2021 Mentee Interviews

Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you, what do you write, and what are you working on right now?

I am a child and adolescent psychiatrist, wife and mother by day. Nights, weekends and during rare bits of free time, I write fantasy. I have more recently started leaning into the Vietnamese part of my heritage, so I'm writing characters and locales that have a Vietnamese flavor to it. The novel that I have been working on as part of the Write Team Mentorship is "Dragon's Pearl," a portal fantasy with women sliding into a land based on Vietnamese myth and precolonial history.

What kind of stories are you interested in exploring in your career as an author?

I've noticed that my stories have the central themes of family, identity and travel in them. Not just for "Dragon's Pearl," but other novels I've been working on in between editing rounds. This makes sense to me; as a woman of mixed heritage that moved halfway across the country from my family of origin for my job, all of these themes are deeply personal. There are so many nuances that can be explored in fiction, and these are very important themes with multiple permutations to write about.

What's the best thing about you as an author?

I'm not sure! I could say that I'm willing to learn, or that I can draw from personal and professional experience, but those are aspects that every writer draws from to fully flesh out their characters and give them depth.

How have you developed as an author during this mentorship period? Is there anything that you didn't think before about the craft that you think now?

I am a pantser by nature, and it took me a long time to finish "Dragon's Pearl" as a result even though it was based on a dream. My mentor Jeannie pointed out the weak spots in the story because there wasn't a coherent emotional arc, plotting fell apart, and worldbuilding wasn't coherent. There's a lot more to writing a novel than putting the words down on the page. Now I'm more aware of plot structure, character arcs, and the way even small changes have a ripple effect throughout the rest of the story. Even if I approach a story as a pantser, I can pick out the weaknesses and start to fix them.

If every book is a book baby, then it takes a village to raise a book. Are there any people who stand out to you as people who helped you in your writing journey?

Asia Murphy helped as a critique partner for an earlier version of Dragon's Pearl, and Jeannie Lin has helped me make significant changes and improvements to the overall story. It's almost an entirely different book! Other family and friends have listened to me talk about writing, and were excited with me even if they didn't understand the ups and downs of writing.

What do you think is the biggest necessity for a group of writing friends?

Writing friends are a great source of support, commiseration and encouragement. Our server is great for that, and the different genres and stages of their author's journey means we're able to give pointers and advice for others.

Any parting words for young writers looking for guidance, or a community?

Be open to asking for help from others, since they can have strengths in areas you're weak in. Take a chance on contests and with developing those friendships, since they'll help you learn and grow.

What about your own craft, interests, and abilities drew you to your mentee and their work?

I was drawn to The Dragon's Pearl because it was a fantasy based on Vietnamese culture and mythology. Though I'm Vietnamese, I've published in primarily Chinese settings which are more familiar to mainstream audiences, but I was intrigued by the premise of weaving Vietnamese characters and elements into a journey to a parallel fantasy world. Parallel worlds like Narnia and Fillory, from the Magicians, are typically Western-based. I was excited to see what a parallel world inspired by Asian culture would look like.

Asian history is often, in itself, a mix of epic storytelling and fantasy. In this way, I hoped my previous experience writing historical romance as well as steampunk and fantasy might bring something helpful to the collaboration.

Do you have a message for anyone interested in your mentee's work?

The Dragon's Pearl is a journey and an exploration of Vietnamese culture through a fantasy adventure. While working on it, we explored so many different layers of what it means to be Vietnamese -- language, food, family and mythology. There's a core tale in there that is rich and layered, with influences from periods of both eastern and western colonization. It's a journey that mirrors the Vietnamese search for identity, and one that I was thrilled to be a part of.