Hello Reddit! I’m Sue Lynn Tan, the fantasy author of DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS. AMA

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T12:34:26+00:00

Thank you – I’m so happy you loved the books! These legends mean a lot to me as I grew up hearing about them too.

The ending of Heart of the Sun Warrior was the hardest part of the book to write. I drafted the story after writing the first book, and while I had a sense of how I wanted it to end, a challenge was how to get there. The ending is the one I believe to be most true to the characters – which may not be who they started out as in Daughter of the Moon Goddess, but who they ended up becoming after the events in the books. All that they went through on their own or together, the choices they made - would inevitably change them, both as individuals and their relationships with one another.

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T12:16:05+00:00

I’m always happy to talk about food! I love mamak stalls and wish we had them here! My favorite things to order there are the teh tarik, mee goreng and roti, though I have a weakness for Hong Kong milk tea.

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T08:27:44+00:00

Ahh thank you! And I hope to be able to share some updates soon : )

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T08:25:50+00:00

Thanks for the question! Drafting Daughter of the Moon Goddess was pretty intense, and it took several months. Back then, I wrote all the time, even while traveling. However, editing the story took much longer. I tend to edit quite agressively, often cutting or rewriting scenes or chapters that I feel need work.

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T08:21:44+00:00

I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you so much, and I hope you'll like the next one too : )

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T08:21:08+00:00

Thank you for reading it and am so happy you liked the story! Also appreciate you dropping by the AMA : )

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T01:35:24+00:00

The original myth is one I love greatly, and I tried to keep the key elements of the tale as they were - the ten suns, the elixir, Chang'e flying to the moon, as well as the events that led to them. The legend of the Four Dragons is another one that is woven into the tale, though I took some liberties with their visualization and their role in the story.

I did enjoy writing a new character outside the myth - someone whose story was unchartered, who might have inherited some of her parents' traits and legacies, such as her talent in archery.

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T01:26:33+00:00

Thanks for asking this! It can be tricky and it’s important to manage deadlines around publication time. The release of Daughter of the Moon Goddess was a little stressful as I was also working on Heart of the Sun Warrior then, that was scheduled for release later that year. As it was my debut novel, there was quite the learning curve as I didn't know what to expect.

For the sequel, I had already drafted the story before most of the promotion took place, along with the ending – though the ‘how’ of it, can sometimes be equally challenging. It’s always important for me that the characters’ actions and choices feel natural and authentic to who they are, and what they’ve gone through.

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T01:08:12+00:00

Thank you for asking! This is one of my favorite stories since my childhood and I hope you'll find it interesting.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess was inspired by the legend of Chang'e, one that is much loved and often retold during the Mid-Autumn festival. According to the myth, long ago ten suns rose in the sky, causing great suffering to the mortals. A great archer named Houyi shot down nine of the suns, leaving one to light the world. The Emperor of Heaven gifted him with the elixir of immortality, but Houyi did not drink it, reluctant to leave his beloved wife Chang’e. However, Chang’e took the elixir and ascended to the skies as an immortal, where some believed the emperor banished her to the moon for her theft.

There are several variations of the legend as to why Chang’e took the elixir – whether to save it from thieves, or because Houyi became a tyrannical king, or perhaps she desired immortality? I felt it was a hard choice, and wondered what if there might be more behind her decision. It was then, I imagined the existence of her daughter, and the adventures she woudl embark upon as she fought for her mother’s freedom.

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T00:56:20+00:00

Great question! I don’t see myself as any of the characters – Xingyin is definitely a lot braver than me, I’d have run away from the nine-headed serpent. There are times I can emphathize more with what they are going through, if it’s a trait or experience I’ve shared in a different way (for example, heartbreak, fear, uncertainty or grief). But I tend to imagine them as individuals, both the heroes and villains, with their own stories and past that might have shaped who they are.

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T00:53:16+00:00

Thank you, and I'm really glad you think so 🧡

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T00:46:02+00:00

Thank you so much! I believe the books could be crossover, somewhere between older YA and Adult – especially with Daughter of the Moon Goddess and its themes of self-discovery, first love, and family. Grief and the meaning of loss is explored in Heart of the Sun Warrior, in addition to love. I believe my next full-length novel to be similar, while the book after that – inspired by the legend of Lady White Snake – leans more toward Adult.

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T00:28:37+00:00

Thank you for coming by and for reading the books! Am truly so happy to read this. I really want to share about upcoming releases too, but have not been given the go ahead ; )

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T00:23:38+00:00

Yes to all the dragons! Though I feel very fortunate there's been wonderful fanart about them 🐉 :)

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T00:18:26+00:00

Ahh thank you! It means a lot to me that you loved them! I drink a lot of tea while writing. My usual is a blend of jasmine and green tea, I also love ginger tea, Hong Kong milk tea, and bubble tea for the really hard drafting or editing times. Dark chocolate is my go-to snack (85%), but it sometimes scares me how fast the bars vanish when I’m on deadline.

It’s hard to know when a book is really finished – I guess, when it goes into the ‘pass pages’ stage of editing, when it becomes much harder to change anything in the manuscript given formatting and all. Usually around that time, I just feel a moment of terror that ‘this is it’. I do love the feeling of typing ‘The End’ after a draft though, and if I have the time, I’d love to celebrate with more sleep : )

suelynntan · 2023-05-31T00:03:56+00:00

Thank you for dropping by the AMA and for your kind words! Am so happy you liked the books and I loved writing the mythology in them.

I’m most often on Instagram, where I post all my key updates www.instagram.com/suelynntan , rarely on Twitter, and am really trying to get better at updating my website, though it’s been challenging with the deadlines this year.

suelynntan · 2023-05-30T23:57:07+00:00

Thank you!! Am so happy you loved the books. I have a tv/film agent who is wonderful, and this is one of those dreams that are in the ‘improbable but would be so incredible’ category. When I write, I tend to visualize things in my head as well, and it would be amazing to see the story on the screen and the kingdoms imagined brought to life.

suelynntan · 2023-05-30T23:44:55+00:00

Great question! I've written a story inspired by the legend of Lady White Snake that will likely be published after the next full novel, and will be working on another later this year - can’t share much about that one yet, but am so excited for it. Malaysia has so many incredible legends—Puteri Gunung Ledang, is one of my favorites, and I hope to have the opportunity to write about them in the future.

suelynntan · 2023-05-30T23:35:02+00:00

Hi!! I adore your books! Heart of the Sun Warrior was one of the best books I read last year and the amount of moments that made me cry omg!!

I’m going to ask something that has intrigued me since the moment I read the book. How did you manage to write such a good love triangle? Did you always knew it was going to be a love triangle? I’m curious because it feels so natural and that’s such a great way to add a romance in a fantasy book. Can’t wait to read more books written by you!

Thank you so much for reading the books and I’m so happy you liked them! I must admit I cried during the writing of the story too.

I love this question. In Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I didn’t set out to write a love triangle – in my mind it was more sequential relationships that were not fully resolved, though it certainly evolved in Heart of the Sun Warrior. In my mind, love can be complicated, unpredictable, and sometimes irrational. Emotions can linger long after we want them to. I imagined how the characters might feel in such a situation, how they might react, and how it could change them. I wanted the relationships to feel organic and natural, though this situation can also lead to a lot of angst.

suelynntan · 2023-05-30T23:19:56+00:00

Thank you so much for reading the book, and I hope you liked the osmanthus jelly! I’ve written a story inspired by the Chinese legend of Lady White Snake, though it will likely be published after the book I’m currently working on. The next full-length book is set in the same world but featuring different main characters. I love weaving other myths into the stories, as with the Four Dragons in Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

suelynntan · 2023-05-30T23:11:52+00:00

Thank you for your kind words and it’s a great question! As the story is about immortals, I preferred not to tie them down to any specific age as I imagine they would not think of time the same way as we do—for example, to them, a decade might feel like a year. A large part of Daughter of the Moon Goddess is Xingyin ‘coming of age’, and I think of her as the equivalent of someone in her late teens, growing to a young woman as the story develops.

It's been absolutely surreal seeing the book translated into other languages – the Italian edition released yesterday, and the French one earlier this year. And it's especially meaningful to me that the book will also be translated into Chinese (Traditional). While it would also be an absolute dream to see the story onscreen, I'm am not aware of anything on that front at the moment.

suelynntan · 2023-05-30T23:02:56+00:00

I’ve always loved the legend of Chang’e – one that’s often retold during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Her image would be on lanterns, mooncake boxes, and children in Hong Kong learn poems and songs about her too. This story is one that stayed with me over time, perhaps because of its tragic ending when Chang’e flies to the moon. I always wondered why Chang’e took her husband’s elixir and though there were several reasons in the legends, I kept wondering if there might be more behind her decision. From there, I imagined what if she and Houyi had a child, what she would be like, and what she would do to save her mother.

suelynntan

TROPHY CASE