Shi Min Xie FAQ: How did Dragonhearted get to be a children’s book?
I get asked this question a lot. No, it wasn’t meant to be a children’s book, and I have written that I am glad that it is here. But what…
Clothes that I will never understand: Cold Shoulder Tops
Someone, please explain why this is a good idea. I didn’t know what this was called, but after googling, “Tops without shoulders” and “tops missing shoulders”, and “top that looks…
On Monsters
Monsters live inside of us. The monster underneath the bed example is classic until it becomes cliché. As children, many imagine that there are monsters in closets, cupboards, under the…
What Writing Is
Writing is freedom. You may not realise it, but it is. Writing is casting magic spells and slaying the dragons. It is being your own hero and showing yourself that…
Favourite Short Stories
Short stories are underrated. People don’t buy short story collections by writers and would rather buy novels. But I often get to see a writer’s skill in his/her short stories,…
The Poppy War — A Review
The Poppy War is one of those books that I just couldn’t stop reading. Once I opened it, I couldn’t stop. Yet, when I finished reading, I wanted to read…
32 Yolks — A Review
A former student of mine got me to read out of my comfort zone, and for once, I am glad I did so. I don’t normally dive into memoirs, but…
The Witch and The Bird
All forests lead to this one. It doesn’t matter which country, state, or province you are in. The forest exists in a time out of time. In the middle of…
The Bear and The Nightingale — A Review
When I was a child, I liked reading about Russian fairytales. Some of them were about Ivan (and in Russian fairytales, there was always an Ivan) and his firebird, and…
Why I like One Punch Man
My friend introduced One Punch Man to me fairly recently, and I was not disappointed. Of late, I have been disappointed with anime — I tried getting into One Piece…