The Teen Advisory Board interviews author Ann Liang
The Readings Teen Advisory Board meets monthly to discuss all things bookish and chat with some amazing people in the industry. During a recent meeting, we had the chance to interview author, Ann Liang. After her smash hit debut, If You Could See The Sun, she's just released another great read, This Time It's Real. Here is an extracted version of our discussion with Ann, written and compiled by Bonnie-Mai Smith, and edited for clarity.
Bonnie-Mai: What did you learn while writing If You Could See The Sun that helped you with This Time It's Real?
Ann: Okay, that's a really good question. I think in a way that this is something that you'll hear authors complain about a lot, and it's that you would think that the more books you write, the more experience you have, the easier it becomes. But unfortunately, it is not like that. Every single book is different because you're working with different characters, a different plot, and in this case, even, like, different genres. So you're sort of learning the basics again. But I guess with If You Could See The Sun, I really valued the editorial notes that I got from my agent and my editor. So when they would say things like, oh, you know I think we can strengthen the characters' motivations here, or we can heighten the stakes, things like that, I would really keep in mind when I was writing, This Time It's Real.
Bonnie-Mai: So what comes first, the plot or the characters and why?
Ann: I think for me, they kind of go hand in hand. So, for example, If You Could See The Sun, I knew that I wanted to write about a girl who monetizes her invisibility powers, and so the invisibility part is the plot, right? Like, stealing secrets and everything. But then you have to think, well, what kind of person would do that? Because if she was really shy and had a lot of inhibitions, she wouldn't resort to those steps. So naturally, from there I was like, okay, well then she has to be really ambitious. She goes after what she wants. She's kind of morally grey. So as I'm developing this story, it sort of happens simultaneously and characters are really important to me and I think that the kind of person that the character is informs their choices, which in turn informs the plot.
Bonnie-Mai: I've read a bunch of different reviews about what people think and this goes into my next question. Now, a lot of people have been pointing out that some characters give off Taylor Swift mastermind vibes or Gossip Girl meets Elite or something like that. What types of media inspired you while writing both of the books?
Ann: Obviously as a writer you'd be inspired by books, right? But I think I've always found inspiration from other mediums and other art forms. So, definitely I was listening to Taylor Swift when I was drafting, so that probably subconsciously went onto the page. And then also I watched Gossip Girl when I was a teenager, I mean, I probably shouldn't have looking back. So I think there is that kind of influence – that I don't think I was consciously adding to the story – but then those ideas and settings probably were in the back of my mind. I do also get inspiration from certain C dramas that I was watching and then also Crazy Rich Asians. I think that was also something that people sometimes compare it to. When Crazy Rich Asians came out, it was like a year or two before I wrote this book and then I watched that and it was a really great moment in terms of Asian representation and having an all-Asian cast. Which also gave me more confidence to write that kind of crazy rich setting for my own books. So my inspiration really does come from many different places.
Bonnie-Mai: Congrats on If You Could See The Sun being optioned by Bound Entertainment. I'm really excited to see Henry and Alice be brought to life. Are you able to tell us anything? I'm so intrigued.
Ann: I don't know how much I can say. I'm always so scared. That's another thing about publishing, you're sitting on so many secrets! I don't know, what can I say? Things have happened. I know that's really vague, but it's an ongoing thing and if I ever do have updates, it will probably be a while before I could announce it, but I would definitely announce it as soon as possible!
Bonnie-Mai: What's a significant way that both of your books have changed since the first draft?
Ann: Focussing on This Time It's Real, there haven't been any major structural changes, so it's not major, but we did end up really emphaising the romance aspect of it. So there's some scenes with Henry and Alice that weren't there originally and then my editor was like, 'I really love their chemistry. Could we have more of them?' And I said, 'oh my god, of course'. It was an excuse for me to really indulge in all of the cute, fluffy scenes. A lot of my editors say they just want to strengthen what's already on the page so that's what we do when we revise.
Kimmy: How has the bi-culturality that you've experienced, being Chinese in Australian society, impacted your life? And how have you reflected that kind of internal conflict in your story, your writing style, or anything else related to your writing?
Ann: That is a really good question. I think the most prominent way that it affected me is actually through my writing because I feel writing really helps you to process what you're going through. For me especially, because when I first came to Australia I did not speak English. So in that sense, technically, English is my second language because I had to learn it after I moved. So there were one or two years where I was barely understanding what was going on around me and then I couldn't express myself in English as well as I wanted to. So the feeling of not being able to explain yourself or being misunderstood when you don't know the language almost became sort of like a motivation for me to start writing because you have around 300 and something pages to explain yourself and make yourself clear. So yeah, I think it really did shape my journey as a writer. And then when it came to my books I guess I just didn't want to shy away from that.
