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WORK TITLE: Starswept
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: Feb-88
WEBSITE: https://www.maryfan.com/
CITY: Jersey City
STATE: NJ
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born February, 1988.
EDUCATION:Princeton University, B.A. (magna cum laude), 2010.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and composer. Works in financial marketing.
AVOCATIONS:Singing opera, kickboxing.
WRITINGS
Editor, with Paige Daniels, of Brave New Girls young adult science fiction anthologies.
SIDELIGHTS
Mary Fan is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels for young adults. “I just love the endless possibilities that sci-fi and fantasy present,” she told an online interviewer at Lil’ Book Lovers. “I live every day in the real world, so when I seek entertainment, I want something as far from it as possible. I want escapism. Though I do enjoy reading a lot of contemporary works, I’ve always been drawn more to things beyond this world. That’s translated into what I write as well—I love creating worlds and developing my own rules for them. Which often means breaking the rules of this one—but that’s the magic of speculative fiction.”
After writing a trilogy of science fiction novels starring young adventurer Jane Colt, Fan published Starswept, which is intended as the beginning of a new series. It is set partly in the world of the performing arts, reflecting Fan’s background as a multi-instrumentalist and opera singer. In the twenty-third century, the rulers of Earth have entered into a trade pact with a race of telepathic aliens called the Adryil. The aliens are advanced in many ways but do not create art, so they finance training in music and other art forms for earthlings. The best are given the designation of “Artist” and chosen to travel to the planet Adrye and entertain their patrons to repay the cost of their education; those at a lower level of ability must spend their lives working in factories for meager wages. Protagonist Iris Lei, age fifteen, is a gifted violist studying at the Papilio School, a performing arts academy in North Carolina. Her mother, Theia Lei, is a musician who achieved Artist status and left for Adrye eleven years earlier; she has had no contact with Iris since. Iris aspires to reach Artist level as well, but she fears she will fall short. Complications ensue when she encounters an Adryll boy, Damiul Verik, who gives her a mysterious oval-shaped object. He later contacts her through the object to warn her that there are forces seeking to control her mind and to advise her on how to guard against them.
“When I set out to write Starswept,” Fan told the Lil’ Book Lovers interviewer, “I knew right away that I wanted to write the sci-fi version of a paranormal romance … that is, alien love interest. So by necessity, the aliens would need to be humanoid. … I also knew I wanted the aliens to be obsessed with Earth’s performing arts, and soon came to the thought: What if theirs is a world without art? A world without music? A world without dance? Why would such a world exist? That led me to mull over what performing arts are really about, and the answer was, expression.”
Several commentators praised Fan’s handling of her various themes as well as her writing style. “This is a sophisticated commentary on art, society, and how we perceive our own worth,” related a Kirkus Reviews contributor, who noted that “Fan’s twist on telepathy is engaging” and “her insights into the artistic drive are also poignant.” Susan Waggoner, writing in Clarion Reviews, called Starswept “a seductive and wholly satisfying book from start to finish—imaginative, well written, and touching on themes beyond romantic love.” An online critic at Blue Ink Review termed Fan “a master of description, be it character, place or sense.” At the Readers’ Favorite website, Becky Walker observed that Fan “has a lovely flowing style, elevated with enchanting descriptive passages of music and art that contrast so well with the dark portraits of an unfair and unbalanced society.” She summed up Starswept as “a unique and compelling read” and “a brilliant start” to a new series.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Clarion Reviews, August 28, 2017, Susan Waggoner, review of Starswept.
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2017, review of Starswept.
Publishers Weekly, April 27, 2015, review of Artificial Absolutes, p. 57.
ONLINE
Blue Ink Review, https://www.blueinkreview.com/ (June 23, 2018), review of Starswept.
Booklist Online, https://www.booklistonline.com/ (November 15, 2017), review of Starswept.
Lil’ Book Lovers, https://lilbooklovers.wordpress.com/ (August 28, 2017), interview with Mary Fan.
Mary Fan Website, https://www.maryfan.com (June 23, 2018).
Readers’ Favorite, https://readersfavorite.com/ (November 7, 2017), Becky Walker, review of Starswept.
YA Books Central, http://www.yabookscentral.com/ (January 4, 2018), Fay Tannerr. review of Starswept.
Mary Fan lives in New Jersey, where she is currently working in financial marketing. She has also resided in North Carolina, Hong Kong, and Beijing, China. She has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember and especially enjoys the infinite possibilities and out-of-this-world experiences of science fiction and fantasy.
Mary has a B.A. in Music, specializing in composition, from Princeton University and enjoys writing songs as much as writing stories. She also enjoys kickboxing, opera singing, and exploring new things—she’ll try almost anything once.
Mary Fan is a sci-fi/fantasy writer hailing from Jersey City, NJ. She is the author of the Jane Colt sci-fi series, which comprises ARTIFICIAL ABSOLUTES (Red Adept Publishing, 2013), SYNTHETIC ILLUSIONS (Red Adept Publishing, 2014), and VIRTUAL SHADOWS (Red Adept Publishing, 2015), and STARSWEPT (Snowy Wings Publishing, 2017), a YA sci-fi romance. Her next releases will be FLYNN NIGHTSIDER AND THE EDGE OF EVIL (Crazy 8 Press, 2018), a YA dark fantasy and the first novel of the Flynn Nightsider series, and STRONGER THAN A BRONZE DRAGON, a YA steampunk fantasy (Page Street Publishing, 2019).
In addition, Mary is the co-editor (along with fellow sci-fi author Paige Daniels) of Brave New Girls young adult sci-fi anthologies, which feature tales about girls in STEM. Revenues from sales are donated to the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund.
Mary has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember and especially enjoys the infinite possibilities and out-of-this-world experiences of science fiction and fantasy. In her spare time (when she has any), she enjoys kickboxing, opera singing, and exploring new things—she'll try almost anything once.
Mary graduated Magna cum Laude from Princeton University in 2010 with a Bachelor of the Arts in Music, specializing in composition. Although she is currently focusing on writing, music is still her first love, and so in her spare time she composes songs and soundtracks.
Quoted in Sidelights: “This is a sophisticated commentary on art, society, and how we perceive our own worth,” related a Kirkus Reviews contributor, who noted that “Fan’s twist on telepathy is engaging” and “her insights into the artistic drive are also poignant.”
Fan, Mary: STARSWEPT
Kirkus Reviews.
(Sept. 1, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Fan, Mary STARSWEPT Snowy Wings Publishing (Indie Fiction) $17.99 8, 29 ISBN: 978-1-946202-27-7
Fan (The Adventures of the Silicon Beeches, 2017, etc.) begins a new YA sci-fi series in which an alien civilization patronizes performing arts prodigies on Earth. In 2268, 15-year-old Iris Lei plays viola at the Papilio School, near Charlotte, North Carolina. The passionate human musicians, dancers, and acrobats of Papilio are sponsored by telepathic aliens called the Adryil. The highest-ranked students become "Artists" and travel to distant Adrye, where they perform for decades to repay their training debt. Iris' musician mother, Theia Lei, is one such Artist, but she's had no contact with her for 11 years. Iris is studying her mother's profile one night on the Wall of Glory on the quad when alarms sound, and the teen witnesses security bots chasing a boy with amber skin and azure eyes--an Adryil. Before the bots capture him, he presses an oval object into her hand and says, "Don't let them take it from you." Later, Iris activates the object, causing its etchings to glow green, but she's unsure of its function. As she continues to struggle within Papilio's ranking system, she begins to feel an odd presence. Eventually, the captured Adryil, Damiul Verik, contacts her--via a screen on the object he gave her; he wants to train her in how to defend herself against telepathic mind control. In this crafty series opener, Fan presents a future in which 21st-century problems have become further entrenched; at one point Iris explains that "there really is no middle. Only the rich and those who are different shades of poor." Fan's twist on telepathy is engaging: because the Adryil can share feelings so completely, they make no art of their own. Her insights into the artistic drive are also poignant: "Even if I stood at the edge of the universe with only my viola...I'd play to oblivion," observes Iris. The story's second half develops into a space opera, revealing the Adryil's darkest secrets and showing Iris risking her individuality for love. Ultimately, though, this is a sophisticated commentary on art, society, and how we perceive our own worth. The beginning of an elegant, spirited rebellion saga.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Fan, Mary: STARSWEPT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2017. Book Review Index Plus,
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http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A502192115/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=ee7f9933. Accessed 20 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A502192115
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Artificial Absolutes
Publishers Weekly.
262.17 (Apr. 27, 2015): p57. From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2015 PWxyz, LLC http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Artificial Absolutes
Mary Fan. Red Adept, $5.99 e-book (376p) ISBN 978-1-940215-03-7 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
In this thrilling science fiction-adventure series launch, Fan (Tell Me My Name) introduces a society where interstellar travel is an everyday reality, computers infiltrate every aspect of human life, and the forbidden technology of artificial intelligence may be closer than most people suspect. When Jane Colt accidentally witnesses the kidnapping of her best friend, Adam, she calls on her big brother, Devin, hoping he'll believe her even when all the records say that there's no way she saw what she claims. Soon the two of them are on the run, targeted by what seems to be a vast and powerful conspiracy that is determined to see them silenced. From the outer colonies known as the Fringe to the depths of the Internet, these siblings face danger at every turn, recruit allies among the underworld, and strive to save themselves, Adam, and civilization. Jane and Devin go to desperate lengths to help each other, and the fast-paced action is balanced by thoughtful meditations on what it means to be human. Readers will zip through this exciting story and immediately hunt down the sequels. (BookLife)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Artificial Absolutes." Publishers Weekly, 27 Apr. 2015, p. 57. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A412556019/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=16e1ca02. Accessed 20 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A412556019
3 of 5 5/20/18, 10:53 PM
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Starswept
Susan Waggoner
Clarion Reviews.
(Aug. 28, 2017): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2017 ForeWord https://www.forewordmagazine.net/clarion/reviews.aspx
Full Text:
Mary Fan; STARSWEPT; Snowy Wings Publishing (Children's: Young Adult Fiction) 17.99 ISBN: 9781946202277
Byline: Susan Waggoner
Starswept is a seductive and wholly satisfying book from start to finish -- imaginative, well written, and touching on themes beyond romantic love.
Love fantasy? Romance laced with bittersweet longing? Science fiction that glows with the magic of starlight? Mary Fan's beautifully rendered Starswept delivers on all three counts.
On an Earth of the future, Papilio is an elite academy for performing artists, giving the best of the best a chance to succeed for years to come. Students who attract patrons among the Adryil -- a technologically advanced but uncreative race on a distant planet -- will go on to live as performers, earning enough to repay Papilio's sky-high tuition and help support their families. Performers who don't find patrons must work in factories and live forever in debt. Among so many rising stars, middling violist Iris Lei's chances don't seem promising. Matters take an even more unsettling turn one night when an Adryil trespasser places an object in her hand, tells her to keep it safe, and flees into the night. Iris knows this puts her in danger, but she cannot forget the chance meeting. Soon, DA miul Verik's second appearance in her life will change things forever.
The story is narrated in the first person, and Iris's voice is strong but self-doubting. She is fifteen years old and typical in her uncertainties and longings to fit in, comparing life to a dance where everyone's invitation but hers contained special notes on how to dance, what to wear, and what to say. Part of the book's success is achieved on this level, weaving Iris's classmates -- like her supportive friend Milo and a sabotaging competitor named Estelle -- into the drama.
The story is just as successful on a higher plane. Iris's overarching passion for music and the flow of talent and ambition surrounding her give the book a lush, ethereal quality that's perfect for fantasy. References to classical ballet and opera plots echo the book's themes. Iris is a princess locked in a deceptively beguiling tower while DA miul -- a well-drawn romantic lead -- is the prince who awakens her with knowledge. Like Romeo and Juliet, their love is star-crossed.
By moving back and forth between these levels, Starswept keeps the plot going while taking the time necessary to do detailed world-building. As Iris grows to trust DA miul and learns more
4 of 5 5/20/18, 10:53 PM\
Quoted in Sidelights: “a seductive and wholly satisfying book fromstart to finish — imaginative, well written, and touching on themes beyond romantic love.”
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
about him, the pace accelerates and the plot widens to include DA miul's home planet, along with some dark truths about its relationship to Earth.
The book is a lavishly produced hardcover, printed on high-quality paper and illustrated with matte black-and-white photos of the heavens. The paper-over-board binding is printed in metallic, as is the beautifully illustrated cover.
Starswept is a seductive and wholly satisfying book from start to finish -- imaginative, well written, and touching on themes beyond romantic love.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Waggoner, Susan. "Starswept." Clarion Reviews, 28 Aug. 2017. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A502036144/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=0ffc097b. Accessed 20 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A502036144
5 of 5 5/20/18, 10:53 PM
Booklist Review
Books For Youth - Fiction - Science Fiction
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Starswept.
Fan, Mary (author).
2017. 360p. Snowy Wings, hardcover, $17.99 (9781946202277).
REVIEW. First published November 15, 2017 (Booklist).
This book is recommended by BlueInk Review, a fee-based review service devoted exclusively to self-published books. Booklist is happy to partner with BlueInk to bring you the best self-published titles for adults and youth. Stars reflect the decisions of BlueInk reviewers and editors.
Although partially nodding to Brave New World (1932), Logan’s Run (1976), and the Hunger Games trilogy, this dystopian science fiction YA novel is its own blazingly unique creation. Prolific author Fan (who has published 12 books to date) spins a riveting tale set in the year 2268. Everything has been working well with the trade deal that Earth and humanoid alien planet Adrye established in 2157. Adrye shares its technology with Earth; Earth reciprocates by offering up its best and brightest young performing artists, one of whom is 15-year-old Iris. Like Hunger Games’ Katniss, Iris wields a powerful bow—yet hers is in service of her viola. She dreams of achieving the kind of artistic excellence that would lead to an employment contract with a wealthy Adryil patron; she knows that without a contract by her twenty-first birthday, she’ll be consigned to a life of abject poverty. As the story spirals into ever darker scenarios, Fan interweaves a contrapuntal theme of the myopic artistic life. She is a master of description, and the action never flags as mounting suspense meets romance meets high adventure. The first in an ongoing saga, this will have readers eagerly awaiting the sequels.— BlueInk Review
Quoted in Sidelights: “a master of description, be it character, place or sense.”
Although partially nodding to Brave New World, Logan’s Run and The Hunger Games trilogy, the science-fiction dystopian YA novel Starswept is its own blazingly unique creation. Prolific author Mary Fan (12 books published to date) spins a riveting tale against a backdrop of intergalactic human trafficking, brainwashing, corporate greed, freedom fighters, and the backstabbing culture of an exclusive performing arts academy.
In the year 2268, everything has been working well with the trade deal that Earth and humanoid alien planet Adrye established in 2157. Adrye shares its technology with Earth; Earth reciprocates by offering up its best/brightest young performing artists.
One of these young artists is 15-year-old Iris. Like Hunger Games’ Katniss, she also wields a powerful bow—yet hers is in service of her viola. While Iris dreams of achieving the kind of artistic excellence that would lead to an employment contract with a wealthy Adryil patron, she’s haunted by an internal ticking clock warning her that without a contract by her 21st birthday, she’ll be consigned to a life of abject poverty.
As Starswept spirals into ever-darker scenarios, Fan interweaves a contrapuntal theme of the myopic artistic life, examining the obsession for perfection versus placid normalcy (also taking into account art’s two-headed monsters of celebrity and commerce).
Fan is a master of description, be it character, place or sense, such as when ever-optimistic, self-deprecatory Iris refers to her viola player hands as “some kind of five-legged insect—small but freakishly flexible.” Or the academy: “It’s more than a school—it’s a nebula.” Or smell: “a mix of sweat and decay wrapped in smoke.” Further, each chapter opens with stunning artwork that acts as a visual prelude to the content.
The action never flags as mounting suspense meets romance meets high adventure. Clichés aside, Starswept is indeed a page-turner. This open-ended tome is obviously the first installment in an ongoing saga. Given the excellence of Starswept, the sequels will be well worth the wait.
Also available as an ebook.
Books Young Adult Fiction Starswept (Starswept #1)
Starswept (Starswept #1)
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Starswept (Starswept #1)
Author(s)
Mary Fan
Publisher
Snowy Wings Publishing
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Aliens
Performing Arts
Age Range
14+
Release Date
August 29, 2017
ISBN
9781946202260
Buy This Book
Some melodies reach across the stars.
In 2157, the Adryil—an advanced race of telepathic humanoids—contacted Earth. A century later, 15-year-old violist Iris Lei considers herself lucky to attend Papilio, a prestigious performing arts school powered by their technology. Born penniless, Iris’s one shot at a better life is to attract an Adryil patron. But only the best get hired, and competition is fierce.
A sudden encounter with an Adryil boy upends her world. Iris longs to learn about him and his faraway realm, but after the authorities arrest him for trespassing, the only evidence she has of his existence is the mysterious alien device he slipped to her.
When she starts hearing his voice in her head, she wonders if her world of backstabbing artists and pressure for perfection is driving her insane. Then, she discovers that her visions of him are real—by way of telepathy—and soon finds herself lost in the kind of impossible love she depicts in her music.
But even as their bond deepens, Iris realizes that he’s hiding something from her—and it’s dangerous. Her quest for answers leads her past her sheltered world to a strange planet lightyears away, where she uncovers secrets about Earth’s alien allies that shatter everything she knows.
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January 04, 2018
Fay Tannerr Fay Tannerr
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Brilliant
Starswept was a really fascinating novel filled with adventure, music and romance.
I loved the plot of the novel and how part of the story was on Earth and the other part on Adryil. The story was well written and absolutely mesmerizing.
Iris is determined to find herself a patron to support herself and reunite her family but is certain her skills aren't good enough. She then meets Damiul, an Adryil that broke into her school.
The characters were really captivating and unique. I really liked Iris. She was determined, played by the rules and curious. Damiul was literally out of this world and most definitely a mystery that I wanted to more about. Milo was a really great and supportive best friend and Cara was really brave and stubborn.
I loved the details of all the various arts at the school and how Iris and her friends are trying to fight for freedom and their rights.
Starswept is a brilliant sci-fi novel with romance that will sweep you of your feet!
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Quoted in Sidelights: “has a lovely flowing style, elevated with enchanting descriptive passages of music and art that contrast so well with the dark portraits of an unfair and unbalanced society.” “a unique and compelling read” “a brilliant start”
Starswept
Starswept
by Mary Fan
Young Adult - Sci-Fi
376 Pages
Reviewed on 11/07/2017
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Book Review
Reviewed by Becky Walker for Readers' Favorite
In a brilliant start to this new science fiction series, Mary Fan’s writing is fluid and poetic. Starswept centres on the fate of fifteen-year-old Iris Lei, a talented violist who has lived under the protection of the Papilio performing arts school since birth. Earth, 2157, is a dismal place. In this dystopian society, poverty abounds. One of the few ways to escape a life of misery is for a talented artist to impress the rich and powerful from the far-off planet of Adryil. This advanced, telepathic alien race prizes those that perform to the highest standards and the aim of every student at Papilio is to ‘rise in the rankings’ and attract an Adryil patron before they ‘age out.’ Students and their families are in debt to the school, so even if they are lucky enough to find patronage, it will mean a lifetime of service in order to repay the vast sums involved. Despite this, it is every pupil’s dream, for at least they will have an opportunity to live a better life – on Adryil – and, if they succeed, possibly help their loved ones in the future.
Iris’s only true friend in this fiercely competitive environment is Milo, a ballerina who is gradually losing faith with the system. When Iris has a chance encounter with Dámiul, an Adryil youth being chased by the authorities, her life takes a dramatic turn. Via telepathic communications, he warns her that there is more at stake than her musical career. As their relationship starts to blossom, Iris begins to uncover the shocking truth that questions everything she has taken for granted.
The author, Mary Fan, has a lovely flowing style, elevated with enchanting descriptive passages of music and art that contrast so well with the dark portraits of an unfair and unbalanced society. Iris’s character, at the start of the book innocent and somewhat naïve, evolves with the story to become a more analytical and feisty protagonist. Her relationship with both Milo and Dámiul are central to this growth and development, the romantic elements agreeably intertwining with the brooding political backdrop. Some of my favorite sections were those relating to Iris’s inner thoughts as she plays ‘Butterfly’s Lament’, the piece she chooses to play at the school spectacle, drawing a parallel to her growing feelings for Dámiul and her fear that a match between an Earthling and an alien could prove futile. However, this is much more than a romantic read. There are probing questions about the misuse of power, ethics and inequality. I thoroughly recommend Starswept to young and new adults - who will identify with Iris’s coming of age – and also to older readers who are looking for a unique and compelling read. Bring on the next book in the series!
Quoted in Sidelights: “I just love the endless possibilities that sci-fi and fantasy present,” she told an online interviewer at Lil’ Book Lovers. “I live every day in the real world, so when I seek entertainment, I want something as far from it as possible. I want escapism. Though I do enjoy reading a lot of contemporary works, I’ve always been drawn more to things beyond this world. That’s translated into what I write as well—I love creating worlds and developing my own rules for them. Which often means breaking the rules of this one—but that’s the magic of speculative fiction.”
“When I set out to write Starswept,” Fan told the Lil’ Book Lovers interviewer, “I knew right away that I wanted to write the sci-fi version of a paranormal romance … that is, alien love interest. So by necessity, the aliens would need to be humanoid. … I also knew I wanted the aliens to be obsessed with Earth’s performing arts, and soon came to the thought: What if theirs is a world without art? A world without music? A world without dance? Why would such a world exist? That led me to mull over what performing arts are really about, and the answer was, expression.”
Exclusive Interview with Sci-Fi Author Mary Fan on Her Newest Book Starswept!
Published on August 28, 2017 by Kester (from LILbooKlovers)
Hi guys! Earlier this Summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to review Starswept by Mary Fan, which releases TOMORROW! I loved it so much, and you can see my review of it here! Today I have the amazing opportunity to interview Mary Fan on the blog here, and I’m so excited to share it with you. I hope you enjoy!
About Starswepta0258-starswept-8002bcover2breveal2band2bpromotional
Some melodies reach across the stars.
In 2157, the Adryil—an advanced race of telepathic humanoids—contacted Earth. A century later, 15-year-old violist Iris Lei considers herself lucky to attend Papilio, a prestigious performing arts school powered by their technology. Born penniless, Iris’s one shot at a better life is to attract an Adryil patron. But only the best get hired, and competition is fierce.
A sudden encounter with an Adryil boy upends her world. Iris longs to learn about him and his faraway realm, but after the authorities arrest him for trespassing, the only evidence she has of his existence is the mysterious alien device he slipped to her.
When she starts hearing his voice in her head, she wonders if her world of backstabbing artists and pressure for perfection is driving her insane. Then, she discovers that her visions of him are real—by way of telepathy—and soon finds herself lost in the kind of impossible love she depicts in her music.
But even as their bond deepens, Iris realizes that he’s hiding something from her—and it’s dangerous. Her quest for answers leads her past her sheltered world to a strange planet lightyears away, where she uncovers secrets about Earth’s alien allies that shatter everything she knows.
Goodreads
Mary Fan
1. Why do you love writing? When did you first have a love for writing, and how was it formed?
Quite simply, I love writing because I love stories, and writing is my vehicle for bringing them to life. I’ve always been a huge reader, and even in elementary school, I was always making up my own stories and creating my own books out of construction paper and glue. It was around seventh grade that I started trying to write full-length books. It started out as being just for fun, but the more I wrote, the more I wanted to get good at it. Every kid has their after-school hobbies, and mine was writing stories.
Sometime around junior year, though, I stopped. I think it was for a variety of reasons… partly because I was feeling discouraged (I’d been rejected from a bunch of writing programs), and partly because I was discovering my love of music theory and composition (I’d been an instrumentalist since I was a toddler, but never really appreciated composition until then). So I set aside the writing for several years while I studied music in college. Then after college, I picked it up again… and I’ve been going ever since!
2. What are your favorite books, genres, and authors? Which ones have impacted you and your writing style the most?
Oof, this is always a tough one! Asking me to name my favorite books is like asking me to name my friends… I never want to list them all because I’m afraid I’ll leave one out and feel bad later! I will say, though, that my favorite genres have always been sci-fi and fantasy. I just love out-of-this-world tales. I tend to lean a bit more toward sci-fi, and I think that’s because I’m just more partial toward the aesthetics of futuristic technology and outer space (though I do love castles and magic as well!). I can trace my love of sci-fi back to Jack Williamson’s Legion of Space, which I discovered around seventh grade. I then fell down a rabbit hole of classic sci-fi—Asimov, Bova, Bradbury, Pohl, etc. Come to think of it, I think my tween obsession with reading old-school sci-fi led to my writing habit… the first manuscript I completed (a silly story about Star Trek-style space explorers battling evil aliens) was a space opera. So I think it’s safe to say those had a huge impact on my writing.
3. What do you do when you’re not writing? Is writing a part-time or full-time job?
I currently work a full-time day job in financial marketing, and I treat writing as my second job. I give myself a schedule and deadlines and everything—I’m my own tough boss haha. Of course, one can’t be working all the time—even when that work is also fun. I also love traveling—both around the world and within the United States. There are so, so many places I want to go! And, of course, I love going to live performances—operas, ballets, Broadway shows, rock concerts, circuses…
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4. Your latest sci-fi novel Starswept (which releases tomorrow August 29th from Snow Wings Publishing!) follows Iris as she tries to navigate both her arts school Papilio and the otherworldly planet of Adriye equipped with only her viola and a love for the mysterious boy she’s been having visions of. Did you ever surprise yourself as you wrote Starswept? Were there any parts where they panned out different as you refined the story?
Though I’m a neurotic plotter, my characters always find ways to surprise me when I actually start writing! In the case of Starswept, I was surprised by how the final scenes played out… they ended up being quite a bit more intense than I originally imagined! I don’t want to give any spoilers, but let’s just say that in the outline… not as many things went wrong haha.
Other parts got changed a lot in edits. In fact, I had to redo the whole structure of the world at one point! In its earliest incarnations, Earth was a blasted wasteland, and Iris and the other young performers were kept in a domed city to protect them from the toxic atmosphere. But in the end, that element wound up being a distraction from the real focus of the story, which is the arts school and its relationship with the planet Adrye.starswept promo - unleash your melody
5. I love that Iris is a violist and has such a powerful connection to music, and you yourself are one, too! Do you sing, play any instruments, or write music? What are some of your favorite venues that you’ve played in or your favorite songs/pieces that you’ve played or composed?
I do all of the above! I started playing violin as a toddler and spent my entire childhood and teen years in orchestras and chamber groups (I was in two orchestras in high school—half my life was rehearsals!). I also played in the orchestra pit for a lot of performances, and it always bothered me how little credit we got, even though we were playing for the entire show (especially the violins, who underscore just about everything) while the actors/singers got to take breaks backstage. So that’s why I made Iris a pit orchestra member… my little way of giving the pit the spotlight for a change.
In college, I traded orchestras for choirs because I’d always wanted to sing, but never had a chance to because I was too busy with violin. I even got a role in the university’s opera—which felt like vindication because I’d worked four jobs to pay for voice lessons. I’m still an active choir member today (altos rule!).
I’ve also dabbled in a few other instruments—piano, shakuhachi, recorder (it counts! I was in an early music ensemble and everything), guitar, drums (I was in the college marching band for a spell). Never got really good at any of them, but the experience was certainly rewarding.
I was also a composer—that was my college major, in fact. My thesis was an hour-long rendition of the Dies Irae text written for a chamber choir and piano quartet. Really, I dove headfirst into the whole music thing while at university, and though I didn’t end up pursuing it as a career, it’s certainly given me a lot of great experiences.
As for favorite venues… my favorite has got to be the university’s chapel. It’s this grand, cathedral-like structure with gorgeous stained glass and amazing reverberation. There’s nothing quite like letting out a note and hearing it ring on and on.
Favorite song/pieces… Again, I’d feel bad if I listed them and left something out, but I think the Verdi Requiem deserves a special shout-out, since it was so influential to me. In fact, I wrote a whole paper on it as part of my independent coursework. It’s just such a gorgeous balance between the operatic and the liturgical… it’s both a theater piece and a religious piece, and it reflects the passions of both.
6. What was your world-building process for creating this futuristic society of Earth and Adriye where musical ability is highly sought after? How did you come up with the history, language, and culture of Adriye and its interactions with Earth?aa5a0-mary2bfan2bauthor2bpic2bsmall
When I set out to write Starswept, I knew right away that I wanted to write the sci-fi version of a paranormal romance… that is, alien love interest. So by necessity, the aliens would need to be humanoid (I embrace my genre conventions!). I also knew I wanted the aliens to be obsessed with Earth’s performing arts, and soon came to the thought: What if theirs is a world without art? A world without music? A world without dance? Why would such a world exist? That led me to mull over what performing arts are really about, and the answer was, expression. We use music and dance and song and other arts to express what words cannot. But what if these aliens never needed to do that because they could just share their thoughts with each other? If they were telepaths? These ideas formed the foundation of the Adryil were. And since they’d ally themselves with Earth, despite being centuries more advanced (which was necessary for the space travel element to be possible), they’d probably be a relatively peaceful people—the kind who’d find a primitive world (Earth) and try to befriend it, rather than conquer or colonize it.
The language of Adrye combines grammatical elements of the four languages I’m most familiar with—English, of course, Chinese (my parents’ language), French, and Latin. As for the actual syllables—I wanted something that would sound like music to Iris (and to English-speaking readers). So, for the most part, I picked syllables I’d seen in my opera scores. I also wanted them to evoke the right emotions… smooth, lovely syllables for words like “love” and “beautiful,” harsh, biting syllables for words like “curse” and “worthless.”
7. Since most of your books are either science fiction or fantasy, what about those two genres draws you as an author and a reader?
I just love the endless possibilities that sci-fi and fantasy present. I live every day in the real world, so when I seek entertainment, I want something as far from it as possible. I want escapism. Though I do enjoy reading a lot of contemporary works, I’ve always been drawn more to things beyond this world. That’s translated into what I write as well—I love creating worlds and developing my own rules for them. Which often means breaking the rules of this one—but that’s the magic of speculative fiction. As long as you’re consistent within your world, you can do whatever you want. And it’s fun to be that unlimited.
8. You are also the co-editor of Brave New Girls, a collection of YA sci-fi stories that features girls in the STEM fields, and all the proceeds from the sales will go to the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund. What made you passionate about this topic? How do you want this anthology to impact readers?34197584
I’ve always been a nerd, and for the most part, this meant being one of the only girls (if not THE only girl) in various activities—physics camp, Science Olympiad, etc. And it sucked! Not that I minded hanging out with the boys, but being in such a stark minority is always a bit unsettling. I used to think I was just weird, but as I got older, I began to wonder what was driving girls away from STEM fields. Especially since I, myself, wound up dropping out of the engineering department my sophomore year. At the time, I focused on the fact that I was switching to music and pursuing a passion. But I ended up essentially double-majoring in economics as a fallback anyway—if I was going to study two subjects, why didn’t I stick with engineering? Looking back, I think it’s because there was this pressure for perfection I’d internalized—the idea that if I was going to be a girl in a boy’s field, I had to be extra good, superhumanly good. And when I couldn’t live up to that, I thought I was stupid. But the fact is that engineering is supposed to be hard—and it’s hard for everyone. There’s just this huge confidence gap between girls, who internalize the idea that girls aren’t supposed to go into STEM, and boys, who see themselves depicted in STEM-type roles from an early age.
So with Brave New Girls, we’re trying to fill this gap. We wanted to show girls that you can be a scientist or an engineer or a programmer, etc., and still be the heroine of your own story. You don’t always have to be the nerdy sidekick. Or the bombshell love interest who just follows the male action hero around. So much of what we become is influenced by what the world tells us we can be, and so with Brave New Girls, we wanted to show girls that they, too, can be techy sci-fi protagonists.
9. Out of all the books you have written, which one was your favorite to write? Which one presented the most challenges?
Hm… I actually think my favorite to write was Starswept! I certainly wrote it the fastest (it only took me six weeks to complete the first draft… a record I haven’t come close to meeting since). And I think it’s because I’d been in both the music world and the sci-fi world for so long, meshing the two felt natural.
The book that presented the most challenges was the first sequel I wrote, Synthetic Illusions, which is the second book in my Jane Colt space opera trilogy. I had two false starts on that one—in that I plotted, outline, and got several chapters into two different drafts (with different plots) before I figured out what I was doing with it. I think the reason is because I lost sight of what the story was really about—the characters—and was trying to squeeze too many elements into it that just didn’t fit.
10. The cover for Starswept is one of the most gorgeous ones I have ever seen, and the process to create it is very interesting. How did the idea for the cover come about? Could you explain to us how you were able to gather the people and resources to produce this stunning image? Were there any challenges that arose during all of this?a0258-starswept-8002bcover2breveal2band2bpromotional
Thank you so much! I always knew that I wanted Iris pictured on the cover. There aren’t a lot of Asian Americans on book covers, and fewer still on those for sci-fi/fantasy. Especially when the story isn’t necessarily Asia-centric (people seem to have a hole in their imaginations for Asian Americans… you’re either white and American or Asian and from Asia). So it was super important to me to help fill that gap with a cover that depicted an Asian American girl in a sci-fi setting, wearing the kind of ballgown that only white girls seemed allowed to wear on book covers.
I’ve always loved underwater photography, and using the weightlessness of water to simulate the weightlessness of space seemed like a natural fit. Plus, water gives everything a soft, romantic look that matched the book’s content.
I found the photographer, Roberto Falck, through a simple Google search. Lucky for me, I live in the NYC area—a hub for talented artists. Roberto had done multiple underwater photo shoots before (including a few book covers for a mermaid series), which made things super easy for me. He knew where to book a pool and obtain equipment and such—I just had to give creative direction.
Now, I was only able to get all this done because I’m in a relatively privileged financial position. I’d spent the past seven years working full-time, and my parents paid for college, which meant no student loans. In other words, I drained my savings account. I figured if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right, and I don’t have kids or a mortgage or anything else to worry about.
Most of the cost of the shoot went to hiring the talent and renting the equipment and space. We were in a diving school in Long Island, and in addition to Roberto, there was a crew of five people—a producer, underwater support, and various other roles (someone to adjust the lights, someone to run errands, etc.). The model was my sister, Angel Fan, who agreed to do the shoot for the heck of it (she got to live her mermaid dreams for a day!).
The props we used were actually pretty cheap. I found a $40 viola on eBay, knowing full well that it would get wrecked from the water (even though I knew it was cheap and had been bought for the purpose of getting dunked, it still hurt a little to put it in the water!). And then I found two cheap gowns on Amazon—one with pretty flutter sleeves and one with voluminous skirt. Both had elements that would look great underwater—the sleeves fluttered like wings, and the skirt, well, that was just a lot of fun to watch swish around (the one pictured is the second one). The nice thing about water is that the weightlessness makes even a cheap dress look like couture.
Of course, something had to go wrong. About an hour into the shoot, the viola neck snapped right off the body… the tension from the strings caused too much strain. Luckily, we found a fix. Frank, the underwater support guy, is super handy, and he used a screw to reattach the neck. And I know a thing or two about string instruments, so I was able to restring the thing after he was done.
All in all, though it went really smoothly!
11. What could we expect from you in the future? Could you give us any secrets about what will happen in book 2 of Starswept?
I’m still in the process of plotting the sequel to Starswept, so I don’t want to reveal much about the book since it might change… However, I do have a title! I haven’t announced it anywhere yet, so this is the first time it’s being revealed… drumroll please…
Wayward Stars
I know it’s weird to have a title before I have a definite grip on the plot, but hey, sometimes, you just know what a book’s meant to be called. I can also tell you that Book 2 will pick up where Book 1 left off—there won’t be any huge time jumps. And it’ll feel a lot more like the second half of the book than the first half, if you know what I mean. Plus, in addition to the core group—Iris, Damiul, Milo, and Cara—one of the less-prominent characters is also slated to return.
12. Do you have any tips to any aspiring authors or writers?
Be open to feedback, but remember, everything is a matter of opinion. To paraphrase some colorful pirates, “The rules are more like guidelines.” What one person loves, another person hates. The “rules” are created around what’s the most popular and backed by the most powerful people. If you stress about them too much, you’ll tie yourself in knots and still not get everything “right,” because “right” doesn’t exist.
Also, write what you love. Because at the end of the day, it’s impossible to tell what’ll make a book sell, and there’s no real destination for any of us. There’s no trophy at the end of the game, or castle at the end of the road. Just more game, more road. So enjoy the process of writing. If nothing else, it should be fun!
Thanks so much, Mary, for coming onto the blog! I love your answers!
Here’s a Behind-the-Scenes Cover Shoot Video and the Book Trailer!
About the Authoraa5a0-mary2bfan2bauthor2bpic2bsmall
Mary Fan is a hopeless dreamer, whose mind insists on spinning tales of “what if.” As a music major in college, she told those stories through compositions. Now, she tells them through books. She is the author of the Jane Colt space opera trilogy, the Firedragon YA dystopia/fantasy novellas, and the Fated Stars YA high fantasy novellas. She’s also the co-editor of the Brave New Girls YA sci-fi anthologies, which are dedicated to encouraging girls to enter STEM careers and raising money for the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund.
Find her online at www.MaryFan.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ mfanwriter
Twitter: @astralcolt