Z.M. (they/them) is a writer, artist, and therapist. They write cozy queer fantasy that tackles mental health topics and themes of identity. Z.M. lives in Saint Paul with their spouse, human child, and fur children.
I have been drawing since 2000 and usually adhere to an anime style. My art focuses on creating lively and unique character designs with bright fun colors. I started drawing mostly digital art in around 2014 and started using an iPad and Procreate in 2019.
Artist
I have been writing since 2004, but I didn’t publish anything until 2023. Between then and now, I drew and wrote a number of graphic novels, short stories, novellas, novels, and trilogies. You can learn more about them at My Mental Breakdown.
Author
Notable Appearances
Panels
MiniCon 2024, Neurodivergence in Writing and Happily Ever After in Romance (featuring Emma Törz
MiniCon 2025, Trans Representation in SF/F
Queer Author Panel, Cream & Amber, June 2025
Moderator for Sara Raasch book tour event, Tropes & Trifles, August 2025
Book Fairs
Book release party for Deny Me, Cream & Amber, September 2023
Queer Writes by Twin Cities Pride, October 2023 and February 2024
Book Fair, Open Book at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, March 2025
Indie Bookstore Weekend at HeyDarling Bookstore, Austin MN, April 2025
Readings
Comma, A Bookshop, October 2023
DreamHaven Comics & Books, January 2025
SF/F Fair at Indeed Brew Co, June 2025
Balls
(Upcoming) Fables & Flames, Bloomington, Minnesota
November 2025
Markets
Cream & Amber Fall Market, October 2023
Pop-up event, Makwa Coffee, November 2023
Twin Cities Pride, June 2024
Nine Keys Birthday Market, 2023 and 2024
Spring Blooms, Ashesmarkets, March 2025
Mystic Moon Art, Ashesmarkets, April 2025
Fruity Fest by Modesitt Markets, June 2025
Notable Contributions
Published Works
The Heartwood Trilogy
- Deny Me, The Nightshade Boy (September 2023)
- Sate Me, My Trickster Fox (Spicy short story, October 2023)
- Rend Me, The Wayward Knight (February 2024)
- Promise Me, Lord Heartwood (June 2024)
- Charm Me: The Complete Omnibus Edition (June 2024)
Call Forth the Moonlight: A Magiqon’s Guide to Gryphon Liberation (April 2025)
- (Not So) Quiet in the Library, spicy epilogue, April 2025
- The Holy Breath Between Us, short story AU, April 2025
Published Art
Toil & Trouble Magazine, October 2023
Tree & Stone Magazine, February 2024
Art Awards
Brainstorm, Best In Show, 2010
Daydreaming, Strommen Award for Meaningful Art, 2013
Nominated for Best Character Art, Indieverse Awards
