

It helped me look at things from various angles to try to examine the same event from the perspectives of everyone involved. Writing out trauma by projecting it out onto fictional characters can be a healing process. (I won’t name them here, but you can likely figure them out.) Many of Rin’s experiences come from a place of truth her relationship with Altan certainly comes from a place of truth.

It wasn’t until I started drafting my fourth career book, which has nothing to do with the TPW trilogy, that I realized how prevalent some recurring themes indeed are in my writing. They find their way into my fiction, whether intentionally or not. Certain traumas, for me, are like the gap left by a pulled tooth - I hate writing about them or even thinking about them, but I also can’t help but prod at them. VD: How do you write a story that you’re afraid of or that touches specifically on very real fears and trauma you have? I mean, yes, you could just NOT write it, but what if you really want to write that story? How do you go about writing your worst fears? Minor spoilers for the first TPW and TDR - no major plot points or plot discussed.


It’s less of a traditional interview and more of a casual penpal-esque correspondence, so I hope you enjoy! Below is a glimpse into our email conversation about writing specifics, favorite Asian American books and writers, and maybe a little bit about Korean K-pop band, BTS. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?īacked by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners.Since the pandemic has made a traditional book tour ill-advised, Kuang is in the midst of an online tour. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation.īacked by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges-and unexpected opportunities. Kuang’s acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect.Īfter saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead.ĭespite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much-the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R.
