Christina Loi
Ravens’ Sister
Christina Loi grew up in Wisconsin, USA, before moving to California to complete her bachelor’s degree in music, as well as a certificate in women’s ministry. A few months after graduation, she migrated to Singapore (gaining permanent residency in the process) to marry the love of her life. Christina has worked as a private music teacher, as well as a copyeditor for a local nonprofit organisation. Currently, she is a homemaker with three active children, too many coffee mugs, too few bookshelves, and an over-abundance of missing pencils.
What made you enter the Cheshire Novel Prize?
I entered the Cheshire Novel Prize (CNP) for the feedback. I submitted my first novel as an entry in CNP 2022, and while I did not place, the suggestions for improvement were so invaluable and encouraging that I already knew that I was going to enter CNP 2023 if it was offered. By then I’d decided to start writing a new novel - and since I work best with external deadlines, I told myself that the feedback from CNP 2023 would be my reward if I could manage to finish writing Ravens’ Sister in time to submit it.
What did it feel like when you were LL and SL?
It felt spectacularly surreal, particularly when the LL was announced since I hadn’t recognised any of the snippets leading up to the announcement. I found myself grinning at random moments in the days after both the LL and SL were announced. I even woke up in the middle of the night smiling, and I was so groggy it took me a few moments to figure out why I was grinning in my sleep.
What was the reaction like from those around you? Family? Friends?
My family has been incredibly supportive and - at times - even more excited than me!
How did you come up with the idea for your book?
I’m an avid fan of fairytale retellings, and I wanted to try my hand at one of the lesser known tales from the Brothers Grimm. I also love researching history, particularly Singapore’s past, and one day I thought that it would be a great deal of fun to read a novel set in 1950s Singapore (currently my favourite decade) with a spot of magic to spice it up.
How long did it take you to write it?
I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do with the story, so I was able to finish the (very) rough draft in around four months, but it took me another five months to edit it into a readable state.
What’s it about?
Set in the late 1950s in Nanyang (a postcolonial Singapore) with elements of English and Asian folklore and history, Ravens’ Sister is a retelling of the Grimms’ “The Seven Ravens.” It tells the story of an eighteen-year-old girl who - aided by ancient guardians and an unlikely soulmate - searches for her missing brothers, who were transformed into ravens a decade earlier during a magical experiment gone horribly wrong.
What’s your writing routine?
I set myself a weekly word goal, and plan accordingly in an attempt to make it. (Some weeks are more successful than others.) There are a few pockets of daily writing time that are golden for me if I can manage to use them. One is early in the morning around 5am before I need to wake my children up and get them ready for school. Another slot is in the late morning in between chores and fetching them from school. A last resort is in the evening slot after bedtime, but that is usually reserved for editing only if I am very desperate because by then my brain is dead. Other than that, I carry a notebook with me almost everywhere I go in order to snatch a few paragraphs as and when I can - while waiting in the school pick up line, for example, or during swimming lessons, or even while I am making dinner.
What’s next for you?
My youngest entered primary school this year, so I am starting the job search for a writing or editing job while pursuing my ultimate dream of writing novels full-time. In fact, I’ve already started scribbling down the first draft of a new story idea, which makes me quite excited.
Have you done any writing courses?
I have not taken any writing courses, but over the last few years, I have read stacks of how-to books on writing. In a way, writing Ravens’ Sister was itself the course, during which I did my best to practice everything I had been studying. (There are many fantastic resources out there, but the two that I am most grateful for are E.B. White’s Elements of Style and Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel.)
What are your two favourite books and why?
I love to read so I have to divide my favourite books into two categories: all-time favourite, and current favourite. My all-time favourites are tied between Jane Eyre and Persuasion because of the strength of the protagonists and how they choose agency where they can within the restrictions of society. My current favourite is The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, which is an absolutely gorgeous retelling of a Korean folktale.
What advice do you have for any aspiring writers?
I think my first piece of advice might be that if you want writing to be more than a hobby, then you must treat it as such. When you view it as a skill to be learned or a job to be done, it is easier carve out time to practice, even when you don’t feel inspired. My second piece of advice would be to cultivate humility towards your craft because there is always, always, always room to grow.