Julie Leong: I’m Not Trying To Write a Book To Please Every Single Reader

Julie Leong is a Chinese-Malaysian-American fantasy author who grew up across both New Jersey and Beijing, China. She studied economics and political science at Yale and works in tech, but she has always nurtured a deep love for sci-fi/fantasy beneath her corporate exterior. Julie lives in San Francisco with her husband Drew, their rescue pup Kaya, and a magical Meyer lemon tree in the backyard that somehow always has ripe lemons. When she’s not writing, she enjoys making unnecessary spreadsheets and flambéing things. Follow her on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

In this interview, Julie discusses how a tumultuous time had her reading cozy novels and led her to writing her own with her debut fantasy novel, The Teller of Small Fortunes, her hope for readers, and more.

Name: Julie Leong
Literary agent: Paul Lucas at Janklow & Nesbit
Book title: The Teller of Small Fortunes
Publisher: Ace/Berkley (U.S.), Hodderscape (UK), Heyne (Germany)
Release date: November 5, 2024
Genre/category: Adult Fantasy
Elevator pitch: Teller is a cozy fantasy about an immigrant fortune teller who tells only small and inconsequential fortunes that nonetheless always come true. But she’s on the run from secrets in her past, and when she finds herself recruited into searching for a mercenary’s lost daughter, she’ll have to decide whether confronting that past is worth reuniting a family.

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What prompted you to write this book?

The Teller of Small Fortunes was very much the result of me writing the sort of book I wanted to read. During COVID, my father’s cancer recurred, and the doctors told us that he had months to live. I quit my high-stress corporate job to help care for him, and during that very difficult year, I found myself turning to books as an escape and source of comfort.

During my many, many hours spent in hospital waiting rooms, I read all the books I could get my hands on, and in particular devoured anything cozy and warm—books like Legends & Lattes, everything by Becky Chambers or T. Kingfisher, all of my old favorites by Terry Pratchett, and so on. But pretty soon, I ran out of cozy fantasies to read, and it occurred to me, Why not try writing one myself? For the very first time in my adult life, I wasn’t preoccupied with work or school and wanted something to pour myself into to distract me from all of the negative things out there.

And so, I started writing the kind of book I wanted to read more of: a story with a main character that looked like me and had an immigrant background, a story about finding a family, about overcoming grief and trauma—but ultimately still a fantasy full of magic and adventure and whimsy.

Oh, and I’m also very happy to share that my father—despite the doctors’ estimates—is now in stable remission, and was one of the first readers of my book. In fact, it’s dedicated to him.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I had an unusually fast and fortuitous journey, I think! I speed-drafted Teller in a matter of months in late 2022, revised it with the help of several beta readers, and queried literary agents with it shortly thereafter. I signed on with my fantastic agent Paul Lucas in February 2023, we went on submission in April 2023, and very quickly sold it at auction to Ace/Berkley in the U.S., Hodderscape in the U.K., and Heyne in Germany.

Now it’ll be published in November 2024, so in total, that’d be roughly… two years from conception to publication? Which somehow feels simultaneously like no time at all (in publishing terms), and a very long time, indeed.

The core of the story itself hasn’t changed drastically during that time, although the book has certainly been revised (with the help of my wonderful editors, Jess Wade and Molly Powell) to be a much clearer, stronger version of itself along the way.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Constantly! I went into the publishing process knowing virtually nothing about how books come to exist beyond the fact that someone somewhere writes them. It was humbling to learn just how many people are involved in each step of the process, and how many hands go into getting a book ready for publication.

I was also surprised (and delighted) to learn how supportive authors can be of each other. One of my favorite parts of this journey has been getting to know other writers (including some authors of my favorite books, with whom I’m still a little starstruck!), getting to read their upcoming books early, and sharing and receiving advice about the process. Publishing can be such an emotionally taxing endeavor that it really is so vital to have that sort of community to lean on, and I was very lucky to feel welcomed by it.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

One thing I found surprising was how differently readers react to different things. When I first sought out beta readers for Teller, I received wonderful and detailed feedback that was at times completely contradictory—and that’s OK! People will experience your writing through the filter of their own lives, perspectives, and preferences, and that necessarily means that some pieces will resonate deeply but some will not.

As a writer, part of the hard work was to learn how to parse and filter that feedback before applying it to my revisions. It was also an “aha” moment for me to understand that I’m not trying to write a book to please every single reader who may ever pick it up! I’m writing for that book’s audience.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope they feel some of the warmth and comfort that writing this book gave me. And I especially hope that fellow immigrants and diaspora kids like me see themselves in Tao’s journey.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Read, read, read! As much as you possibly can, as widely as you can. The Teller of Small Fortunes is the first full-length book I’ve ever tried to write, but I feel like I’d been preparing all my life simply by reading voraciously.

Reading isn’t just about observing techniques and other writers’ craft (though that’s helpful, too!)—it also helps you learn the shape and feel of a good book. Whether you notice it or not, you’ll come to pick up on what aspects of a story call to you and make you feel something, and through osmosis, that’ll come through to flavor your own writing, too.