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 TL_Nonoke, the author of Water Mirrored Moon and Migong.

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Tell us a bit about yourself!

First off, I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to interview with Wattpad Asian Fantasy. I'm thrilled that I get to talk about my writing and my love for this genre.

About myself: I'm a Chinese Canadian fantasy romance writer with a specific focus on Asian fantasy. Most of my characters come from Asian backgrounds. Besides reading and writing, I enjoy comics, C-drama, and anime.

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

I'm not a linear writer by any means. For novels, I tend to write in fragments and then write bridges to connect them. While I have an overall understanding of the story arc, and work from a skeleton outline, I don't outline at the individual chapter level.

I do run an outline/brainstorm/stream of consciousness exercise if I run into a particular snag in either the plot or with a particular character. I also do up character indexes to ensure that they are consistent in their personality traits unless they are evolving in a different direction. As you'll eventually see from Water Mirrored Moon's extras, I sometimes have whole conversations with my characters to ensure they are developing on the right track...often with humorous results.

I don't have a particular reason for doing things this way, but I've found that my best work comes from writing the scenes I feel most strongly about or most connected to, and then things just seem to flow from there. For the longest time, I tried to write in a linear fashion and didn't make any progress. It's only because I read an interview of Diana Gabaldon (Outlander), indicating that she had a similar process, that I finally developed the courage to complete my first novel.

What are some things that influenced your story?

This is a great question! I was definitely heavily influenced by Chinese manhua (Chinese version of manga) and C-dramas, especially the period ones. Water Mirrored Moon came about because I was surprised (and perhaps disappointed) by the number of manhuas that focused on a female lead who was either a doctor, an assassin, or some sort of military ace before being taken to another world. On arrival, they would then righteously take revenge on behalf of the body's previous owner. Rather than that, I wondered what I (a very ordinary person) would do if I found myself spirited off to another world...and the rest of that bit of whimsy became the basis for my story.

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

Wu Cui Xi, or XiXi as I call her, is the main character from Water Mirrored Moon. This question was a bit embarrassing because XiXi's personality is similar to mine. If you are interested, it is ISTJ-T (Myers-Briggs Type).

In her previous world, XiXi suffered from emotional abuse and an unfulfilling marriage. So, she often struggles to like/believe in herself. Her lack of confidence causes her to reject Zhao Ling Xian (the ML) on multiple occasions. Since he isn't someone who gives up easily, they eventually forge a bond that XiXi feels secure about. Once she commits, XiXi really gives it her all.

While she is a hard worker and a reliable friend, some of the other characters find her a bit difficult as she can come across as petulant, stubborn, insensitive, and judgemental. Once she has an idea she runs with it, sometimes with mixed results.

XiXi has a lot of trouble expressing her emotions. She's a contradiction: at times she's painfully uncertain of herself, but can also wilful and courageous at the same time. Through growth and the encouragement of those around her, XiXi eventually becomes a strong and confident person who is cherished by her companions.

What were some challenges you experienced while writing the story?

Being a banana, and raised outside of Asia, it was a stretch for me to properly replicate some of the cultural/historical aspects of an ancient Chinese kingdom. Since Water Mirrored Moon is a fantasy kingdom, I took some liberties, but even so, it was really important to me to do my best to be as authentic as possible. I logged hours of research, and I'm sure I've not done it justice, but I hope that it's enough to have avoided the most obvious faux-pas.

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

I want my readers to know that it's ok to fall down. It's ok to feel unsure. We can learn from adversity and get back up to try again. The thing that XiXi fears the most is uncertainty and rather than giving in to fear, she learns that it's ok to embrace the unknown as a new opportunity.

I want my readers to feel that it's their time to shine whoever they may be...even if that means they are doing it quietly out of the spotlight. Life isn't measured by past failures...Like XiXi, we all have the opportunity, and the right, to start again, whether it's in life or love. In the end, we all deserve to be cherished and celebrated for who we are instead of trying to be someone we're not.

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

Well, I'd hope to be as successful as XiXi! To survive and conquer!

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?

Definitely qinggong! I'm a firm believer that the best of the 36 stratagems is strategic escape.

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?

Hmmmmn. Trying to answer this question is why I write fantasy books...LOL.

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

Argh. This one is hard. Asian mythology/folklore is just so rich and varied and there's so much to like! If I absolutely had to give an answer, then I'd have to say dragons or nine-tailed foxes. Dragons because they are the kings of divine beasts and nine-tail foxes because they are just so iconic.

What is your favorite Asian myth? Why?

For me, it's got to be Meng Po who is the Chinese goddess of forgetfulness. She serves meng po tong (oblivion soup) on the Naihe bridge in the underworld. The soup wipes the memory of the soul so they can reincarnate without being burdened by memories of their previous lives. Often, hilarity (but sometimes tragedy) ensues when someone manages to dodge her on their way to reincarnation.

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

Until the next chapter, fellow disciples!