FAQ

Questions about me

 

Who's your agent?

The lovely Emmanuelle Morgen of Stonesong

How long did it take to write/publish your first book?

I started writing What's Left of Me the winter of my senior year of high school. It was the second book I ever managed to finish (I wrote lots of stories before this, but was pretty bad about sticking through until the end). The first draft took me a little more than a year. Then I revised for a few months, queried, and signed with Emmanuelle. I revised with her for about 6 more months, and then we went on submission to publishers and announced the deal with HarperCollins about a month after that.

Can you read my manuscript/short story and tell me what you think?

Unfortunately, I can't--just about all my free time has been eaten up lately. I do, however, still offer critiques from time to time in auctions for charity.

I'm doing a book report on you/your books. Can I email you with more questions?

Thanks for thinking I'm cool enough to write a report about! You're very welcome to email me any questions, but please don't base your entire report on my answers. I sometimes get behind on my emails, and I may not reply in time--and then your report will be late!

If you google "Kat Zhang interviews," you'll come across interviews I've done online. Some of those might be helpful in writing your report.

Rest assured, I do reply to all emails I receive. If you write me and don't get a reply, I either didn't get your email for some reason, or I wasn't able to email you back. I've had a few cases in the past where I couldn't reply to a school-hosted email (i.e. yourname@yourschool.org) because of the privacy regulations set by your school.

What about snail mail?

While I love snail mail, it's much easier to reach me through email!

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Questions about the Hybrid Chronicles

 

Is What's Left of Me set in the future? If so, how did we come to have two souls in the future?

No, but it’s a common misconception because the book is often labeled “dystopia.” While What’s Left of Me does have dystopian elements (oppressive government, rebellious underdogs, etc), the book is set in an alternate version of the 21st century. People have just always been born with two souls in this world. It’s explained more in the books, I promise!

When will What's Left of Me/Once We Were/Echoes of Us be released?

The entire trilogy is now out in the United States. What’s Left of Me released 2012, Once We Were released 2013, and the final book, Echoes of Us, came out in 2014.

I live in a country where the series hasn’t been published yet, and I really want a copy!

Thanks for your excitement! You can check the Books page to see if the trilogy has been sold in your country. Sometimes, the books do show up in countries not on that list, too. I’m not sure how that happens, but distribution policies are complicated...

Is there going to be a movie?

I do have film agents, but as of right now, there aren't plans to make a movie. I guess we'll have to just keep passing around the books instead!

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Questions about the The Emperor's Riddle

 

Is the legend about Zhu Yunwen real? Was he a real emperor?

It is in fact a real legend! And yes, he was a real Ming dynasty emperor. You can read a little about him here on his wikipedia page. 

Are the places Mia and Jake visit in China real places?

All of the landmarks they visit (including the supposed grave of Zhu Yunwen!) are indeed real places in and around Fuzhou. Here is a picture of me standing in front of one of the pottery pagodas mentioned in the book:

IMG_7923 copy

Is there going to be a movie?

I do have film agents, but as of right now, there aren't plans to make a movie. I guess we'll have to just keep passing around the books instead!

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You didn't answer my question!

 

Sorry about that! Please email it to me at katzhang3 AT gmail DOT com. I'm always thrilled to hear from readers!