Author Interviews

 

DEBUT MG NOVEL for AAPI Heritage Month

I had the pleasure of meeting Annie when she reached out to me after reading an ARC for SKYLIGHT, my own MG debut last summer. Over the past year, I’ve had several opportunities to chat with Annie and learn about the amazing writing community she’s created in Western Sydney. The moment I came across her debut announcement, I knew I had to support my fellow Southeast Asian author.

As if the stars aligned, I jumped at the chance to interview her for WNDMG! Check out the summary for her book:

 

 

MY HARIMAU KING

An ancient king, a modern-day kid, and a life-changing prophecy that binds them.

13-year-old Sumaiyah Jackson is living her best life in Parramatta until a family drama spirals out of control, mysterious events start happening, and loved ones begin to disappear.

Suddenly, Sumaiyah and her friends find themselves trapped in the ancient kingdom of Pajajaran, Indonesia, where Sumaiyah discovers she is “the chosen one” from descendants of ancient royalty. But this doesn’t mean fun and untold riches. Instead, she needs to break a mystifying curse and prevent a prophecy from destroying her family.

Now Sumaiyah’s in a race against time to discover her true purpose, combat terrifying creatures, and fulfil her destiny, or risk losing her family and friends forever!

I’m so proud to be a part of Annie’s debut tour and am delighted to be a part of this journey with her. So, enough fangirling ~ let’s hear from the author herself!

 

READER TO WRITER

Patchree: I know you are very involved with the writing community and serve as a moderator and advocate for so many different events and organizations! But, I’d love to hear more about your personal journey as a writer.

Annie: This was a wonderful learning experience in not only the craft of storytelling but the discipline in balancing a full-time job, home responsibilities, friends, emcee events all while meeting deadlines for my passion project. Having embarked on the writing journey, it feels like I finally got to see what’s behind the mystery door after all my years of reading and hearing from amazing authors. It’s not until you experience it yourself, you don’t fully understand an author’s journey – what a ride!

I founded a network of readers, Read3r’z Re-Vu 16 years ago, over the years it was all about reader friends getting together and enjoying books but, in that time, writers emerged including me and this journey gave me the opportunity to form what I like to call a Read3r’z Writers Subdivision where the writers came together from far and wide to support one another and even enjoy in person writing days.

I have learnt a lot but key takeaways are mastering the art of showing not telling and the responsibility with creative license, to ensure my stories are accessible and respectful.

My Harimau King was 5 years in the making, and in the meantime, I published 6 short stories. Writing is a marathon not a sprint and I didn’t realize I had so many stories inside I needed to get out to the world. This journey is one I hold close to my heart. Publication aside, I am proud of how much I learnt in creative writing and truly consider myself blessed with the wonderful friends I met along the way.

REAL LIFE AS INSPIRATION

Patchree: As a debut MG author, what was your main inspiration for MY HARIMAU KING?

Annie: I am an avid reader of fantasy fiction, particularly of books that infuse or are inspired by cultural legends and mythology from around the world. Having enjoyed a lot of these types of books, I spent years in search of fantasy fiction with representation of my own Indonesian culture. Despite being rich in myth and legend, I found none on the Western bookshelves. I saw this as an opportunity to not wait for someone else to write the story I want told – do it myself and it all started with one question I asked myself “why not me?”

While Indonesia is rich with mythology and legends the world needs to know, I had to start with what I knew – and that is the legend associated with my own West Javanese, Indonesian family. This was my chance to put West Java, Indonesia on the map – to tell the world that West Java is only one of many provinces in Indonesia that is rich with culture and intriguing stories to tell. It was also my opportunity to pay homage to my ancestors and family as well as leave a legacy.

Patchree: Besides sharing a biracial identity, how similar are you to your female lead Sumaiyah Jackson?

Annie: This goes back to starting with what you know. Yes, Sumaiyah is loosely based on me. We are both Indonesian-Australian, Muslim from Western Sydney. We are both born to a West Javanese, Indonesian and Australian father and are an only child. However, the key differences between Sumaiyah and I are the family dynamics and how much she does not know about her true heritage.

Growing up, I always knew about my mother’s heritage, identity and I have always been very connected with the West Javanese culture and language.  This was a gap in Sumaiyah’s life as her mother was not open about her true identity and Sumaiyah knew very little of her culture except the language. As for the family, Sumaiyah is very close with her cousin from her mum’s side, Alif. He goes to the same school and lives nearby – this was something I never had growing up with all Mamah’s family in Indonesia and Dad’s family in Central West, NSW or interstate, I never had relatives nearby and being an only child, I guess this was a dynamic I craved growing up.

When writing Sumaiyah and watching her develop and navigate as the chosen one, I felt we shared the same pressures that come with being an only child in a traditional family. Bound by expectation and to be the one to pay it forward for the sake of family. I also feel Sumaiyah and I relate in the ability to act/perform under pressure – when you only have one right choice to make without direction, you need to lead the way and still be the voice of reason in the time of calamity.

POWER OF CULTURE & LANGUAGE

Patchree: I loved discovering so many commonalities between Thai and Indonesian cultures while reading your book. What are some key cultural elements or traditions from Indonesia you knew you had to include in your story?

Annie: In addition to Indonesian mythology and legend, it was important to me to include strong cultural elements that were not just Indonesian but from the province of West Java. There are variations in culture and traditions across the provinces, so I wanted strong ties to the West Javanese culture. From West Javanese food to the batik designed fabrics found in a box or as worn by some of the characters. One piece that was also very important was the suling; the traditional West Javanese flute made of bamboo. Its sound is so distinct, and normally part of a Gamelan ensemble played at special occasions in West Java, I wanted a connection between the legend of my ancestor and the story itself. Lastly, I want to mention the culture of family. Many books feature early teens embarking on adventures without parents or family. However, traditionally in Indonesia, family is very important and stick together even through adulthood and having Sumaiyah’s parents and Uncles significantly involved in her story is a cultural norm so I wanted to present a story where the parents and Uncles were very much part of Sumaiyah’s adventure.

Patchree: Language is a big draw for me, and I was captivated with infusion of various Indonesian dialects throughout the book. What was your research process like and are you fluent in these dialects?

Annie: Thank you, this was one of my learnings when writing the book, to retain authenticity in language without over translating but also making the story accessible to a non-Indonesian, non-West Javanese reader. I am fluent in Bahasa Indonesian as I speak with my family in Indonesian though my Bahasa Sunda dialect could be better. I owe this to Mamah, my patient translator who I bugged constantly while writing the book with Bahasa Indonesian phrases I needed translated to Bahasa Sunda then reviewed in English to ensure we didn’t lose something in translation when providing context. To help improve my Bahasa Sunda, I also acquired a Bahasa Sunda to English dictionary from Bandung, Indonesia during my last visit! It was an unexpected find as I thought I would only find dialect to national language type dictionaries but after searching high and low with my cousins, we managed to find that gem at I place I refer to as ‘Book Road’ – a road full of book stalls.

SPOILER ALERT FOR READERS

(AVERT YOUR EYES IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!)

 

Patchree: After reading your Author’s Note, you mention being a direct descendant of an actual Indonesian King! How did you discover this direct ancestry to Indonesian royalty?

Annie: Yes, that is true, I am one of the last living descendants of the ancient king: Prabu Raja Siliwangi who was the king of Pajajaran (ancient West Java, Indonesia). The connection is through my mother and her father. This was something I knew since I was a child, as my mum was always very open about her identity and culture and shared stories of Prabu Raja Siliwangi and his affiliation with the harimau: native West Javanese tiger. I was also shown our official family tree that’s certified by the Province Government of West Java which goes all the way back to Prabu Raja Siliwangi himself. It was fascinating to read through. Growing up, my Uncles also shared stories of Prabu Raja Siliwangi and how the golok and kujang once belonging to the king is now safeguarded by a relative in West Java.

My last visit to Indonesia was quite significant as my cousins took me to the very place where Prabu Raja Siliwangi’s palace was in Pura Parahyangan. I also got to touch the remains of his throne in a place now called Batu Tulis which houses a stone tablet chiseled in Sanskrit by Prabu Raja Siliwangi’s son honouring his father who was crowned twice.

WORDS OF ADVICE

Patchree: What advice would you give to aspiring authors of middle grade fantasy?

Annie: I’d like to share the advice I was given when I started writing my book – shout out to my friend, author Jeremy Lachlan, author of the Jane Doe Chronicles who told me to focus on the story you want told, don’t worry who will read it or where it ends up, tell the story you want told and be true to yourself as a writer.

I also want to add that writing is key as you can’t edit a blank page. If you have a story to tell, do not be afraid to share it, the world will always be ready for something new and exciting.

Patchree: Can you tell me about your upcoming projects?

Annie: Next to my book launch this June and subsequent signing events, my newest short story The Moon Shadow Secret will be published in an anthology called Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls who Invent and Imagine. I am honoured to have my story featured in this anthology as the anthology focuses short stories featuring a STEM-savvy teen heroine. My story captures the ancient West Javanese legend of Nyai Anteh, infusing it into an original story of an Indonesian teen who is savvy with Coding. Proceeds from sales for this anthology are donated to the Society of Women Engineers Scholarship Fund which encourage young girls to get into the STEM industry. Keep an eye out for this in July 2025!

 

WOW! What an amazing journey!

Be sure to preorder MY HARIMAU KING and follow Annie on Instagram @nenganniemenulis!

 

AUTHOR BIO

Annie McCann is an Indonesian-Australian emcee and author, from Western Sydney. She has written multiple short stories and is the founder of several literary networks. Annie is passionate about diversity and representation in books, media and pop culture, and aims to ‘bridge the gap’ in the creative space. On her limited days off, Annie is either jamming to Michael Jackson’s greatest hits or cheering on her NRL Football team, Parramatta Eels.

https://linktr.ee/nenganniemenulis