We chat with author Tao Wong about The First Step, which is set in a spectacular world of immortals, spirit beasts, and mystical martial arts, where the young farmer Wu Ying’s life will be changed forever when he is unexpectedly invited to join an elite school of cultivation.
Hi, Tao! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi, everyone! A little about me, eh? Well, I’m a third generation Malaysian Chinese who immigrated to Canada over two decades ago. I’ve lived on three continents, travelled to over a dozen countries – I kind of lost track – and these days live in Toronto, Canada.
I’m also a big geek. How big? Well, I was an old time tabletop RPG’er – mostly Shadowrun and World of Darkness –, used to LARP, owned a game store and have a moderately sized board game collection.
Probably the two biggest things to know about me (other than my writing) is my love for food (comes from being Malaysian) and martial arts. I do a lot of cooking and baking at home, with occasional cooking classes taken for fun.
As for martial arts, well, I’ve been at it (on and off) for three decades now. Mind you, I’m not good at it – my constant moving meant I started and stopped a lot of different styles, so I’m more a jack of all trades. I’ve studied everything from Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) to tai chi and a lot in-between.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I don’t think I’ve ever not loved telling stories. I remember writing stories for myself in little notebooks when I was very young, maybe eight or nine at that point. And there were a lot of long car rides where I’d stare out the window, making up little stories to entertain myself. It’s just been a part of my life since I could remember.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The first proper book (not picture book) was probably an Enid Blyton’s Famous Five. If I recall correctly, it was Five Go Adventuring Again.
- The one that made you want to become an author: I’d have to say it was much later, with Lois McMaster Bujold’s compilation the Borders of Infinity. Reading Mountains of Mourning was when I realised that I wanted to be able to put together words, sentences and stories that mattered.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Too many to discuss. Anything by Pratchett in the Discworld universe, Bujold’s work in general and most recently, Christian Cameron’s amazing historical fiction the Venetian Heretic. Sorry, can’t do one!
Your latest novel, The First Step, is out March 10th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Daoist xianxia martial arts epic.
What can readers expect?
Our protagonist – Wu Ying – joins a cultivation sect to begin his journey to immortality. As a farmer, he’s a fish out of the water amongst all the nobles and scholars, and he has to deal with sect politics and the perils of the new cultivation world he is in. Lots of action, drawing from my own experience as a martial artist, a little light humor and some philosophical musings of Daoism.
Where did the inspiration for The First Step come from?
Old school wuxia works by Jin Yong and Gu Long, especially the movie adaptations like Swordsman (I and II) and the Bride with White Hair as well as the latest xianxia works coming out of China in webnovel format. They’ve taken the cultivation concept and really expanded upon it, and I loved what they were doing, but felt certain aspects of the old wuxia works were lacking.
So The First Step is very much my attempt at combining the two of them as well as my own musings and studies of Daoism, which is – in reality – the root of the immortal cultivation concept. So, I wanted to tie actual Daoist philosophy blended further into the stories.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Tou He is probably one of my favorite characters to write. He’s such a fun fellow, a happy, go-lucky man who is quite at peace with himself, with too much of a love for meat to be a good monk. Unable to give it up, he’s kicked out his monastery and is forced to join the Verdant Green Waters but he still carries much of their Buddhist teachings in him.
Can you tell us a bit about your worldbuilding process?
I’m a big history fan, so I often tap into aspects of history to build out my world. For The First Step, I chose to not base it upon any specific time period, instead drawing from the entire ancient history period. So the state of the world is closer to the Warring States period, while much of the culture is closer to the Song dynasty as an example.
At the same time, I had to make decisions early on in the level of strength the characters showcased. After all, the world will feature immortals. So, what they can do, and what each level of strength the characters could exhibit at each stage was important.
Along with that, I had to make decisions on how the existence of cultivation effected the world around them, how powerful spirit beasts changed the balance of power in kingdoms and the everyday life of farmers and merchants. Playing with those aspects, and expanding upon it, so that I had guardrails of what the world would look like was important to me.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Probably the biggest challenge was translating certain cultural aspects through the book, in a way that both made sense and did not break immersion for the reader. It could be as simple as the use of names – or lack of courtesy names – to as complex as the cultivation system being utilized.
In the end, when it mattered or I needed to add a little commentary to further expand upon certain viewpoints, I utilized footnotes in the book itself. This gave me a chance to expound upon certain world building choices or cultural aspects without straying too far from what the characters would do in my view.
What’s next for you?
So much! The next two books of the A Thousand Li universe, The First Stop and The First War come out later this year on July 14 and November 10 respectively. I also have another project with Ace Books coming in 2027.
And I’m working on continuing my little cozy cooking fantasy series, the Hidden Dishes, with Magical Mains for next year too, along with some other LitRPG projects.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
Well, in paperback, I just finished Operation Bounce House and am reading The Tainted Cup and enjoying it. As for newer works, The Poet Empress and This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me are both books I’m looking forward to reading.
As well as catching up my never-ending TBR pile.
You can find Tao on Threads, Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.
