Name: Joyce Chng

Website: https//awolfstale.wordpress.com

Asian background: I am 3rd generation Singaporean Chinese – my forebears came from Shanghai, Guandong and Fujian to work and settle in Singapore. I am Hokkien (Fujian ren).

What is it about your experience and upbringing that inspired you the most to write?

I see myself as Singaporean Chinese and Southeast Asian. Southeast Asia itself is such a diverse place with rich mythologies and cultures. I am also inspired by Chinese myths and folklore. After studying and living in Australia for 7 years, I became more appreciative of my Chineseness and started writing stories with Chinese or Asian characters.

Name 3 authors and 3 books

Eeleen Lee, Liquid Crystal Nightingale

Zen Cho, Sorcerer to The Crown

J. Yang, the Tensorate series.

What do you think is the best quality a writer can have?

Tenacity and the refusal to give up.

Any last words? (Fun facts, comments, something you’d like to share with the world, etc.)

Hi Asian authors and creators, I know this is a difficult period for us. We are hard pressed to create, to produce something. Yet, because it’s such a challenging time, we do not need to blame ourselves for not being able to create or write . Cut yourself some slack, go do something else. It’s OK not to be OK during this time.

Challenge: Write a one-sentence story!

Casting off her chains, she became a dragon and soared into the sky.