A guest post by Joyce Ch’ng
Fire Heart started as a short story/chapter I wrote and later forgot. The chapter sat on my hard drive for a long time, gathering dust, until one day I opened it and went, “I wrote this?” I then drafted the very first full-length version around 2016/2017—and only plucked up enough guts to pitch it to an editor much later.
By this time, I had pretty much given up on publishing traditionally (as in, going to a big publisher). I had also pretty much given up on ever publishing anything at all. I had gone the agents route, tested every venue and platform I could find… and I was convinced that I should give up. It took almost fifteen years of my life and it wasn’t simply worth the effort.
But the editor whom I pitched to thought I should continue pushing on. She and I discussed Fire Heart (at that time, it wasn’t called Fire Heart), deliberated over it, and then she brought it before her publisher, a major publishing house in Southeast Asia.
I cried when she said yes.
Then the pandemic hit.
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I worked on the manuscript in 2018 and 2019, positive (pun not intended) that it would be published in 2020. 2020 would be my year. MY YEAR.
Fire Heart was not released until 2022.
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In those two years leading up to 2022, we made changes to Fire Heart, including removal of content that would warrant non-publication of Fire Heart in Southeast Asia. As you may have guessed, the content included LGBTQIA elements. Where I live, the religious right dominates and pretty much dictates policy.
But despite the censorship, still I was glad Fire Heart got published—and oh man, the kids loved it.
The only problem was that distribution of Fire Heart was restricted to Asia-only.
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Enough of the doom and gloom. I want to focus on the joy that is Fire Heart.
Fire Heart takes place in a secondary fantasy world, no magic, and a lot of swords. The world has matriarchal swordsmithry clans. Girls are taught how to make swords and assorted blades. Boys are not allowed to, simply because they are deemed too impulsive and rash.
I geeked out on the world building. I made glossaries. I made maps. I made field guides. The chapters had festivals, making of food, and slice-of-life bits. The world of Metakse is breathing. It is real.
I want to write something that speak to me, personally, as a person. I do not care about grimdark battles, epic angst-written tales, and convoluted plotlines that require a Wiki. I want to read something that resonates with me and what works for me.
It’s like when I am writing—some people feel that I write in broad strokes and are dissatisfied. I feel that I write as if I am painting in watercolour. Watercolours can be immensely detailed, but also subtle, gentle-soft. I have had an instructor whose expertise is in really detailed watercolours. Some people like oil paintings dramatically rendered, in big bold colours. I just like watercolours.
(Note: I trained in Western Fine Art—and I have the certificate to prove it!)
I want to see scenes where people come together to make food. I have grown up in a culture where food-making is communal and familial. I want to see scenes where people come together to celebrate milestones. Again, I have grown up in a culture that celebrates milestones. Such practices are not just limited to Asian cultures, but globally—every culture has traditions that pull people together. I also want to see scenes that allow breathing, two people spending time together alone.
So, Fire Heart has the forge-women coming together in the kitchen to make sausages, the women singing in the ceremonies that publicly acknowledge the young apprentices’ accomplishments, and scenes that have the two characters hold hands in a quiet garden filled with birds and flowers.
Even in moments of immense sadness and duress, there is also the quiet joy of being.
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So… now, Fire Heart is out in the world once more, to the rest of the world outside Asia. I believe that the story of Wehia and her sword(s) should be read and made known, simply because it’s just a story about a young woman growing up, learning about herself and coming to terms with the incongruities and confusion of life.
A story which people resonate with.
And pretty soon—in 2025, Cold Steel. Stay tuned.
About the Author
Joyce Ch’ng lives in Singapore. They write science fiction and fantasy as well as YA and MG. Their short stories have appeared in The Apex Book of World SF II, The Future Fire and Multispecies Cities. Dragon Dancer (Lantana Publishing) is Joyce’s first picture book, celebrating dragon dancing and Lunar New Year; it was followed by Oyster Girl (Pepper Dog Press), a tribute to their grandmother and the hawker heritage in Singapore. For YA readers, Fire Heart is a fantasy book about swords and coming-of-age. You can find Joyce at their website, or on X and Bluesky at @jolantru.
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