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Sonora
National Bestselling Author
Pronouns: They/Them
Travels from: Arizona

“Deeply moving, laugh-out-loud funny, and swoony, Reyes packs it all in, in this powerful coming-of-age story about unapologetically loving ourselves—and others.” — J.Elle, New York Times bestselling author of Wings of Ebony

Born and raised in Arizona, Sonora Reyes is the author of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School and the young adult novel: The Luis Ortega Survival Club. In Sonora’s sharply funny and moving debut novel, The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School follows a queer Mexican American girl navigating Catholic school, while falling in love and learning to celebrate her true self. It is a finalist for the NBA for Young Adult Literature.

Sonora writes fiction full of queer and Latinx characters in a variety of genres, with current projects in both kidlit and adult categories. Sonora is also the creator and host of the Twitter chat #QPOCChat, a monthly community-building chat for queer writers of color.

They currently live in Arizona in a multi-generational family home with a small pack of dogs who run the place. Outside of writing, Sonora loves dancing, singing karaoke, and playing with their baby nephew.

Sonora’s Authors Out Loud Profile:

Sonora's Featured Titles

The Luis Ortega Survival Club

Balzer + Bray |
Young Adult Fiction

Ariana Ruiz wants to be noticed. But as an autistic girl who never talks, she goes largely ignored by her peers despite her bold fashion choices. So when cute, popular Luis starts to pay attention to her, Ari finally feels seen.

Luis’s attention soon turns to something more and they have sex at a party—while Ari didn’t say no, she definitely didn’t say yes. Before she has a chance to process what happened and decide if she even has the right to be mad at Luis, the rumor mill begins churning—thanks, she’s sure, to Luis’s ex-girlfriend, Shawni. Boys at school now see Ari as an easy target, someone who won’t say no.

Then Ari finds a mysterious note in her locker which eventually leads her to an unlikely group of students determined to expose Luis for the predator he is. To her surprise, she finds genuine friendship among the group, including her growing feelings for the very last girl she expected to fall for. But in order to take Luis down, she’ll have to come to terms with the truth of what he did to her that night—and risk everything to see justice done.

Transmogrify! 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic

HarperTeen |
Young Adult Fiction

Perfect for fans of All Out and Cemetery Boys, this anthology claims a seat at the table of fantasy literature for trans and gender nonconforming stories.

Transness is as varied and colorful as magic can be. In Transmogrify!, you’ll embark on fourteen different adventures alongside unforgettable characters who embody many different genders and expressions and experiences—because magic is for everyone, and that is cause for celebration.

Featuring stories from:

AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy

g. haron davis

Mason Deaver

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

Emery Lee

Saundra Mitchell

Cam Montgomery

Ash Nouveau

Sonora Reyes

Renee Reynolds

Dove Salvatierra

Ayida Shonibar

Francesca Tacchi

Nik Traxler

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School

National Bestseller * National Book Award Finalist

A sharply funny and moving debut novel about a queer Mexican American girl navigating Catholic school, while falling in love and learning to celebrate her true self. Perfect for fans of Erika L. Sánchez, Leah Johnson, and Gabby Rivera.

Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she’s gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way.

After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend before transferring to Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: keep her brother out of trouble, make her mom proud, and, most importantly, don’t fall in love. Granted, she’s never been great at any of those things, but that’s a problem for Future Yami.

The thing is, it’s hard to fake being straight when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is so annoyingly perfect. And smart. And talented. And cute. So cute. Either way, Yami isn’t going to make the same mistake again. If word got back to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. So she’ll have to start asking, WWSGD: What would a straight girl do?

Told in a captivating voice that is by turns hilarious, vulnerable, and searingly honest, The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School explores the joys and heartaches of living your full truth out loud.

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Is it really possible to write a novel in 30 days?

In this presentation, Sonora Reyes will go over ways to prepare for writing a first draft of a novel in 30 days for both plotters and discovery writers, and tips on how to manage time while writing.

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Healing through writing

In this presentation, Sonora Reyes will go over how they used writing to process some of their own trauma, and how writing and art can be a tool for healing.

Paola M Guerrero | Sonora Reyes on the coming out journey

Dymocks Books | Sonora Reyes on The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School

The Chills at Will Podcast with Sonora Reyes

#QPOCChat is a monthly chat on Twitter where queer writers of color come together for an hour of conversation about our projects and identities. The chat is held every last Thursday of the month at 8pm EST. Check out the hashtag #QPOCChat to join! Questions and concerns can be directed to my Twitter @sonorareyes.

Honors, Awards & Recognition

2023 William C. Morris Award Finalist
Kids Indie Next List
National Bestseller
National Book Award Finalist

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.

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