Ask the Author: Zen Cho
Answered Questions (12)
Zen Cho
What a nice question, I'm really glad you enjoyed Order of the Pure Moon! I would like to to write a follow-up or possibly even two to Pure Moon which would feature Guet Imm and Tet Sang, but while I've had a couple of seeds of ideas, I haven't really sat down and encouraged them to sprout yet -- I've been preoccupied with other story ideas. Some day, though, I hope!
Zen Cho
The True Queen works as a standalone so you can read it by itself, but it contains spoilers for Sorcerer to the Crown. So it depends on whether you are fussed about spoilers or not!
Zen Cho
I'm so glad you enjoyed Sorcerer! Sadly we haven't yet sold the German rights for True Queen so no plans at the moment for it to be translated. You could always contact the publisher to let them know you'd like to read the second book!
Zen Cho
"Monkey King, Faerie Queen" is a short story available online here: http://www.kaleidotrope.net/archives/... You can download a mobi/epub of the story at the link!
Zen Cho
It depends! Sometimes the story demands certain types of characters to populate it, and sometimes characters demand a certain type of story to be told. I'm often inspired by characters in other books/movies/etc., interesting situations (so you ask yourself e.g. what would a person be like if they'd grown up in a cult that believed the world was going to end in 10 years? and so on) and occasionally people I know or have heard of.
Zen Cho
Yes, I've self-published some stories as well as being traditionally published. I self-publish through Amazon and Smashwords, which distributes to other ebook retailers like Kobo. I have an agent -- I accepted her offer of representation after researching her online, speaking to her and speaking to her other clients. Good luck!
Zen Cho
I thought about it a lot, while waiting at bus stops, having a shower, etc. and eventually a title came to me. Not all my ideas for titles are good ones, though. It might help to scan through your story for an interesting or characteristic phrase, or to look through titles of published books in the same genre and see if you're inspired by those.
I'm always excited when I manage to publish something. I can't recommend specific publishers but I wrote up some general advice on publishing here: http://zencho.org/frequently-asked-qu... Good luck!
I'm always excited when I manage to publish something. I can't recommend specific publishers but I wrote up some general advice on publishing here: http://zencho.org/frequently-asked-qu... Good luck!
Zen Cho
Hi Anastasia! Here's what's worked for me so far:
(1) Write regularly. You don't have to write every day if that doesn't work for you, but making a habit of it gives you space for failure, which is vital in creative work.
(2) Finish what you begin, and make a habit of submitting work for publication.
(3) Persevere. I always tell myself that successful people are just people who've failed more than others, because you can't fail if you haven't tried.
Good luck with your writing!
(1) Write regularly. You don't have to write every day if that doesn't work for you, but making a habit of it gives you space for failure, which is vital in creative work.
(2) Finish what you begin, and make a habit of submitting work for publication.
(3) Persevere. I always tell myself that successful people are just people who've failed more than others, because you can't fail if you haven't tried.
Good luck with your writing!
Zen Cho
That would be telling! :) I can't say much at the moment, but it'll be more of an exploration of regions/countries/ethnicities we've encountered already. There may be some new creatures.
Zen Cho
Fear of the alternative! I don't always enjoy the writing process but I always feel better for having done it. I don't write every single day but definitely do it regularly.
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