Hello, fellow disciples! We've been searching far and wide for individuals who have cultivated for a long time. This month, we bring to you an interview with SereinChoo, the author of Empty Crown.

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Tell us a bit about yourself!

First, I don't understand Chinese/Mandarin, but I fell in love with Chinese myths, dramas, and novels but since there's aren't enough materials in English, I decided to write them myself.Second, English is my second language, and once when I was young, I got high points for an essay I wrote in English class and that made me very proud, and the seed was planted at that time. I began to like writing. But it didn't sprout much until I met a friend in college, and it sparked more interest since he taught me a lot and we exchanged a lot of ideas. That's when I challenged myself and from scribbles to short stories, up till now as I write longer and more complex stories, expanding my repertoire and learning along the way.

What is your writing process? Do you outline everything or write as things come to mind? Why?

Writing down all the important points and the ending I want in my story is the way to go for me. With the ending in mind, I link all the points together to achieve what I want. Slowly craving a path as I headed to the intended destination.

What are some things that influenced your story?

It would be Chinese Myths; I am always fascinated by deities and demons, yaos, and spirits from young. It wasn't such a wonder since from my childhood my father would tell me myths like Sun WuKong as bedtime stories. His plan to put us to bed totally failed as he would make it really funny.

Tell us about the main character of one of your stories. What inspired their creation?

This was actually inspired by a song of the same name, Empty Crown where a human turned into wood hugging a skeleton. That was when I had the idea of creating HeHuan, a deity that loves humans so much but was betrayed by them. All she had was an empty crown, but she relentlessly held onto it, losing sight of the thing that was important to her.

What were some challenges you experienced while writing the story?

My writing skills are usually my top worries. There are these images in my mind, and I always wondered whether my skills could interpret those ideas into words and would they be able to translate them to the readers. And there's also the research, I try to depict as closely as possible the world in which my characters lived so that readers might immerse themselves in it and have an accurate image of the world. It worries me that I might have given incorrect information. 

What message do you hope your story will tell your readers?

The world is not what it seems, there's no absolute black and white. A person can change, and it might be for the better or worse. There's no constant, humans can be evil, and a demon can also be good. A deity can also be selfish instead of selfless. And sometimes, when chasing after something, you might lose sight of something closer and more important, I hope to remind readers to treasure those around you.

If you woke up in a time or place that was very different from reality, what would you do?

I would check of course whether I am just dreaming, but whether it's real or not, I would enjoy the experience because it's a once in a lifetime chance to experience something like that, and as an author, I would like to take it all in. Jot down notes as I go along Haha.

If there was something you could learn (i.e., some spell, some martial arts, etc.) like the main character in your book, what would it be?

Magic spells are fancy but personally, teaching someone to grow food is better than giving food to them. That's what magic feels to me. They can resolve an issue now, but not permanently. I would prefer medicinal skills. There's always someone hurt somewhere and if I could help them, physically or mentally no matter how small it would be, I would be happy. And medicinal skills can be passed down and learned by everyone which I think would be so much better than magic. 

Would you rather go through a lifetime of never finding love or be willing to go through several lifetimes of hardships just to save your love? Why?

I would surely choose the second option. A love that is worth fighting for a few lifetimes must surely be worth a few lifetimes too. Having that kind of love, I would surely be very blessed, and thus, I am willing to struggle, bruised black and blue (even after several lifetimes of hardship) to save my lover.

What is your favorite creature from Asian mythology or folklore? Why?

Dragons are my favourite because they are strong, powerful, and mystical. Some are depicted as rainmakers, governing seas, and lakes. There was an appearance of a dragon in story of Nezha as he killed the third son of the East Sea Dragon King, and also in Sun WuKong as he took his weapon the RuYi Bang, a golden-banded staff from the Dragon King. The Azure Dragon is also one of the four mythical beings that govern the East. It's also very interesting, there is contrast as well in Asian and Western cultures of dragons. While it's a blessing if there's an appearance of a dragon in the sky in Asian culture, but in western culture, they are seen as evil creatures which wreak havoc. 

What is your favorite Asian myth? Why?

Butterfly Lovers – a story about Liang ShanBo and Zhu YingTai, a story of finding a soul mate yet because of their status, couldn't be together. It was very real yet had a mystical ending where they turned into butterflies, flying away together was quite touching. In a way, in their own manner, they still hold onto each other and carve a path in which they could be together, defeating all which stood in their way.

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, SereinChoo! We wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors.

Until the next chapter, fellow disciples!