We chat with author Jenna Lee-Yun about The Last Rhee Witch and the Nine-Tailed Fox, which is the sequel to The Last Rhee Witch and packed with creatures straight out of Korean folklore. Who’s ready for winter camp alongside a gumiho, a dokkaebi, and several witches?
Hi, Jenna! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m a clinical psychologist and children’s author writing stories featuring Korean American characters navigating complex emotional and social landscapes—often for the first time and with some magic thrown in. My books explore themes of identity, relationships, morality, and resilience. I live in Washington state with my husband, son, daughter, and mini-goldendoodle named Boba.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Although I discovered the joy of reading as a young child, I didn’t begin writing my own stories until much later in life. I had moved to New York City for graduate school, and perhaps it was the change in environment that helped open up my perspective and foster a newfound creativity, because the idea to write a book appeared one day, out of the blue! That’s when I wrote my first novel from start to finish over a couple of months. Then, I set that story aside to finish my doctorate program and start my career. It wasn’t until about ten years later that I returned to writing—in earnest and with the goal of publishing.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Young Elites by Marie Lu
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Vegetarian by Han Kang
The Last Rhee Witch and the Nine-Tailed Fox is the second installment in your Last Rhee Witch series and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Winter, Magic, Mystery, Friendship, Deception
For those who haven’t picked up the first book, what can readers expect?
The Last Rhee Witch combines all the fun and drama of a sleepaway camp (from campfires and bunkbeds to frenemies and enemies) with inescapable monsters from Korean lore, such as the gwishin (ghost) haunting the campgrounds, and the dokkaebi (goblin) that murdered that gwishin in the first place, who is now hunting his new victim at camp.
And for those who have, what’s to come?
In the sequel, The Last Rhee Witch and the Nine-Tailed Fox, readers are introduced to a new creature from Korean lore called a gumiho, also known as a nine-tailed fox, that hides among the campers with its shapeshifting ability. Ronnie and her friends must uncover and stop the hungry gumiho before it consumes the entire camp—friends and frenemies alike.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
I’ll admit that when it comes to stories, I love a good villain—maybe more than the hero! So it should come as no surprise when I tell you how much I enjoyed writing the gumiho. In The Last Rhee Witch and the Nine-Tailed Fox, I adapted the gumiho from the stories I grew up with to make it appropriate for younger readers. In doing so, I ended up creating a character arc that I hadn’t expected at the start. I am so pleased with how the gumiho is depicted in this book, and I hope readers will enjoy meeting Gumi and joining her on this unexpected journey!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing the sequel? How did you overcome them?
The hardest part of writing the sequel was figuring out how to tell a story that was as much about a secondary character, Olivia, who is a beautiful, fashionable, Black ballerina, as it was about the main character, Ronnie, who is, like me, Korean American. Figuring that out led to exploring all the secondary characters more deeply and fleshing out their character arcs, which was both challenging and a lot of fun! I hope diving deeper into secondary characters this time around makes for a more meaningful and enjoyable reading experience!
What’s next for you?
I have several works in progress at various stages of development, including two contemporary middle-grade novels that are being co-authored with some of my favorite, most talented authors I know, a young adult fantasy, an adult contemporary, and an adult psychological horror. I think it’s apparent in my writing interests that I read widely, across genres and age categories, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I have preordered so many books coming out later this year, but a few I’m super excited about that all happen to release in August 2025 are Ali Terese’s sophomore contemporary middle grade novel, VOTE FOR THE G.O.A.T., Joanne Yi’s young adult contemporary debut, ALL THE TOMORROWS AFTER, and TEO’S DURUMI, the sequel to Elaine Cho’s debut space opera, OCEAN’S GODORI. If you haven’t preordered these, I urge you to do so now!
