About the Author

J.Q. Gagliastro is the bestselling author, storyteller, and illustrator of The Diary of a Sugarbaby and Mercury to the Moon. The Diary of a Sugarbaby is a bestseller in LGBTQ+ Fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Epistolary Fiction, and Political Fiction. NYC’s Queer Book Club selected The Diary of a Sugarbaby as their October 2024 book. 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 2023 finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards in Adult Fiction. In August 2024, Gagliastro appeared on Chicago's WGN TV with journalist Sean Lewis. The Diary of a Sugarbaby was featured in The New York Review of Books, both April and May 2024 issues. Gagliastro completed an eight-stop Book Tour that included NYC, D.C., Chicago, West Hartford, Glastonbury, Annapolis, Keene, and Philly. Over 1,000 copies of The Diary of a Sugarbaby were 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!" Mercury to the Moon is a fantasy adventure novel for all reading ages, illustrated entirely by Gagliastro. The Los Angeles Book Review hailed Mercury to the Moon as "an imaginative triumph!" Mercury to the Moon is a bestseller in Young Adult Fiction, Magical Realism, and Alien Sci-Fi.

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Gagliastro resides in Philly and is American (Sicilian/Eastern Mediterranean). They grew up as the new kid, moving from state to state—VA, NY, FL, MA, PA, and CT. At age sixteen, they were thrown out for dressing too fem. Despite the lack of parental financial support, they earned themself a BA in French Language & Literature from Allegheny College. They studied language arts in Northern Italy and Angers, France. In France, they worked at the city hall of Fismes as a French to English translator. When they moved to Philly, they returned to their one true passion: literature. Coming from a working-class family of eight, Gagliastro had to be self-dependent. When they couldn't pay back their school debt, they became a sugarbaby in addition to their day jobs. While The Diary of a Sugarbaby is fiction, Gagliastro ties in their experiences as a homeless youth and twists them into a dramatic political satire. Mercury to the Moon came to Gagliastro while hiking the Dragon’s Back trail in Hong Kong. Please follow @jq.gagliastro.official on Instagram for upcoming books, tour dates, merch, and more!

Photo Gallery

International Fashion Show, Allegheny College '18