Origins
While this book is Ellor's first published novel, it was his twelfth completed manuscript. His inspiration came out of a lack of feel-good Queer and Trans books when he started writing. "There wasn't anything like it at the time when I got the idea. There had been a couple of successful books about cis Queer people, but mostly just representing white, able-bodied, Queer people... there wasn't anything equivalent about Trans experiences."

After joining a Trans writing group, Ellor realized he was not alone in wanting more Trans-centered media. "We made this push through social media and our industry contacts because LGBTQ+ representation can't be done in just one book, and we wanted to broaden that spectrum to include more Trans voices."

From there, he began to plot out the novel that would eventually become May the Best Man Win. "Once I had the idea and I had the go-ahead from my agent, I just dove in. I had the characters' voices in my head, and it was almost as if they were speaking to me. So, I drafted the rough draft in about three weeks. After I did that, I set it aside for a while. I read back over my notes and did some edits and shared them with some other writers I know and received their feedback. Then I sent it to my agent."

His idea for the story came from the extravagant Maryland neighborhoods he grew up around. "The inspiration I had were these lavish homecomings we had at my high school, and I wanted to write for teenagers because they often don't have access to books like this, where they can see themselves reflected... While I think it's a book that adult readers can enjoy, I wanted to create something that would put Queer teens at the forefront."

Representation for teens
Ellor believes that we need Queer and Trans stories for readers of all ages. However, the need for YA Queer literature is monumental. "We are still very much in a period where Queer teenagers do not have access to that kind of representation in their reading life. When I was a teen, the few pieces of Queer media I had weren't written for me. They were specific, sensationalized, and tragic, written in a way that didn't make me understand I could be Queer and that that label could be accessible to me. I think it is important to have Queer [representation] in media, for Queer teens who are looking to find a sense of themselves and the world they live in."

He hopes that readers can take away a better understanding of what it can mean to be Queer: that the struggles are real, but that joy can be, too. "I hope readers take away a sense of hopefulness grounded in the very real struggles that Trans teens face today. Life is not always perfect for Trans teenagers. The struggles they face are real and incredibly painful, and difficult to navigate. I wanted to write about two Queer people who find each other and a community that supports them. Even though all their problems don't go away, they feel grounded and loved and like they are in a place to face all the real issues they are facing."

Ellor has already received positive feedback for his novel and plans to continue writing stories for Trans teens. "As long as there are readers who want to read these stories, I am very excited to be writing them," he said. "I think it is a good time to be a Queer writer. We're seeing a boom right now in Queer literature, and we see a real hunger for these books."

Christmas
Ellor is also a self-described "Christmas geek." "I love Christmas," he said, "and I tend to make a pretty big deal out of it. I am very much looking forward to celebrating the winter holidays with friends this year, as opposed to last year, when we were all in quarantine."

His favorite Christmas tradition is baking with friends and family. "I do a lot of baking, and I will send cookies to all my friends all over the country," he laughed.

Of course, no Christmas season is complete without his favorite holiday movies. "My favorite Christmas movie is Elf with Will Ferrell. It's just such a joyful, irreverent, lovely little film. It has some incredibly funny scenes about the publishing industry as well," he said.

"Specifically, I always crack up when you have to pitch your book at Christmas, or you'll lose your job. I find that very funny, because the publishing industry is notoriously slow around Christmas. In the real world, nothing ever gets done the last two to three weeks of December."

Ellor spends Christmas in the DC area, where May the Best Man Win is set. "It's fairly mild here, we haven't even lost all our leaves yet. I think I see a white Christmas once every ten years."

Snow or no snow, Christmas is his favorite time of year. It's a time for love and romance, and a special date to The Nutcracker is at the top of his list this year. "I am a total sap. They do this big performance of The Nutcracker every year in DC, and I would love for someone to take me to that, and then we could go and kiss in front of the national Christmas tree on the mall."

What's to come
Fans of Ellor do not have to wait long to see what he's been working on since May the Best Man Win hit shelves earlier this year. On July 5, 2022, his second novel, Silk Fire, will be released. "It's an adult epic fantasy novel about a Bisexual male courtesan who is seeking revenge against his aristocrat father, and is drawn into a magical war," says Ellor.

Following that novel will be Acting the Part, "another YA contemporary novel. It's about a nonbinary actor who has to pretend to date their co-star to keep the showrunners from killing off their on-screen sapphic relationship." This novel was inspired by the "dead Lesbians" trope that Ellor admits he hates to see.

However, "at the same time, I can name several books that do kill off a Queer character, but it works well for the story. If the story is a tragedy, it works well for the intention. I've read some excellent stories about Queer grief and the loss of a lover or partner. I don't think there are too many specific Queer tropes that are off-limits."

So, if you're looking for cute story of lovers to enemies (to maybe lovers again?) to take you back to the drama of high school, and some great Trans representation, pick up a copy of May the Best Man Win and read along with us this winter!