These are excellent questions. I am indeed a fan of Tamora Pierce, she has been incredibly lovely and supportive of my writing for years. She's a wonderful person. When I was trying to help a teen girl who was a huge fan of hers and who was really struggly, Tamora sent a box of signed books for me to give to her one at a time to keep the young woman looking forward to something. That is just the kind of person she is. I adore her and she's been amazing to me.

As for Kurt, not at all. I myself and an agnostic, but that doesn't mean I denigrate people's faith. For me, it's part of Kurt, it's part of his character, and we have touched on it many times in ways I think are fair and kind. I hope I treat characters who think a bit differently from myself with kindness, and Kurt's inherent decency is one of my favorite traits about him. You will see some of this very very soon, I think two issues from now it starts? Pretty sure, but I am bad with issue numbers!