Bio
Photo by Kai Valenta Photos
Photo by Vanesa Moreno
Photo by Dani
Sophie Mutiara Nova (they/them)
PRESS BIO (150 words)
Sophie Mutiara Nova (they/them) – is a Queer, mixed Indonesian American, immunocompromised Writer-Director and butterfly-loving garden goth. They’re the Writing Fellow of Lambda Literary and the ACEX TV Initiative. They’ve won the Launchpad Pilot Competition, ScreenCraft Horror Competition, and over eighty other awards. Their fantastical short films have screened internationally— most recently at Cheryl Dunye’s and Madeline Lim’s QWOCFF. They’ve been featured in: Deadline, Book Riot, Ms. Magazine, Macabre Daily, Gizmodo, Rainbow Crate, Gays Reading, LGBTQ Reads, iHeartSapphfic, and have toured with the Open Book Pasadena, Monrovia Pride Book Fest hosted by Underdog Books, and the Golden Crown Literary Society. They are the 2025 Lavender Public Relations Package recipient from Lambda Literary. Originally from Chicago, Sophie’s now based in Los Angeles (Dartmouth College BFA & MFA Film Directing CalArts) and was a former dancer for Indonesian dance troupe Burat Wangi. They are represented by the wonderful Patricia Court Entertainment. Find them haunting socials otherwise @thesophiewhit.
HELLO WORLD ~ ! (no word count, just words)
Sophie is a mixed Indonesian American, Queer, Nonbinary, immunocompromised writer, filmmaker, and garden fairy goth. They were grown in the Chicago suburbs on Midwest emo and transplanted to Los Angeles by adulthood. When not in the act of creation, they can be found carefully curating plant graveyards, trying not to poison themselves with the wrong flowers, and reanimating dying vegetation. For their first Halloween, they dressed as Clifford the Big Red Dog and made friends with a scare actor clown in a haunted house while all their friends ran screaming (true story). They took their childhood lunches in the library, read gory fairy tales in middle school (that were not meant for children), watched horror shows in secret, and befriended bespectacled librarians who were freaked out by Sophie’s prescient ability to seem to be able to accurately guess the results of coin tosses (most times, it’s tails). As a young adult, they discovered their queer identity in piercing parlors and BIPOC punk spaces that ultimately taught them that the most punk thing in the world is being kind.
They encourage greater storytelling accessibility for all, diversifying bookshelves, and reading the rainbow! 🌈 Sophie also yearns for the return of the bees and dreams of pollinator gardens. They are no longer afraid of butterflies. When not supporting local indie artists, Sophie plays a ghostly Dungeons & Dragons campaign. They can be found haunting social media otherwise @thesophiewhit.
Press
BOOK RIOT – 14 Must-Read New Queer Books Out in June 2026
The Stranger – Seattle Book Critic Katie Lee Ellison Recommendation
Ms. Magazine Feature – June 2026 Reads for the Rest of Us – Ms. Magazine
Pride Reads From Queer Authors of Color | BookTrib.
PAPER CUTS: “PHONING FAUST” (2026) Makes A Call Many Will Answer (REVIEW) — Macabre Daily
https://www.macabredaily.com/articles/paper-cuts-phoning-faust-2026-makes-a-call-many-will-answer-review
Reactor Mag New Horror Titles Coming Out
Gizmodo PHONING FAUST in 90 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books Arriving in June
https://gizmodo.com/new-sci-fi-fantasy-horror-books-novels-june-2026-2000764709
LGBTQ Reads – Phoning Faust – Indonesian Diaspora Representation
Read Phoning Faust at I Heart SapphFic
Debutiful Interview
6/6/(2)6: A Devilishly Fun (and Serious) Q&A with Phoning Faust Author Sophie Mutiara Nova
She Reads – Best LGBTQ Reads of 2026
Indigo Marketing & Design Presents Phoning Faust
Gays Reading✨ Exclusive Playlist 🎵 and Cover Reveal: PHONING FAUST ✨
https://gaysreading.substack.com/p/exclusive-cover-reveal-phoning-faust
Exclusive cover reveal article here
Queer Sci Fi
autostraddle
HERE: https://www.autostraddle.com/our-most-anticipated-queer-books-for-june-2026
