New Yorker Amélie Wen Zhao tells us about the sequel to The Scorpion and the Night Blossom—something for those who loves fantasy, romance, and magic—which is out this week through HarperCollins!
Name: Amélie Wen Zhao (she/her)
Based in: New York
What genres/subgenres are you drawn to?
Fantasy
Is writing your full-time focus, or do you have a day job as well? What do you do?
I have a day job, working in finance!
The Book: From Pen to Print
What was the genesis of this book? Where did you get the idea from?
The Dragon and the Sun Lotus is the sequel to The Scorpion and the Night Blossom—which literally came to me in a dream. I was traveling in Washington, DC, and I recall waking up in the middle of the night in my hotel room with a vivid image: a girl in a white silk dress standing in the middle of a bloodied lake. A beautiful demon in the form of a man stood across from her, and she held a pair of crescent-shaped blades in her hands as she faced him down. From there bloomed a story that, I believe, has been in my heart all along—one made of the childhood Chinese fairytales and high fantasy that I grew up on, with immortal realms in the skies and gorgeous demons that’ll eat your heart and the magic of dragons. The Three Realms duology is my homage to those worlds, and I hope to bring more of those stories to readers around the world.
Once it was in the hands of your publisher, what was the process to get it ready for release?
Once books are in the hands of publishers, there’s typically at least a year (usually more) of time for the ramp-up. The book goes through revisions and edits: I typically do 3-4 rounds with my editor, from big picture to small scene-level items as we tighten everything. Usually by the end, I’ve cut or rewritten anywhere between 1/3 to half the book! Then, we go through line-level edits and copyedits, where we check for grammar and logic. Throughout all this, my publisher is pulling together items for production: cover sketches and tweaks, blurbs, summaries and all. Once the manuscript is sparkling clean, it’s out of my hands and goes into the production line—and by the magic of my wonderful publishing teams, it’s all dressed up for release!
And now your book is about to be unleashed on the world! How are you feeling?
I am so excited to share the conclusion to Àn’yīng, Yù’chén, and Hào’yáng’s stories with readers! Release day is always a quiet kind of magic where all the hubbub of press, social content, interviews, and preparation take a pause—and you just get to enjoy the day. One of my favorite aspects is going to my local indies and signing requests for personalizations with quotes, doodles, and fun asks from readers! It’s such a lovely way to share in the magic of stories.
What would you like us to know about this book?
This book has my favorite ending out of all the series I’ve written! I think, no matter who (or what) you’re rooting for, readers will find something in it that will bring them joy.
Who’s the ideal reader for this one? What sort of things do they like to read about?
Anyone who loves fantasy, romance, and magic—with special Easter eggs for those familiar with Chinese high fantasy romance.
Your writing process
Are you a plotter or pantser or somewhere in between? How do you do your first draft?
I’m mostly a big-picture plotter and small-picture pantser. I’ll have my major beats down so I have a map of where the book is going, but if I get better ideas or want to change something along the way, I’m definitely open to incorporating it. That’s how I approach my first draft—and even as I’m writing, I’ll jot down new ideas or better ideas for consideration in the sidelines so that when I come back for my second draft, I’ll have a better view of what worked and what didn’t work, and what I’d be open to changing to make the book better.
How do you approach writing? Are you the type or writer who needs to treat it like a job? Is there a particular time of day you find best for you to write?
I definitely treat it like a job! If you know MBTIs, I’m an ESTJ, meaning I like structure and organization. I’m very methodical: once I have my outline and beats down, I’ll give myself a timeline goal and word count goal, then divide that into weekly and daily counts. Five hundred words a day sounds a lot more manageable than a hundred thousand-word book!
Geek out about stationery: do you use a notebook? A specific type of pen? Or are you computer all the way?
In a project’s nascent stages, I brainstorm on cute stationery and writing by hand, because for some reason it feels cozier and more creative! Then once the ball’s rolling, I’ll start typing notes on my computer (I’m a very fast typist at ~120wpm!) and putting together an outline and synopsis. Once I’m drafting, everything is by computer. I do use Scrivener for drafting and revisions (up until line edits)—it’s so well-tailored to a writer’s needs!
(Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash)
Where do you work? Do you have a comfy, creative space at home or are you someone who has to grab the moment wherever it comes?
I recently moved to a house and finally have my own office! It’s so cozy and my favorite room in the house: four bookshelves (that are filling up surprisingly fast!), a huge desk and monitor, ergonomic keyboard, and cute bookish decorations and art.
What’s your writing soundtrack?
I make a Spotify playlist for every single book I’ve been contracted for! I know things are getting serious when I get the Spotify playlist out and start curating songs. For my past two series, they’ve been Chinese drama soundtracks with instrumentals interspersed. It’s funny when I get my Spotify Wrapped at year-end, because you can clearly see it oscillate between my regular playlists (C-Pop, K-Pop, Western pop) and then intense drafting periods of “Chinese Theatrical Soundtracks”.
Do you have a writing ritual?
I work another job full-time, so sometimes writing comes in snatches: mornings before logging on if it’s a work-from-home day, or evenings after I’m off work. Weekends are what I treasure most: mornings are when I write best, so I guard uninterrupted morning time very fiercely! I usually just need coffee (cappuccino with foamed whole milk and drizzled honey), a cozy sweater, my Pinterest board and Spotify playlist up, and then I get to work!
Where can we follow you / find out more about your work?
I’m primarily on Instagram @ameliewenzhao, but will also make major announcements on my website (ameliezhao.com). I have a very old and unused TikTok where I used to make Chinese culture-related posts if you’d like to see my embarrassing Covid-era self (@ameliewenzhao).
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