From Paris To Pride: Coming out at 34 & Uplifting Sapphic Stories with Maude Salley

[Data Yap, Season 2, Episode 3]

Well that is the sapphic soul-awakening journey that Parisian graphic designer and author,

Maude Salley

, has embarked on. After moving from Paris to Toronto in her 30’s, Maude realized that she’s a lesbian. And she has embraced this queer identity and community in Canada…which has inspired her new debut novel, “Awakening Aria.” Maude also runs the Substack page, Lesbian Third Space.

In this LGBTQIA Pride month featured episode, Maude reflects on coming out at 34 years old, writing about joyful LGBTQ+ representation, and blending user-experience (UX) research and storytelling to create authentic characters. She emphasizes the importance of visibility, community, and living authentically, especially for those coming out later in life, offering hope, humor, and honesty throughout.

Episode Highlights:

1. Coming Out Later in Life: Maude candidly shares how she came out at 34, after moving from France to Canada, where the more open and visible queer community helped her realize her identity.

2. Joy-Focused Queer Representation: Her novel “Awakening Aria” aims to break away from trauma-centered LGBTQ+ narratives, offering a cozy, hopeful story that normalizes queer love and life.

3. Thoughtful Creative Process: Drawing on her UX design background, Maude uses community surveys, demographic research, and beta readers to ensure diverse and authentic representation in her writing.

If you love queer fiction, Substack gems, lesbian love stories, and creators who break the trauma trope, this one’s for you. 🌈✨ Happy Pride!

💬 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more interviews with LGBTQ+ creatives and authors!

#ComingOutStory #SapphicFiction #WLW #QueerJoy #AwakeningAria #LGBTQCreatives

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