We chat with author Katie Zhao about Zodiac Rising, which is magic meets dark academia at a New York boarding school that’s hidden from mortal eyes.
Hi, Katie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’ve written several middle grade and yound adult contemporary fantasies and thrillers. I like to sing and work out, and I own two cats.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I grew up in a boring little town in Michigan where there was nothing to do except go to the library or bookstore and read books, so my love of reading started pretty much whenever I learned how to read. I realized I loved telling stories early on, too, when I wrote my first short story and had way too much fun for a school assignment.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Disney’s Storybook Collection
- The one that made you want to become an author: Percy Jackson & the Olympians series
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Babel
Your latest novel, Zodiac Rising, is out October 8th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Get these kids in therapy.
What can readers expect?
Lots of banter, monsters, mayhem, and magic. And some kissing.
Where did the inspiration for Zodiac Rising come from?
I got the initial idea for ZODIAC RISING back in 2018, about 6 years ago. I decided I wanted to write a YA contemporary fantasy, but I didn’t have any solid ideas yet. I wrote about a page of something vastly different from ZODIAC RISING before setting it aside for the moment to focus on my other projects. Then, like kismet, that summer, GQ released an article by writer Alex Palmer speculating about Chinese art heists happening across Western museums. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d read and all the possibilities it presented. That article impacted me so much that it caused me to rethink my YA contemporary fantasy project entirely to center it around such an epic heist. For the NYC-based setting, I was inspired by my own lived experiences as well as the rich history of Chinese American influence in this city—it felt like the most natural backdrop for a Chinese American contemporary fantasy.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
In particular, I loved writing the scenes with vivid descriptions of New York City, because I did my best to evoke the sense of wonder and magic that I feel around every corner of the city. My favorite character to write was Evangeline. She’s sort of good and sort of evil, very complex and hard to understand at times—which makes her my favorite type of character to write.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I think the biggest challenge was figuring out how to wrangle about seven different POVs, giving each character room for proper development while juggling multiple plot threads at the same time. My strategy was to try to align all the characters’ personal goals with the overarching narrative goals, so everything would fall into place more naturally.
What’s next for you?
The sequel to ZODIAC RISING will be out in a year’s time. I’m working on new YA stuff, as well as hoping to get an adult fiction book out there soon enough.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Lately I’ve been on a contemporary romance reading streak. I just finished and loved CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT by Alissa Derogatis, THE HATING GAME by Sally Thorne, and A SWEET MESS by Jayci Lee. I’m looking forward so many books that aren’t out yet, but I have to shout out my friends’ upcoming books next year—IN THE COMPANY OF KILLERS by Elora Cook and THE SCORPION AND THE NIGHT BLOSSOM by Amélie Wen Zhao.
