Q: If you could have a fantasy pet, what would you have and why? A: I would have a guardian demigod who takes the form of a white tiger or a cat. That’s actually one of the characters in my urban fantasy series, The Geomancer’s Apprentice. His name is Hu, which means “tiger” in Mandarin. Hu is loyal and very protective. He can be headstrong, but he’s there when you need him, whether for emotional support or when you need a hand in defeating demons, vampire-like Chinese entities known as jiangshi, or just bad dudes in general.
Q: What type of music best describes your writing style? A: To answer that question, I’ll point you to a Halloween music video by indie musicians Peter Hollens and Bailey Pelkman. In the video, the two sing a mashup of “Come Little Children” (“Sarah’s Theme” from the movie Hocus Pocus) and “The Hanging Tree” (from The Hunger Games). The music and the video’s creepy vibes are exactly what I would love to reproduce in my work, which includes urban fantasy with horror elements, and a collection of ghost stories based on Asian folklore.
Here’s a link to the music video so you can check it out for yourself:
Q: Tell us about your writing office/space and why it’s special to you. A: My office is a desk that’s crammed with papers and books. While some may see chaos, it’s actually organized disorder. The papers include a stack of to-do lists without which I would be lost. Some of the to-do items are years old, but I’ll get around to them eventually, I swear!
Q: What is the most challenging part of writing for you? A: It’s making sure I have consistent output that doesn’t depend on mood or what other things I would prefer to do that day. While I love to write, there are so many distractions that I would produce very little without some discipline. This is still a work-in-progress. Some days I can write a thousand words or more: other days I struggle over 200 words. However, I am getting to know my process better. I work best when I have a rough plan in mind. I don’t beat myself up if I’m not productive because that means the story is still percolating in my brain.
Q: If you didn’t write full-time what would your day job be? A: I was a journalist before turning to fiction. I’d probably go back to journalism if I need a job. Journalism involves writing and organizing facts and ideas. I enjoyed my job, but it didn’t fulfill me in the same way that writing fiction does.
Q: What is your writing schedule and how many projects do you juggle at once? A: I don’t have a particular schedule. I tend to work on one project at a time, and finish that before I start another. If I work on too many things at once, I tend not to finish any of them.
Q: How do you balance your outside life with your writing life? A: Not very well at the moment. Writing and my books can consume me. I am trying to be better about taking time off to do other things.
Q: Write your eulogy in three sentences. A: Yin Leong spent her life writing, which was her joy. When she finally got to write fiction, it was a dream come true. She died living her dream.
Q: What project are you most proud of right now? A: I am most proud of my Geomancer’s Apprentice five-book series. The first book, The
Geomancer’s Apprentice, was the very first book I published. It started from the kernel of an idea, grew to a novella, and finally became a full-fledged novel that spawned four other novels. I continue to be amazed and grateful that so many people have enjoyed the series, which features a pair of monster-slaying feng shui consultants from Washington, D.C.
Q: Do you have any new projects you would like to tell your fans about? A: I will release Conjuring the Rage Deity in April. It’s the prequel to my Pearl Dragon novella series, which revolves around a side character from The Geomancer’s Apprentice books. I also hope later in the year to release the first book in a new witchy trilogy set in a small town in Virginia. Like my other books, the new series will feature Asian folklore, ghosts, demons, and strong female main characters.
Q: Where can people find you on social media? A: I’m very active on Facebook, as well as X. I also have an author website where I discuss my books, and a blog in which I write about horror, fantasy and folklore.
My links:
My author website: https://www.yinleong.com/
My blog: https://www.kampungkreepy.com/
My Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/kampungkreepy
Find me on X: https://x.com/kampungkreepy
Find me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/yinleongauthor.bsky.social
Yin Leong was a journalist and editor in Washington, D.C., covering regulatory news. She grew up in Singapore listening to her mother’s ghost stories. She knew since she was five years old that she wanted to write. She now writes fiction full-time. She lives in Virginia with her husband and dog. When she’s not writing, she watches horror and superhero movies, and reads all kinds of fiction. Her favorite authors include M.R. James, H.G. Wells, Shirley Jackson, Susan Cooper and Stephen King. She thinks Pet Sematary is one of the scariest books of all time.
She is the author of The Geomancer’s Apprentice and the Pearl Dragon urban fantasy series.
Joss Paper is her collection of horror short stories set in the United States and Southeast Asia.
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#quote < My office is a desk that’s crammed with papers and books. While some may see chaos, it’s actually organized disorder. The papers include a stack of to-do lists without which I would be lost. Some of the to-do items are years old, but I’ll get around to them eventually, I swear! > Is there anything that strikes more fear in our hearts than a year-old "to do list," Nora??
#quote < My office is a desk that’s crammed with papers and books. While some may see chaos, it’s actually organized disorder. The papers include a stack of to-do lists without which I would be lost. Some of the to-do items are years old, but I’ll get around to them eventually, I swear! > Is there anything that strikes more fear in our hearts than a year-old "to do list," Nora??