Name: Ejay Dawson
Pronouns: she/they
Neurodivergence: Autistic
Professional Role: Author
Bio: EJay is a bisexual autistic author and an intern editor at Literary Wanderlust, where she has published her paranormal thriller Behind the Veil. Her fantasy, Echo of the Evercry will be released in July 2023. She is reviewing submissions for Deadset Press’s first neurodivergent anthology Embrace the Silence. She is a mentor for Write Hive and studying for a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing at Deakin University. She has an indie published sci-fi romance trilogy that won Silver Medal in the Indie Global Book awards, and another series called the Last Prophecy. She has been a judge for SPSFC, volunteered for Flights of Foundry, and is a member of Sisters in Crime and RWA (Aus). She has sold three short stories, nonfiction: I Can’t Hear the Sea, and fiction: Moth Dust and The Promise. She lives in rural NSW, Australia with two rescue pups and a supportive spouse.
Recent Publications: Visit www.ejdawson.com for numerous articles and blog posts about being a neurodiverse writer, and links to Australian Book Lovers podcast (the most recent includes Ejay's work on submissions for Deadset Press with their new neurodivergent apocalyptic anthology Embrace the Silence).
Website: ejdawson.com
Twitter: @ejdawsonauthor
Instagram: @ejdawsonauthor
Facebook: ejdawsonauthor
TikTok: @ejdawsonauthor
Location: Bega, NSW, Australia.
Available for Virtual Sessions: YES
Available for In-Person Sessions: Possibly
Available to Travel: I travel for work sometimes and will be in major Australian cities on occasion. I am happy to drive up to two hours, or to Canberra since I'm in Bega.
Specific Support Required: I am mostly self-sufficient and very travel friendly but will have a no touching policy at events with high numbers of people and require quiet/nonverbal rooms before and after in person speaking events, with bottled water available. For virtual events I require additional support setting up technical programs, as while I'm very familiar and professional with most streaming software (Zoom, Discord, Skype, Google), I get anxious using unfamiliar software before events. I prefer all invites for such software arrive at least a week beforehand. On that note I am very open to international hours - I've gotten up at all hours for interviews and speaking events in the past.
Speaking Topics Include: I'm very comfortable talking about autism and masking in the workplace, but one of my key areas of focus is neurodivergent writing and how it's treated by neurotypical audiences. I write blog posts on how to help ND writers convey themselves so neurotypical audiences understand, without sacrificing their neurodiversity, or themselves. I also write a lot of blogs on editing, especially for neurodiverse writers.
Suitable Audiences Include: Predominately adults interested in writing, and some teenagers.
Other Speaking Details: I'm very flexible as to times or situations as needed and can and will work with international time zones.
Speaker Experience: I have spoken at high schools about writing and have given a lecture on self-publishing to the Bendigo Writers Centre. I've also spoken on a panel at the international Weekend Writers Convention on Elemental Fantasy. I'm very open about being an autistic writer, and have been on dozens of different YouTube channels, TikTok lives, and podcasts. All these areas are mostly with writer audiences; however, I have helped work colleagues who've been comfortable coming to me with their neurodiversity before informing the business. I've also spoken to managers about neurodiversity in the work place and tactics for helping neurodiverse people thrive. My day job is to teach people how to understand complicated financial matters, and feel confident after a few weeks training to relay that to customers over the phone. I instill confidence in resourcing, but ultimately themselves, to help achieve satisfaction in their role, with the customer's needs in mind. I'm very proud that when I rewrote the learning program we've held 100% retention rate in an industry where the standard is far less.
Presentation Ideas: I can refer anyone interested to podcasts I've been on before and am more than happy to be interviewed about my speaking practice and talk on any number of subjects. In a strange way there are very few ways you can surprise me or catch me unprepared for questions because I have spent time in the past being a game master for roleplaying (think DnD/Dungeons and Dragons). After fifteen years of managing anywhere between six and twenty inventive and diabolical advocates of roleplaying, it's very difficult to catch me off guard.
Book this Speaker: Via social media, @ejdawsonauthor, or website www.ejdawson.com
