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WNDMG Interview with Annie McCann, Debut Author of MY HARIMAU KING

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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

My Harimau King

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!

Muslim girl holding books

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 McCann

Annie McCann

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

Map of Southeast Asia

Map of Southeast Asia

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

Top Secret

(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?

Prabu Raja Siliwangi

Prabu Raja Siliwangi

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!

 

Annie McCann

Annie McCann

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

 

 

Five Questions with Kortney Nash, Assistant Editor at Godwin Books

Kortney Nash

Kortney Nash, an assistant editor at Godwin Books/Henry Holt, pops in at From the Mixed-Up Files Of Middle-Grade Authors to share books and advice. She has an inextinguishable love for sci-fi. She was part of the editorial team for the middle-grade graphic novel, Oasis, published February 18, 2025, which has received seven-star reviews so far, as well as a shout-out in the New York Times. As an author, her picture book, Tell Me About Juneteenth, will be released in May 2025.

As a newish editor, tell us about your publishing journey. What types of books did you like to read while growing up and how does that impact the type of list you would like to build?
Growing up, I read all types of books! I think the first books I fell in love with while learning to read independently were the Junie B. Jones series. I remember there being a lot of humor in those, and they really drove home to me that reading can be fun––those books may be the reason I ended up in the publishing industry! That series turned me into an avid reader, and before you knew it I was devouring The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and pretty much all of the popular titles that dominated the pop culture landscape during my childhood and teenage years.

When I’m at work, I’m always thinking about these titles that nurtured my love of reading and what made them special for me. I found a lot of excitement in the high-octane fast paced series that I previously mentioned, but was also profoundly touched by books like The House On Mango Street and Walk Two Moons––stories that struck a deep chord within me emotionally. When I’m looking for titles to acquire, this is the balance I’m thinking about. I want a bit of everything, something for every reader out there.

Can you talk about what books you’re currently editing and what attracted you to those projects?
I can’t give too many details at this stage, but I most often find myself drawn to projects that center marginalized voices in multifaceted ways. I love stories with BIPOC and/or queer leads where the main characters are having fun or dealing with the paranormal or stepping into fantasy worlds. When I was growing up, most of the books that had Black main characters dealt with racism as a main focal point of the plot––and left a void for Black readers looking for stories that didn’t just focus on the struggles of Black life, but Black joy as well. I like books that achieve this in different ways, they heal my inner child!

What type of book would you love to acquire but haven’t read yet?
This is incredibly specific, but I’ll throw it into the void anyway: I want a sci-fi boarding school murder mystery! I’ve been putting this request out into the universe for a hot minute now, so I think the energy will (hopefully) come back to me soon. There are so many magic school books, but I haven’t seen a ton of sci-fi that drifts into that zone, which hurts my heart as a devoted Star Trek fan. I think there’s a lot of potential to do some fun stuff in that space, and I’ll be ready to acquire it as soon as it hits my inbox.

For those looking to build up their library of diverse reads, what middle-grade books would you recommend?
Oasis by GuojingI love this question! Middle grade is such a unique space in books, and I think that we can all benefit from reading middle-grade novels no matter how old we are. I seriously can’t recommend Oasis enough. The art is beyond stunning, and the story is just so incredibly moving. It’s one of those books that you wish would never end! I was very fortunate to get to watch things come together behind the scenes for that book, so there is some extra special sentimental value for me there, but even from an objective perspective, I think there’s no denying that it’s a really compelling read that brings something fresh to the sci-fi space. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you’re looking for something dystopian-leaning with themes about family and hope, then this book is for you! If you’re not looking for those things, this book is still for you. In short, read the book no matter who you are, you won’t regret it.

Otherwise, I’m also always recommending Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams whenever I can because I read it and just really adored it! I found the voice so compelling and appreciated the way the author tackled important issues like colorism and class head-on. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t throw Remy Lai into the mix––I loved the humor and heart in Pie in the Sky and have had Ghost Book on my TBR for a hot minute now! Remy’s art is so fantastic, and she really has a gift for drawing readers in on the very first page.

 

Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi FarmerThere’s also Kwame Crashes the Underworld, a middle-grade fantasy steeped in Ghanaian culture that just won the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award. And to round out my recommendation, I’m going to shout out The Haunted States of America, a middle-grade anthology I edited that features 52 different authors––one from every state in the US as well as DC and Puerto Rico. I could recommend books all day, but I’ll stop there for now!

 

 

Ghost Book by Remy Lai   Haunted Staes of America (Anthology)   Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai

 

 

 

 

 

What advice would you give to others looking for a career in publishing?
For those looking for a career in publishing, I’d recommend reading widely first and foremost! Besides that, pay attention to who published the books you’re reading––if you notice you’re reading a lot of books produced by the same imprint, try seeing if you can have an informational interview with someone who works there to learn more about their approach to book publishing. You only live once, so I would overall say don’t be afraid to reach out to folks (in a respectful way) to ask questions about what the day-to-day looks like in different departments. Everyone I’ve met has entered the industry from a different angle, so I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all method for beginning a career in publishing. However, persistence and patience go a long way!

Bonus Question:

If you could swap lives with any character from a novel, who would you choose?
I would swap lives with Mark from Andy Weir’s The Martian. I need some time to chill out on a different planet, even if it means getting stranded:) I would eventually work hard to get back to Earth though! Eventually!

Exploring the magic of ancestry and myths makes Gloria L. Huang’s stories magical

It might seem that creating an epic fantasy novel starring a charming character who portrays intelligence, anxiety, cultural divides from parents, close and diverse friendships, and the magic and myths of a Chinese water goddess would be an impossible task. Gloria L. Huang has done this in her delightful middle grade novel Kaya of the Ocean.

Kaya of the Ocean

This talented writer brought stories and goddess myths from early childhood, mingled with stories of a tragedy in her family’s past, to a contemporary world in ways that completely engage her readers. But she claims it wasn’t easy. This is a novel that has been in the works for years, possibly in the background of her interests even as a middle grader herself. Huang admits, “I’m one of those annoying people who wanted to be a writer since they were a child—you know, was writing forever. And then I started with writing fictional pieces for literary magazines. So those were largely adult literary fiction, and I still do that. But I really love writing middle grade and young adult because, when I was young, I was also a major reader, especially of middle grade novels.”

Even as an early teen Huang recognized that something was missing. “When I was reading those [childhood novels], there wasn’t a whole lot of diversity. I would fall in love with these stories,” she says, “but not really see anyone who looked like myself, or who had my point of view. So, I think that really played into my wanting to be a middle grade author, allowing me to fold in the diversity that was missing when I was a kid.”

Kaya’s story, a story of growing up Chinese American in Hawaii, is forefront in this novel. A second story of Kaya’s ancestors is interlaced in this novel. That is the story of Shanhu, a child of the Chinese civil war, who is thrown into the water when the ship she travels on is bombed.  Huang explains, “I’m Chinese-American, originally Chinese-Canadian, and different parts of the story were loosely inspired by events in my family history. So especially in the historical flashbacks, the story of Shanhu and what happened to her—that was actually loosely based on a tragedy that happened to an acquaintance of my father’s family during the Chinese civil war, and it was almost my aunt who was on the ship that was bombed.”

That story stuck in Huang’s mind, and she wanted to honor that part of history, but also make it fictionalized. “I don’t want to pretend it’s an accurate historical rendering. But there are lots of parts of me in the book.” Huang’s cultural upbringing and family history as well as point of view all filter through this book. “People often use this phrase ‘it’s the book of my heart’, and I kind of feel like that about this book, because it’s just got so many parts of me and people I know in it.”

Even as Huang wrote about the past and the present cultural divide between a middle grader and her parents, she created a depth of current middle grade issues for her main character Kaya. She is the perfect middle grader in so many ways. But Kaya is plagued by anxiety. Like so many young teens, this character shows how they can be smart, and scared at the same time. Huang says these are the nuances that she really agonized over and thought about. “It was really important to me to try to capture an experience sensitively and authentically. I don’t want to say it’s everyone’s experience, but an experience of anxiety. And that was really why I wanted to make sure Kaya had layers.” Huang admits, “it’s loosely based a little bit on my own experiences with anxiety and those of different people in my life, especially children. And I found that there’s a correlation between kids and adults who maybe feel different kinds of pressures, whether it’s insecurity or a pressure to be perfect, with this higher level of anxiety.”

When Huang began writing this novel, we were just emerging from the pandemic, and Huang witnessed a lot of children very close to her, who were encountering anxiety for the first time, and not really knowing how to deal with it. “So I really wanted to create a character who was layered and nuanced. Who was accomplished and together in some ways of her life, in some areas of her life, but also struggling in a very real way in others, because that’s what I was seeing. That’s what I was feeling.” This depth of character morphed from there. “I really wanted to write a story where this main character had these anxieties she sees as flaws. But then [anxiety and, specifically, the fear of the ocean] kind of becomes part of her superpower when she learns to accept all parts of herself.”

That anxiety plays out in Kaya’s relationships with her parents and with her friends. “When I was writing it, I saw friendship as being really important in Kaya’s life, and actually as part of her journey. I think, later on the book, she kind of discovers that the fact she’s not alone helps her deal with her anxiety. That sometimes, being with her friends, helps fight it.” The inner voices in Kaya’s mind and her inner turmoil are partly influenced by the fact she’s in an age range where the focus starts shifting from family to friends. It’s also a time when you can’t always be friends with the opposite gender. Huang explains, “There’s all kinds of dynamics, and there’s all kinds of new pressures at play. I really wanted to show the kind of complicated friendships and relationships kids can have, and that sometimes they fight, sometimes they have conflict, sometimes they’re strained. But at heart, I wanted to show they can be so supportive and caring, and they become a huge part of a child’s life at that age.”

Already demonstrating the complexity of this age, Huang also brought in the history and myths of Chinese American culture through the power teens can gain from realizing how ancestors survived tragedies. Mazu, the patron goddess of sailors, fishermen, and travelers plays into the realism of this novel flawlessly with the additional power of feminist strength around water and a patron to immigrants who have traveled across oceans to immigrate to the United States.

Huang found Mazu to be a fascinating persona and looked into her history, a history of a girl who loved to read and didn’t learn to swim until she was much older, only to become a deity that protects oceangoing travelers. “I think she just has this really rich history starting from when she was a little girl to when she grows up to be an adult woman, and then when she becomes a deity. I’ve always found her so intriguing, because I think, for one thing, she’s this strong female figure that … rose to deification and worship before it was common for strong female figures to exist in that space.”

Huang felt this would be a cool angle to explore. She wrote much of the story and the outline and had done a base level of research into Mazu’s history that found its way into this novel. Of course that led to more research. “A lot of the history Kaya and her friends discover about Mazu actually comes from the research I did.” Like Mazu, Kaya is portrayed as a strong reader but not yet a strong swimmer. Huang says, “I think it worked out perfectly, because I really wanted to create this story in which you have this amazing kind of goddess, this ancient mythological history. But I wanted to transplant it onto the life of this young girl who’s struggling with anxiety in modern times to see how that could flow.”

Finally, Huang wove in the parent/daughter relationship showing Kaya recognizing her parents love her very much and she loves them. But that relationship is not without conflict. Kaya recognizes her parents aren’t helping with her anxiety. She’s not butting heads with them. She’s trying to figure them out. And it’s her disappointment instead of her anger that Kaya acts upon. While there’s a sense that this inability to confront mental health issues is a first-generation immigrant perspective, many teens will relate to the parents’ struggle with facing these issues that their children might suffer from.

“Stepping back a little, there is a universal tendency, I think, for all parents, regardless of culture, to want and hope so desperately for the best for their kids,” Huang says. “I think that can sometimes end up in a bit of denial when there’s something that could be causing problems for their children or in their children. But I did feel that, at least in my experience, it’s especially true for some immigrant Asian parents. There’s kind of this cultural fear that if you give voice to something like this, it might make it worse or make it real. So, there’s this cultural tendency to avoid discussing major issues or bringing them out in the open.” Instead, Kaya’s parents are kind of just sweeping it aside and pretending it’s not real, and having that be the course of action.

Huang wanted to show how this mindset, even if it comes from a place of deep love and protectiveness, can actually make a child, like Kaya, feel even more isolated and alone, and it accidentally could reinforce her fear that there’s something wrong with her. Huang hopes readers come away with the message that while this fear or denial is “coming from a place of deep love and protectiveness,” it’s important for the parents and child to talk about what’s happening and bring the issues to the surface in order to start the process of acceptance.

She wants to thank readers for picking up this novel and reading it, and she hopes those who might be struggling with any part of themselves, whether it’s anxiety or something else, would come away with knowing there’s power in accepting all parts of who they are, and all parts of themselves. “Anything they see as flaws or weaknesses actually makes up this whole beautiful picture of who they are.” In the book, Kaya’s dad refers to this Chinese expression that says things are more beautiful when they’re imperfect or broken. “I would love for that to be the message readers of KAYA take from the novel.

While Kaya of the Ocean is Huang’s first middle grade novel, she has a wealth of short story publications and published essays, and she plans to write more for middle graders. “I write to create worlds that I want to get lost in, that I want to explore. I write to create the kind of people I want to meet in my life (or meet again, if I’ve met them already). I write to explore or release any dreams or nightmares or demons I’m struggling with. It helps to kind of put them on the page for me. Personally, I write if I’m trying to understand a different situation. And then I also just write to send messages out, hopefully to other readers, but also just to the ether, if that makes sense.”

“I feel like I’ve always had this irresistible need to tell stories. And then I’m also so inspired by things I hear or read, or see, or experience, the people in my life I love and care about. They all inspire me. So, I really think that, if you read my writing, you can often see parts of them.” In her experience of writing about those she’s met, Huang concludes, “Everything’s like a secret love letter to them.”

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