FAQs
How did you get your agent?
By writing a lot of books. You can read the entire journey here: part 1, part II, and part III.
How did you get your book deal?
Learn about how I got my book deal for DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE here.
Subscribe to my newsletter to learn about how I sold my 2nd book, THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND.
Is there a sequel for DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE?
Alas, there isn’t. Even if I were to write more books, they wouldn’t be from Hesina’s point of view. Her story and character arc were always meant to be 80% wrapped up in one book; any future books would have been closer to companion novels. They’d follow the points of views of characters you haven’t yet met (while bringing in the old cast), and complete the bigger story that’s introduced in the epilogue of DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE.
However, due to a number of factors, it wasn’t possible for me to expand on that bigger story for a long time, and now I’ve fully moved on as a creator. I know this is the worst news for a reader, and I’m really sorry to be delivering it. If it’s any small comfort, Hesina’s journey in DESCENDANT would have always ended the way that it did regardless of if I’d sold in a one book, two book, or three book deal. The art of the story would have trumped any contractual obligations, and I hope you’ll understand that I selfishly chose to be the “artist” for my debut. And I hope it’ll assuage your fears to know that I’ll dream more realistically from here on out :’)
Is STRIKE THE ZITHER a standalone or a series?
STRIKE THE ZITHER is the first book in the Kingdom of Three duology. So no, not a standalone, and yes, there’s one more book coming your way to round out Zephyr’s story!
For more information on how STRIKE THE ZITHER became a series, read this.
Do I need to knowledge of Three Kingdoms (the classic that STRIKE THE ZITHER is based on) to read STRIKE THE ZITHER?
Strictly speaking, you do not! I elaborate on this further in the 3rd question of this interview.
What actually happens at the end/to the characters of THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND? Will there be a sequel?
Here is the question that I can answer: there is no sequel. There is no story left for me to tell in this particular world, with these particular characters. Their arcs are fulfilled, their themes belabored upon. The publisher could offer me a contract for the sequel and I’d turn it down. That’s how strongly I feel about TOWMTF being a standalone, as a creator.
As for the other question—what happens at the end/after—that, unfortunately, is one that I’ve decided I can no longer answer. I’m sorry :( I’ve given this a lot of thought. In the beginning, I would try to answer for the people who asked. Most of them came to me out of discomfort, and so based on their questions I’d tell them what they wanted to hear because I figured I’d assuage worries wherever I can. But doing so would then make me uncomfortable, and after sitting down with myself to examine why, I realized it goes against what I believe is the magic of reading—and of art in general. So if your question is about what happens at the end or after, I will now direct you here. Are you asking because you need to know if XYZ happened? If so, the good news is that there’s likely nothing in the book that will 100% disprove what you want. That’s the beauty of the open ending. Are there some endings that I personally think are 90% substantiated by the text vs 50%? Absolutely. But that’s based on my read of the characters. If you read them differently, who am I to force you to arrive at my destination, to make something canon when it isn’t even on the page?
Reading is an interactive experience. We might have different ways of viewing the world and people around us; I hope the book shows you that that’s okay, and that two (or more) things can be equally valid even if we don’t personally connect with one of them. So the ending is—forgive me—the one that you’re meant to find.