Shelley Parker-Chan
@shelleypchan
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#1 International Bestseller. Winner of Astounding & British Fantasy Awards. they/them Preorder HE WHO DROWNED THE WORLD: …
Melbourne, Victoria
Joined June 2016
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well I know Chinese murderqueers have made it onto bestseller lists before (every Seven Seas danmei, lol), but this still feels pretty huge to me!
to
@torbooks
, who believed in this series, and to every one of you who bought or talked about this book—THANK YOU 😭
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Instead of kissing, have you considered the hygienic alternative of dropping to your fully-clothed knees, 1.5m away from the object of your affection, and saying with throttled but deeply felt sincerity, “Yes, my lord.”
Other authors: Re-reading my own book where people TOUCH ALL THE TIME is really creeping me out!
Me, writing historical Chinese fantasy: My characters are constitutionally incapable of touching; all they ever do is fold their hands in their sleeves and pine from afar
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How’s this for a spontaneous metaphor for 2020: My mother recently gave my niece and nephew a caterpillar for their birthday so they could watch it become a butterfly...
...but instead it exploded with parasitic wasp larvae that had eaten it alive from the inside
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Other authors: Re-reading my own book where people TOUCH ALL THE TIME is really creeping me out!
Me, writing historical Chinese fantasy: My characters are constitutionally incapable of touching; all they ever do is fold their hands in their sleeves and pine from afar
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GO AHEAD. REVILE ME.
The stunning cover of the US edition of He Who Drowned the World is here! Thanks so much to the
@torbooks
team, and to
@jungshanink
for another glorious illustration.
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She Who Became the Sun is out! When I first started writing, I could never have imagined that this queer, Chinese, cross-genre chunk of my heart might have broad appeal. I've been absolutely floored by the support it's received. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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You made this happen!! She Who Became the Sun is queer, it's Asian, it's about a period of history that was deemed too obscure to interest anyone—and today, it's a NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 🥳
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I can’t believe it—it’s only been four days since She Who Became the Sun came out, and it’s already gone into a THIRD printing!! 🎉😭 All my love to the passionate and hardworking booksellers of America, and to everyone who rushed out to buy a copy. THANK YOU 💛
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May as well fling this into the burning void:
You can preorder the sequel to She Who Became the Sun! It’s called HE WHO DROWNED THE WORLD, and features some truly A-class toxic queer relationships if I do say so myself
US:
GR:
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SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN
7.20.21 from
@torbooks
&
@MantleBooks
Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in a queer reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty
PREORDER US:
PREORDER UK:
GR:
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NOBODY SAW YOU COMING.
BUT YOU WON’T SEE ME, EITHER.
Behold the glory of the UK cover of He Who Drowned the World! Thanks so much
@UKTor
for this gorgeous phoenix companion to SWBTS's dragon, with particular thanks to
@BellaPagan
and cover illustrator and designer
@scholes_lucy
!
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Huh, how come nobody on my TL is talking about The Old Guard? Charlize Theron as the ax-wielding Scythian leader of a team of immortal warriors as they move through modern society, mourning the mortals they love and inevitably lose. And a woman director!
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the Pope had it easy, these books are massive actually!
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It's just ☀️THREE WEEKS☀️ until She Who Became the Sun. And...I just got the news that it's gone into a second printing! For this to happen, even after an increased first run, is pretty special. To each and every one of you who preordered to make this happen: thank you 💛
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Oh, they do match much more than I was expecting! The blue throughline is definitely there
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dear romance marketing depts: begging you not to automatically apply the label ‘rom-com’ to every contemporary about messy 20-somethings; this book I just read (and liked!) is not only profoundly non-comedic, but ONE OF THE PROTAGONISTS
DIES
TRAGICALLY
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He Who Drowned the World is out today from
@torbooks
!
Yes, it’s dark. It’s about queer people who’ve been hurt by the world, who learn to hurt in return. But it also has the loveliest moments of human connection I’ve ever written.
I hope it brings you both pain and catharsis 💙
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How did this even happen?! This was the most absurd, delightful surprise to wake up to. Thank you so much
@BritFantasySoc
, and especially the judges and my fellow nominees!
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The very first text I received from my mother re: book. Ah, Asian parents (not all Asian parents, etc etc)
It’s a single word in the acknowledgements! The fucking ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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☀️ SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN COVER REVEAL! ☀️
Somehow it's both an ink painting and a still from a Zhang Yimou film. A person of impossible ambition, against the firelight skies that herald the end of the world—and the beginning of the new.
Look!
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The Polish editions of She Who Became the Sun, by Fabryka Słów, go so freaking hard?? LOOK AT THESE ILLUSTRATIONS ahhhhh
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Just to avoid disappointment: She Who Became the Sun isn’t a Mulan retelling (it’s a retelling of the rise of the first Ming emperor.) But! You can expect these Mulan-ish things:
☀️Imperial China
☀️Daughter takes on male identity
☀️War with the north
☀️Training montage!
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#1
International Bestseller SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN
Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in a queer reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty
"Immersive storytelling at its finest."—Daily Mail
Buy US:
Buy UK:
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BEHOLD THE ORANGE BANNER
Thank you so much, everyone!
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I'm giving away 3 sets of the Radiant Emperor Duology. Does the ending serve c**t? You'll find out first.
This is a giveaway for everyone EXCEPT residents of Australia, NZ, UK, US & Canada.
Retweet to enter! If you use IG, you can enter over there too, for a max of 2 entries.
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reminder that if you’ve preordered He Who Drowned the World, upon publication I’ll send you an exclusive adult short story ft. our favourite/worst meow meows Wang Baoxiang and General Ouyang!!
(aka HOLD MY BEER BITCHES, WE’RE GOING FULL FANFIC)
If you want the highly spicy story that this card is illustrating, preorder He Who Drowned the World from any retailer, anywhere in the world (or request it from your library or bookstore), and head here to register:
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After
@natalienaudus
made That TikTok I joked that I’d wear this shirt if I ever got a Hugo nom, so—
I’m nominated for Best Novel AND the Astounding! Thank you, thank you, everyone who voted to make this dream come true. And congrats to all my fellow nominees!
2022 Hugo Award Finalists for Best Novel
@ArkadyMartine
,
@ryka_aoki
,
@pdjeliclark
,
@andyweirauthor
,
@shelleypchan
#HugoAwards
#ChicagoWorldcon
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Call me for your
#ShangChi
prequel novel needs,
@Marvel
, I specialize in Chinese historical fantasy antiheroes and Tony Leung
@copracat
I’m tormented by the idea that I’m actually professionally qualified to write a tie-in prequel novel set in the Song dynasty. Pick me to write your Tony Leung fanfiction, Marvel!!
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my characters relate to each other through their bodies. that often means they have sex with each other! before everyone got weirded out by That Scene in SWBTS, it simply felt like a pleasant and effective way of conveying a character beat and mood, as natural as any other way
you personally not liking sex scenes is fine! but that doesn't make them inherently gratuitous or bad. sex can be narratively and emotionally load-bearing, but even when it's not, there is literally nothing wrong with sex!
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The cover of SWBTS was masculine—sun, fire, gold, yang—so He Who Drowned the World is feminine: moon, water, darkness, yin. We all know the special contempt the world has for effeminate men, so this is the story of someone who, after a lifetime of being spat upon, is here to slay
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He Who Drowned the World
the sluttiest thing a man can do is go insane with grief and rage
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☀️ SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN preview! ☀️
I asked
@torbooks
if they could put up the ✨entire✨ first act, and I’m so thrilled they agreed! Join Zhu in the monastery, and keep an eye out for a certain beautiful, bad-tempered eunuch general...
Amazon:
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All this talk of Madeline Miller's next book makes me think of what is possibly the most frequent comment I hear about SWBTS: "So how much is it ACTUALLY like The Song of Achilles?"
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Oh my god. I’m shopping from Chai’s shelves and never looking back.
What an incredible resource! 🙏
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Oh my gosh! I had NO expectations—thank you to the cheerleaders and to everyone who voted She Who Became the Sun into the final rounds of the Goodread Choice Awards! You wonderful people 💛
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I think
@fozmeadows
was the genius who dubbed this colour “sapphron”
I am loving the rise of yellow/orange covers in SFF. Just look at these beauties! More books need to be yellow! 💛🧡
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@AJWhiteAuthor
ha, reminds me of how I got a subscription notice from The Times that was addressed to “Dear Other…” (the other being my gender lol)
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The words “not accurate enough to be historical; not enough magic to be fantasy” sure are ringing in my ears right now. Wouldn’t it be glorious if publishing could embrace wuxia, xianxia, xuanhuan, palace dramas, fusion historicals and the full diversity of East Asian subgenres!
As much as I love SFF, I’d want my imprint to focus on “genre-bending” novels by Asian authors.
I firmly believe that existing genre classifications are Western-oriented, which limits the diversity of storytelling styles. Especially from the East.
It’s time to break the mold!!!
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this is my favourite of Priest’s novels. buttoned-up competence (with badass hidden identity) meets chaos competence
Cover reveal! ✨ GUARDIAN: ZHEN HUN (NOVEL) Vol. 1 by priest + gorgeous art by
@Marmaladica
! The modern fantasy
#danmei
by the author of STARS OF CHAOS: SHA PO LANG—in English print/digital this August.
#SevenSeasDanmei
#Guardian
#ZhenHun
Pre-order now:
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Just to say that if you fancy this trope, I have a whole book featuring a beautiful villain pining on his knees after his pure, good and handsome prince, and I would love your eyeballs on it in 2021! 🙇🏻
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WHOA. She Who Became the Sun is one of New York Public Library’s Top 10 Books for Adults, across all genres!! 🤯 I’m honoured, and quite flabbergasted, to be included among such talent. Thank you
@nypl
, and much love in general to all libraries—including my own
@Library_Vic
!
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can’t tear my eyes from the gorgeous, overwhelming tenderness of these couples 🥹
(and yes, if dragged to therapy Ouyang would absolutely be the person insisting I’M FINE, I JUST NEED MY REVENGE, EVERYTHING IS FINE moments before having a breakdown)
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What do you mean I can’t title this book EVERYBODY IS NOT OK
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We authors are always going on about how vital word of mouth is, and I just got the best proof: over the last 8 weeks, your enthusiasm has propelled She Who Became the Sun—a hardcover debut!—onto the indie SFF bestseller list 🥺 Thank you all so much!
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Introverts are like:
single 9-10am phone call
mmm yes, busy day of work completed; time to relax 😌
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I'll be handing out 100 signed, limited edition He Who Drowned the World art cards at my events in Sydney next weekend! Come see me in conversation with
@elysejohnbooks
at
@BRTDbookshop
on the 16th, or at
@supanovaexpo
on 17-18th. More info here:
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the mic drop moment where a character uses 朕 for the first time, or when a new emperor slips up and uses 我 like a regular person, or is undercover as a regular person but uses 朕, are what I live for in palace dramas
seeing the 朕 was so satisfying...if only 本宫 existed as a first-person pronoun in Japanese too so Zetian could've used it in the sequel 😔
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☀️COVER REVEAL!☀️
Feast your eyes on the absolutely divine UK cover of SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN! Yellow is the colour of emperors, and the dragon is their symbol; I couldn't be happier with this gorgeous design by
@book_covers_etc
& the
@panmacmillan
team!
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Nothing makes me happier than to see the recent flourishing of Asian-authored Asian SFF. And there is no faster or more self-defeating way to kill that flourishing than to pit us against each other.
one BIPOC author is pit against another BIPOC author. If your experience of being Chinese differs from mine, it doesn’t mean that I’m less Chinese or pandering to white people. Let’s not play the dangerous game of “who’s Chinese enough to write Chinese fantasy”. ✌️
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☀️UK PROOF!☀️
Get you an editor who'll stage a lockdown photoshoot for you, because she knows how long it takes for books to get to the other side of the world! Thank you so much,
@BellaPagan
😭😭😭
And thank you to everyone at
@panmacmillan
who made this stunning proof happen!
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Hey, I have a campaign photo ready to go, how about that! Vote for one of these fine sapphic books for Best Fantasy in the Goodreads Choice Awards today!
sapphic trifecta being nominated for best fantasy of 2021 in goodreads choice awards...... 🔥🔥🔥
@shelleypchan
@tashadrinkstea
@C_L_Clark
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I'm delighted to announce that She Who Became the Sun is going global! 🎉
French and Russian editions are confirmed, and there are more on the way.
Any languages in particular you'd like to see?
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It's a banging summer for SFF! Sorry not sorry that we ethnics have 'monopolised' the list at a whopping 34% of the titles
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It’s hard, being LGBTQIA+ in Indonesia. I’m so glad my queer book is available there, but at the same time I know how inaccessible it will be, to most. So this is for you, Indonesian booktwt:
PAPERBACK x2 GIVEAWAY
🇮🇩 ID residents only
🇮🇩 Comment to enter
🇮🇩 Closes 29 Sep 6pm WIB
HELLO 😭😭😭 I CANT BELIEVE THIS BOOK IS IN MY LOCAL BOOKSTORES NOW!! WAIT UNTIL I FIND TIME TO GOO 😭😭😭
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25% off preorders of He Who Drowned the World at B&N through to 27 January! Use the code: PREORDER25. I'm going to write a spicy something to reward preorders, so keep those receipts...
(yes this is a cover hint)
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@XiranJayZhao
💛💛💛 your courageous transparency around these issues helps us all. From one slow writer to another (and being slow is not fault, just fact!): good luck with finishing the writing—it’s going to be incredible, I know it!
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WHOA I WON A SWORD—thank you to the
@Reddit_Fantasy
mods and community, and to everyone who voted!!
(when last time I mentioned lacking a weapons collection, someone reminded me that in SWBTS a monk defeats an army with a gong—so behold! my army-destroyer!)
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oh hey my entire thesis as a fiction writer
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omg
omg
omg
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oH
stories about flawed adults with their wretched entangled pasts and a multitude of regrets—I eat that shit up with a spoon
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trauma plot, you say? *slaps cover of book* this bad boy can hold so much exquisite pain
He Who Drowned the World is now on Edelweiss for early readers!
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I would love for SFF to get wider recognition in Australia. As I said to the wonderful
@katattackw
, SFF is a space for unbounded queer & marginalised imaginations: it’s not only where I found out who I am, but also what I can be. Let’s have more of it!
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Now that I’ve had my Shin Ramyun victory noodles and feel human again: thanks all who voted in the Hugos! I had the honour of sharing a category with peers whose books I love, so check them out if you haven’t yet:
@XiranJayZhao
@AKLarkwood
@Av_Stories
@tracydeonn
@micaiah_johnson
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She Who Became the Sun is eligible for Best Novel, and I’m eligible for the Astounding Award, if you’re so inclined! The Hugos are something I’ve gazed at from afar for years, so I would love to be nominated
(1/5) Nominations for the 2022 Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer are now open and will remain open until 11:59 pm Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) on March 15, 2022!
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This is a book about grief and wounds and the lies we tell ourselves, but also: the necessity of queer solidarity, and mercy, and love. I hope it makes you cry at least once!
It's out August 22, 2023, and you can preorder it here:
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In the
@torbooks
guide for author IG live events, it says “idea: show your weapons collection”
me: WHO HAS A WEAPONS COLLECTION
but after watching several author events, I realised other fantasy writers do actually!! own! swords!
Anyway, vote for me so I can win a sword 🙏
Best Novel
She Who Became the Sun
by Shelley Parker-Chan (
@shelleypchan
)
Jade Legacy
by Fonda Lee (
@FondaJLee
)
A Desolation Called Peace
by Arkady Martine (
@ArkadyMartine
)
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we like to pretend we’re three badasses who could pull off a sapphic art heist, but we were actually so nervous 😂
The event with the Sapphic trifecta begins as
@shelleypchan
,
@tashadrinkstea
and
@C_L_Clark
exit the green room!
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To have come fourth in the Goodreads Choice Awards, behind three (deserved!) SUPERSTARS in the category, is beyond all my expectations. Thank you all for cheering on and voting for my queer little debut 💛 Congrats to
@SJMaas
for the win!
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worked hard to get the vagina dentata into the shot
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When I’m bored by the world of a fantasy book, this is often what I’m missing: a sense of specific, different, experiencing; a novel set of connections between things, ideas, history, that gives rise to a distinct cultural perspective
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I can’t believe it! She Who Became the Sun is a Lammy Finalist in the trans fiction category (given, I suppose, the absence of a ‘Highly Metaphorical Eunuch’ category lol). I absolutely loved Detransition, Baby, and I can’t wait to read these other works by my fellow finalists!
Congratulations to our 2022 Lammy Finalists in Transgender Fiction!
@manwhohatesfun
🌟
@shelleypchan
🌟
@sklimnagem
🌟
@callmangs
🌟
@torreypeters
🌟
#Lammy2022
#lammyfinalist
#LGBTQbooks
#transgenderfiction
#transfiction
Full list here:
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I feel like it’s traditional to be all, omg what is IN this mysterious BOOK-SHAPED BOX that just arrived...
...but thanks to our torrential rain, the box arrived like this, so it wasn’t much of a mystery 😂
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The Stardust Thief by
@chelsabdullah
has given me life! This is a story you give yourself over to, knowing that it knows how stories work. “Trust me,” it says, and though you’re in a knot of fear and hope—that secret! that lie; that slow burn!—you do. And your faith is REWARDED🔥
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Many of you have sleuthed this already, but I’m excited SO I’M GONNA ANNOUNCE IT ANYWAY:
@torbooks
is bringing me to the US and Canada to launch He Who Drowned the World!
🇺🇸🇨🇦
Can't wait to visit these fab bookstores, chat with brilliant author pals, and meet YOU.
Link in bio!
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Diving out of hiatus to say that if
#Mulan
has gotten you in the mood for sweeping Chinese epics with sword battles, genderfuckery and feelings, SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN might be of interest! Coming July 2021
Learn more:
Add on GR:
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When the beautiful, effortless, perfect prince tells you to kneel, to submit and show your loyalty, and you—broken, wretched, cruel you—go down on your knees in shame and anger and humiliation, and feel relief
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my books and the Mongols. I do think there are people can own any haircut through pure personal charisma—see: every dude in a Qing dynasty drama—but…I’m shallow and I wanted the flowing hair 😭
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🎉THANK YOU for 11k adds!! I'm gifting 3 US or UK hardback preorders:
☀️1x open to all
☀️2x residents of the Global South ONLY
Thanks
@lowpolygeo
for matching!
Enter:
✨QT with a fate you want!
✨Global South folks: ALSO comment
✨Bonus entry on Insta
✨Until 14 Jan 9pm AEST
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She Who Became the Sun is out TODAY in the UK!
This gorgeous imperial dragon edition comes with a historical note, a slightly different first line to the US edition (spot the difference!), and signed copies are available from many retailers. I hope you love it as much as I do ☀️
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“Is She Who Became the Sun a standalone?”
Short answer: while it *can* stand alone, Zhu Yuanzhang’s rise to power will be concluded in the sequel! Longer answer:
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Seeing half my tl thirsting over gaiwans, and the other half thirsting over Gawain, is messing with me
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Thank you everyone who shared and squealed and sent me notes yesterday about the cover of SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN! ☀️ I promise to repay the joy you gave me with ~lovingly-crafted heartbreak~ 😘
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On this day, 3 years ago, I signed with my agent. 2 years ago, on this same day, I got my first offer on SWBTS. And today, 30,000 people have added SWBTS on Goodreads!!
Given that the date of these was 1 April, I'm suspicious of a punchline 😅 Still, a giveaway is in order... 👇
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the launch of He Who Drowned the World is just one month away, and I’m packing my bags! where am I off to? 👀 tell you tomorrow…
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Oh my gosh, ARCs aren't even out yet and SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN already has over 5000 adds on Goodreads!! 😭 THANK YOU, FRIENDS 💛💛
(A sneak peek at a chapter or two mighttt be coming soon with the UK cover reveal!)
Preorder:
GR:
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Apparently it’s
#NationalDogDay
? Coincidentally, after being interviewed by several dogs over the past two weeks, today we finally beat the competition and were Chosen by this anxious orange noodle ✨
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And it’s UK publication day of He Who Drowned the World! All my thanks to
@UKTor
,
@MantleBooks
and everyone at
@panmacmillan
who had a hand in bringing this absolute BEAUTY of an edition into being. Kneel in his presence!!
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LONDON!!!! The single coming of the holy sapphic trifecta is upon us; will you be there to witness us, in the flesh?
30 May at
@WaterstonesTraf
!!
☀️ yours truly, from down under!
🔥 the indomitable
@tashadrinkstea
!
💪 the mighty
@C_L_Clark
!
Mega awesome event alert!
#1
Sunday Times SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN bestselling author will be
@Waterstones
events in London (30th) + Manchester (31st) More info TC
AND... uniting the Sapphic Trifecta
@WaterstonesTraf
(thx
@Gambit589
)
@shelleypchan
@C_L_Clark
@tashadrinkstea
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watching the Chinese people on my TL painfully, wrenchingly, challenging their beliefs and identities to wrestle with the burdens of representation
wishing that non-Chinese authors felt that awful weight when they wrote our culture
I know you don’t
but if only
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