Autism
Hello my name is Toeps and I’m autistic. I wrote a book or two about it.
Come together
Over the past two weeks, you gradually heard less from me on social media. My outfits became duller, my hair lost its shine, and my cooking skills were regularly replaced by microwave meals. In short: I was tired. But there was a good reason for that…
Easter egg
Did you know it’s better not to use song lyrics as an epigraph in a book? You’re usually allowed to quote small parts of a text – that’s called the right of quotation – but the quote has to serve a purpose, not just be there for decoration, which makes an epigraph a bit questionable. So when I wanted to include a line from a Taylor Swift song in Autastisch leven, and preferably not have Ms. Billionaire’s legal team come after me, I had to come up with a creative workaround. An easter egg, to stay in Swiftie terms.
My new book Autastisch leven has officially launched!
Hooray, my new book Autastisch leven was officially released yesterday! The book launch last night at bookstore Broese in Utrecht was a big success, but before that…
’tismthedamnweek
What a week. Or actually two, since it’s been a while since my last post on this blog. It was on my to-do list almost every day: write a blog. But other things kept taking priority. Book-related things, mostly.
Workweek
After taking some time last week to land quietly in the Netherlands (not an unqualified success), this week the hard work began: three lectures, three shoots, and a radio appearance. In the meantime, I put the finishing touches on my new book, for which I received two proof copies, and ate pizza with my family for my father’s birthday. And somewhere in between, I even found time to drop off a few Vinted packages.
Autistics should just stay home?
Imagine you’re autistic and you want to go to the Efteling (a famous Dutch theme park). Yes, it can be pretty intense sensory-wise, but your family is going too, and you genuinely love the Efteling. Fortunately, there are facilities you can make use of. For example, you don’t have to stand in long zigzag queues but can wait elsewhere instead. The Efteling also offers a €2 discount on your ticket, or €5 off per month on a subscription. Nice! That could have been the end of this blog. But this is the internet, so of course people are upset.
Almost there
The countdown app on my phone says 13. Just 13 days to go until I fly to the Netherlands. “Could you maybe pick me up from Schiphol?” I ask my brother. “My flight is on March 3, so I’ll arrive on March 4…” He corrects me: “No, if you’re flying to the Netherlands, you arrive on the same day, because you’re flying against the clock.” I panic. “Oh, shit! Did I also book my hotel for the wrong…”
Autastic update
Hooray! The first draft of Autastisch leven is finished! That means the book is now with my editor, who will go through it again thoroughly and add comments and suggestions everywhere. After that, I’ll have about two more weeks to make changes: send passages to interviewees for approval, tweak the structure here and there, cut some parts, or expand others.
2016
Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to 2026. Wow, time really does fly. 2016, a year that in my mind is still one of the best years of all time, is already a decade behind us. The day before yesterday I shared a few Instagram stories with photos from that year, after scrolling through the photo album on my phone. “I was so cool in 2016,” I wrote, with a touch of melancholy.
Autastisch leven pre-order is live, and I’m coming to The Netherlands!
Last week I suddenly had a day where I felt like I had wings. You know, one of those days when you’re inexplicably full of energy – well, actually, I suspect it was just because I was at my office – and you end up ticking off all sorts of tasks. I was at the office, and the day before I’d found a box of fancy-looking felt-tip pens at Off-House. They were 55 yen (about 30 cents) each, so I picked out ten.
New (Dutch) book updates
Whenever I’m working on a book, the same thing happens: my blog turns into a quiet, dusty wasteland, with the occasional tumbleweed rolling by. My brain only has so much writing capacity, so after two hours of book work, the idea of writing a blog post on top of that… yeah, no. Today I decided to do it the other way around: blog first, then see how much book writing I can still manage afterward. Because I do want to keep you updated on how the writing process is going!
New (Dutch) book news!
Some time ago, I posted on Instagram that I was working on a new (Dutch) book. I asked my readers for input for the project (working title: Handbook for an Autastic Life), a guide meant to help autistic people shape their lives in a way that works for them. I received many enthusiastic responses and got to work. Then things went quiet for a while—and not without reason. I had received the draft contract from my publisher and was just about to sign it. But something held me back…
I think I need some Tylenol
Ugh. Another day of politicizing autism and dumb takes on both sides of the isle. A few things that I would like people to understand.
Books and plans
“Hey Toeps, how’s it going with your books?” In this blog, I’ll tell you what I’ve been working on lately and give you a little peek behind the scenes of life as a falling-star author who’s never quite satisfied (the negative spin), or who’s always striving for more and better (the positive one). I’d love to hear your thoughts too, so feel free to leave a comment!
On Musk’s hand
It was the talk of the day yesterday: A hand gesture by Elon Musk, for some clearly a Hitler salute, for others an innocent hand gesture from an enthusiastic autistic person, and yet another example of Trump Derangement Syndrome – the blind panic some seem to fall into at anything Trump and his people do.