We asked Keshe Chow, the author of The Girl with No Reflection, to take us behind-the-scenes and share a little about her writing process. Read on for the full Q&A!
Introduce yourself!
I am a Chinese Australian author of sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction, and romance. I was born in Malaysia and moved to Australia when I was two. Currently I reside in Melbourne (Naarm) with my husband, two kids, and a Ragdoll cat named Wasabi. My debut young adult fantasy novel, The Girl with No Reflection, released in August.
Where did you get the inspiration for your debut novel?
I’ve always been afraid of mirrors, so when I stumbled across the short story “Fauna of Mirrors” by Jorges Luis Borges, I was instantly enthralled (and terrified)! The basic premise—that reflections in the mirror are actually sentient creatures that were cursed to mimic us—was inspired by that story. From there, I built on the concept by incorporating additional Chinese folklore and mythology: namely, the Chang’e and Hou Yi (moon goddess and archer) myth, the myth of the carp and the dragon, and Chinese mythological creatures. I also took elements from Imperial Chinese history and wove them through the narrative.
What’s your favorite trope in fantasy romance?
It’s definitely enemies-to-lovers . . . but specifically when the love interest has a cold, hard exterior beneath which is hidden their true, soft nature.
How do you balance three genres—fantasy, horror, romance—in one story?
The horror elements came about quite organically because I am, in actual fact, very afraid of mirrors! Basically, I take everything that I like to read and just . . . put it all together.
What is your process for creating characters with depth?
When I write, I become very immersed in the book, so eventually the characters become real to me. During drafting or intensive editing phases, my husband often asks me why I seem distant, and it’s because I’m not really existing in the real world at that point. Mentally, I’m somewhere in a forest or atop a mountain, or riding dragons with fictional characters!!
