#asian authors

[black-is-beautiful18]

And here we go again with the “I just can’t connect to Black characters 🥺” bs. Y’all don’t like Black ppl so that’s why you don’t like reading about us. No one cares if LegendBorn or Children of Blood and Bone are some of your favs, cuz what exactly is stopping you from finding books similar to them???? And then to say that Black authors should be more like Asian authors while also insinuating that we don’t have our own historical or cultural myths, especially when we exist on multiple continents and islands, is absolutely ludicrous. Not to mention that a statement like that feeds into racism and the fetishization of Asian ppl. Children of color are forced to see nothing but white ppl in every form of media all our lives and not once does not being able to connect to the characters stop us from enjoying that piece of media. You can empathize with dragons, elves, orcs, and witches easily. Anyone darker than dry glue however, needs to prove why you should read our stories and have sympathy for our characters. This is exactly why I don’t trust white readers regardless of if they read diversely or not cuz some of y’all don’t even read the books. You just get them for brownie points or judge them harshly cuz you still don’t see the characters as deserving of empathy.

#white people #white readers #why would you say that #black authors #asian authors #latino authors #indigenous authors #diverse books #legendborn #children of blood and bone #racism #fetishization #i said what i said #unique writes

[keystonepublishing]

The House of Aunts by Zen Cho

Well, it's been a while since I updated, and not for nothing. The fasting month has arrived and much of my weekend energy is preoccupied elsewhere. Also, there are several longfics that are currently WIP, full completion uncertain.

So imagine my feelings as they got slammed against the wall by this: The House of Aunts by the Malaysian-born Zen Cho. An original vampire fiction that is set in Malaysia, uses traditional Malaysian monsters die Dracula, and deals with issues that hit close to home for anyone living in this part of the world, such as overbearing parental figures, unspoken religious and ethnic boundaries, and familial shame.

Since the story is Malaysian at heart, I decided to use Malaysian pictures and themes.

The book cover is actually made from drawing paper, printed with the image of a rubber plantation to evoke the story's setting. The front side has a glued-on image of a frangipani flower - the flower of the undead in Malaysian stories — surrounded by Baba Nyonya tilework — the Baba being Chinese Malaysians who settled and intermarried with locals.

The printed endapapers threw me off. I wanted to have a tilework or frangipani motif, but none of the free internet sources came up with anything distinctive. I did eventually find a peculiar color gradient that reminds me of twilight, considered the time when Malaysian monsters strike the most.

The Malaysian motifs continue at the title page, where I used Baba Nyonya tilework and Malay woodcraft motifs to frame the title. Same thing too with the copyright page — believe it or not, I actually intended that part to be minimalist! But one curious placement of images led to another and soon, I was looking up different websites to find the right Malaysian decorative features to bedight the logos!

The story is divided into three parts, and I also wanted the headers to be minimalist. Something of that won out here more, as I decided to use plumerias to highlight the 'undead' parts of the story and the greyscale tilework/woodwork to highlight the human connections of the main character, whether they were broken or not.

This bind took me less than a week and it was actually refreshing to get my hands busy again. Full rights to the story goes to Zen Cho, who really deserves all the awards for writing a monster tale that hits at so many themes, it's quintessentially Malaysian!

#bookbinding #fanbinding #my bookbinds #Zen Cho #The House of Aunts #Vampires #Vampirism #ghost story #horror story #Asian authors #Malaysian stories #original fiction

[meowsdesk]

current read: before the coffee gets cold ☕️

#books #aesthetic #academia #reading #studyspo #studyblr #study space #dark academia #bookblr #books and reading #current read #books & libraries #book blog #booklr #book aesthetic #books and coffee #before the coffee gets cold #asian authors

[interact-if]

[ID: a banner-style graphic featuring light blue details over a dark blue background. Tiled floral designs decorate the borders of the banner, and the border is separated from the rest of the image but a rectangular border with inverted rounded corners that feature a small floral design as well. A faint mandala made of rounded lines decorates the middle of the image, behind the centred text. Text reads, in light blue: "Interact-IF presents: Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month". /end ID]

May is Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

During the next following weeks, we will feature interviews of Asian and Pacific Islander creators. Discussing their inspirations for their projects and experience as IF creators, we want to shed a light on their journey.

Here are our month’s featured authors, please check out their works and join us in supporting them.

Nacre, Author of Joint Venture.

Five years have passed since Eric died in the hands of the Agency. All this time you’ve been on the run with your brother’s murderers on your heels.

One day, during a mission on your own, you meet some mysterious strangers who intervene with your plans.

Although they turn out to be old friends with your brother, you’re not sure whether you can trust them. Nevertheless you share the same goal: earning back your freedom by taking down the Agency.

You play as an ex-agent trying to solve the murder of your brother while you are hiding from your former employers who, unfortunately, want to see you dead too.

Read more about Joint Venture here.

Play the Demo here.

Tags: Crime, spy-fi, romance, action, conspiracy, bromance

Nacre is also the author of Morning Star, a dark fantasy game where you play as Lucifer. You can play that demo here.

Ze, one of authors of Chronicles of Tal’Dun: The Remainder

(VN)

This is a story of two magi, Vyn and Ilar, who find themselves trapped in a collapsing tower with their only hope for salvation being a difficult ritual. Or at least that is what Ilar tells you. The thing is - you don’t remember anything, and Ilar’s story makes less and less sense the closer you are to the ritual. Are they hiding things to protect you from the bitter truth, or are they deceiving you for some more nefarious reason?

Guide Vyn’s actions to death and beyond and uncover Ilar’s truth. Are they your colleague, lover or something completely different? Read between the lines of what they are telling you, explore your surroundings for clues and use hands-on deduction to break the viscious circle and set them free.

Read more about Chronicles of Tal’Dun: The Remainder here.

Play the Game on Steam or Itch.

Tags: Fantasy, Mystery.

Allie, author of College Tennis: Origin Story

Will the once-great Cargill Coyotes succeed in reclaiming the NCAA Div I championship title for the first time since the 90s? Will you succeed in making a name for yourself, both on and off the tennis court? And perhaps more importantly…how much are you willing to sacrifice in pursuit of these dreams?

Start at the bottom as a newly-recruited freshman at Cargill university, and claw your way to the championships. Forge lifelong friendships, pursue budding romances, attend classes, and rush term papers -or party- till the sun comes up.

Read more about College Tennis: Origin Story here.

Play the Demo here.

Tags: Sport, Slice-of-life.

Allie is also the author of Merry Crisis.

Zico, author of The Night Abridged

You were supposed to be a sacrifice but instead of dying, you find yourself being the new vessel of an old Eldritch Horror who offers you power that no other could have for a little taste of freedom. Unfortunately for you, your captors had other plans for you and decided to utilise your newly given abilities as their own personal puppet.

After being sent out to hunt down a traitor of The Court of Night, a series of unfortunate events sends you off the intended path and onto another where you then find yourself fighting an evil greater than the ones you know.

Will you remain a puppet of The Court or will you cut the strings that tie you to them?

Read more about The Night Abridged here.

DEMO: TBA.

Tags: Fantasy.

Zico is also the author of Exurgo. a fantasy project where you play as a newly awaken immortal being. For more information, click here.

Mouse and Ram, authors of Beau Ideals

Merchants stare up and out, some advertising their goods, yelling, others perched, confident that the outward quality of their wares is enough to draw customers in: rubble arranged on tables, mageware scattered in between with display lights illuminating milky crystals; the fruit of their ventures into the Expanse, the hope that it was worth their sacrifice. It all passes in a blur and I feel the press of time. One of these items will be worth the risk of stealing. It will be my last act as a free citizen before disappearing into the Southern Expanse.

A low-level criminal on the run for the crime of the century, the end of your journey approaches as you arrive in Lau Lyssa, the Kingdom’s southernmost city. Resigned to your fate of living as a fugitive in the wilds of the Southern Expanse, you know you only have so much time before word of your misdeed sweeps the land.

Read more about Beau Ideals here.

Play the Demo Here.

Tags: Fantasy.

Jinx author of Elsinore: After Hamlet

Once upon a time, a prince avenged his father’s death. If only he could have foreseen his own.

The year is 2021—or maybe 1602? Hamlet the Younger has just tragically died and Fortinbras the Younger, King of Norway and newly-conquered Denmark, has a lot of cleaning up to do. Elsinore: After Hamlet is a text-based interactive fiction exploration of William Shakespeare's Hamlet as a plague text and a reckoning of Asian American identity during these trying times. Also contains bad puns and glowing text.

Read more about Elsinore: After Hamlet here.

Play the Game Here.

Tags: Fantasy.

Jinx is also the author of The Harrowed and the Hushed and Rougi.

Shan, author of Deliverance

You are the Messenger. Your job is to deliver messages. Get in, get out. Simple, really.

Now, it’s time to put your life on the line to deliver the most important and dangerous message yet. A bad omen has driven the lands into a frenzy, and the Prophecy foretells that the Chosen One needs to be found and awoken to bring peace back to the lands.

Embark on a quest to seek the Chosen One to help restore balance to the world, or witness the world succumb to chaos and catastrophe..

Read more about Deliverance here.

Play the Demo Here.

Tags: Fantasy.

Sou, author of Cherry Soda

As children, an accident between you and your friend Ryan changed the course of your life forever. Since then, you have transversed the boundary of life and death: your waking moments are haunted by memories of the living and the remnants of the deceased.

The two of you diverged; Ryan began attending elite private academy, and you summarily moved across the country. A phone call years later between the two of ends with you promising to come visit her, a throwaway sentence you thought to be nothing more than a platitude.

Following six months of radio silence, you sense her death before the search team even finds her body. And suddenly, the phone call may have been part of something a lot larger.

Swept up in a whirlwind of the horrific inheritance she left behind for you to uncover, the more you investigate, the deeper the lies and secrets go. A reckless desperation to break the fate that threatened to overtake the both of you had led Ryan down a path of no return. The same path you now find yourself on.

Read more about Cherry Soda here.

Play the Demo here.

Tags: Fantasy.

Neha, author of Demurela.

DEMURELA is a dark fantasy interactive fiction. You, a former witch, now a night-hunter (people prefer to call you The Seeker) are seeking revenge for your dead lover, and your dead father, along with your siblings, from the millennial old eidolon who has been after the witches of your blood line for centuries.

Along the way, you find the lives at stake because of your journey. Will you protect them or let them fall as collateral damage? What makes you think you have the power of choice when you land in thr capital city of Demurela? The capital visited only by the most superior of the courts? The capital where The Undead Queen and The Lupine Leader dominate?

What will you choose to do when the rulers’ adopted child nears to be the collateral damage of your rage? Will you protect the little one while fulfilling your oath, or will you give into the feeling of the world being nothing but selfish?

Read more about Demurela here.

Demo TBA.

Tags: Dark fantasy.

#if: events #Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month #A/PI Month #asian authors #asian creators #pacific islander authors #pacific islander creators #interactive fiction #A/PI2022 #API 2022

[edlboetie]

But someone's face against his--the insistence of another's lips and mouth upon his own--was an assertion of self he'd never been able to deny. Baoxiang kissed the Third Prince, and knew why his impulse had taken this particular form. It was the antithesis of rejection. It was the reciprocal creation of themselves as two people alive to each other, present to each other, each made real by the brush of another's personhood against his own.

- Shelley Parker-Chan, He Who Drowned the World

#- Shelley Parker-Chan #He Who Drowned the World #quotes #adult fantasy #asian authors #alternate history #queer fiction #BEATING MY FISTS AGAINST THE WALL TEARING MY HAIR WAILING GNASHING OF TEETH

[inkcurlsandknives]

I recently reached out to Gani Cabezas a Filipino artist to commission my first book inspired art (I have some fan art from good friends and art I've made but this is different) and I'm so excited and so nervous working with another creative to bring something new into existence 😄 I've been dying to have art of the love interest Catalina from Saints of Storm and Sorrow and very soon it will exist!!!

I'm extra thrilled because I've been in love with this artist's work and waiting for them to open to commission for ages and they opened up right as my deal announcement dropped like it was made to be. 💖🇵🇭💖

If you're a Filipino or Southeast Asian artist on Tumblr I'd love to connect I'm always looking to support fellow SEA creators

Here's some book/story inspired art I've been working on it shows the Laho/Bakunawa the Philippine Sea Dragon trying to swallow the moon. This was a precolonial explanation for the lunar eclipse. The Laho features in many of my published stories Saints of Storm and Sorrow as well as my short story Dying Rivers and Broken Hearts a historical fantasy about lesbian Catholic witches trying to save the Laho of manila bay

#saints of storm and sorrow #cat #catalina #bookart #artists #my art #my artwork #bakunawa #laho #dying rivers and broken hearts #artblr #artists on tumblr #digital art #filipino author #author #readblr #bookblr #asian fantasy #asian authors #asian art #asian artist #southeastasia

[previouslyafangirl]

"The memories of spirits and gods may be hazy, but not the memories of books. Stories are eternal."

- Axie Oh, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

#booklr #ya #axie oh #the girl who fell beneath the sea #reading #quotes #books #quotes about books #asian authors

[samanthakgarner]

Historical inspiration for my fantasy novel: Pre-colonial Philippines

Seeker of the Lost Song is a historically-inspired fantasy novel merging medieval Finnish & pre-colonial Filipino elements, and I wanted to share two elements of Filipino history I included.

☼ 1) Dulang, a low table ☼

One of my favourite tidbits from my research is that pre-colonial Filipinos ate at a low table, sitting on the floor. Part of me worries that readers will think “Hey you stole that from Japan!” but I’m excited for the chance to show my people at their own low table, eating rice with their hands.

☼ 2) The balangay boat ☼

Another pre-colonial Filipino element I included in the book was a balangay, an ancient Filipino boat that’s recently come back into the public consciousness, with ancient boats being excavated and working replicas made. A quote from this article in STARweek, from one of the people who worked to rebuild the balangay, really resonated with me:

“It is very sad because we are a maritime people. We should be gifted and natural in the waters but colonialization robbed us of that consciousness. I am doing this to help rekindle that spirit”

The balangay that appears in my novel has a double outrigger (something that always feels so Filipino to me), but essentially it’s a larger version of the sketch pictured.  And I have to admit, the scenes on the balangay did stir something in me. Something ancient and ancestral, perhaps?

Seeker’s as-yet-unnamed sequel also features elements of pre-colonial Filipino history, but more on that at another time. Suffice it to say I’m enjoying this opportunity to learn more about the history of my people and use it in a fantasy setting!

#amwriting #fantasy novel #seeker of the lost song #filipino history #canadian author #asian authors #southeast asia #precolonial philippines #asian fantasy #filipino fantasy

[bookaddict24-7]

AUTHOR FEATURE:

﹒R.F. Kuang﹒

Three Books Written By this Author:

The Poppy War

Babel

Yellowface

___

Happy reading!

#books #bookish #booklr #book list #recos #author feature #Features #aapi authors #diversify your shelves #read diverse #rf kuang #asian authors #book recos #book blog #book blogger

[elliepassmore]

The God and the Gumiho review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, mythology, Korean mythology, multiple POVs, enemies to lovers, mystery

Big thanks to Netgalley, Del Rey, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was definitely one of my favorite reads of February! It's got the perfect blend of magic, shenanigans, scheming, enemies-to-lovers, and humor. I was definitely on the edge of my seat as Hani and Seokga searched for the eoduksini, and while they got closer to one another with Hani still hiding her identity.

I definitely thought the worldbuilding was interesting. Most of the time is spent on a world where humans and immortals exist side-by-side, with the former completely unaware. So the characters have normal, everyday things like coffee, cars, and cellphones, but also have more magical items like swords and charms, and come across humans and magical creatures alike. I also liked the details about items the magical community could by from the store, particularly the non-human-liver alternatives the gumiho eat since Hani's Scarlet Fox spree resulted in the banning of eating human livers and souls. It's a small part of the book, but I thought it was a nice touch.

I absolutely love Hani. Her hidden past as the Scarlet Fox means she's notorious in immortal circles and not only is responsible for the ban on gumiho eating human livers and souls, but is also the gumiho with the highest kill count. Despite this, she's actually pretty normal and down to earth. She's also pretty funny, both intentionally and unintentionally, and I liked her blasé attitude about eating livers (and thus killing people). Hani clearly cares deeply and while she's dedicated to misguiding Seokga in regards to his Scarlet Fox investigation, she earnestly wants to help find and defeat the eoduksini. She also strives to help her friend Somi throughout the book and feels responsible over the younger gumiho.

Seokga, on the other hand, is a complete and utter asshole. But he grows on you. The trickster god is still bitter about being thrown out of the godly world and having his own realm of darkness locked up after his attempted coup. It's unclear how much of his personality is residual from that and how much is just him naturally, but Seokga really does not seem to care about anyone, nor very many things (other than coffee, man is particular about his coffee) prior to the events of the book. That being said, it becomes clear that Seokga does have deeper ties to his exiled life than it seems, and even he comes to the realization that there are some people that he cares about. It's easy to forget that Seokga was a trickster god because he's fairly serious and dedicated to his investigation(s), but it shows up in odd moments, such as when he cheats at rock, paper, scissors. Despite the fact that he's an asshole, Seokga does have a certain charm about him, even before he begins being a more...tolerable person.

The romance is, obviously, between Hani and Seokga. They balance each other out pretty well once they get past their barista-customer annoyance. Seokga is able to play 'bad cop' with ease while Hani is a much more soothing figure and the type who can calm crying witnesses enough to give a cohesive statement. I liked seeing the quirks they brought out in each other and am glad they get their chance at a happy ending.

The whole Scarlet Fox thing really is a mess. Hani was just enacting a kind of vigilante justice when she got the bright idea to take their livers as a treat for a friend. Unfortunately, the killings align too much with her 1888 spree and whaddya know suddenly there's a hunt on for the Scarlet Fox. Hani definitely does not want to get caught, and she definitely doesn't want another gumiho taking the fall in her place, she'd rather the whole thing just fizzle out and get written off as a fluke, and she's willing to attach herself to the investigation, and thus her least favorite customer Seokga, in order to achieve that. While there were some tense moments when I was worried about her getting caught, it was humorous to read about Hani doing her best to thwart Seogka's investigation and coming up with absurdities to get it done.

The eoduksini is the more serious of the two, particularly since the eoduksini has the potential to create a dark world in the realm shared by humans and immortals, something no one wants happening. There are a lot of twists and turns in this part of the investigation and I was definitely trying to work it out myself as the characters were. At times I felt confident I knew who it was, and then something new would happen and I would second-guess myself or Seokga and Hani. I was very invested in finding out who the eoduksini was and seeing how things would play out there.

Overall I greatly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to fantasy lovers. Seokga and Hani are pretty different but each bring humor to the novel and the two of them fit well together. I thought the worldbuilding was pretty interesting and I enjoyed getting to know the world and the magic within it.

#book #book review #books #book recommendations #fantasy #bookstagram #booklr #bookblr #bookaholic #bookish #book addict #the god and the gumiho #korean mythology #mythology #gumiho #asian characters #asian authors #netgalley #netgalley review #arc review #netgalley read #advanced readers copy

[wildflowerinlovewiththemoon]

Current read 💛

#art #aesthetic #books & libraries #nature #books #reading #asian authors #japanese #japanese author #bookstore #sunday #sunday afternoon #picnic #public park

[black-is-beautiful18]

In all honesty…white readers suck. Readers control a lot. Us spreading the word about our favorite books or authors helps a lot. That’s how authors and books win awards and get on best sellers lists. Y’all do not give that energy to nonwhite authors though. You going “Well I don’t have to” and “They don’t make interesting books” or any variations of those two when you’re told to diversify your bookshelves is not only racist, but a bold faced lie. There are amazing stories being told by BIPOC authors in every genre but all cuz you “can’t relate” you absolutely refuse to buy their books or give them a chance. And before anyone gets offended, of course it isn’t all white readers. However, it is too many of y’all. That’s exactly why y’all are reacting to Leah being casted as Annabeth the way you are. You’re racist. No amount of “Well she’s not blonde” or “she doesn’t have grey eyes” is ever going to explain why you think that little girl isn’t good enough. It’s all just veiled racism. Excuses. Very bad and horribly disguised excuses. You do the same thing with BIPOC authors. You sit there and complain, email authors your horrible and ignorant comparisons, and are absolutely disrespectful to the cultures and people these stories surround. I mean it’s not surprising since a lot of you do it in real life as well.

#white readers #white people #black authors #latine authors #indigenous authors #native authors #asian authors #representation in books #i said what i said #unique writes

[lazehaze]

I definitely buy more books than I should…

I got this after hearing some amazing reviews from some peers at a book club. It got me really intrigued, so here it is.

When I’m reading it? Oh, I have no idea.

#guilty #sorry not sorry tho #book community #book photography #bookblr #bookstagram #readers #readers of tumblr #reading community #book recommendation #horror #cursed bunny #asian authors #asian literature #horror books

[exordium-graphx]

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

#bookaholic #book blog #bookish #booklover #kindle books #books #books & libraries #booksarelife #booksbooksbooks #graphic art #iron widow #xiran jay zhao #fantasy books #fiction #asian authors

[theblasianwitch]

So as some of you may know, I am writing a book/s. And I've reached a moment of questioning myself in terms of direction with it.

The book is for creative witches. Specifically, art, music, writing, poetry, dance, et cetera et cetera.

My current stumbling block is whether or not I want to include in the book a glamour magic section and a kitchen magic section, because technically they are forms of creativity, but there are already so many books out there existing for them. So do I want to exclude these sections, or include them and just make a giant compendium of creative witchcraft?

Baring to mind that the art section alone is already 15 pages and I still plan on adding more to that section. My insecurity in this is just whether or not people would want a big book like this

#author #asian american authors #asian authors #bipoc authors #witchblr #witch books #witch discussion #discussion #witches of the world #witches of color #witches of tumblr #art witch #music witch #kitchen witch #glamour witch #writing #writer problems #the blasian witch

[intothestacks]

Children's Books About Minorities (6/?)

Look Up! by Jung Jin-Ho

High on a balcony, a girl watches the world-- passersby hurrying along, carrying umbrellas in the rain, riding bikes and walking dogs.  She wishes that someone-- anyone!-- would look up and notice her.  Finally, one day, a boy does.

#school libraries #school librarian #librarylife #libraryland #libraries #kidlit #children's literature #children's books #minority representation #asian characters #asian authors