Julie Abe: Refill Your Well and Find Joy in Writing
Julie Abe has lived in Silicon Valley, spent many humid summers in Japan, and currently basks in the sunshine of Southern California with never enough books or tea, where she creates stories about magical adventures. Her debut novel Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch was listed as a Best Middle Grade Book by Kirkus Reviews, New York Public Library, Bank Street College of Education, and Book Riot. Julie is also the author of Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch; Alliana, Girl of Dragons; and Tessa Miyata is No Hero.
She invites you to visit her online at julieabebooks.com. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Julie Abe
Kendall Halliburton
In this post, Julie shares her most important piece of advice for writers, how her book combines a great legend with missing a loved one, and more.
Name: Julie Abe
Literary agent: Sarah Landis, Sterling Lord Literistic
Book title: Tessa Miyata Is No Hero
Publisher: Little Brown Young Readers/Hachette
Release date: August 22, 2023
Genre/category: Middle Grade Contemporary Fantasy
Previous titles: In Middle Grade: Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch; Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch; Alliana, Girl of Dragons. In Young Adult: The Charmed List
Elevator pitch for the book: A thrilling and charming middle grade fantasy steeped in Japanese lore and mythology. When 12-year-old Tessa Miyata accidentally unleashes an evil god, she (only a very ordinary mortal) must stop him in his tracks or Tokyo—and her family, who she loves more than anything—will be lost forever.
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What prompted you to write this book?
Sometimes, stories are so fascinating, they take root in our minds and won’t let go. Tessa Miyata Is No Hero started like that for me. A while back, while researching for my debut book (Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch), I came across the Japanese legends of Taira Masakado. He was a renegade samurai who tried to overthrow the government but was assassinated by a friend—yet, even his death didn’t stop him from being a legend.
A plot of land in one of the busiest areas of Tokyo is dedicated to Taira Masakado as a burial ground. Once, there was an attempt to build something there—his grave is in the middle of Tokyo’s financial district, after all. However, worker after worker began to fall ill, then the minister overseeing the project died under strange circumstances. With that, the project was quickly stopped. For those in buildings around his grave, all make sure to be extremely respectful, so such ill fortune won’t befall them.
There are other rumors, too—that paying respect to him and providing offerings to his shrine has led to times of great prosperity… I was fascinated with his myths and the way his existence was a part of Tokyo itself. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way a legend grows and expands, and his impact on Tokyo—and beyond. I added his name (Taira) into my first published book, but I wanted to write more about him.
At that time, I was also really missing my grandfather. I was born in Japan but moved to California at a young age, but I used to go back to visit my grandparents during summer vacations. The sweaty, humid heat, the beauty of a nighttime festival—all those moments are seared into my memory, as are the trips he and I used to take into Tokyo, going to pick up some sweets, or to his favorite soba shop. But, all too soon, he passed away before I could see him again, and I missed him—and those adventures we took together—with all my heart.
So, in a spark of inspiration, I combined those legends of Taira with my hopes of writing a fun adventure; a romp through Tokyo that would make me feel like I was there (even when I couldn’t be), and that became what is now Tessa Miyata Is No Hero.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I started writing Tessa more than half a decade ago. The core of the story has remained the same: a girl on an adventure against the backdrop of the great legends of Taira Masakado and glittering, luminescent Tokyo. The three main characters have not changed, either: Tessa Miyata, a girl who is looking for a place to belong; Jin Uehara, her somewhat enemy, but also her next door neighbor, who’s obliged to watch over her even though she’s adamant that she can take care of herself; and Kit, the troublemaking, talking kitsune, a legendary Japanese fox, who accompanies them on their adventures (slightly inspired by my grandfather). And, of course, Taira Masakado, whose legendary shadow stretches into each and every page—and is the evil god that Tessa has let loose onto Tokyo.
However, so much of it has changed, namely the adventures that Tessa goes on. With each draft, I accelerated the fun and action as much as I could, while adding mystical, magical elements.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
No matter how much I loved the story, it needed lots of work and countless redrafts. There were points where I was positive it’d never get published, and in fact, when it came time to choosing the next book to share with my editor, I regretfully knew Tessa wasn’t quite ready, so I set the draft (already rewritten multiple times) aside to work on what is now Alliana, Girl of Dragons.
However, after finishing up Alliana, I knew I wanted to start on Tessa Miyata right away—so I revised, revised, and revised again. With a new, polished draft, I was beyond excited when my editor expressed her interest and offered on Tessa Miyata.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
The biggest surprise came when I finished the mostly-final draft and realized that I’d written my grandfather into the book, ever so slightly. Kit, Tessa’s fox companion, has definite Grandpa Energy. Though my grandfather had passed away years before Tessa was published, he was my home when I was back in Japan. It made me truly happy to realize that my memories of him were as strong as ever, and that his legacy was threaded into the very words of the story I love so much.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I call Tessa Miyata “the cheapest ticket you can get to Japan.” Though it’s not an airplane ticket, within the pages of this book, you can taste salty rice balls, run through the magnificent Meiji Shrine, and feel like you’ve found your own magical gateway into the world of Tokyo’s gods and legends.
I want readers to feel like they’ve spent a summer vacation in Japan—muggy heat, awesome convenience stores, always-on-time trains and all—and close the last page feeling refreshed—but perhaps curious to visit Japan themselves.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Refill your well.
I’ve been so, so guilty of not taking care of myself, but it’s absolutely necessary as a creative. I’ve got my full-time day job, family to take care of, and writing two books a year (along with Tessa Miyata, I have a young adult book, Our Cursed Love, releasing from Macmillan/Wednesday Books later this year, and I released two books last year).
My advice is to find the things that bring you happiness and truly take joy in them. Whether it’s watching anime (any Oshi no Ko fans out there?) to baking (time to perfect my matcha cupcakes) to travel (I finally got to go back to Japan for my dear friend’s wedding!), I’ve been much more cognizant of needing to refill my well and find joy—that, in turn, sparks my creativity so I can write stronger, better books!
While there’s no shortage of writing advice, it’s often scattered around—a piece of advice here, words of wisdom there. And in the moments when you most need writing advice, what you find might not resonate with you or speak to the issue you’re dealing with. In A Year of Writing Advice, the editors of Writer’s Digest have gathered thoughts, musings, and yes, advice from 365 authors in dozens of genres to help you on your writing journey.