Awhile ago I happened upon an essay in Daily Life on the Sydney Morning Herald by Gabrielle Wang. Entitled Growing up I always wanted to be white, the essay was a thoughtful, honest account of Gabrielle’s life growing up, about how she viewed her Chinese heritage, and most importantly, what it would mean for a girl with a Chinese heritage to see herself in the pages of a book. Gabrielle was gracious in giving me some of her time to answer some questions about her work, as a writer and illustrator.
What book are you reading right now?
‘In Arabian Nights’ by Tahir Shah. I highly recommend it, especially if you’ve travelled in Morocco. I am also reading ‘The Night Watch’ by Sarah Waters. She is my latest find and I’m going through her backlist. She writes what I call light historical fiction. I love her attention to detail, the relationships she forms between her characters and the mystery she weaves.
What would people be surprised to learn about your reading likes and dislikes?
When I first began writing children’s books I read a lot of picture books, junior fiction and young adult novels. I wanted to fully immerse myself in the genre. Now I read mostly adult fiction. I like gritty crime and literary fiction but I’m not keen on fantasy which some people might be surprised to know because my books contain elements of magic and the supernatural.
You described your start in writing in your recent essay for Daily Life as a surprise, but now, how would you describe writing? Has that changed?
I feel blessed to have discovered my hidden potential even if it took me well into my adult life to do so. I’ve been writing now for twelve years and can’t imagine a day without it. It is addictive, an all consuming passion.
What are the positives and negatives to being both an artist and a writer when you’re working on a book?
When I write I see the scene played out inside my head as though I am watching a movie. I don’t know if that’s because I am an illustrator and I see things visually, but in any case I think that’s a positive when writing fiction. Being both an illustrator and author is good for me because I write the sort of books that I liked to read as a child. I loved art and was a very slow reader so novels that were peppered with black and white illustrations were my favourite.
As for the negatives. I want to write and illustrate a picture book but I don’t have the time while I’m working on novels. Hopefully one day.
What was it that drew you to writing for YA/children age group?
Having a background in graphic design, I wanted to publish a picture book. In my twenties I wrote and illustrated one but it was rejected and so I gave up the idea of ever being published. Years later I decided to do a Tafe subject, ‘Writing for Children’ in order to learn how to present a picture book to a publisher. Part of that subject was to write a novel for 8-12 year olds. I didn’t think I could because I had never written a novel before but I happened to have a short story in my bottom drawer which I wrote after a strange dream I had one night. That short story became my first published novel The Garden of Empress Cassia. The manuscript was rejected six times but I was persistent. I love writing for children of this age group because their imaginations are still blooming.
Your Poppy and Pearlie series are both set in the past – what influenced that decision?
The Poppy and Pearlie books are part of the Our Australian Girl series published by Penguin. These are historical fiction novels for girls. I was given a broad outline of what the series would entail but the period in Australian history was left up to me. I have always felt a deep connection with the Gold Rush because my great grandfather and great grandmother came out from China at that time. The Poppy books are set on the Murray River in and around Beechworth, an important gold mining centre. I also wrote my great grandparents into the novels just for fun.
Your books cover diverse cultures – what is the most important thing for you as a writer to keep in mind when you’re writing about these characters, their ages and their cultures?
I have written sixteen books and all my characters, except Annie in The Pearl of Tiger Bay, are part or full Chinese. When writing about a culture that is outside my own, I am particularly careful because I know how easy it is to get it wrong. I recently read a book by a well-known adult author who wrote in his latest novel that one of his characters was going to Shanghai to learn Cantonese. The dialect Cantonese is not spoken in Shanghai. Because of that one mistake, I lost faith in him as a writer. In the Poppy series, the main character is part Aboriginal and part Chinese. Everything that pertained to Aboriginal culture I discussed with a Koori Heritage adviser from the State Library of Victoria. She carefully vetted every chapter and there were a number of occasions where I had to delete text which was culturally sensitive material.
Has children’s literature – Australian and otherwise – changed for the better in terms of diversity?
Yes, definitely. But there is still a way to go. When I was young there were hardly any books for children that featured diverse characters. Now I am seeing more and more. Children need to find themselves in the books they read. Australia is a diverse country and our books need to reflect that.
Can you tell us a little about the reception your books have received? From kids and adults? What was the most surprising response you’ve gotten?
The reception has been very good. I have a lovely following of fans who write to me, and many schools around Australia invite me to talk to the children about my books. I am also invited to literary festivals around the world. I always wonder though if my book jackets featured a white child instead of an Asian one, would I sell more books. I will never know the answer to that one. Still, I am pleased that my stories are so widely read.
What can your fans look forward to next?
I have just begun working on a new novel but am yet to discover its heart. When I do I’ll be up and running with it. At the moment I’m experimenting with voice and playing around with past tense and present tense, first person and third person. I never like talking about a novel until it is close to being finished and that is a very very long way off.
Find out more about Gabrielle at her blog.
