In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are highlighting stories written by Asian and Pacific Islander authors. Today's interview is with MoYun_ZJ, whose story was 17x Featured and placed 2nd in Rock Fiction (Punk Rock Awards) and 2nd in Lore Awards. 

About the Author: Mo Yun is a Singaporean-Chinese writer living in the sunny city-state of Singapore. She works in the wellness industry by day, and dreams up stories in her spare time. When she's not busy with her day job or writing, she also dabbles in holistic nutrition, herbal concoctions, aromatherapy and the occasional mandarin voiceover project.

About 'A Sliver of Frost': Trapped in the mortal realm, Yun Zhi, an immortal Celestian, meets the gifted pathfinder Xiao Che. Together, they set out on a journey of music and magic to unravel the secrets of Xiao Che's murky past, while navigating the even darker rhythms of the human heart.A xianxia retelling of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid, filled with music and magic.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Hello! I'm a Singaporean Chinese writer who writes mainly speculative fiction on Wattpad. I'm fluent in English and Chinese, and have dabbled in the occasional Chinese-to-English translation gig, as well as a few Mandarin voiceover projects. Writing is my passion, but my full time job is actually in the wellness industry — thus, I also have an active interest in aromatherapy, herbalism and holistic nutrition. I love coming up with aromatherapy and herbal concoctions, and often write with the scent of custom-blended essential oils in the background when I wish to set the mood of a scene. 

2. How do you identify within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and how has your heritage shaped the person you are today?

As someone who was born and bred in Singapore, I identify first and foremost as a Singaporean who is also of the Chinese race. Singapore is a multiracial country made up mainly of immigrants, and I love how my country is a melting pot of different cultures, Chinese, Malay, Indian and many more — assimilating and coexisting peacefully alongside one another. If you've been to Singapore, you'll notice how Singlish (our colloquial English) reflects this—being made up of a barrage of vocabulary and grammar from different languages. 

My grandparents emigrated from China and my family still maintains strong ties to our relatives there. This, plus the fact that I grew up in a Chinese-speaking household with Chinese-educated parents means that I was instilled with an appreciation for my heritage from a young age. I'm proud to be Chinese, but also aware that concepts of race and nationhood are fluid and ever changing. I'm lucky to be able to grow up in a place where I can enjoy the best of both worlds; one where I can celebrate my racial heritage without qualms, while also appreciating other cultures and maintaining a cosmopolitan worldview.  

3. Does your family have any traditions that are important to you? Feel free to share at least one experience here!

My family is pretty traditional, and concepts like respect for the elders and filial piety are very important. The first thing I do whenever I enter a relative's home is to greet all the seniors who are present. This can take a while, because there are different terms of address for each family member. So if I have three aunties from my paternal side present, I'd have to go "da gu ma 大姑妈, er gu ma 二姑妈, san gu ma 三姑妈..." (Eldest Auntie, second auntie, third auntie...etc) and so on, before I can be excused. 

Before a meal, it's also customary in my family to greet all the seniors at the table before we start eating. Most of my Singaporean Chinese friends don't do this, but it's what I grew up with, so this has become a habit for me. 

As for festivals, the Chinese New Year is one of the most important festival that my family celebrates. We'll decorate our home with paper cuttings, fresh flowers and stock up on lots of yummy snacks. My mom (who practices calligraphy) will write auspicious couplets on red paper that we'll paste on our walls to welcome new year. 

During this time, elders give gifts of red packets to younger, unmarried relatives as a way to convey their well wishes. For my family, juniors will have to kneel before parents and grandparents to receive the red packets. We also make it a point to stay up late on Chinese New Year's Eve, as this is tradition — called 'shou sui' 守岁— is said to bring longevity to one's parents. The longer you stay up, the longer they will live. 

Fun fact: I have a huge extended family... my paternal grandparents had 14 kids, and my entire clan in Singapore alone numbers over 200 members. So... can you imagine the ruckus that ensues when our families gather in full force?

4. If you could introduce something from your culture to someone else, what would it be and why? It can be a tradition/custom, food, music, or anything else that comes to mind!

I hail from Singapore, and food is the cornerstone of our culture. Singaporeans love food, and will often go to great ends, braving long queues, to get a taste of palate-sparking cuisine. There's no better way to get a taste of multicultural Singapore than at a hawker center — a communal dining establishment where people from all walks of life congregate to eat from various street food stalls. Some of these stalls have been passed down across generations, all working to prepare a single dish to perfection. Singapore hawker culture was inscribed on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list in 2020, and they're located all over Singapore. Visit one to see how locals live, and to enjoy cheap and good food at your fingertips — an intrinsic Singaporean experience! 

5. What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you?

As a third-generation Chinese diaspora living in Southeast Asia, I think that AAPI Heritage Month is a wonderful reminder about the importance of embracing diversity—our own and others; no matter where we're from and no matter where we live. There is a magic in origin stories, and everyone's unique racial heritage and life experience is worth respecting and celebrating. 

6. How do your experiences as an AAPI author shape your stories? Do you take inspiration from your culture to tell your story? You may talk about 1-2 stories here.

My father is an ardent fan of Chinese fantasy (wuxia, xianxia) and Chinese traditional folk music, and I grew under his umbrella of influence. There are shelves and shelves of Chinese wuxia novels in my home, which I read and loved as a teenager. I'm hardly an expert on classical Chinese poetry, but early exposure to this literary form helped me to better appreciate the elegance encapsulated in the textual minimalism of Chinese poetry. For me, the idea of sword-wielding heroes clad in flowing robes, navigating a morally complicated 'Jianghu' 江湖 (a Chinese term for 'martial arts world', literally translated as 'rivers and lakes'), is one I find inexplicably romantic.

As such, I've tried to incorporate the elements I love from Chinese culture in my Qi'zhou 弃洲 (Forsaken Lands) tales — namely 'A Sliver of Frost' and 'Weaves of Ink and Song'. This is a world steeped in Chinese myth, poetry, art and music, tuned to reflect my personal aesthetic preferences — an ethereal world where where magic and mayhem happen at the flick of a wrist, and landscape reflects deep-seated feelings akin to a five-character Chinese quatrain. 

7. What is your favorite myth or legend? Why?

I've said this so many times that it's probably super predictable by now, but my favorite myth is the Chinese myth of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid — a star-crossed romance about an immortal deity falling in love with a mortal cowherd. 

I've been obsessed with this story ever since I watched a movie based on this myth as a child. Perhaps it's a matter of how first impressions always strike the hardest — there are lots of things that bother me about this myth (like how the original Cowherd is a little bit of a peeping tom), but it's a story that has always remained vividly alive in my mind.

8. If you could have the same powers as a creature and/or deity from mythology or legends, what would it be? Why?

I'd want to possess the time manipulation abilities of Chronos, the Greek God of Time. Time is such a limited resource for me these days, I often find myself wishing for a way to press pause, just so I can have enough time to master a new skill, or finish writing or reading a book without growing older in the process!  

9. What is your advice for other writers who want to use mythology in their story?

Don't be afraid to flesh out the characters and play with setting and character motivation. Myths are often oral traditions, told as cautionary tales or as a way to explain certain natural occurrences (droughts, floods, the seasons, the two bright stars separated by the Milky Way etc). This makes it a great template where we can insert lots of interesting details to breathe new life into a well-known story.

That's it for the month, it was fun getting to know about MoYun_ZJ. You can check her stories featured in our reading list as well as her other works. If you're interested in learning more about other AAPI authors, check out Myth & Legend's AAPIHM reading list here.