Bold Journey Magazine Interviews Author J.Q. Gagliastro
February 19, 2025
Bold: J.Q., sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
JQ: I listen to my body. I practice the power of no. When I am experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress without properly balancing life, I feel mentally drained and often break out in acne. Got the back scars to prove it. I grew up in a household of eight. I was around people day and night. I’m an INTJ-A. I need my alone time and silence to reflect, especially as an author. I also need my routine. I find having a calm morning, an hour or two of exercise, and time in the kitchen keeps the anxiety at bay. While I love my friends and family very dearly, I can’t do every day. It truly has nothing to do with them. I’m merely independent to the core.
Bold: Before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
JQ: My name is J.Q. Gagliastro. I’m the multi-bestselling author of The Diary of a Sugarbaby and Mercury to the Moon. The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a #1 bestseller in LGBTQ+ Fiction on Amazon’s Bestsellers List, a #2 bestseller in Dystopian Fiction on Ingram’s Bestsellers List, a #45 bestseller in Epistolary Fiction on Amazon’s Bestsellers List, and a Top 250 in Political Fiction on Kindle’s Bestsellers List. The Diary of a Sugarbaby was NYC’s Queer Book Club October 2024 book pick. An instructor at the University of Florida shortlisted The Diary of a Sugarbaby as required text for their queer studies program. The Diary of a Sugarbaby was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards in Adult Fiction for books published in 2023. In August 2024, I appeared on Chicago’s WGN TV with journalist Sean Lewis. The Diary of a Sugarbaby was featured in The New York Review of Books, April and May 2024 issues. I completed an eight-stop Sugarbaby Book Tour that included NYC, D.C., Chicago, West Hartford, Glastonbury, Annapolis, Keene, and Philadelphia. I have merch available on my website from daddy tank tops and sugarbaby corduroy hats to naughty Polaroids and posters of myself (18+ only). Over 1,000 copies of The Diary of a Sugarbaby have been sold within the first year of its publication. The Manhattan Book Review called The Diary of a Sugarbaby “The Handmaid’s Tale on steroids!” Kirkus Reviews called it “a frightening novel about an unthinkable future!” And according to The BookLife Prize, The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a “dark satirical work of sci-fi!” My next book is what I am most excited about. Mercury to the Moon is an illustrated fantasy space odyssey for all ages and will be released soon in 2025! I illustrated every chapter title myself, some with the help of my mother. While The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a political nightmare, Mercury to the Moon will provide an escape for readers. It is perfect for parents to read to their children or young adults seeking adventure full of morals, monsters, and more!
Bold: There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
JQ: Frivolity, resourcefulness, and the ability to celebrate yourself. These three aspects of my personality have had a profound impact on my journey. First, frivolity. Don’t take what others say about you too seriously. People will leave hateful comments, talk shit about you behind your back all the while pretending to be your friend/s, and sometimes leave you threats. Understand that the hate comes from someone deeply petulant, insecure, and/or jealous. People can’t stand to see someone be sexy, intelligent, resilient, and successful all at once. They’ll try to tear you down. Learn to laugh at them and not give a damn. Have a good support system. Get rid of people who don’t support you. Second, resourcefulness. Utilize every resource you have. If you’re like me and don’t come from money, be smart with your time. Don’t go out on the weekends. Pick up a third job. If you’re dedicating your life to what inspires you, nothing can stop you except yourself. You don’t need traditional publishers or Oprah’s book club or major book awards or hundreds of thousands of dollars to pave your path. You can do it yourself. And if those things ever do come your way, it’ll be because they saw you working hard at what you do. They’ll see the book tour YOU organized. They’ll see the bookstores YOU had book signings at. And they’ll read the words YOU wrote. Lastly, and most importantly, self-love. Learn to celebrate the little wins. They add up. Post about them. Use them as a marketing tool. Oh, your book was on the bestsellers lists in dystopian fiction for three whole months? Market it! Oh, a book club in NYC with over 100 members picked up your book for October? Market it! Oh, you were on Chicago morning news? Market the hell out of that four-minute news piece! Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. People will assume you have a big ego and will get annoyed seeing how often you post about your successes, but they’ll still buy your book.
Bold: Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
JQ: So many books. I must say The Handmaid’s Tale, 1984, Animal Farm, The Hunger Games, Parable of the Sower, and I Who Have Never Known Men all taught me the intricacies of a dystopian work and helped develop the lore of The Diary of a Sugarbaby. If you follow me, you probably already knew that. But the three works that played an important role in my personal development have been The Prophet, The Book Thief, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. The Prophet is a work of wisdom. The poems on Joy & Sorrow, Death, and Crime & Punishment are standouts. “Some of you say, ‘Joy is greater than sorrow,’ and others say, ‘Nay, sorrow is the greater.’ But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.” Those specific lines speak to me and make depression feel more transient. The Book Thief taught me the power of storytelling, the reader’s relationship to characters, and the beauty of a compassionate story set in a world of extreme cruelty. And lastly, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. While the book is Middle Grade, I think all ages could benefit from reading it and be reminded of what’s truly important in life. We all want fortune. We all want answers. But what we should seek is friendship, family, bravery, and adventure. Cliche, but true.
JQ: Thank you so much for this opportunity, Bold Journey Magazine! It has been a pleasure!