Bound Feet is a 2022 Shirley Jackson Awards Nominee!

Exciting news! Bound Feet has been nominated for a 2022 Shirley Jackson Award in the Novella category! I’m absolutely over the moon and so, so grateful. :)

The winners will be announced next weekend at ReaderCon. Sadly, I’m unable to attend the convention, but I’ll be streaming the awards show at home!

Check out all the nominees here. I’m honored that Bound Feet is listed among such stellar company. What an incredible list!

If you’re so inclined, you can read about why the Shirley Jackson is Becky Spratford’s favorite award here.

And for those who haven’t picked up Bound Feet yet, learn more about it here! Thank you all so much for your support of my ghost garden novella. :)

Screenshot of Shirley Jackson Awards website listing 2022 nominees, including Bound Feet by Kelsea Yu

2022 Year-in-Review

As the year winds to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what an absolutely wild time 2022 was for me. SO much happened! I kept meaning to post about each thing on here, but I never managed to find the time. So, instead of individual posts about each thing, I figured I’d do a 2022 wrap-up. First, a little recap by month, then some overall thoughts & stats at the end. I’ll also include some of my favorite reads, since I always mean to share more about those!

January

January was the last month of a very tough pregnancy. I spent most of it eating chips, caring for my three-year-old, and doing whatever I could to make it through the day. When I could focus enough to write, I worked on my gothic horror novel, a manuscript I began in November 2021. Near the end of the month, I attended DVcon, a free online convention for marginalized writers run by the #DVpit crew, for the second time. I highly recommend it!

Highlights:

  • Wrote | wrote 16K of gothic horror novel

  • Attended | DVcon

  • Read 10 books | faves: Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid, What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu, Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig, Being Seen by Elsa Sjunneson

February

My baby was born on the first of the month! I almost died from postpartum hemorrhage, and recovery took a long time. It was a pretty rough month, as one might imagine. It was also such a joy finally getting to meet her. <3 When I could sneak time to write here and there, I continued working on my gothic horror novel (wrote 4K more). And I read a lot.

Highlights:

  • My littlest was born!

  • Wrote | wrote 4K of gothic horror novel | final edits for “Obedient Son”

  • Read 16 books | faves: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher, Book of Night by Holly Black, Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo, Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne, The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead, The Red Palace by June Hur

MARCH

With the baby being so young, this was a busy month. But thanks to supportive family (my husband, my parents, and my in-laws), I was able to sneak in some writing time! I was determined to submit a story to Sadie Hartmann & Ashley Saywers’ Human Monsters anthology, and I ended up writing “I Swear I Didn’t Kill the Others,” my most challenging-to-craft story yet. I’m thrilled they accepted it!

And another exciting thing happened that month: my debut story, “A Tale of Wickedness,” was published through the fabulous Classic Monsters Unleashed anthology! The special edition was shipped out to Kickstarter backers & contributors in March. It was such a thrill being able to hold my debut story in my hands for the first time! Fun fact about “A Tale of Wickedness”—it was the fourth story I wrote for that submission call. The first three were all too long, but each was shorter than the previous. The first is now a novella, the second is a novelette I’m considering expanding to a novella, the third I scrapped, and the fourth was the one that was accepted! I was really determined to send something in, heh.

Highlights:

APRIL

At the start of the month, I attended Flights of Foundry—a lovely, free SFF online convention that I definitely recommend! And I started first reading for khōréō! (I read story submissions and send pieces I think will fit the magazine to the editors.) I had no idea that my career was about to change in a major way.

Mid-month, two humongous milestones happened on the same day. First: I received notice that my horror novella, Bound Feet, had been accepted for Sadie Hartmann’s My Dark Library series with Cemetery Gates Media! Sadie, Mother Horror, is such a superstar in the horror community. I was and am still so, so thrilled that she (and Joe of CGM) chose my little book for her novella line!

Second: few hours after the novella news, I hopped on a call with the fabulous Jen Azantian of Azantian Literary Agency…and she made an offer! With her passion for my writing, her stellar reputation, her phenomenal sales record, and her dedication to championing marginalized writers, signing with her was a no brainer. I am so, so happy I have an incredible partner in my traditional publishing endeavors. For those curious, the book she signed me for was a young adult thriller, and we connected through #DVpit!

Rounded off an already-magnificent month with another acceptance: Reckoning magazine bought “A Scarcity of Sharks,” a story I love very much, featuring my favorite animal. After all that, I spent the latter half of the month revising my YA thriller based on my agent’s notes. :)

Highlights

  • SIGNED WITH AGENT!!!! | signed with Jen Azantian of Azantian Literary Agency

  • SOLD Bound Feet!! | debut / horror novella acquired by Sadie Hartmann’s My Dark Library Series, published through Cemetery Gates Media

  • SOLD “A Scarcity of Sharks”! | sold short sci-fi story to Reckoning, Issue 7

  • Wrote | started revising It’s Only a Game, my YA thriller, with my agent

  • Attended | Flights of Foundry

  • Read submissions | started first reading for khōréō

  • Read 11 books | faves: Below by Laurel Hightower & The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories edited by Yu Chen

MAY

May was a bit calmer! I finished up It’s Only a Game revisions, worked on some new short stories, and took a trip to the San Juan Islands with my family. I did some location research for my gothic horror novel there. And I polished five book pitches for future manuscripts, and sent them to my agent to get her opinions. :)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Wrote | finished first round agent revisions for It’s Only a Game | polished five book pitches

  • Vacationed | spent just under a week in the San Juan Islands

  • Read 18 books | faves: Only a Monster by Vanessa Len, Gallant by V.E. Schwab, The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas, Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price

JUNE

Things got wild again when we decided, really suddenly, to move out and sell our house. We made the decision and then moved out in 10.5 days, which is something I never want to repeat again. Especially since we moved states (from Washington to Oregon) and the baby was only five months old (and still exclusively breastfed at the time). In writing-related news, I worked on second round revisions for It’s Only a Game, the cover for Bound Feet was revealed, and I started first reading for Dark Matter Magazine—beginning with their Monstrous Futures anthology!

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Moved | started packing our stuff & preparing our house for sale

  • Revised | started second round agent revisions for It’s Only a Game

  • Read submissions | started first reading for Dark Matter Magazine

  • Cover reveal | first ever cover reveal—for Bound Feet!

  • Read 13 books | faves: Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang, Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee, Book Lovers by Emily Henry, See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon

JULY

The start of my birthday month was hectic—in the first few days, we finished up packing, preparing our house for sale, and moving states. We moved in with my parents for a few months while figuring out our new housing situation. After settling in, I continued reading submissions for Dark Matter Presents: Monstrous Futures and finished up second round revisions for my YA thriller. I also fixed up a few stories I’d written in 2021 and started submitting them around.

At the end of the month, I sold a horror story to PseudoPod for publication in 2023—my first podcast sale! I got the idea for this story years before writing it, and it was gratifying being able to bring it to life! July also brought the audiobook and trade paperback, hardcover, & ebook release of Classic Monsters Unleashed—including fantastic narration of my story, “A Tale of Wickedness”!

HIGHLIGHTS

AUGUST

August brought more excitement again—I finished up a final round of revisions on It’s Only a Game…then Jen and I went out on submission at the end of the month! I also received a story acceptance from Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic, an anthology edited by Jolie Toomajan and published by Cosmic Horror Monthly, for my story, “China Doll”! I was really nervous about this story since it pushed my writing comfort zone, but I’m also really happy with how it turned out and where it landed.

We also started looking at houses and put in an offer on one. I finished up the month by fixing up a story of mine that’s been hovering between novelette and novella length. I fleshed it out, made it squarely a novella, and began submitting it.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • WENT ON SUB!! | finished final agent revisions & went out on submission (to editors) with It’s Only a Game

  • SOLD “China Doll”! | sold short horror story to Aseptic & Faintly Sadistic

  • Wrote | dedication + afterword + acknowledgements for Bound Feet | re-outlined gothic horror novel | expanded a gothic horror novelette into a novella

  • Bought a house! | the sale of our old house closed and we put in an offer on a new house—which was accepted!

  • Read 7 books | faves: Wild is the Witch by Rachel Griffin, Sometimes We're Cruel and Other Stories by J.A.W. McCarthy, The Depths by Nicole Lesperance, Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, Story Genius by Lisa Cron

SEPTEMBER

September was a big, big month. First, I sold two stories! “Creature,” my first-ever short story (written in January 2021) will be published by the long-running Kaleidotrope in 2024! It’s a piece of my heart and I’m so happy I’ll get to share it with you all. And I made my first fantasy & flash fiction sale. “Harvest of the Deep” was acquired by the wonderful Fantasy magazine! I also received my first-ever anthology invitation, which I’ll share all about once it’s announced. I finished re-outlining my gothic horror novel and sent the outline to my agent, who provided her notes. :) And I joined both the Horror Writers Association & the Science Fiction Fantasy Writers Association as full members.

Then, Rob Carroll, the editor-in-chief of Dark Matter Ink, invited me to submit to the imprint. I sent several pitches, and we signed a contract for a modern gothic horror novella, The Bones Beneath Paris, to be published in February 2024! Dark Matter Ink is doing fantastic work and I’m so, so excited to be working with them on my next novella! I also pitched a historical pulp thriller novella to another imprint that’s interested—and I’ll be subbing that piece to them once I have a chance to write it next year. :)

And, of course…MY FIRST EVER SOLO BOOK RELEASED!!! My debut novella, Bound Feet, was published on September 27! There’s more about the story origins in the afterword, but suffice to say, this book lies very, very close to my heart. Writing it helped me through a really tough time, and it’s been absolutely wonderful seeing the reception it’s had from readers. (I don’t read my Goodreads reviews, but I do keep an eye on the stats page, and I read the messages and posts readers tag me in.) I also commissioned bookplates to celebrate the release, and ran a preorder campaign!

HIGHLIGHTS

  • PUBLISHED Bound Feet!!! | debut / horror novella published by Cemetery Gates Media

  • SOLD The Bones Beneath Paris!! | horror novella acquired by Dark Matter Ink

  • SOLD “Creature”! | sold a short horror story to Kaleidotrope

  • SOLD “Harvest of the Deep”! | sold a fantasy flash fiction piece to Fantasy

  • ANTHOLOGY INVITE! | first ever invitation to an (unannounced) anthology as a featured author

  • Wrote | finished re-outlining gothic horror novel | pitch for pulp novella

  • Joined | SFWA & HWA

  • Read 8 books | faves: The Honeys by Ryan La Sala, Sometime in Summer by Katrina Leno, Unmasking Autism by Devon Price

OCTOBER

Another big month! Two stories of mine were released. First, “Obedient Son,” my horror retelling of a Chinese folklore tale, was published in Sloane Leong & Cassie Hart’s gorgeous Death in the Mouth anthology. It was the first piece of mine that got its own custom illustration, and the book is absolutely stunning. I’m so excited my story was included! I also did my first ever author event, a contributor panel for Death in the Mouth! I was nervous, but it turned out to be really fun.

Second, “I Swear I Didn’t Kill the Others” was released in Dark Matter Presents: Human Monsters! This story took two outlines, seven drafts, ten critiques, and three consultations with a surgeon to get the details right. It was such a blast to write. The anthology is gorgeous and I’m obsessed with the cover. Sadie Hartmann and I also talked about the story—and Bound Feet—in an interview!

And then…the BIG BIG BIG NEWS. At the start of the month, I got a call from Jen letting me know an editor was interested in It’s Only a Game! I did a call with Camille Kellogg of Bloomsbury Children’s, and instantly knew I’d be incredibly lucky to have her as an editor! For the next few days after the call, I waited nervously to hear how acquisitions went (the meeting where the publisher decides whether or not to make an offer). Camille kindly sent us an update right afterward, and then two weeks later, the official offer came in! The process takes a while, so I didn’t announce until December, but I spent pretty much all of October and November giddy and absolutely bursting with the news!

Oh, and our house purchase closed and we started moving in. My three-year-old (at the time) daughter also started preschool, which was pretty emotional for us all. <3

HIGHLIGHTS

  • SOLD It’s Only a Game!!!! | sold YA thriller novel to Bloomsbury Children’s

  • PUBLISHED “Obedient Son”!! | short horror story published in Death in the Mouth

  • PUBLISHED “I Swear I Didn’t Kill the Others”!! | short horror story published in Dark Matter Presents: Human Monsters

  • First two author events | Death in the Mouth contributor panel | interview by Sadie Hartmann

  • Wrote | finished a short sci-fi story | worked on gothic horror novel | final edits for “China Doll”

  • Moved | closed on new house & began moving in

  • Read submissions | for khōréō

  • Read 12 books | faves: No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper, Bad Cree by Jessica Johns, The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, We Came From an Island by Cynthia Pelayo

NOVEMBER

November brought the publication of my first flash fiction piece, “Harvest of the Deep”, in Fantasy magazine! My anti-colonial fantasy story began as a micro-fiction (250 words), originally written for an Apex Magazine contest in 2021. I set it aside for a while, then decided to expand it and send it to Fantasy. I rarely write flash, so it was especially exciting that they loved it enough to publish it. This was my first piece published in a magazine, and the cover is GORGEOUS.

Moving is a never-ending process, it seems, and we continued to work on moving into and setting up our new space. I wrote more of my gothic horror novel, worked on various short stories, and wrote my first nonfiction essay! I also attended AugurCon for the first time, and it was AWESOME. It’s an online writers convention put on by the lovely team at Augur Magazine and I highly recommend it! I also received my first-ever blurb request, which was exciting! I have the book lined up to read early next year and I can’t wait.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • PUBLISHED “Harvest of the Deep”!! | fantasy flash fiction piece published in Fantasy, Issue 85

  • Wrote | wrote 6K of gothic horror novel | worked on various short stories | wrote first nonfiction essay

  • First blurb request

  • Moved | finished moving into new house

  • Attended | AugurCon

  • Read 7 books | fave: The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger

DECEMBER

I started the month off with an announcement for It’s Only a Game’s sale, which was fun! Then I did another call with my Bloomsbury editor, which got me excited to start YA thriller edits when January rolls around.

After that, I did something I never let myself do: I took a week off from writing to read and relax, and I felt so much more refreshed afterward. The rest of the month was pretty busy with holidays, seeing friends & family, my eldest daughter’s birthday, and attempts to wrap up writing goals for the year. I did manage to work on a few short stories and wrote a teensy bit more of my gothic horror novel. I also joined Codex!

HIGHLIGHTS

  • ANTHOLOGY INVITE! | received my second invitation as a featured author for an anthology—details will be announced soon!

  • Wrote | received It’s Only a Game edit letter & did a call w/ my editor | wrote 1K of gothic horror novel | worked on various short stories | final edits for “A Scarcity of Sharks”

  • Joined | Codex

  • Read 14 books | faves: A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher, Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong, I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World by Kai Cheng Thom, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson

OVERALL

At the start of the year, I couldn’t have imagined how any of 2022 would play out. This was a wildly exciting and exhausting year, and I wouldn’t change a minute of it. There’s a lot I didn’t list, of course, including critiquing friends’ stories and manuscripts (my friends’ books were some of my favorite reads this year and I wish I could talk about them, ahhhh!), reading a ton of magazines and short stories, and brainstorming various writing projects.

Year End Stats

  • Pieces published: 1 novella + 3 stories + 1 flash

  • Pieces sold: 1 novel + 2 novellas + 5 stories + 1 flash

  • Genres written: horror, science fiction, fantasy, YA thriller

  • Books read: 129 published + 5 friends’ manuscripts

  • Submissions read: 190+ stories

  • Critiques for friends: 5 novels + 11+ stories + 4 queries

  • Author events: 2

  • Anthology invites: 2

  • Babies birthed: 1

And there are plenty of things that aren’t conducive to stats but still matter a hell of a lot, like getting to know more writers. Finding more safe spaces online where I felt comfortable talking about BIPOC writer concerns. And feeling giddy whenever kind readers, reviewers, and fellow authors share how much they love my writing. This year has been incredible, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2023! Happy New Year! <3

Get a Signed and Personalized Bookplate for Bound Feet!

Hello, dear visitor! I’ll be writing in this blog on occasion. For this first post, I’m excited to share a fun thing I’ve had in the works for over a month. :)

I wanted to do something celebratory to launch my debut novella, so I commissioned a custom bookplate design from Ryan Mills, the artist who illustrated the gorgeous title page for Bound Feet. Ryan was friendly and easy to work with…and he did an absolutely phenomenal job with this project! I’m thrilled with how these turned out.

And now, for a limited time, you can get one of these beauties for free! I’ll sign it for you, stamp it in red ink with my Chinese name seal, and personalize it if you’d like (optional). To get one, preorder or order a paperback copy of Bound Feet by October 31, 2022, and then fill out this form and I’ll ship you your bookplate. And yes, it’s open worldwide!

Questions? I (might) have answers for you!

  • Q: Does it count if I already preordered Bound Feet before this?

    A: Of course!

  • Q: Do you ship to [my country]?

    A: The bookplates will be shipped in flat envelopes via USPS international letter mail. I ordered both domestic and international stamps for this purpose. If USPS will ship to your country with a stamp, then the answer is yes.

  • Q: Can I still get a bookplate if I order the ebook?

    A: Unfortunately, no. These are specifically for the paperback as they’re sticky in the back and meant to be placed inside your copy of the book.

  • Q: If I order more than one copy, can I get more than one bookplate?

    A: Yes! If they’re all going to the same address, you can use the form (just be clear on personalization, etc.). Alternately, send me a message through my contact form here.

  • Q: Where do I place the bookplate in the book?

    A: Anywhere you like! I’d probably put it right inside the cover, opposite the title page. But it’s your book, so do whatever looks best to you!

  • Q: I work at a bookstore that has Bound Feet in stock! Can I get some bookplates to include in book sales?

    First of all, thank you! I appreciate you stocking my book. Secondly, YES! I’d love to send you some signed bookplates. Drop me a line through the contact form.

  • Q: I ordered one of the anthologies you have a story in! Can I get a bookplate?

    A: These bookplates are gigantic—they’re meant to be placed in a single-authored book. They’d take up a lot of space in an anthology. If you have interest in an anthology-sized bookplate, leave a comment below letting me know! If there’s enough interest, I’ll figure something out. :)

  • Q: I ordered too late (after 10/31/22). Is there still a way to get a bookplate?

    A: I can’t promise anything, but if I have leftovers or there’s enough interest, I’ll put some in an online store. While I wish I could offer them free forever, it’s not financially feasible. Between the commissioned art, printing costs, shipping materials, and the rising cost of shipping, these are expensive to provide. I’m offering them free as a celebration and thank you for early supporters of the novella, but if there’s continuing interest, I’ll need help covering the costs.

  • Q: I prefer directly signed copies. Will those be available?

    A: I might put some directly signed copies up in my store from time to time. However, due to the amount of work it takes to ship books directly, I’m unlikely to have them available often. I’d rather spend my time writing. In addition, the high cost of shipping books outside the U.S is part of why I commissioned custom bookplates—I expect this to be a more accessible option.

Have a question I didn’t cover? Send me a message through the contact form. Thanks for visiting! :)