analysis. The key theory I created is the Digital Fantastic, which I’m currently developing into a monograph.
The Digital Fantastic is an analytical tool that uses the lens of productive hesitation to understand how the ubiquity of digital technology, coupled with its capacity to facilitate experiences of Fantasy worlds, has blurred the boundaries between fantasy and reality. In my thesis I used video games as case studies to interrogate players’ relationships to the games and their characters, as well as considering the interconnectedness of these social experiences with players’ off-screen lives.
My research interests are:
- Fantasy and genre theory
- Game Studies
- Parasocial relationships
- Fan cultures
- Affect theory
- Pedagogical theory and practice
- Player reception (including qualitative methods).
I approach all topics with a keen sensitivity to intersectional concerns.
My newest interest involves using my Game Studies expertise to inform a new therapeutic technique: a project I am hoping to win funding for. I’m currently looking for an institutional sponsor, so if this is you, please get in touch.
I write creatively whenever I can.
Are you drawn to any specific SFFH sub-genres?
When reading for pleasure, I really enjoy African Fantasy. I also enjoy well-written books that are cosy and romantic, as well as badly written ones from time to time. I’m not someone who has ‘guilty pleasures’—all work has its place (unless it’s written by a bigot).
For creative writing, it depends on the project. I have written within the realms of the uncanny but am currently working on an urban cosy fantasy and hope to return to writing romantasy after that project is complete.
Your influences
Tell us about the book/film/thing that got you into SFFH: What was it? How old were you? What impact did it have on you?
(Photo: Gabriel in Magpie Fairy drag make-up)
I have always loved fairies and anything adjacent. As a small child, I dressed as Peter Pan for days on end, I loved Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies, and adored Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I have fond memories of enjoying the poem The Fairies by William Allingham.
Upon reflection, I was drawn to somewhat cold, androgynous troublemakers and intrigued by the idea of existing in liminality. I’m not saying fairy stories made me gender fluid, but upon reflection, my taste in literature knew before I did.
I really enjoy experimenting with makeup to bring Fantasy to life and have designed and painted looks for Fantasy book launches. I would love to paint more faces in the future.
How does that early influence show up for you (in life/writing/agenting/publishing/editing/reading) now?
I still have fairy stories to write, I hope. I am working on a fairytale-inspired novella that feels very queer and very trans. I don’t feel I can consistently inhabit, or present, as true myself, so I hope that I can imbue my work with what is important to me.
(Photo: Gabriel with their partner Ollie)
Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?
It used to be pain, but as I’ve matured, I strive to be silly (I have my partner to thank for that). I recognise trauma as the barrier to access it is, rather than romanticising it to cope. I have a great distaste for the suffering artist stereotype, even though I do suffer a great deal and am housebound for much of the time. I would prefer to be active, but cosy is the best I have and having the means to be cosy is a great privilege.
Who do you look to as a genre hero? Why?
I don’t put anyone on a pedestal. This may be informed by my background in literary criticism, or my feelings of discomfort surrounding parasocial relationships (which I study). Following the footsteps of anyone too closely is a path towards heartbreak.
I admire aspects of every book I finish and enjoy lovingly ripping them to shreds just as much. I may like an author’s work, but I would never elevate them to hero status. They’re just a person no more worthy of being praised than those who do less romanticised work. Those of us that can use our time and energy to work on something we love are very lucky. (Though, this does not diminish the struggle!)
I do admire, however, those who are carving paths for marginalised creators: whether that’s writers, agents or publishers (etc) that create and champion work that’s a little different, or those helping to navigate and combat systemic barriers to access.
Your Work
You’re stuck in an elevator for 60 seconds with that hero, and they want you to describe your work. Give us the pitch.
So, basically I’ve created a poetry sequence consisting of 30 haiku in furbish.
Furbish, yes.
Right, so do you remember furbys?
Yeah, that toy from the 90s—the one people thought was surveillance equipment?
They have this language called furbish, and I wrote the haiku in furbish, translated them, then posted them alongside photography over about a month.
It’s a narrative arc of a furby sadboi rockstar called Ferdinand, following his rise and fall from fame.
No, it didn’t go viral, but furbypope liked one of my stories I tagged them in one time.
No, it didn’t get published. But that’s OK, I had a good time.
(Photo: one of Gabriel’s furbish haikus; translation available on Instagram.)
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a cosy urban fantasy novella. It’s a collection of modern retellings of fairy tales woven together around a central narrative. Think Once Upon a Time x Legends and Lattes. The characters are all some variation of queer, trans, neurodivergent content creator/micro-influencer. It’s a love letter to internet culture that I hope ‘very online’ people will appreciate.
Thinking about all the stories/work you’ve done, what sticks out most in your mind? Why?
It’s always the heartbreak that lingers.
The thing that stands out to me isn’t my published work, or the things I have enjoyed, but my greatest loss.
In the final year of my undergrad, I wrote a creative dissertation that became the novel I never finished. I had 70K words, but quit writing it because after a break, I realised the quality was lacking and it needed a full rewrite rather than light touches. I needed to go make money. I worked on that thing for years. Leaving it behind taught me I was stronger than falling victim to the sunk-cost fallacy. I knew if I was strong enough to leave that book behind, I was strong enough to walk away from anything. And I did.
I’m sure I learned a lot from the process so it wasn’t a waste of time, but that doesn’t provide me much comfort. Unfortunately, I’ve not had the opportunity to dedicate such time and resources to my writing due to work and illness. Abandoning the project felt like killing my only chance of ever writing a novel, and I still grieve its loss as my health continues to decline.
I just hope I get another chance to dedicate more time and energy to writing. I try and focus on the process, not on productivity or word count. I write because I love it—if anyone ever reads and enjoys it, that’ll be a bonus!
I may rewrite that first novel one day, but this time there will be less plot holes and more 🌶️. I do have some very old self-published work under a pseudonym out, but I’ll never tell.
(Photo: Dr Gabriel Elvery in Goblin drag make-up)
What’s the best advice you’ve received about creativity?
My poetry professor at Warwick, David Morley, told us that we should make sure we can support ourselves before anything else, because using your time to write poetry is like burning money. He told me he was proud of me because I used to work a long bar shift until the early hours and drag myself into class right after. I was always the first in the writing room and would nap on the sofas until my classmates arrived.
What’s your writing soundtrack?
I listened to the orchestral versions of the Undertale soundtrack whenever I wrote about the game for my thesis. For other academic work, I have custom playlists including a lot of lo-fi and tracks that give ‘coffee shop vibes’—including some of the Person 5 soundtrack.
For emotional writing, I listen to yeule’s early work.
The Quick-Fire Round
Sci-fi, fantasy or horror?
Fantasy
Quiet or loud?
Quiet
Dark or light?
‘The closer you get to the light; the greater your shadow becomes.’
Strict lines or genre blend?
Blend
Awards or bestseller?
Pleasure.
Fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction
Poetry or prose?
Both, and video games too.
Plotter or pantser?
Neither; I’m non-binary.
Reading or listening?
Listening whilst doing chores, reading to have a cosy phoneless evening.
Notebook or computer?
Notebook first, computer shortly after.
Favourite SFFH book of all time?
I have many for different reasons, but The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue made me cry so hard, and that’s a rare thing to be appreciated. I took this picture including a ghost from the York Ghost Merchants, which reminds me of the story. I would love to write a belated close reading take one day. Maybe if I get well enough to start blogging again.
(Photography by Gabriel Elvery; ghost from York Ghost Merchants)
Last book you read?
Shona Kinsella’s The Heart of Winter (Beautiful—I adored it).
Any SFFH author on auto-buy?
Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I love her versatility!
Favourite podcast?
Worlds Beyond Number
The Home Stretch
What’s the best thing about being part of the SFFH community?
I can’t speak to other communities, but the BFS is wonderful. The members whose company I have experienced are warm and interesting people who give their time to others so kindly. In my experience there has been no gatekeeping or elitism and the BFS has built a safe and inclusive space. I don’t typically participate in many communities, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me such a kind welcome and including me in what you do. I’d really like to help out and come to more events when my health allows!
Time to plug your stuff! Where can we find you and your work? What have you got coming up? Consider this your advertising space.
- Furby Haiku
- Undertale’s Loveable Monsters: Investigating Parasocial Relationships with Non-Player Characters
- Personal Instagram/Linkedin/Bsky
- My website
- Feel free to email if you’d like to invite me to speak on my expertise: gabriel.elvery@hotmail.com