Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Brisbane, Australia. After graduating from university with a Bachelor of Education, I returned to Hong Kong to teach English in a primary school.
After 10 years of full-time teaching, I wanted to pursue new passions and follow my dream of becoming an author, and finally made that dream come true! I published my first picture book in May 2020 and just recently released a chapter book for early readers. I hope to keep writing and to publish more books in the future!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called ‘Can You Hear Me?’ It was inspired by my personal experience of loss and grief. My father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away after eight months. It was a really painful and heartbreaking experience for me as an adult and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if I had been a child. I wished that I had read a book that could help me understand and cope with loss and grief when I was younger so I could have been more prepared. These kinds of inevitable events could happen to anyone at anytime, no matter how old we are. I wanted to write about my experience from the perspective of a young girl, imagining how my younger self would have felt or what might have been going on in my mind. I realised that a lot of the feelings I was had would have been the same even as a young child. The shock, confusion, doubts, uncertainties, guilt, regret, anger, sadness, helplessness and so on… So even though the events in the story are entirely fictional, all the emotions and feelings portrayed are very real. A lot of the conversations between the father and the young girl are conversations I wish I had had with my own father. I wish I could have read him the stories I wanted to write, so I included them in my book.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t really have any unusual writing habits. When I am busy, I think a lot about writing and have ideas ruminating. But when I actually have the time to sit down and write, I end up procrastinating!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I really love Jodi Picoult’s books. Her stories are so powerful. There is always some kind of moral dilemma or a really difficult choice to make in them. They take you so deep into the storyline that it makes you think about your own life choices and how you would react in that situation. I don’t know her work has influenced my writing, but they have definitely influenced the way I see things and given me a lot of new perspectives on life.
I also love Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking. Pippi is such a fun character and I hope to create such a lovable character in my books one day.
What are you working on now?
Right now, I am working on a new story about a young girl and her grandmother. I just started brainstorming a few days ago. I am also trying to work on the resources to go with my last two books which will hopefully help children and young teens deal with loss and grief.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My only advice is to just go for it! I had wanted to write a book for about five years and kept putting it off. When COVID-19 hit, I saw it as an opportunity to really just sit down, switch off all the devices, forget about everything else, and write until it was done. I finished my first draft within two weeks. It doesn’t have to be perfect – it just needs to be done. Don’t edit while you write either! You can edit AFTER the draft is done!
What are you reading now?
I am simultaneously reading about 10 books. I like variety and switching to different books that suit my moods. Right now, I am reading a lot of books by other indie authors – including children’s books, romance, and even thrillers.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I am a very practical person, I would like to have some books that could teach me to survive on a desert island – one about food, hunting, fishing etc., one about camping or building a tent / boat. I’d also bring the Bible as I think that would really help me through the tough times. I might choose one book for leisure but would likely pick a non-fiction self-help kind of book – something motivational.
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