<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Adrian Mendoza Writing]]></title><description><![CDATA[Adrian Mendoza Writi]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2026 11:58:00 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Snakeskin Press: This Indie Publication Uplifts Emerging Queer Authors]]></title><description><![CDATA["Snakeskin Press is doing what indie-publishing does best. It is going to bat for underrepresented stories and take big swings on risky projects that trad-publishing won’t touch. Even while the domination of the Big Five grows, indie publishers will continue to come out with the stories that need to be told." Read the full article here: https://www.trillmag.com/culture/books/snakeskin-press-this-indie-publication-uplifts-emerging-queer-authors/]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/snakeskin-press-this-indie-publication-uplifts-emerging-queer-authors</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa80f7fabcfc8d624a31623</guid><category><![CDATA[Trill Mag]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:16:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_3eeefc45483a41be816ea43093dbe776~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Literary Fiction: Accessibility Concerns and Anti-Intellectualism]]></title><description><![CDATA["The problem isn’t where the metaphorical goal post lies, however, but rather the journey to reach it. If the goal post is to comprehend literary fiction, the solution isn’t to water down the literature. The solution is to create pathways for people to expand their reading comprehension. This can look like book clubs that encourage the sharing of ideas and interpretations. It can also look like larger, systemic changes like access to higher education for those who seek it." Read the full...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/literary-fiction-accessibility-concerns-and-anti-intellectualism</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9f3a7233db06c5a2a24bb5</guid><category><![CDATA[Trill Mag]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 22:30:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_a5bcd06de94343fd9464895ad51b8336~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Small Town: Nothing Good Comes From Where I Come From]]></title><description><![CDATA["Growing up in Victorville, I always lamented the limitations of my hometown. My criticisms ranged from the practical struggle of being a kid without access to age-appropriate activities or the infrastructure to get me there, to my perception that surely everyone here must have settled. It felt as if the town that raised me was secretly a purgatory that people just found themselves trapped in." Read the full article here: https://www.trillmag.com/life/people/my-small-town-nothing-good-comes-f...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/my-small-town-nothing-good-comes-from-where-i-come-from</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9a4646e12fa7bad8b53c99</guid><category><![CDATA[Trill Mag]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:18:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_63e21ab8267f455d9c4ea457d4c5be94~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Romance Books Are Reshaping Narratives Around Love, Desire, And Consent]]></title><description><![CDATA[The romance genre has long been a tool for writers and readers alike to flesh out their fantasies and come to understand their needs and desires. For women readers, this can be an invaluable way to counteract the societal messaging that shames women for their sexualities. Fiction then becomes a sandbox to play in and explore within the safety of one’s own mind — women can explore wild fantasies without having to get too caught up in logistics. Read the full article here:...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/romance-books-are-reshaping-narratives-around-love-desire-and-consent</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9a459840b25387a6f19a9a</guid><category><![CDATA[Trill Mag]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:16:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_88614f7cd43a4125a6cfd516f55c30f4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_628,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[On Body Horror]]></title><description><![CDATA["This misaligned process of taking shape in all the wrong ways as a young trans and disabled person was not one that I saw commonly represented in literature. Authors seemed unwilling to face the reality of a disabled, queer body, or perhaps publishers were afraid of platforming those kinds of stories. I came to find comfort in the next best thing: books about bodies that are queered through horrific transformations." Read the full essay here: https://larbpublab.org/2026/07/23/on-body-horror/]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/body-horror-is-for-the-marginalized</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3d7b0bfaba6cee57d9051d</guid><category><![CDATA[LARB PubLab]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 19:04:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_adb442c6327f41c9ad4811c55b9d966b~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_708,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Like Real People Do (2022) -E. L. Massey]]></title><description><![CDATA["The biggest criticism I can muster for Like Real People Do is the irrelevant Hozier reference in the title. Beyond that, this is a near-perfect romance novel packed with lovable characters, chemistry all around, and well executed representation of various underrepresented identities. For everyone aching to feed their appetite for hockey romances, this is a must-read." The full review can be read at: https://readbya.substack.com/p/like-real-people-do-2022-e-l-massey]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/like-real-people-do-2022-e-l-massey</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fa850bb27e981e27c8538a</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 00:03:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_71ba3dc13f094525a4b19d34badf9020~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself (2023) -Mac Crane]]></title><description><![CDATA["I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself is one of those dystopian stories that unnerve you more and more as you realize how in-reach its fictional world is to our reality. In a world where the prison industrial system is scrapped in favor of a system of shame and surveillance, those who are convicted of a crime are given an additional shadow, stripping them of their rights and subjecting them to public ridicule. Gone are any semblances of rehabilitation or forgiveness. This story explores the...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/i-keep-my-exoskeletons-to-myself-2023-mac-crane</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fa84c96d919e5ce871631b</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 06 May 2026 00:01:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_b1888aec80004887b6da211af4c7c1e1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Look at Transmasc Literature]]></title><description><![CDATA["We are not at a point where trans teens making it past adolescence can be taken for granted. It is still vital to let young trans people know that they are seen. They need to see that there are others like them. But is the growing selection of books depicting transmasc teenagers showing them that they also have a future? And when they reach adulthood, what model of trans- adulthood/manhood/masculinity do they have?" The full essay can be read at: https://readbya.substack.com/p/a-look-at-tran...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/a-look-at-transmasc-literature</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fa843b438dc58e2c8d2789</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 23:59:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_c25a166521764a5c889e7f9f082a8646~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Get a Life, Chloe Brown (2019) -Talia Hibbert]]></title><description><![CDATA["Chloe Brown has spent much of her adulthood being fussed over by her well-meaning family and not a lot of time living her life to the fullest. After nearly being hit by a drunk driver while on a walk, Chloe questions the way she has been living her life and compiles a list of ways she wants to “get a life.” Two months later, she has moved out of her family’s mansion, into her own apartment, and is ready to vigilantly tackle the next items on her list. To do so, Chloe enlists the help of her...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/get-a-life-chloe-brown-2019-talia-hibbert</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fa83b9438dc58e2c8d268f</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 23:57:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_aa9f706d2a09464a83319ff05e2ec9b4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[This Story Might Save Your Life (2026) -Tiffany Crum]]></title><description><![CDATA["When I attended an author event with Tiffany Crum, she said something that made this book click for me, “I wanted more thrill in my romance, and more romance in my thrillers.” This mindset seemed to guide her in creating this book, which is a heavily character-focused thriller about two survival/comedy podcasters Benny and Joy, in the aftermath of Joy’s sudden disappearance with her husband Xander. Readers are then given a dual perspective of Benny grappling with Joy’s disappearance and a...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/this-story-might-save-your-life-2026-tiffany-crum</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fa82fa5caf4ed272be4beb</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 23:55:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_96fa860a55ea4341844a2dd5358c35c0~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Dream Hotel (2025) -Laila Lalami]]></title><description><![CDATA["Just off the plane at LAX, Sara Hussain, in this dystopian novel, is stopped by TSA and told that a governmental algorithm has computed that she is at an elevated risk of committing a crime. They are convinced that Sara is a danger to her husband, corroborated by unknown factors, principally her dreams. Unable to clear her name of crimes she has not committed nor has she been charged with, Sara is put into a “retention center” filled with women similarly being imprisoned based on the...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/the-dream-hotel-2025-laila-lalami</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc978db9932cfc5abff042</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:41:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_45ca2912ac2640e0a080b24497628af4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Thoughts on Character POV]]></title><description><![CDATA[In this essay, Adrian explores the role of character point of view in books and video games to make the consumer of the media feel more or less implicated in the actions of the character. They discuss the illusion of choice in video games that may contribute to a sense of implication, opposed to the distance a reader may feel towards a book character, particularly when their actions are written in the third person. The full essay can be read at: https://readbya.substack.com/p/thoughts-on-char...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/thoughts-on-character-pov</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc9746bec251fc0ba99283</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:39:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_e5e048e6bfb2431ca6dd504c045b6624~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Charm Offensive (2021) -Alison Cochrun]]></title><description><![CDATA["Dev is a producer on a fairytale-based reality dating show that Dev is relentlessly convinced is a show about love. Dev is also really good at what he does. He knows just how to create a scene and coach the talent to make good television. This season, he is the only one entrusted to be the handler for the new “prince” Charlie. Charlie is a conventionally attractive tech millionaire who awkwardly stumbles his way through life and is very much not selling his role as prince charming. Dev must...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/the-charm-offensive-2021-alison-cochrun</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc9703b9932cfc5abfeed4</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:38:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_26c34dbdaf604c69a314f52b4d0778cd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Tell When We Will Die (2024) -Johanna Hedva]]></title><description><![CDATA["In How to Tell When We Will Die, Johanna Hedva explores a large breadth of topics through essays surrounding disability, kink, and their incompatibility with capitalism. They combine theory with personal anecdotes creating a dynamic writing style that discourages passive reading. Hedva, at times, projects a dissecting analysis onto unwilling subjects and leaves gendered dynamics in their described interpersonal relationships unchallenged. For this reason, Hedva may sink in authority to...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/how-to-tell-when-we-will-die-2024-johanna-hedva</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc966b06e9acd4d41d2df4</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:36:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_32f37dd1988746189758d6aadeefd47f~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Make Sure You Die Screaming (2025) -Zee Carlstrom]]></title><description><![CDATA["The niche yet prolific genre of the unhinged road trip novel just got its newest edition with Make Sure You Die Screaming . In this bizarre novel, the newly nameless main character embarks on a grief and alcohol fueled journey to track down and kidnap their estranged father. By their side is their new best friend Yivi, a self-described “garbage goth” on the run from her murky past—and also a cowboy in a tan sedan. Together, they make an unstoppable and utterly insufferable duo that wreaks...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/make-sure-you-die-screaming-2025-zee-carlstrom</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc962a06e9acd4d41d2d5b</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:35:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_cd0a01d21fa14745ba13691f71fbf5b8~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_900,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Day in the Life of Abed Salama (2023) -Nathan Thrall]]></title><description><![CDATA["A Day in the Life of Abed Salama  is a non-fiction book that utilizes a narrative prose akin to a fiction novel to tell the story of a tragic bus accident just outside of Jerusalem involving a school bus full of Palestinian children. Through this accident, the author examines the systems of oppression against Palestinians that enabled this accident and exacerbated its severity. This is done primarily through the story of Abed Salama’s journey to track down his son after the accident and...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/a-day-in-the-life-of-abed-salama-2023-nathan-thrall</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc95e6c6c9669173c9b470</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:34:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_f4f61c40544843f1ac6bc6628c4e8c3c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_900,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Against the Loveless World (2020)-Susan Abulhawa]]></title><description><![CDATA["Spanning multiple decades and three countries, Against the Loveless World  follows Nahr, the daughter of Palestinian refugees in Kuwait. Nahr's main concern is providing for her family, by any means at her disposal. Her plans of being her family’s savior, however, are uprooted by Sadeem Husain’s invasion of Kuwait and the displacement of Palestinian Kuwaitis that follows. From there, Nahr is torn between her identities that stretch across borders and pushed out of each place she finds...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/against-the-loveless-world-2020-susan-abulhawa</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc959bbec251fc0ba98d97</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:32:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_a7a1c10d5ff14b2dab32663fadc92c07~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_900,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Natural Beauty (2023) -Ling Ling]]></title><description><![CDATA["Natural Beauty  is a commentary on the beauty industry and Eurocentric beauty standards that utilize body horror and aspects of speculative fiction told through the lens of a daughter of Chinese immigrants after she is presented with a new opportunity to pursue the American dream that her parents wished for her. This unnamed protagonist begins working for an exclusive beauty company known for their experimental beauty treatments, dismissing the dark theories circulating the company’s creator...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/natural-beauty-2023-ling-ling</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc9528bec251fc0ba98bfa</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:31:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_c5913f4b7d0c419c8908bc6517341aa3~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_900,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Seven Days in June (2021) -Tia Williams]]></title><description><![CDATA["Midway through this book, I noted, “Where they lack in communication skills, they make up in horniness.” However, I don’t fault the book for falling into this dysfunctional trope because the novel really was so much more. This can largely be attributed to the main character, Eva, who is a Black single mother who experiences chronic migraines and has made a career for herself writing erotic romance novels. Eva is chaotically complemented by the love interest, Shane, a Black man who has grown...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/seven-days-in-june-2021-tia-williams</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc94b9bec251fc0ba98a74</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:29:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_08b0bdf9887b4de8b851187992058ce1~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_900,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Open Water (2021)-Caleb Azumah Nelson]]></title><description><![CDATA["Open Water is a contemporary love story written in second person POV and a striking lyrical prose. It follows two unnamed main characters, both Black and British, both young artists—a photographer and a dancer—who meet at a party through a mutual. This first interaction, however, they “negate as too brief an encounter.” Their true first encounter is a meeting at a bar where they agree to undertake a project of photographing Black creators. This sparks the beginning of their ever-growing and...]]></description><link>https://amendoza9075.wixsite.com/writtenbya/post/open-water-2021-caleb-azumah-nelson</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc9460bec251fc0ba98944</guid><category><![CDATA[Read by A - Substack]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:28:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5dd701_d35f47f235484f3f9cc2f6dd4382ba5e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_900,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Adrian Mendoza</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>