Fantasy author Amélie Wen Zhao talks about her newest book, Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White, the concluding volume of her “Song of the Last Kingdom” duology (coming January 2, 2024). Inspired by mythology from ancient China with some historical elements mixed in, the duology is based in a colonized land whose magic has been hidden to protect it from the colonizing peoples, and Amélie talks about developing the demon gods and their interactions with the world, how the magic system is based on Qi (the energy living beings possess), and more. She also talks about the music she writes to, and for this series her playlist is loaded with soundtracks from Chinese wuxia and xianxia because of the ethereal nature of the music (and with curtains drawn to make the room as dark as possible!) The art and illustrations for the books and characters are incredible, and seeing this adapted into graphic novels or animation would be absolutely gorgeous. Website: ameliezhao.com Instagram: @ameliewenzhao TikTok: @ameliewenzhao Twitter: @ameliewenzhao What legends and fables from other cultures intrigue you? Let us know! Send Summer an email, or have your say in the comments below! Chat with Summer on Bluesky! @sliceofscifi.com Chat with Summer on Twitter! @WriteAfterDark Subscribe & Review on Apple Podcasts! Listen on Player.FM Support our shows! Learn how you can support Writers, After Dark and Slice of SciFi through Patreon and Paypal