Fantasy author Hemie Yao is back to chat about her second release, the fantasy adventure, The Untold Truth of Club Menshen: The Ancient Text.
Hemie chatted with me last year about her first novel, The Untold Truth of Club Menshen: The Mission. You can read that interview here.
Update: The day after this interview went live, I got to meet Hemie in person. It’s not often that I get to meet my interviewees IRL (in real life)!
Bio:
Hemie Yao published her debut novel of the series, The Untold Truth of Club Menshen, at the age of twelve in 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.
At a young age, she loved to write short stories she never got around finishing. One day she found a book series that inspired her to write-and finish-a story of her own that surrounded Chinese Mythology and started her goal to publish a book.
Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Hemie! Please tell us about your newest release.
This overall series turns thousand-year-old Chinese mythology to life in modern day. It’s about an Italian girl, Cassidy, a human growing up in China who has to navigate this school full of Menshens. Menshens are door gods, whose goal of their entire life is to serve the gods by protecting gates from evil.
My sequel that recently came out has two intertwining plot lines. One is to solve a murder. Another plot is to find a stolen ancient book to save their school. It continues a seemingly small plot line in the first book, where the main characters solved a riddle. In this book, they figure out that this riddle might contain hidden information on how to find the ancient book. So they set out on a mission
But of course, it isn’t easy. Cassidy is cursed with bad luck in a fight and now she has to overcome the feeling of every move she makes being a mistake. Then there’s the added pressure of something else following them and trying to beat them to the ancient book. In the end, the two plots meet, reaching climax then leading to more mysteries.
Throughout this book, there’ll be hints at the overall plot and goal of the series, which I plan to deepen as the series goes on.
What inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired by the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riodern. I was fascinated that all the Greek myths mentioned were based on stories told in ancient times!
Excerpt from The Untold Truth of Club Menshen: The Ancient Text:
Pingye was gone.
The fact sunk deep in my heart. A nurse was staring at an empty bed, struck in horror. There was nothing but a puddle of water where Pingye used to lie, slowly dripping onto the floor, drop by drop….
The nurse turned her head to me and murmured, “I swear I tried to save her.” Shock and misery flooded her face.
My feet were glued to the floor. We did everything we could to get the ingredients for her medicine. We got back in time. But we failed.
A voice cut into the silence. “Her body?”
“Water. She turned into water.”
Murmurs broke out. More footsteps pounded in the hallway. The crowd was getting bigger and bigger. Eventually, murmurs turned into sobbing.
A thousand pounds weighed on my shoulders. Pingye died at fourteen. I knew being a Menshen was a dangerous job. I was reminded every time I walked by the wall of golden plaques, carved with the names of Menshens who died in service.
“What happened?” It was Lu, frantically looking over shoulders.
I mumbled, “Pingye is gone.”
“What do you mean she’s gone? Gone where?”
“She’s dead. The medicine didn’t work.”
“But they said it would! The medicine should reverse what happened to her!”
“They took a chance.” My voice cracked. “The medicine was meant to treat similar symptoms.”
“Where did they take her?”
“Her body turned to water.”
Lu froze, blood drained from his face instantly.
Hollowness crept all over me. I touched my cheeks. They were dry. I took a step back, and fell.
Cold water submerged me. No air. The white cloth wrapped around my wrist. It tugged me further and further into the depth of the pond. I struggled, fighting to reach the surface of the endless void. The grip from the white cloth was stronger than ever. I couldn’t hold my breath any longer. My lungs burned. I opened my mouth knowing this would be the end of it.
I bolted upright in bed, covered in cold sweat. My breaths were ragged. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. I forced myself to finally calm down.
It’s been three months since we brought back the dragon scale and lotus seeds. Three months since we failed Pingye. The same nightmare comes back to haunt me every time I thought I was over it.
I had avoided writing in my diary ever since what happened to Pingye. But considering what happened earlier today, I needed to start again.
What’s the next writing project?
My next writing project is definitely going to be the third book in the series, The Untold Truth of Club Menshen: The Silk Road. Cassidy and her friends head to Italy and dive deeper into Cassidy’s backstory and the past of Club Menshen. The stakes are higher than ever. The gods’ secrets and the final goal of the series is becoming clearer. This book is set to come out in late 2026.
What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
My biggest challenge when writing a new book, is really the blank pages. It’s daunting to open a document and only see a handful of pages, knowing that there’s going to be hundreds in the end. It feels impossible at first, but I just ignore it and keep writing. Slowly, the story will build up.
If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
Since my book takes place in China and everything is surrounded by Chinese Mythology, I felt that it was only necessary to do research first to make sure it stays accurate in general. I usually research when I want to find a god or myth to incorporate into my book, then I record it and format the source. I’m putting the sources at the end of the 4th book.
What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
I usually write on the couch. It’s probably not the best for my back, but I’ve been using it for years at this point and don’t feel a need to change it soon. Sometimes, I’ll go outside to the patio to write. Almost always, I’ll have music playing. Some say it distracts them, but for me, it helps me think.
What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
My favorite authors are probably Rick Rioden and Suzanne Collins. I love their style of writing and their characters. Like the genre I write in, I love reading fantasy and anything that alters the present world.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
I’m running a free ebook sale for the sequel from June 13-June 15 on Amazon! Don’t worry if you haven’t read the first book, the second book stands as its own and is perfectly understandable as is. I hope you enjoy it!
You can check out more information on my books at hemieyao.com.
Links:
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Thank you for coming back to Reviews and Interviews!
Thanks for having me, Lisa!