McLemore is a queerLatina, which they cite as one of the reasons why they write inclusive, queer, Latinx casts. Their husband is transgender. McLemore describes their work as inspired by the fairytales and stories they grew up with and their own background, which is why many of their novels feature magical-realist themes, queer characters, and Spanish and French language. They cite Laura Esquivel's novel Like Water for Chocolate as one of the reasons they started writing and names Carla Trujillo, Malinda Lo, Isabel Allende, and Federico García Lorca as some of their influences.
Career
McLemore was named a Lambda Literary Emerging Writer Fellow in 2011. Their debut young adult novel, The Weight of Feathers, was published in 2015 by Thomas Dunne Books. It deals with themes of discrimination and marginalization in a magical-realist story about black magic, and includes a generational feud between Mexican-American and Romani rival families. Their debut was chosen as a William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist in 2016 and received a starred review from Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. It also was chosen for YALSA's 2016 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults list. Their second novel, When the Moon Was Ours, a magical-realist fairytale about a transgender Pakistani-American boy and a cisgender queer Latina falling in love, was published in 2016 by Thomas Dunne Books. It won the James Tiptree Jr. Award in 2016 and the Stonewall Honor Award in 2017. It was also named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and Booklist. When the Moon Was Ours received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Booklist. McLemore's third novel, Wild Beauty, about a family of cursed women and magical gardens, was published in 2017 by Feiwel and Friends. It again received three starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Booklist, and was also named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and Booklist. Wild Beauty was nominated for a Northern California Book Award in 2018. Their fourth novel, Blanca & Roja, is a Latinx retelling of Swan Lake and Snow White, about two sisters who fall in love with a boy who can turn into a bear and a non-binary teen who can turn into a cygnet. It was published by Feiwel and Friends in 2018. Blanca & Roja received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Booklist as well. School Library Journal named Blanca & Roja a best book of 2018. Their fifth novel, Dark and Deepest Red, is a split-timeline story based on The Red Shoes, set in 1518 Strasbourg and 2018. The book will be published in early 2020. Their sixth novel, Meteor, is about two girls attempting to change their town's future while they participate in a talent competition. It's their first co-written novel, together with author Tehlor Kay Mejia, and will be published by HarperCollins in 2020. Their novels have been translated into Turkish, Italian, and Spanish. They have also written several short stories and non-fiction essays for anthologies that were published with Ambush Books, Harlequin Teen, Candlewick, Simon Pulse, Soho Teen, and Algonquin Young Readers.
