This week in our July 2022 Contest interview series, we have sixteen-year-old Sabrina Li, who won 2nd Place Grand Prize in our Young Author division! 

We have been so amazed by the talent we’ve seen from young authors in this contest, and we can wait to see what these adolescent go-getters have in store for us in the future.  

Sabrina, a high school student working hard on her classes and college admissions, wowed us with her poignant science fantasy story, “Heart of Ash”, amazing us with a voice and writing style way beyond her years. 

If you missed last week’s interview with our Grand Prize Young Author Shadonovic, click here to read, and be sure to check out his story while you’re there! 

Heart of Ash 

In a faraway solar system lies Lendelye, a planet with three moons. Lendel, the Divided Planet, is home to the daemons, who can shift between dragon and humanoid form. Sanye, the Three Moons, is home to humans and obedient robots. Daemons and humans have a long history of strife. But a young Sanyian royal, Nika, was fostered by daemons on Lendel as a child, and she knows they are not the monsters Sanyians claim they are. But when she is sent back to Sanye as a teenager, she must deal with the pressures of marriage, Sanyian etiquette, and rising daemon-human tensions, all while trying to keep her heart from burning into ashes. 

Author Biography 

Sabrina Li is a young, aspiring writer under eighteen years of age. Her favorite genres, both for reading and writing, are fantasy and sci-fi. Her work has been showcased in the AAPI Heritage Month Online Student Art Exhibition, a nonprofit event dedicated to amplifying the creative and artistic voices of students in the AAPI community. She has also received two Honorable Mentions and a Silver Key for her writing in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. 

Author Interview 

Answers have been edited for length and clarity. 

Your award-winning story, “Heart of Ash”, wowed our editors! You have a very unique voice, and you utilize present tense very well, which is no easy feat. How did you hone your writing style, which is already very mature?  

I don’t really focus on “honing” my writing style. I mainly just read a lot of books and develop an idea for what sounds good and what styles I like. I think mimicry is the basis of all innovation; first, you learn how to imitate, and then you develop your own style, which is often a blend of what you have seen that you like and what you imagine that you like. 

Who are the biggest influences in your writing?  

My biggest influences are definitely the authors I’ve read. They’ve helped me develop a love for literature. Some names: Rick Riordan, the Erin Hunter team, Tui T. Sutherland, Marissa Meyers, George R.R. Martin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, etc.… Also, my friend inspires me a lot—she’s currently writing a book on magical realism and surrealism, which is super cool. 

Your worldbuilding in “Heart of Ash” was exquisite. You seamlessly blended world building detail in the story without massive info dumps. What are some worldbuilding tips you have for other young authors looking to improve their writing?  
 

I don’t really have any worldbuilding tips. I’d mainly say to read a lot and see how other authors do their worldbuilding and take inspiration from them. Also, a good way to show rather than tell is to use dialogue. And avoid large paragraphs of boring text explaining worldbuilding that I used to put in my writing. 

You had a wonderful mix of a medieval kingdom mixed with dragons and advanced tech in “Heart of Ash”. What was your inspiration for your story?  

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyers definitely inspired the more sci-fi aspects of my work. If you haven’t read the series, [you should] read it, it’s so good. I also love dragons in general, so I wanted to include dragons (because they are simply awesome). 

You created a very endearing character in Nika, the protagonist of your story. What are some components of creating a character your readers will root for?  
 

I tend to think realistic characters are the best-written characters, with varying influences and a complex story and perspective. I haven’t really mastered that—it’s hard not to make your characters an ideal. But I’m working on it! 

You did a great job writing a science fantasy story for our July 2022 contest. What are some of your other favorite genres in which to write? What draws you to these genres?  
 

I love writing flash fiction (at this point, I don’t really write short stories anymore—mostly shorter flash fiction) and I’m getting into poetry. It’s a more practical motive that draws me to these genres—I don’t have large chunks of time to write, which means if I’m writing a longer piece, it can take a while. But flash fiction and poetry can generally be finished quickly, which means I can develop more finished pieces. And I’m starting to like the shorter, more concise style. 

What is your ultimate goal/biggest dream as an author?   
 

I want to write a book. I don’t know what life will hurl at me, but I’d like to publish a book—whether it’s a collection of stories or poetry, or a novel. I’d be quite content after that.  

As a high school student, you are busy with classes and preparing for the SAT and college. How do you find the time to juggle schoolwork with your writing?  
 

I mainly write in the “in-between” times, like in the car, or when I feel like procrastinating a bit more on my schoolwork. Unfortunately, a lot of the time I don’t have a lot of time to write, but I try to set aside at least thirty minutes a day to just get some thoughts down on paper. 

Do you plan on majoring in writing in college?  
 

I am not planning on majoring in writing in college—I would have loved that, but due to a variety of factors, I can’t realize that dream. However, I will definitely keep writing—anyways, I think writing isn’t really something you can necessarily “teach,” but more discover. 

Just for fun! List your favorite:  
 

Books: Too many! I love so many books—The Legend Series and The Young Elite series by Marie Lu, Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, and so many more! 

Regarding books, I tend to like fantasy because I almost get to have a glimpse of a new world. Martin’s worldbuilding is absolutely insane. Literally no detail is left out. And the writing is just fantastic. The plot and the court dynamics are crazy. I could go on. In my opinion, A Song of Ice and Fire is pretty much the best fantasy series out there. The plot in Lu’s books is just so intriguing and it is a bit of a break from a lot of fantasy tropes (I won’t say more about that in case of spoilers but be ready for a rollercoaster of emotions). Wings of Fire is great because, well, dragons! I also love Sutherland’s worldbuilding, and there’s a large nostalgia factor in the Wings of Fire books, too—I’ve been reading them since elementary school. 

Shows: I don’t watch many shows, but I do love Games of Thrones (more accurately, the first couple of seasons…). I suppose a large part of why I like it is because of the amazing writing of George R.R. Martin. But strictly talking TV, I think the actors all fit their roles super well, and the scenery matches quite well with the scenes I created in my head (like Winterfell in the TV show looks very similar to Winterfell I created in my head while reading the books). It was cool to see the images in my head “come to life” in a way. Also, dragons. I absolutely adore dragons. 

Thanks so much to Sabrina for taking the time out of her super busy academic schedule to interview with us!  

Need to catch up on our other award-winning authors? Look no further! 

Author Interview: Tracy Pitts, Winner of the Worldbuilding Short Fiction Contest 

Author Interview: Stargazing with Hannah Greer 

Author Interview: Worldbuilding with J.P. Raison 

Author Interview: Kate Seger, Prolific Multi-Award Winner 

Tune in next week for my interview with our Third Place Young Author Winner Vrisan Shah, who also happened to win First Place in our People’s Choice competition. This ten-year-old dynamo also set a site record for the most votes on a story. You don’t want to miss it! 

Head to our socials to learn more about the rest of our July 2022 Contest anthology contributors. 

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