about

Hi! I go by Val (she/they) online and write science fiction and fantasy under the pen name V.M. Ayala. I’m a disabled biracial queer writer with short stories featured in Lightspeed, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Escape Pod, Translunar Travelers Lounge, Flame Tree’s Moon Falling anthology, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024, and elsewhere. I stream on Twitch as spacevalkyries and occasionally perform in TTRPG actual plays (TTRPG AP), particularly fundraising oneshots or shorter campaigns. I’m also a co-founder of OTHERSIDE, an upcoming queer speculative magazine opening for submissions January 2026, which is so exciting!

I’m a queer biracial Mexican American. I have ADHD, social anxiety, C-PTSD, and depression as well as chronic pain and fatigue. I’m also a childhood cancer survivor. In short: I’m a chaos gremlin! I flail shyly a lot, and I like to be honest about my mental health and medical experiences. I also love queer sci-fi/fantasy stories, my partner, and our tortoiseshell cat Bella.

You can find me online most places @spacevalkyries (see my links page for full list). You can also check my blog for narrative thoughts or my Patreon.

short bio

V.M. Ayala (she/they) is a queer disabled biracial Mexican American sci-fi/fantasy writer. She loves dragons, space, giant robots, and their partner. Their work has appeared in Lightspeed, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024, and elsewhere. She is also a streamer (ask them about indie games) and TTRPG actual play performer—as well as one of the co-founders of OTHERSIDE, an upcoming queer speculative magazine. You can find her most social media places @spacevalkyries or at spacevalkyries.com.