Blog Archives
Beauty That Lies in Simplicity
Grasslands follows a young college student as he attends a birthday event, encounters otherworldly entities, and starts the search for his own dream. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Four years ago, I was invited to a birthday party much like in Grasslands. However, the events of that night were nothing like the book (we never even left the house). At some point, I got possessed by the idea of writing a book even though I had never really thought about it before, and I started taking notes on my phone. I was quick to dismiss a lot of my early ideas, but I always knew how important Grasslands was to me, and I could never stop thinking about it. I kept building upon the story in my head but never changed the original setup.
Did you plan the tone and direction of the novel before writing, or did it come out organically as you were writing?
Initially, I was planning to write a dark comedy, but I scrapped my earlier scattered writings and started the first chapter in the summer of 2020. By the end of the year, I had written five chapters and had the entire story figured out. Although my ideas kept evolving through time, I did a lot of planning before writing most of the book.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
I love the character of the witch and everything that she represents. Not only do her scenes tie the plot together but they are also central to the main themes of the book. She was one of the earliest characters I came up with.
While the hardest character to write for was easily Aleko, there were a lot of story elements that needed to fit in perfectly, but figuring it all out was very satisfying in the end.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
I have two full-length projects in the works right now, and both are quite a departure from Grasslands. I am a huge fan of Natsume Sōseki and how he deploys a very simple style of writing to express intense emotion. With my next work, I hope to showcase my appreciation for the beauty that lies in simplicity. It is something I did my best to capture in Grasslands as well, but with a plot like that it can be hard to grasp the importance of the simpler moments.
My second project is a lot more ambitious and will surely scratch that itch people will have after reading Grasslands, but it will take time and I cannot divulge further details right now. I have no release dates planned for either of these projects.
Readers can also look forward to a short story collection which will be released late 2024.
Author Links: Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Amazon
Corrupt Corporation
The Black-Eyed Baby follows a detective who ends up on a gruesome case involving the richest members of society and starts uncovering secrets they want to keep buried. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
It started with a corrupt corporation that was a community pillar and grew from there.
Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?
Absolutely. People I’ve seen over my lifetime have influenced many of the characters. For instance, my mother-in-law lived to be 98 years old, and the last fifteen years of her life were in an independent care facility. Twice a week, we went to play bingo with her. Many of the people at Freedom Pointe are patterned after the people there.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
I keep an Excel file labeled Autoposy of the Book Name. In this file, there is a column for the chapter number, chapter name, characters in that chapter, word count, how the chapter opens, the action in the chapter, senses used, purpose of the chapter, what is foreshadowed, and what is an open item that needs to be addressed later on.
Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?
This is a series. A contract for the second book has just been signed, and I am about two-thirds of the way through writing the third book.
Author Links: Goodreads | Amazon
He now wishes he never had to…
Days after an unidentified woman is found murdered and dumped behind an IHOP, police connect her murder to the death of a young thug named Rocco Maxen and discover her infant son dead inside her home.
Jane Doe is Nicole Hensen, a young woman who was fired mere days ago from a big corporation for not showing up for work.
But why do her colleagues claim they never had any dealings with her, and why would her employers rather fire her than look into her strange disappearance?
As Mansfield and his partner, Landers, delve into the sinister business of one of the richest and oldest families in the city, they find themselves blindsided by the darkness and secrets buried beneath its crushing wealth.
When it comes right down to it, the poor and the rich have one thing in common…
They would both do anything for money.
Connecting With Fellow Stroke Survivors
Emerging From the Dark is a collection of inspirational stories and interviews from stroke survivors and their caregivers, including your own journey and moving illustrations. Why was this such an important book for you to write?
When I was writing my first book, A Cry in the Dark, it was coming from a place of anger and needing to express what I was going through. I never thought I would continue writing, but the warm reception the book received brought many new people into my life. I found myself connecting with fellow stroke survivors and caregivers in the community – each with their unique stories, struggles, and triumphs. Their stories resonated with me and fuelled my motivation to continue writing. It was no longer just a continuation of my own story, I wanted to pay tribute to the strength and determination of those who have also faced the challenges of stroke.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
While many might assume that writing these stories would be the most challenging part, the true test of my determination was in crafting the illustrations with my hand affected by the stroke. Initially, I thought about getting a professional illustrator to make the pages look beautiful. I wanted the book to be really attractive to readers, with carefully handwritten words and captivating artwork. But then I went back to what my doctor said, as well as how my hand drawn illustrations made the first book special, and decided to take on the challenge again. Making those illustrations turned into a daily test of my patience, but when it was all done, I felt really accomplished by what I had achieved.
Can you tell us a little about the unique illustrations featured throughout your book?
These illustrations are like snapshots of my emotions and represent how I feel on different days. They’re messy and sometimes don’t make a lot of sense, but I don’t think they’re unique to me alone. Everyone goes through similar emotions in their lives. Whether it’s happiness, sadness, uncertainty or strength, we all experience these at different times. I suspect that readers also found something special in the imperfections, in seeing words and pictures that were the honest product of someone on the path to recovery after stroke. It was definitely a very personal experience for me to portray my thoughts that way.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
I’m currently in the process of finishing my next book, Strength in Motion: Dancing through Stroke Recovery and hope to release it at the end of the year. This book incorporates expert insights with my ongoing journey, and it’s about the essential role that exercise plays in stroke rehabilitation. Through the many lessons I’ve learnt, I hope to empower stroke survivors to become proactive participants on their own recovery journeys, as well as initiate conversations on how we can better support those affected by stroke.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Emerging From the Dark: Stroke…The Untold Stories is an unusual book on several counts. Its format is full of artistic creation vastly different from a typical book. Splashed on practically every page are unique, diverse illustrations from the author, and the typeface of text varies a number of times, sometimes simply etched out in pen by the author.
While some pages have complete narratives, others provide isolated thoughts and “free form” ideas to advance the impact. The subjects are not professional authors, so their comments might appear raw but indeed very real. Even Ang himself sprinkles thoughts and emotions generously throughout the interviews, helping to frame the situations and their accompanying confusion.
It’s hard to imagine what the subjects have gone through. Ang’s work truly brings out their fears and frustrations. But it also conveys a sense of purpose to recalibrate lives, be productive, fit in and find inner peace.
So many people remain in the dark about this all-too-common medical condition. Ang hopes his work can serve as a powerful tool for emotional recovery and inspiration for readers as well as the book’s fellow contributors. “Through this book,” says Ang, “we hope to make a difference — so people can see that no one needs to be alone in their struggles to navigate everyday life after experiencing a stroke. Strokes impact countless lives, taking cherished ones from us. My mission is to stress readiness for life’s challenges and the resilience to surmount them. This book embodies that message, hoping to reach everyone with its key lesson.”
Emerging from the Dark, has garnered a plethora of esteemed awards, including the illustrious Firebird Book Award for 2023, a top honor in the Non-Fiction category at the Hollywood Book Festival, and a coveted prize in the Short Stories category of the Global Book Awards. In addition to these accolades, the work has been named as a finalist for an array of distinguished recognitions, such as the Book of the Year Awards in the True Story category, the Global Book Awards for Non-Fiction, the Paris Book Festival in the Biography/Autobiography section, and the transformational memoirs category at the BookFest Book Awards.
LITERARY TITAN 