As a queer man, I was overjoyed to see non-heterosexual characters in your recent works. I believe representation is vitally important, especially for younger folks who are just getting into science fiction and fantasy. One of the draws of your writing is the world building (commerce/politics/gender dynamics) feels reasoned out. What brought you to include these characters?

As with many, if not most authors, I write what I know. Over the years, both my wife and I have known, worked with, and socialized with a number of non-heterosexuals. Because I’m decidedly heterosexual, I’ve refrained from writing from a non-heterosexual viewpoint, but, based on what I’ve observed and experienced, I’ve included such characters in a number of books where they seemed to fit, both in terms of the culture I depicted and the situation.