The Moon in the Palace (The Empress of Bright Moon Duology) (35 page)

What inspired you to write this novel?

I first had the idea of writing about women when I studied No Name Woman in Maxine Hong Kingston’s
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts
in graduate school. Because that story was so depressing, I wanted to show my classmates that not all women had that kind of fate in China. I decided to write stories of Chinese women who succeeded in controlling their destinies. And who controlled her destiny better than Empress Wu? But I realized Empress Wu was so misrepresented, to understand her better, we had to start from her earlier years. That’s where
The Moon in the Palace
begins.

If you could spend one day with an author, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Can I mention two authors? I love Arthur Golden’s
Memoirs of a Geisha
, and I must have read and reread it five times over the course of ten years. I would love to meet him someday!

I would also love to spend a day with Mary Stewart, who unfortunately passed away. Her Merlin trilogy made such an impact on me at a time when I sought guidance during the early years of my writing. I learned so much from Merlin’s smart voice and also the way Stewart plotted her scenes. I used to take each chapter, study the structure of the scenes, and analyze how the story progressed. I also admire the voice of her female characters in her romantic suspense books. I love her strong female characters and how Stewart transmitted their intelligence through dialogue.

What research or preparation did you engage in before writing this book?

Oh my. I did a tremendous amount of research on this book. I read Wang Pu’s
Tang Hui Yao
and Liu Xu’s
The Old Tang Book
in archaic Chinese script, the earliest historical record about the Tang Dynasty. And then I read
The New Tang Book
,
Book of Odes
, Confucius’s
Analects
, Lao Tzu’s
Tao Te Ching
, Sun Tzu’s
The Art of War
, Ban Zhao’s
Lessons for Women
, poems before and after the Tang Dynasty, all in archaic Chinese texts and English translations, if I could find them. I spent three years reading and decoding them before I started to write the novel and then continuously reading and studying them as I wrote.

Because the archaic Chinese script is very condensed and the meanings have altered considerably in modern time, I sometimes spent hours just trying to decipher one word. To understand two couplets would sometimes take days. But thankfully, many British and American scholars were fascinated with ancient China and wrote extensively on many subjects in ancient China, so I was able to refer to them and compare the sources. But sometimes problems arose too. Many misunderstandings happened, words were misinterpreted, or sometimes the translations did not appear as graceful as the original texts. In those cases, I resorted to my own translation.

I also read extensively about the world of Tang Dynasty so I could furnish my characters with a truthfully historical setting. I also studied the world history at that period so readers could place China in a global scope and understand the country better.

But my ability to understand the archaic Chinese was not always enough. Once, I came across a Japanese author who wrote five books about Empress Wu, but I was unable to read Japanese. So I dug out a Chinese translation of the books and borrowed those books from a remote library in the United States with the help of my local library. They turned out to be very useful.

Not all of my research findings were pleasant. I found it hard to digest the derogative and disparaging opinions about Empress Wu, and women in general. Sometimes I grew upset, and I simply wanted to throw my findings out the window.

Which character do you feel most closely connected to?

I feel most affinity with the young Mei, which was the main reason I decided to write a young Empress Wu, who was still at an age when romantic love mattered most for her, before she was embroiled in political games.

I can identify with the thrill, the innocence, and the sweetness essential to young love since I was a teenager once. I also have some understanding of forbidden love. When I grew up in China, I was told any expressions of affection to boys were ruinous. Education was the only path that would help me find a better future, so it was most important for me. My parents forbade me to date, and teachers thought it detrimental to cast amorous glances in the classroom. I never dated anyone in school, but I saw how my rebellious friends stole away and met their lovers in secret. So I suppose I can say that I had a taste of love blossoming on discouraging soil.

I can also identify with Mei’s love for her parents, as filial piety is ingrained in the Chinese culture and I was taught so at an early age. As a little girl, I knew the importance of obeying my parents’ will and pleasing them. I think this sentiment was manifested in Mei as she tried to become the Empress to please her father.

Are any of your characters inspired by the people around you?

I hope not! Especially Jewel. I love her as a character—devious, ambitious, but tragic—but I never personally knew anyone like her in my real life.

A Chinese adage says, “It takes ten years to sharpen a sword.” Well, this book took ten years to write. Ten years is a long time, and I have many people to thank over this long journey.

My first and foremost gratitude goes to my husband, Mark, who encourages me to pursue my dream and supports me during the writing process. You always have the magic to inspire me and make me laugh, and this will not change no matter how many years pass. And to my two adorable children, Annabelle and Joshua, my passion in real life: I love you through and through.

Thank you to my gentle and brave editorial director, Shana Drehs. I cannot believe you took a chance with a first-time author like me and agreed on a two-book deal before you even glimpsed a word of the second book. I am so grateful for your faith in me. It must have been my destiny to meet you years ago.

Thank you to my gifted editor, Anna Michels. You have put in many hours perfecting this manuscript, and your suggestions were invaluable. I am fortunate to be in your good hands.

Thank you to my amazing agent, Shannon Hassan, who burst into my life and helped my dream come true. I love your decisiveness and efficiency.

Thank you to Deb Werksman, from the bottom of my heart, for your email that brought me to this beautiful outcome. The wait would have been much longer without you!

Thank you to the most generous Jeannie Lin, for passionately helping me with the query letter and offering me publication insights.

Thank you to Diana Gabaldon, for providing me with confidence when I was enveloped in the dust of doubt and disappointment.

Thank you to Christy English, for reading my manuscript and offering me excellent feedback and encouragement.

Thank you too to Dianna Rostad, Karen Walters, Cindy Vallar, and Laura Vogel, for critiquing my pages. To Dianna, especially, for leaving feedback in my mailbox whenever I asked, and to Karen, for inspiring me to rewrite the first chapter.

Thank you to Renae Bruce, who would search tirelessly for a word that I needed, and Lei Zhang and Elaine Cho. You are my friends for life.

Thank you to Katrina Kuroda, for picking up my boy at preschool so I could attend critique groups.

Thank you to Sheila Randel and Ray Randel, for welcoming me to your family with open arms and reading my pages whenever I asked. I am so grateful for your love and acceptance.

Thank you too to all the people who offered generous help when I was in desperate need: A. Lee Martinez, Deborah DeFrank, Stephany Evans, Katie Grimm, Natalie Lakosil, Dawn Frederick, Rachel Udin, Deborah Needleman Armintor, Carolyn Woolston, Jeanne Ledwell, and Lisa Stone-Hardt.

Last, but not least, thanks to my family and friends in China, whom I have not seen for ten years. This was never meant to be a bet, but now that the book is published, I can go home.

Photo credit: JCPenney Portrait Studios

Weina Dai Randel was born and raised in China. She has worked as a journalist, a magazine editor, and an adjunct professor. Her passion for history tells her to share classical Chinese literature, tales of Chinese dynasties, and stories of Chinese historical figures with American readers. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and currently lives in Texas.
The Moon in the Palace
is her first novel.

Thank you for reading
!

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