Debut novelist Hemie Yao joins me today to chat about her new fantasy adventure, The Untold Truth of Club Menshen: The Mission.
Bio:
Hemie Yao published her debut novel, The Untold Truth of Club Menshen: The Mission, at the age of twelve in November 2023. Daughter of a Chinese immigrant, she lives in New Hampshire and grows up in a mixed culture background. She loves to immerse herself in nature, art, and fictional worlds.
Welcome, Hemie. Please tell us about your current release.
My book turns thousand-year-old Chinese mythology to life. The Untold Truth of Club Menshen: The Mission is about an Italian girl growing up in China who has to figure out why strange things keep happening at her school, until she finally discovers a secret that has been hidden for centuries. This school trains Menshens, also called door gods, whose entire goal in life is to serve the gods by protecting gates from evil. Now, as a human, Cassidy has to train with Menshens while also dealing with the fact that she’s the only caucasian at this school. As the story goes on, multiple subplots develop that will come back later to haunt everyone.
Once a menshen turns ill, Cassidy joins a mission with her friends to save her. But to do this, Cassidy has to overcome her fear of danger and being a burden to her friends as the only human. With non-stop actions and suspenses, they went through unthinkable challenges, life-threatening dangers, but also fun and thrills of a lifetime. This book is bound to keep the readers on their toes until a cliff-hanging ending.
This book is the first of the four-book series.
What inspired you to write this book?
Before I started to write this book, I had been reading Percy Jackson and fell in love with the unique myths and how the story was connected to ancient mythology. It inspired me to write a story about mythology of my own. I knew I didn’t want to write this story only for my own pleasure. Instead, I wanted more people to read it so this is what I did. Two years later, my first book was published.
Excerpt from The Untold Truth of Club Menshen: The Mission:
From Chapter One: Touch of Death
I thought nothing else would happen for the rest of the night, but I was wrong.
I barely fell asleep when I heard a loud thud downstairs. Minutes later, running footsteps were pounding on the floor below me, with an eruption of worried voices.
“What happened?”
“Is she okay?”
I jumped out of my bed. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who heard it. A few students rushed downstairs along with me.
A crowd of students already stood there in a circle. In the center were a few school medics on their knees attending someone on the floor. One of them signaled the crowd to quiet down.
It’s Pingye! She appeared to be motionless and…lifeless. What happened to her? She was fine just hours ago! A lump formed in my throat. Everyone watched on while the medics transferred Pingye to a stretcher and carried her away.
I spotted Lingling in the crowd. “Lingling, what happened?” I was almost afraid of hearing the answer.
Lingling turned around with the look of a full-on panic attack. Her breath was short and quick. I had never seen her like that. Tears kept running down Lingling’s face, which she didn’t even bother to wipe away. Lingling glanced at me and sped away.
“Lingling?” I was frightened, not just for Pingye but for Lingling as well.
“Not now.” Lingling continued walking, her voice shaking.
The crowd of students had slowly dispersed one by one. By this time, only one other person was still here. It was Lu.
Lu slumped against the wall, stone-faced with wet eyes. He stared at the floor blankly, like a completely different person from who he was yesterday.
“Lu, are you okay? What happened to Pingye?”
“I don’t know.” Lu sounded deeply distressed, avoiding eye contact with me. Which question he was answering, I wasn’t sure.
The air was heavy. The night was dreadful. Lu eventually got up and departed without another word.
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. A loud siren suddenly went off, breaking the deadly silence. What now?
“Everyone, please stay inside,” A loudspeaker repeated. “This is a flash flood warning.”
What exciting project are you working on next?
I’m currently working on the second book of the series, The Untold Truth of Club Menshen: The Ancient Texts. I plan to release it in April of 2025.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I considered myself a writer once my first book was published. Along the way, I kept feeling more and more validated as a writer whenever I reached a certain milestone. For example, hiring my first editor, or completing a book cover. All of these steps eventually led to the day when I could whole-heartedly say I am a writer.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
No, I do not write full-time. I’m currently thirteen years old and a middle school student so my typical workday consists of school, after-school clubs, doing homework, and writing my book.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know why but whenever I watch a really good movie or read a suspenseful chapter in a book, I’m able to write with a better flow and less pauses. It’s like the movie or book inspired me and gave me a rush of inspiration. Considering I’m generally a slow writer, it comes in handy at times!
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was younger, I wanted to be a doctor but I think that was influenced by my mother’s profession. Currently, I want to work as an environmental engineer of some kind when I grow up. It’s my life’s goal to protect the Earth but I still want to do writing since I enjoy it very much.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I hope you are interested in joining the adventures of The Untold Truth of Club Menshen! I can safely say you will not be disappointed 😉
Thanks for having me, Lisa!