- Nate’s ant farm plays a pivotal role in his story as the insects mean so much to him. He meticulously cares for them throughout the story (no spoilers!) and there’s an ant fact at the start of every chapter. They’re unusual pets, why did you pick them for Nate to look after? Do you have an ant farm?
Ants do indeed play a part in Nate Yu’s Blast From the Past, which is my third novel for children. I like my main characters to have an interest – something they really love and maybe obsess over a little bit. With Danny Chung it was drawing comics and for Nate it’s ants. He’s an amateur myrmecologist (that’s someone who studies ants). I did a lot of internet research on ants to find different facts, sometimes the ant fact that opens a chapter mirrors (or is linked to) something happening in that particular chapter. The idea to use ants came from my kid who told me a really cool ant fact about ants being squished and how they release pheromones that the other ants use to find the body. It was definitely a lightbulb moment and I asked if I could use that for my book.
We haven’t had an ant farm, but we had a worm farm, and a ladybird plastic observation box. My youngest actually loves snails but I haven’t written any stories about snails yet! I like regular pets myself like cats and dogs. And hamsters!
- Moving from a small town to a huge city is a massive upheaval. Can you tell us more about Liverpool’s involvement in the events during WW1 when Chinese soldiers came across to the UK?
Liverpool is the location of this book because it is a very important city for British Chinese history. It has one of the oldest Chinatowns in Europe and Chinese people have been part of Liverpool for a long time because of the ports where goods from China were brought in like silk, cotton and tea.
Many of the Chinese Labour Corp (CLC) who were hired in the First World War come via Liverpool to get to France. Later, many Chinese men were part of the British Merchant Navy or seamen working for large shipping companies like the Blue Funnel Line. Many Chinese husbands and fathers were forcibly deported from by the Home Office in the 1940s without their English families knowing. I mention this briefly in the book too.
Quite a few people from Liverpool have told me how much they love the book and the locations in the book. I mention some real places like the Museum of Liverpool, Nelson Street, Spellow Hub Library and some made up places too. It was so fun to write a book set in Liverpool as I mentioned The Beatles and the song ‘Whole Again’ by Atomic Kitten also features in there. Plus it ends on Crosby Beach with the Anthony Gormley statues – Another Place. I felt it was the perfect place to end the book as people in the book had been missing home and looking outward.
- Nate’s mums are trying to get him to embrace his heritage but he doesn’t know much about the culture or about his Chinese biological family. What are you hoping the reader will take away from the feelings he shares about himself as the story progresses?
Many of the feelings of ‘not belonging’ are complex and they are feelings I had as a child being adopted but having parents who were not the same race as me. I think for many children who maybe are from mixed heritage families, third culture kids, or those in alternative family set ups, they might relate to Nate. I pushed away Chinese culture and at other times saw myself in things like Hong Kong Kung Fu movies. I think I was always trying to see where I could fit in, and I think I wanted to reader to understand that those feelings are complex. When Aiguo (aka ‘Jirou’ which means chicken meat), the Chinese ghost from WW1, enters Nate’s life he feels like maybe it’s okay just being himself, and that he can learn about Chinese-ness at his own pace. He’s is encouraged to find out about his name, and choose what parts of Chinese culture he wants to learn more about. His parents are so loving but he wants to come to things on his own terms and in his own time – he wants to have an agency in finding out who he is and being comfortable in his own skin.
- Making new friends isn’t easy when you’re new at a school, do you have any advice for readers who are maybe going through the same thing as Nate?
Making new friends is a skill that you have to have all through life usually. I think being open to new conversations about things that perhaps you don’t think you are interested in would help. Nate doesn’t think he’s interested in history but he becomes more curious once he meets Jirou and he sees Missy’s passion for learning. I think empathy is a wonderful thing and Nate is really kind to Ryan, and vice versa. Nate tries to find ways to connect to Ryan and he listens to him about his family and finds connections such as both of them not having dads around. Group activities can be really good for meeting new people and finding new hobbies. I found friends playing sports at Uni (basketball), through my interests (writing groups), and even now as a grown-up, I am still trying to make good friends locally as I moved to a new city a few years ago and had to start all over again. I don’t think you always have to have the same interests as new friends but often it can help.
- The illustrator, Simone Douglas, has beautifully captured the essence of the story across the cover and throughout the chapters too. Can you tell us how the collaboration between the writer and illustrator works?
Simone did a fantastic job on the cover of the book. My editor and the art director both knew they wanted Simone to do the cover. I had very little to do with it and didn’t really put forward any ideas like I did with Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu. I mainly get sketches and I say if I like them or not. With this cover I had very little feedback as I thought it was great! I like all of my book covers but I especially like with this one how large and wonderful the character’s look. We still don’t see the faces up close of British Chinese characters on covers for this age group so I liked that both characters were large and you could see them clearly. I loved the bold colours and celebration of Chinese culture expressed on the cover. The characters look so happy!
- What’s next for Maisie Chan? Can you share with us what you’re working on now?
I’m thinking of ideas for my next novel. I’ve been thinking for quite a few months now! I don’t just go and write in a shed for 30 days and come out with a novel (but I would like a writing shed!), it can take me ages to make connections and think about the deeper meaning to the book. Often my novels have a theme that is something I want to explore and often it’s quite personal so I am looking for that theme. Then I have to think about what happens and who the characters are. I know my main character will be a girl and it might be set in London.
I’m also trying to come up with a fun illustrated idea for a younger fiction series now the Tiger Warrior is finished with. I’ve got an idea for a funny and highly illustrated lower middle grade.
I’ve been going back and forth with an editor on a picture book too. It should be out next year. I’m really excited to promote that book as it’s very cute.
