Having read English novels for most of my life, I started reading Chinese historical romance novels only recently. The first thing that struck me about them was the sheer brutality and starkness of life depicted in these stories.

Some of the books are life-changing reads as the stories dealt with themes of struggles in an unequal world of male patriarchy and absolute monarchy, with very little human rights. The women in them are cunning, strong, scheming, manipulative and power-seeking in a bid to secure a place for themselves in these beautiful worlds.

Sometimes, I would put a story down to digest the sheer enormity of what a heroine protagonist had done. These are definitely not your usual Disney princesses with hearts of gold!

Many of the themes in these books are mature and thought provoking with a lot of poetry and beauty in them. I hope to bring some of pathos and beauty into the stories I write.