Maya Fisher's Blog

This weekend has been one of those rare moments in a writer’s life when everything pauses—just long enough—for you to look back at the long, jagged road behind you and realize how far you’ve climbed.

For those who’ve walked beside me, supported me, read my words, or simply believed in the story I was trying to tell, today’s update is as much yours as it is mine.

This Saturday, I learned that Reborn In Shadows: From the Ashes has officially been named a Finalist in the 2025 American Writing Awards in the LGBTQ Fiction category. The badge arrived—sleek, deep blue, and unmistakably official—and I felt that familiar mix of shock, gratitude, and disbelief that seems to accompany every accolade this book has received.

But this wasn’t the only recognition.

The 2025 Positive Impact Book Awards released their Finalists list, and not only is Reborn In Shadows included—it was featured prominently in the official finalist collage. I entered three categories for this competition, and I’ll find out in December whether this story is crowned a winner in one (or more) of them.

Seeing my cover among books centered on community, resilience, healing, and purpose was deeply validating. It reminded me of why I wrote this book: to reach those who live at the intersections of pain, identity, and rebirth. And to show them that survival is not only possible—it can be radiant.

Every time a new award notification arrives, I’m reminded that this book—born out of some of the hardest years of my life—is standing tall in spaces I never imagined it would reach.

Here is the full, updated list of accolades:

Winner — 2025 National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA)
Best LGBTQIA Fiction

First Place — 2025 BookFest Awards
LGBTQ+ Romance

Distinguished Favorite — 2025 NYC Big Book Award
LGBTQ Fiction

Finalist — 2025 American Writing Awards
Fiction: LGBTQ

Finalist — 2025 Positive Impact Book Awards (Fall/Winter)
(Three categories entered; winners announced in December)

Selected for Inclusion in the Library of Congress
Not just once—but twice.
Both Reborn In Shadows: From the Ashes and my newly released sequel Through the Fire have been accepted into the permanent national collection.

To say this is surreal would be an understatement.

This book didn’t arrive in the world quietly.

It was written by a woman who started over at 44, who came out in a place where visibility still comes with a cost, who lost family and community, who rebuilt herself as an amputee, as a mother, as a storyteller, and as someone determined to carve out a place for queer Appalachian voices.

When I founded One-Legged Woman Publishing LLC, I didn’t know if anyone would take my imprint seriously. I didn’t know if readers would open their hearts to Miriam Ryder’s journey. I didn’t know if Appalachian trans women were allowed to take up literary space.

But I wrote it anyway.
I published it anyway.
I refused to dim the truth of this story.

And now, awards committees, librarians, bookstores, reviewers, Pride organizations, and individual readers have echoed something back to me that I struggled to believe for decades:

Your story matters. Your voice belongs here.

December looms with possibility.

The Positive Impact Book Awards will announce their category winners, and while I’m already honored to be a finalist, the chance to receive further recognition is a dream I’m allowing myself to hold lightly, knowing that even this moment—this weekend—is enough.

In 2025 and 2026, I’ll be:

Continuing to push Reborn In Shadows: Through the Fire

Appearing at multiple Pride events, book fairs, and indie festivals

Expanding my storefront, author presence, and merchandise

Preparing Book Three Reborn In Shadows: Phoenix Rising for a planned March 31, 2026 release

Growing One-Legged Woman Publishing into something larger than myself

But today?
Today I’m letting myself feel proud.

Thank you for supporting an indie author from a rural holler in southwest Virginia.

Thank you for giving space to a trans woman’s voice in a world that often tries to silence us.

Thank you for helping this story reach libraries, award committees, bookstores, Pride tables, and—most importantly—readers who need it.

The world is still full of shadows.
But together, we’re helping stories rise from the ashes.

— Maya

I am beyond honored to share that my debut novel, Reborn in Shadows: From the Ashes, has officially been awarded First Place in LGBTQ+ Romance at The BookFest Awards! 🌈📚🔥

When I started writing this story, I never imagined it would carry me this far. Reborn in Shadows was born from pain, resilience, and a stubborn belief that even the most broken among us can still rise — that love, identity, and survival are not separate battles but part of the same fire we walk through.

To see it now recognized on an international stage, among so many incredible authors from around the world, feels surreal.
This isn’t just a win for me — it’s a win for every queer author who’s ever been told their stories are “too risky,” “too niche,” or “too real.” It’s a win for every trans woman who’s been made to feel invisible. It’s a win for Appalachia’s queer voices, for indie authors who build from the ground up, and for everyone who believes that representation matters.

Every reader who’s reached out with messages saying that Miri and Ava’s story made them feel seen — this award belongs to you, too. ❤️

I’m so deeply grateful to the judges at The BookFest for seeing the heart in my work, to everyone who has supported me since day one, and to the amazing readers who’ve helped Reborn in Shadows find its wings.

You can view the official award listing here:
👉 https://www.thebookfest.com/award_entries/reborn-in-shadows-from-the-ashes/

And if you haven’t yet met Miriam and Ava, now is the perfect time to step into their world.
📖 Reborn in Shadows: From the Ashes is available in paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook — all through my website, indie stores, and major retailers.

From the bottom of my heart: thank you for believing in me, and in this story.
Because of you, the phoenix keeps rising. 🔥🖤

#TheBookFest #BookFestAwards #AwardWinningAuthor #RebornInShadows #FromTheAshes #QueerBooks #LGBTQBooks #TransAuthor #AppalachianLit #IndieAuthor #BookAwardWinner #PhoenixRising

I’m incredibly proud (and honestly, a little nervous) to share that my newest essay, “A Trans Woman’s Reckoning With Cruelty, Privilege And Selfhood,” has been published on HuffPost Personal.

📰 Read it here: A Trans Woman’s Reckoning With Cruelty, Privilege And Selfhood

This piece is the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever written. It explores what it meant to grow up believing that cruelty equaled power, how privilege can hide harm, and what happens when you finally strip away the mask and begin to live as your true self.

I wrote this not just as a reflection on my past, but as a way of acknowledging that healing is messy, ongoing, and deeply human. Becoming ourselves isn’t a single moment — it’s a lifetime of choosing truth over comfort, compassion over control, and authenticity over fear.

If you take the time to read it, thank you. Sharing something this raw is both terrifying and freeing, and I hope that in some small way it resonates with anyone who’s ever had to rebuild who they are from the inside out.

💜 Read the full essay on HuffPost

I couldn’t keep this secret any longer — the audiobook of Reborn in Shadows: From the Ashes is officially live and available everywhere RIGHT NOW.

That’s right — no waiting until later this year. Miriam and Ava’s story is ready for your headphones, narrated by the incredible Deana Neibert, who has given these characters a voice and a heartbeat in ways that still leave me breathless.

Cover for Reborn In Shadows: From The Ashes Audiobook

Thanks to distribution through ACX and Findaway Voices, you can now find the audiobook across the globe on:

Audible

Amazon

Apple Books / iTunes

Chirp, Scribd, Kobo, and more

Even through your local library apps like Hoopla and Bibliotheca

(Note: Findaway is currently distributing to additional retailers, so it may take a day or two for it to appear everywhere.)

✨ Whether you’re commuting, painting minis, or relaxing at home, you can now take Miriam’s journey with you wherever you go.

I am thrilled — and a little stunned — to be able to share this with you earlier than planned. This story, which has already been honored as Best LGBTQIA+ Fiction in the National Indie Excellence Awards, as a Distinguished Favorite in the 2025 NYC Big Book Awards, and selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress, is now reaching readers in a whole new way.

So grab your earbuds, press play, and join Miriam in the fight to rise from the ashes.

🔗 Audible

I’ve been waiting for this moment — the chance to finally share the full wraparound cover for Reborn in Shadows: Through the Fire, the second book in The Ryder Chronicles.

Before I show you the completed cover design, I want to let the artwork speak for itself.

Cover art for Reborn In Shadows: Through The Fire

This piece is the work of my longtime friend and collaborator, JD Brosius. JD has been part of my life since 2018, and his art is literally part of me — tattooed on my skin and now wrapped around the books that carry my words. I couldn’t imagine anyone else capturing Miriam and Ava’s journey with such fire, intensity, and heart.

The image tells the story at a glance: two women running hand in hand through the flames, the specter of danger looming behind them, and hands reaching through the fire — a visual representation of both threat and salvation.

Now, here’s how that art comes together as the finished wraparound cover:

Cover design for Reborn In Shadows: Through The Fire

This is the version you’ll soon hold in your hands — complete with spine, back cover text, and the details that make it ready for bookstore shelves.

Through the Fire continues Miriam and Ava’s story after From the Ashes. It’s about survival, resilience, and love that refuses to be broken even when the world tries to burn it away. The flames in this cover aren’t just background — they’re symbolic of what it means to build a life through adversity and still come out stronger.

I can’t wait to share this next chapter of The Ryder Chronicles with you on October 11, 2025 — National Coming Out Day. And I can’t wait to see this cover in readers’ hands, living alongside the story inside.

Front cover for Reborn In Shadows: Through The Fire

Reborn In Shadows: Through The Fire is available for pre-order in paberback here and in hardcover here.

I have incredible news to share: Reborn in Shadows: From the Ashes has been named a 2025 NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite in LGBTQ Fiction.

While it isn’t the winner’s medal, being recognized as a Distinguished Favorite is still a major national honor. The NYC Big Book Award draws submissions from around the world — from large publishers, small presses, and indie authors like myself. To stand out among thousands of entries judged by editors, librarians, booksellers, designers, and writers is something I never imagined when I started this journey.

When I began writing Reborn in Shadows in November 2024, I wasn’t thinking about awards or recognition. I was thinking about survival. I was thinking about love. I was thinking about how to tell the truth of someone like me — a transgender woman from Appalachia who has lived through silence, violence, and resilience — in a way that honored both the pain and the beauty of being alive.

For decades I was only a storyteller, not a writer. Then I finally put the words to the page, and everything changed.

Now my debut novel has not only been preserved in the Library of Congress but also recognized on the national stage by the NYC Big Book Awards. For someone who has built her path without a publisher, without the safety net of gatekeepers, and without a big budget, this recognition feels surreal.

Awards like this aren’t just about one book or one author. They’re about visibility.

They signal to readers, librarians, and bookstores that Reborn in Shadows is a book worth noticing.

They affirm that queer, trans, and disabled voices belong in the literary world.

They remind us that even indie authors from small Appalachian towns can reach the national stage.

As a transgender, disabled woman from rural Virginia, I’ve faced both personal and systemic barriers. But this honor is proof that our stories matter, our voices carry, and our work is worth preserving.

I could not have come this far without my readers, friends, and supporters. Every person who preordered, shared a post, left a review, or simply believed in me helped lift From the Ashes into the light. This Distinguished Favorite recognition belongs to you as much as it does to me.

The Ryder Chronicles are just beginning.

Reborn in Shadows: From the Ashes is available now — an award-winning LGBTQ thriller blending suspense, romance, and resilience.

Reborn in Shadows: Through the Fire releases on October 11, 2025 — National Coming Out Day. Preorders are open now.

To have Book One preserved in the Library of Congress and now honored by the NYC Big Book Awards makes me even more determined to keep going. Book Two will carry its own Library of Congress Control Number, ensuring that Miriam Ryder’s journey will live on as part of our shared literary history.

We are not just telling stories.
We are not just surviving.
We are making history.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me. 💜

When I first sat down to write Reborn in Shadows: From the Ashes, I wasn’t thinking about milestones or history. I was thinking about survival, about love, about telling a story that burned inside me for decades. I never imagined that one day, that story — my story — would find its way into the Library of Congress, where it will be preserved for generations to come.

And now, it has.

Reborn in Shadows: From the Ashes is officially catalogued in the Library of Congress, complete with its own Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN). This means it isn’t just a book on someone’s shelf — it’s part of the permanent national record, accessible to libraries, universities, and readers across the country.

But the celebration doesn’t stop there. My second book, Reborn in Shadows: Through the Fire, which releases on October 11, 2025 (National Coming Out Day), will also carry its own Library of Congress Control Number. That means the Ryder Chronicles are not just being read in the moment — they’re being preserved as part of our cultural and literary legacy.

For a transgender, disabled woman from the mountains of Appalachia, this is more than a publishing achievement. It’s proof that our stories belong everywhere — in classrooms, in libraries, in the national archive of who we are as a people.

Every page I write, every scene I craft, is about resilience and authenticity. To see that work recognized by the Library of Congress is humbling, exhilarating, and a reminder of why I do this in the first place.

Thank you to every reader, every supporter, and every person who has lifted this journey higher than I ever thought possible. Together, we’re not just telling stories — we’re making history.

🔥 Reborn in Shadows: From the Ashes is available now.
🔥 Reborn in Shadows: Through the Fire is available for pre-order, releasing October 11, 2025.

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks, and I have so much to share with you all. ✨

🎧 Audiobook Completed
I’m thrilled to announce that production is officially finished on the audiobook for Reborn in Shadows: From the Ashes! Hearing Miriam and Ava’s story brought to life has been an unforgettable experience, and I can’t wait for you to hear it too.

📖 Book Two is Coming
Meanwhile, Reborn in Shadows: Through the Fire has gone out to ARC readers, and I’ll be revealing the cover this week. Both From the Ashes (audiobook) and Through the Fire (book two in The Ryder Chronicles) will release October 11th — National Coming Out Day.

📱 Virtual Book Signing
Mark your calendars! I’ll be doing a virtual live book signing on TikTok (@MommaD1452) on August 28th at 5 PM EST. Signed copies, swag bags, and bundles will be available during the event.

📚 In-Person Appearance
If you’re local, come see me at the Kingsport Public Library on August 29th at 4 PM. I’ll be signing books, meeting readers, and sharing more about the next chapter of Miriam and Ava’s journey.

🎁 Limited Edition Swag Bags
Don’t wait — fewer than 50 Limited Edition Swag Bags remain. Each one is packed with exclusive items you won’t find anywhere else. You can order yours now through my store before they’re gone for good.

💜 Thank you all for being part of this journey. These next few months are going to be incredible, and I’m so excited to share them with you.

— Maya Fisher

I’m thrilled to finally share the synopsis of Reborn In Shadows: Through The Fire, the next chapter in Miriam and Ava’s story. This book has been one of the most emotionally intense and rewarding projects I’ve worked on, and I can’t wait for readers to step back into their world.

Here’s the official synopsis:

After the harrowing events in Jasper Hill, Miriam Ryder and Ava McCormick begin new lives under fresh identities in South Carolina, determined to build the quiet future they've dreamed of. But starting over isn't simple.

As Miri steps off hormone therapy to try to start a family with Ava, she grapples with the emotional toll of dysphoria. At the same time, Ava begins a new job at a local high school—unaware that someone is watching her every move. In the shadows, Westley Grant orchestrates his next play, using power and influence to close the net around them.

With love as their anchor and danger closing in, Miri and Ava must face both personal and external battles, proving that survival isn't just about escaping the past—it’s about forging a future strong enough to withstand the fire.

Through The Fire continues the blend of suspense, intimacy, and resilience that began in From The Ashes. At its heart, it’s a story about two women fighting for love and life in the face of impossible odds—while navigating the complexities of identity, family, and survival.

More updates are coming soon, including release dates, cover art, and pre-order links. For now, I hope this glimpse gives you a taste of the journey that lies ahead.

Maya

They say you have to love yourself before someone else can love you.
They say it like it’s wisdom.
Like it’s the golden rule of human connection.
But in my life, that sentence was never spoken as kindness. It was a blade.

I remember being sixteen.
I was angry, confused, trapped in a body and a life that didn’t fit.
I hadn’t yet realized I was trans — I only knew that something in my world was off. And instead of love, I got fists. I got venom. I got told I was the problem.

One night, in the middle of yet another screaming match, my mother punched me in the mouth. And then she said it:

"You can’t expect anyone to love you until you love yourself."

Not like advice.
Not like guidance.
But like a curse.

What I heard was: You’re broken. You’re unworthy. And until you fix yourself to my standards, you deserve to be alone.
And because she was my mother, I believed it. I swallowed it whole.

That phrase didn’t make me a better person.
It made me a person who thought love was something you had to earn by being less difficult, less loud, less me.
It turned relationships into proving grounds. It taught me that every flaw was a barrier, and that I had to smooth my edges until I was unrecognizable before anyone could care.

And here’s the cruelest part — that phrase didn’t stay in my mother’s mouth. Years later, girlfriends repeated it to me like it was gospel. Each time, it reinforced the lie: you are not enough as you are.

But here’s the truth they never tell you:
People can love you even when you don’t love yourself.
They can see your worth when you can’t.
The problem isn’t that you don’t love yourself — it’s that you’ve been starved of love for so long, you start mistaking that starvation for a personality flaw.

I didn’t “fix” myself to earn love.
I fixed myself by cutting out the rot they planted in me. I cut away the cancer of their abuse, their manipulation, their conditional acceptance.
And in doing so, I found the real me.

The irony?
Today, I love myself.
Every single inch, every scar, every flame-forged piece of who I am. But my parents — they don’t love me anymore. Not the real me. They only ever loved the cardboard cutout they could control. They never knew their daughter. They never wanted to.

And yeah, I laugh about it sometimes, because it’s easier than crying. But here’s the thing: I’m not starved for love anymore. I built my own family. My partner. Our child. The friends and allies who show up without asking me to shrink.
That’s my real family.

So let’s call this phrase what it is when it’s used like that: emotional abuse wrapped in a Hallmark bow. It’s a tool of control, not empowerment. It’s a way for abusers to dodge accountability, to make your pain your fault, to turn their failure to love you into your moral shortcoming. It’s a lie designed to keep you quiet, compliant, and begging for the very love they’re withholding.

Anyone who says it to you in anger, anyone who uses it to dismiss your hurt, isn’t offering wisdom — they’re weaponizing a slogan to keep you in line. And if that makes you doubt your worth, remember this: love is not something you earn by reaching some mythical level of self-acceptance. Love is something you receive because you’re human and you deserve it. Full stop.

So the next time someone tries to hit you with “You have to love yourself first” as a way to shame or silence you, hear my voice in your head:
No. You don’t. You deserve love now. And you are allowed to walk away from anyone who tells you otherwise.