Q&A: Molly X. Chang, Author of ‘The Nightblood Prince’

We chat with author Molly X. Chang about The Nightblood Prince, which follows two kingdoms on the brink of battle and oe prophesied empress to unite them, who finds herself caught between two princes, and the fact that love alone may not stop the coming war.

Hi, Molly! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hello! My name is Molly X. Chang and I am an recovering accountant, who still has a love and hate relationship with spreadsheets but these days instead of using it to balance assets and liability, I now use it to plot my books, haha! I am also a number one international and New York Times bestselling author of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods and the Good Morning America Book Club Pick, The Nightblood Prince, but I don’t think the author side of my life is as fun as my inner spreadsheet fanatic, hahaha!

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

So after I moved here from China as a child, I struggled a lot in school and since I moved to a really small town, I had to deal with a lot of bullying and racism. During that time, my mother bought me this book called Twilight, you might have heard of it haha, and that book helped me through some really dark times during those early years, and it is the book that helped me make my first friends in this country! The dedication for The Nightblood Prince is “To those who seek solace between ink and paper and live a thousand lives as heroes and villains and everything in between. I write to help you escape, always.” Because I think a part of me will always remember the escapism Twilight made me feel, and it would be an honor to help someone else escape the way Stephenie Meyer helped me escape during my teenage years.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Twilight! I read it with a dictionary! It is the book that helped me learn English, haha!
• The one that made you want to become an author: I spent a few years writing books online, but the moment I realized I wanted to become a published author was after I picked up An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. That was the first time I saw a woman of color writing about a character of color, and it gave me confidence that I, too, could write characters who looked like me.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I have so many books that I can’t stop thinking about! I don’t know if anyone else has read books online, whether it’s Wattpad or Fanfiction.net or ao3, but the books I can’t stop thinking about are always the unfinished fics that conveniently always end on a cliffhanger! I have a file of books that I check for updates every year! I haven’t given up on miracles! Hahaha!

Your latest novel, The Nightblood Prince, is now on sale! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Oh wow, only five words? Double villain love triangle + vampires! Hahaha

What can readers expect?

Well, they can expect two villain princes caught in a double villain love triangle, haha! One of them is the ruthless crown prince who has loved her since childhood, and the other is an immortal who becomes obsessed with her after she saves his life! Oh, and the main character is basically a mash-up of Helen of Troy and Mulan, or in Taylor Swift terms, “The Prophecy” meets “Cassandra” with a dash of the bolter!

Where did the inspiration for The Nightblood Prince come from?

There is this Chinee phrase called 红颜祸水—literal translation is blushing beauty, troubled waters— which is something history has used to blame women for the mistakes of men, and how beautiful women are these dangerous creatures who lure men to their demise. The most famous example in the west is Helen of Troy, and the most famous example in Chinese history are characters like Daji (a fox demon who seduced the Emperor Zhou and caused the fall of his dynasty, allegedly), Yang Guifei, Xishi, and many more. I have always found how history is told and retold fascinating, and how men limited women’s right to read and write and leave our voices so we can’t be heard from beyond the grave. I wondered if these women had voices, what kind of stories they would have left behind? And so bloomed the original idea for the character Fei.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

So I have been told by many, many readers that they are obsessed with chapter 47 and the twist I did on the one bed trope had them kicking their feet and rolling on the ground laughing, haha!

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

One thing I was nervous about during the drafting process is how Fei is a girl who wants so much. Fei both wants to save her family, and Siwang, from the calamity in her visions, and she wants to be free. I think in media, sometimes we don’t allow women the ability to want more than one thing, and Fei in my eyes has always been a girl who wants many things and is not afraid to go after what she wants, which is not something society encourages from women. And at times I found myself feeling the need to justify Fei’s right to want things for herself and not for the greater good. Also, one of my bestselling romance author friends was like “oh molly, I can’t believe Fei wants to leave Siwang, the hot, smart prince who is lowkey simping so hard for her! Sure if she marries him, the world might burn and she won’t ever taste real freedom, but if she marries him she will also be an empress! With servants! Which means she won’t have to do her own laundry! Do you know what I will give to never do my own laundry again?” which made me laugh and nervous for the response, but readers have so far loved Fei’s character and support her decisions! Which is a delight!

What’s next for you?

The sequel for The Nightblood Prince comes out next year! And the sequel to my adult fantasy To Kill These Monstrous Gods also comes out next year! I am so tired but so excited, haha!

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

Because of deadlines, I haven’t been able to read a lot of books this year, but I am excited to dive back into Ragpicker King, the sequel to Cassandra Clare’s Swordcatcher series later this year when I hit all of my deadlines! As a treat!

Will you be picking up The Nightblood Prince? Tell us in the comments below!