“More than an author, she is an explorer of worlds—both external and internal. A physicist by training, she applies logic and consistency not to science itself, but to the craft of storytelling: from metaphors and imagery to the rules of her own narrative universes. A polyglot, traveler, martial artist, diver, freediving champion, and yoga instructor, she blends discipline and curiosity to create stories that are cinematic, visceral, and deeply immersive. Her narratives invite readers to feel, to question, and to embrace the subtle mysteries that lie just beyond understanding.”
I like fresh stories with motivations or twists that differ from what we’re used to from Hollywood and mainstream media. Good vs. evil to me is incredibly boring. I like villains with relatable backstories, traumas and a good amount of cunning, or even better, when there are no villains, only messy conflict and different perspectives.
Some Q/A
Who’s your favorite author?
If I had to pick just one, it’d be Philip K. Dick. I really like Brandon Sanderson and Dan Simmons as well, but they haven’t had the emotional impact that Dick’s work has had o me. Another star in my book world is Robert Anton Willson. I doubt any one author has influenced me as much as he has. And despite not being fantasy or sci-fi, I also have to mention Chuck Palahniuk whose books I used to devour.
I heard you like C-dramas… which one do you like best?
This is hard to answer. There are definitely a lot of dramas that are NOT my favorite but a lot of them really wowed me too. I’ll give you a list:
- Nirvana in Fire (amazing intrigue, fantastic story)
- Nirvana in Fire II (different, more emotional, still great)
- Legend of Fuyao (I have to pretend I didn’t watch the ending here, everything else was great. I love Fuyao’s arcs, so much suffering and growth. It’s very grimdark in a c-drama way)
- Legend of the Condor Heroes / Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber (classics, I read the books too.)
- Eternal Love (ok, yes, terrible title, a bit cheesy, but also a great story)
- Untamed (BL, and granted the drama isn’t nearly as good as the book, but still worth watching)
- Word of Honor (Also BL, with amazing Jianghu vibes)
I heard you’re a scientist?
Formerly I worked as a researcher in a biochemistry lab, though my formal training is a physicist. I studied applied physics, but I’ll freely admit, academia wasn’t for me. I prefer researching ontology and epistemology on my own.
What influences your writing?
Lots, of course. Everything my mind grazes upon will eventually find its way into my writing. But there are a few specific influences I use deliberately: Integral theory, Jung’s psychology, some of the stranger phenomena in physics and Goedel’s incompleteness theory on one side. Then the experiences from the strange worlds of dreams (lucid or otherwise), psychedelics, sleep paralysis and spiritual practices (particularly Taoism) on the other. It might not be evident, but it’s there.
Do you use AI?
Not in my writing.
I’ve played with it, as probably most have. I’ve used it for feedback in the beginning, or to help organize social media posts, but have come to dislike it even for that. I’ll use it to search for an idiom I can’t put my finger on, or other internet searches that yield nothing in regular search engines. It’s pretty good with that.
And yes, I’ve used it for images like the original cover for The Bad Apothecary, though I’m transitioning to no-AI for all Ninth Path related promotional work.