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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Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

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&rsquo;s debut historical novel, When Sleeping Women Wake &ndash; and in this episode she shares her inspirations, the book&rsquo;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: &lsquo;Gimcrack&rsquo; 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&rsquo;s advice for writers 42:03 Final thoughts
<a href="https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/ep-701/">Read the show notes</a>
Connect with Valerie and listeners in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2346749828883788/">the podcast community on Facebook</a> Visit <a href="https://www.writerscentre.com.au/">WritersCentre.com.au</a> |&nbsp;<a href="http://valeriekhoo.com/">ValerieKhoo.com</a>

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Learn practical writing techniques, go behind-the-scenes and discover how real-life authors got their big break. Uncover the creative processes of writers who have made it. Your host is Valerie Khoo – author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers’ Centre. 

Everything you&rsquo;ve always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Learn practical writing techniques, go behind-the-scenes and discover how real-life authors got their big break. Uncover the creative processes of writers who have made it. Your host is Valerie Khoo &ndash;&nbsp;author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers&rsquo; Centre.&nbsp;