Ten Terrifying Questions with Xiran Jay Zhao!

Xiran Jay Zhao is a first-gen immigrant from small-town China who was raised by the Internet. A recent graduate of Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University, they wrote science fiction and fantasy while they probably should have been studying more about biochemical pathways. You can find them on Twitter for memes, Instagram for cosplays and fancy outfits, and YouTube for long videos about Chinese history and culture. Iron Widow is their first novel.

Today, Xiran Jay Zhao is on the blog to take on our Ten Terrifying Questions! Read on …

Xiran Jay Zhao

1. To begin with, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?

I was born in China and went to school there until grade five, after which I came to Canada with my parents. I’m grateful that this means I got a pretty solid experience of both worlds, and can navigate them equally well.

2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?

When I was 12, I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist because of the show Bones. At 18, I wanted to be a historian and author. Now I am unexpectedly an author and YouTuber, something I never dreamed of but accidentally became anyway. At 30 … I hope to be alive, HAHA.

3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you don’t have now?

That I’m exceptionally smart. University made me realise that’s definitely not true. I’m average at best 😂

4. What are three works of art – this could be a book, painting, piece of music, film, etc – that influenced your development as a writer?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor made me realize how beautiful prose could be, the Nier soundtrack has influenced the atmosphere of a lot of my writing, and my third book sprang out of a single underwater picture of a girl wearing kneesocks that looked like cyborg legs. Seriously, it made me create a whole sci-fi mermaid world.

5. Considering the many artistic forms out there, what appeals to you about writing a young adult novel?

I love the amount of control I have over the world and story. I can basically make whatever I want happen because I’m not limited by budget or illustration ability. YA books especially appeal to me because they’re fast paced, easy to read, and full of high emotions. I’m not one for subtlety.

6. Please tell us about your latest book!

Iron Widow is a Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale reimagining of China’s only female emperor! It takes place in a futuristic world inspired by precolonial China, but where boys and girls must pair up to pilot Chrysalises, giant mechas that allow them to fight the massive invading aliens beyond the Great Wall. While boy pilots bask in glory and become celebrities, girl pilots are considered disposable concubines because they often die from the mental strain of the battle. The protagonist Zetian’s sister Ruyi died at the hands of one of these celebrity male pilots, so she enlists as a concubine too in hopes of killing him in revenge. Copious dramatic events ensue.

7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?

I hope they give some thought to the extent to which society uses shame and guilt as tools to control women, and to realize that the only way to escape is to stop wearing themselves out for the approval of others and to find strength from within instead.

8. Who do you most admire in the writing world and why?

I really cannot get enough of the magic in Laini Taylor’s writing! I could read her books over and over. I’m always amazed at how she can keep up the tension and emotion in her stories WHILE crafting her beautiful sentences.

9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?

I’ve honestly achieved a lot of my writing dreams already, so I guess I gotta shoot really high … a TV or film adaptation?

10. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Stop taking yourself and your writing so seriously! For real, I didn’t come close to getting my book deals until I dropped the mental baggage of having to write Great and Important stories. Be self-indulgent. Have fun. Only then will your passion truly shine through.

Thank you for playing!

—Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (Bloomsbury) is out now.

Iron Widow

by Xiran Jay Zhao

The boys of Huaxia dream of the celebrity status that comes with piloting Chrysalises – giant transforming robots that battle the aliens beyond the Great Wall. No one cares that their female co-pilots must serve as concubines and sacrifice their lives.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, her plan is to assassinate the man responsible for her sister's death. But on miraculously emerging from the cockpit unscathed after her first battle, she has a new plan. The time has come to overturn the entire patriarchal military system...

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