Yangsze Choo: Write What Truly Interests You
Yangsze Choo is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ghost Bride (now a Netflix Original series) and The Night Tiger, a Reese’s Book Club Pick, and a Big Jubilee Read selection for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. She lives in California with her family and loves to eat and read (often at the same time). The Fox Wife and all previous novels would not have been possible without large quantities of dark chocolate. Follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
Yangsze Choo
Photo by James Cham
In this post, Yangsze discusses what surprised her in the process of writing her new novel, The Fox Wife, how the pandemic help shape aspects of the novel, and more!
Name: Yangsze Choo
Literary agent: Jenny Bent
Book title: The Fox Wife
Publisher: Henry Holt
Release date: February 13, 2024
Genre/category: Historical Fiction/Magical Realism
Previous titles: The Night Tiger, The Ghost Bride
Elevator pitch: In 1908 Manchuria, a mysterious woman who claims to be a fox spirit embarks on a journey of vengeance—one which collides with a detective who can hear lies.
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What prompted you to write this book?
I’ve always been fascinated by the shape-shifting foxes of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literature. When I was a little girl, I read a lot of folktales about them, and I always wondered how the story played out from the fox’s perspective. Why did they bother with humans, and exactly what was going on in their own complicated, busy lives? It is the other side of the fairytale that intrigues me, the darkness and wonder that lurks outside the open door at night.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took about four years from when I wrote the first chapter to finish it —I’m a very slow writer! And the book itself was originally almost twice the length and had to be cut down so that it didn’t turn into a giant door stop. When the characters come to life and start behaving in unexpected ways, the story expands, which can be really fun.
The pandemic also had an effect—I’d taken one trip to China right before to visit the historic garden villas of Suzhou and Hangzhou, which inspired the houses in the novel. I was planning to take another trip to Dalian in 2020, but the world shut down. So, I ended up moving part of the story to Japan, which I had already visited, and where I spent part of my childhood. I like to write about places I’ve been to because there’s so much about a location that makes it distinct, like the smell of the sea and the type of weeds that grow by the roadside.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Not this time around, but when my first novel The Ghost Bride was published, I was surprised to find out that there was a quite a long lead time—usually about a year and a half—between when the book is accepted for publication, and when it actually appears in bookstores. I had to explain that to family and friends, who were wondering what had happened to my novel! Now, I actually welcome this lead time and the process, which usually involves several rounds of editing (including copy edits) which I’m really grateful for.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
Yes, I wasn’t expecting it to turn into a detective novel. The book is split between Snow, a mysterious woman who claims to be a fox, and Bao, a detective. When I started, I thought it was going to be mostly diary entries from Snow, but I began a chapter with “the detective”, and suddenly the story took off from a different angle. I was able to move events faster by using two perspectives which converge as the narratives collide. I did this for my last novel, The Night Tiger, and didn’t expect to write like that again, but I was pleasantly surprised that it worked well here. Both books are mysteries, so perhaps that’s part of the appeal.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
Perhaps some folks (like me) have always been wondering what exactly shape-shifting foxes do in their spare time! The book also touches on loss and old loves, which I think can be very romantic and meaningful. My favorite Jane Austen novel is Persuasion, because there’s innate tension built into a relationship that hasn’t quite run its course. I hope readers enjoy The Fox Wife!
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Write what truly interests you, not what you think the market or other people tell you to. Also, try to finish what you start writing, even if it’s very short. I used to think that writing was mostly creativity, but perseverance is actually very important.
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