So You Want to be a Writer Writing Podcast Episode 701: Emma Pei Yin discusses her wartime novel, 'When Sleeping Women Wake'
War stories are often famously told by the victors. But what of the stories of civilians caught up in the conflict? These themes intersect in World-War-II-era Hong Kong in AWC graduate Emma Pei Yin’s debut historical novel, When Sleeping Women Wake – and in this episode she shares her inspirations, the book’s themes and the publishing process, including a fascinating connection with the cover designer.
00:00 Welcome
03:41 Writing tip: Avoiding info dumping
07:05 WIN!: The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave
08:39 Word of the week: ‘Gimcrack’
12:03 Writer in residence: Emma Pei Yin
13:05 Emma explains When Sleeping Women Wake
13:53 Why this story?
16:20 Influences and inspirations for the book
17:35 Balancing historical fiction and fact
19:10 The research process
21:20 The note collection process
22:27 Telling the authentic voices of Chinese people
23:39 Character development and their unique resistance
25:55 Class structure and historical contexts
27:35 Language and authenticity in this story
29:03 Morally ambiguous choices in war
30:49 The publishing process
34:51 Cover designs and market differences
38:04 Promoting the book and meeting readers
39:44 The importance of solidarity in telling niche stories
40:52 Emma’s advice for writers
42:03 Final thoughts
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