Keshe Chow shares the creepy idea that sparked her debut novel

What was your writing process like for The Girl with No Reflection? Did you have a writing routine or any regular rituals?

I wrote The Girl with No Reflection while I was working and my kids were still quite young. As you can imagine, I didn’t have any routine or rituals. I had to fit writing in whenever I could! Sometimes, I’d have a sliver of time during the day (I still remember writing at a standing desk with a baby asleep, strapped to my chest), but more often than not, I’d write late into the night.

How did you first come up with the idea for the book?

I’ve always been afraid of mirrors, especially in the dark, and I also have a bit of an overactive imagination. The opening scene came to me first: someone looks at their reflection, and the reflection is smiling, even though they are not. The idea of sentient reflections was so creepy that when I stumbled upon the short story "The Fauna of Mirrors" by Jorge Luis Borges, about mirror people cursed to mimic us, I was inspired to write a loose retelling that also wove in aspects of Chinese mythology.

What surprised you most about the publishing process?

I had several friends who had published books before me, so I was pretty prepared for most things. However, the fact that people would actually read my book came as a bit of a shock. For years, I was so focused on the process of getting published (querying, signing with an agent, going on submission, getting a book deal, the editorial process, and so on) that I’d failed to think about the next stage – that my book would actually be out there, being read by strangers. It only hit me when the first reviews started to roll in – a revelation that was equally wondrous and terrifying.

If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be and why?

Atticus Finch.

If you were a character in a novel, what would be your signature quirk or catchphrase?

I'm not sure about my quirk, but I can imagine the book. It would probably be a novel about someone who, instead of choosing the epic adventure, decides to stay home in their pyjamas and eat chips.

What fictional world would you want to live in, and how would you survive or thrive there?

I recently read the first two books of Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series, so at the moment, I would choose to live in those books.

I'd like to live in a world that's a lot like ours but with the possibility of magic lurking around every corner. I’m a qualified veterinarian, so perhaps I would become some sort of doctor who treated faeries (and wrote stories about them in my spare time).

What's the weirdest talent or skill you have that not many people know about?

As I mentioned before, I worked as a vet for many years. When I used to dispense medication to my patients, I was extraordinarily good at pouring out the correct number of tablets on the first go.

What's your go-to karaoke song, and how well do you perform it?

Oh gosh, I haven’t done karaoke in years. Maybe a musical theatre song, like something from Les Misérables or The Phantom of the Opera. As to the second part of the question: not very well – haha!

Where is your happy place and why?

I’m a homebody, so honestly, it’s at home.

What is your #1 tip for aspiring authors?

Find your people. Other authors know how brutal publishing can be, but they understand why you’re compelled to write regardless. They’re the people who will help build you up when you’re down about rejections or bad reviews; they’re also the ones who will cheer you on when you experience success. And vice versa, of course. I’m always so thrilled when one of my writer friends has a win!

Start reading The Girl with No Reflection here.