We chat with debut author Julie Leong about The Teller of Small Fortunes, which follows a wandering fortune teller who finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.
Hi, Julie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi everyone! I’m Julie. I’m the younger daughter of Malaysian Chinese immigrants, and I grew up across both suburban New Jersey and Beijing, China, feeling caught between cultures and like I never fully belonged in either. I studied Economics and Political Science at Yale and then worked in finance and tech for about a decade.
It’s funny; I’d never even considered becoming an author, but then life happened – my father’s cancer came back, I quit my job to help care for him, and threw myself into reading as a form of escape. I found myself with more spare time than I’d ever had, a lot of pent-up creative energy and feelings, and a crazy thought: what if I wrote my own book?
Now, I live in San Francisco with my husband and our spoiled cockapoo, and I can’t imagine ever not being a writer.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve been in love with books since I can remember. When I was little, I used to sneak off and hide in various corners of the house (under a piano, behind the window curtains, in a closet) with a stack of books. Whenever we went to the public library, I’d have to use both my own card and my mom’s card to borrow books, because I’d invariably want more than the per-card limit.
Once when I was eight or so, my parents lost me in a shopping mall and spent a frantic hour searching for me – only to discover me sitting next to a mannequin display at the Gap, totally oblivious and utterly absorbed in The Count of Monte Cristo.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry. We were all horse girls at some point, weren’t we?
- The one that made you want to become an author: Terry Pratchett’s Small Gods, though I didn’t know it yet.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. I think the world would be a better place if it were required reading.
Your debut novel, The Teller of Small Fortunes, is out November 5th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Warm, whimsical, wistful, found family.
What can readers expect?
For those familiar with the cozy fantasy subgenre, The Teller of Small Fortunes is very much in the tradition of Legends & Lattes, though with whimsical Studio Ghibli vibes and some bittersweet diaspora feelings. It’s a warm, gentle, low-stakes book that isn’t about saving the world, but instead about an immigrant fortune teller finding a family in unexpected places and coming to terms with her past. It’s also an homage to a classic fantasy adventure road trip, with all of the cozy taverns and enchanted forests that that entails. Oh, and there’s a slightly magical cat!
Where did the inspiration for The Teller of Small Fortunes come from?
I knew that I wanted to write a book that was a love letter to the classic fantasy stories I’ve always loved, but with a whimsical twist (and also with an immigrant main character). The ‘small fortunes’ bit came to me first: the idea that there might be a seer who was sick of prophesying Chosen Ones and the end of the world, and instead stuck only to inconsequential prophecies that might help everyday people in small, minor ways. And so the first thing I wrote down was the title, and the rest of it followed from there!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
So many. Obviously Tao is very close to my heart, and many of her more emotional scenes were the most raw and personal to write. But I also felt that Silt often unintentionally ended up stealing the scenes he was in, tricky charmer that he is! And I had such a blast writing the bridge troll scene too, because – well, I shouldn’t spoil it, but let’s just say there’s no “fee-fi-fo-fum”, “Grog smash!” in this story.
What are three reasons readers should be picking up cosy fantasy novels?
Escapism, optimism, and joy.
The world around us can be so stressful and exhausting that sometimes, all you want is to escape it for a little bit, and to be reminded that joy and kindness and humor exist, too. I find that so much of adult media gravitates toward violence, moral ambiguity, and nihilism – and don’t get me wrong; I love those stories, too! – but I strongly believe that joy and optimism are no less important, complex, or mature than these darker themes, and that we should make space for lightness and warmth in the media we consume, too.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Honestly, I’ve been unbelievably lucky and had a pretty fairytale experience of getting published. The Teller of Small Fortunes is the first book I’ve ever written and tried to get agent representation for, so I had low expectations – but I was fortunate enough to sign with my fantastic agent Paul about a month after I started my agent search. Then when we took the book out on submission, we received editor interest within a week, and ended up going to auction in the US, UK and Germany.
The support and enthusiasm I’ve seen for this quiet little book blows me away. I’ve been so grateful to work with amazing editors and teams at Ace and Hodderscape who really believe in this book and have worked so hard to get it out there. (And have you seen how beautiful the covers are?)
Truly, this experience has already surpassed anything I could have hoped for, and I’m just happy to be here and to know that my book is going to be in the hands of readers.
What’s next for you?
My second book, The Keeper of Magical Things, is slated to come out in fall 2025! It’s a sapphic cozy fantasy set in the same world as Teller, but with totally different characters. Think The Spellshop meets Warehouse 13 with Stardew Valley vibes.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on in 2025?
Gosh, so many! Just off the top of my head, some of my favorites from this year are The City in Glass by Nghi Vo, Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova, Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan, The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy… I really could keep going on for ages. We’re so spoiled for good books right now, especially in the genres I love most.
Next year looks like it’ll be a fantastic crop, too! I’m especially excited for the third Emily Wilde book from Heather Fawcett, A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne Lau, Behooved by Marina Stevenson, and A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, among many, many others.
