We chat with author Kat Zhang about The Magic Paintbrush, which follows Amy, a Chinese American girl picks up an ancient paintbrush and unwittingly unleashes the power to make her art real—and sometimes dangerous.
Hi, Kat! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure! I write books for the smallest of readers and up. I’ve published picture books, middle grade, and young adult, and love being able to reach readers across age groups. When not working, I enjoy travelling, especially to places where I can scuba dive. Currently, I live in Philly, though I’ve lived all over.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I started writing poems and plays when I was seven or eight (I was very inspired by A. A. Milne’s poems for children), then got into writing short stories and novels. I loved reading so much as a kid that it was very natural to want to create them myself. It took a while (and the help of NaNoWriMo!) for me to actually finish a novel for the first time in high school, but I wrote another one soon after, which became my first published novel, What’s Left of Me.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh and children’s poems collection
- The one that made you want to become an author: This one’s hard! I don’t know if there was one specific book, but Alice Hoffman’s Green Angel had a big impact on me as a kid. I found the writing mesmerizing.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Philip Pullman’s Golden Compass (or Northern Lights)
Your latest novel, The Magic Paintbrush, is out May 21st, which is co-created with Eric Darnell and features artwork from Phoebe Zhong! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fantastical, sweeping, funny, action-packed!
What can readers expect?
The Magic Paintbrush is all about art, and I’m thrilled readers will see the story brought to life with beautiful illustrations from Phoebe Zhong. They can also expect a new spin on the classic Chinese “magic paintbrush” folktale, about a brush that brings everything it paints to life. But as the protagonist, Amy, learns—the brush has a mind of its own, and things are less straightforward than they seem!
The Magic Paintbrush also contains an adventure story! Amy journeys from Flushing, USA to Guilin, China in search of her monster-knapped grandmother. She’s accompanied only by her newly not-so-imaginary imaginary friend and whatever she can coax from the magic paintbrush.
Where did the inspiration for The Magic Paintbrush come from?
The idea for The Magic Paintbrush came from Eric Darnell at Baobab Studios. It’s been a lot of fun to collaborate on Amy’s adventures, and to develop her story. Eric has spoken about how he was inspired to create The Magic Paintbrush by the relationship between himself and his grandfather; a major part of Amy’s growth is realizing her grandmother is far more than she seems.
On my part, I was drawn to the story because of my own love of drawing and painting. Twelve is a tough age for anyone, but can be doubly so for a self-doubting young artist. While writing The Magic Paintbrush, I really wanted to show Amy finding confidence in her art.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I’ve never written a character like Luna before, and that was a ton of fun! He’s Amy’s imaginary friend brought to life, and is exhilarated by everything the real world brings, from the bright lights of Chinatown to lychee slush boba. Even trash cans have a zany appeal!
The book features artwork from Phoebe Zhong. What was it like seeing the art come to life?
It was amazing to see Phoebe’s illustrations! Every time I’ve had the honor of collaborating with a visual artist on a book, I’ve been blown away by their work and how they bring a whole new level to the story. It was really cool to see her interpretation of scenes and characters.
Can you tell us a bit about the process of co-creating The Magic Paintbrush?
When I first started, I was given a summary of the story, and an initial outline. Then we went back and forth for a little while, making changes until we developed a new outline, which I used to write the first draft. Both Eric and my editor gave notes, and I did revisions until we got to the final draft!
What’s next for you?
I’m currently hard at work on The Magic Paintbrush sequel! This year, I also have the next Amy Wu picture book coming out, and I’ve been drafting a new middle grade book that’s still in very early stages. It’s semi-historical fiction, though, and I’m really excited about it!
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
Life has been pretty hectic, and I admit I’m still trying to get to 2023 books. I have Finally Seen by Kelly Yang, The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett, and A Bit of Earth by Karuna Riazi on my TBR list.
Thanks for having me!
