Author Spotlight: Jin Shisi Chai
The PFH team got a unique chance to send a few questions over to the author of In the Dark, Jin Shisi Chai! Check out her answers to the questions below:
How did you start writing and what are your favorite things about being an author?
I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing since I was little, even my language teachers often praised me for having talent in writing. I don’t think there was a particular turning point for me, and I sort of naturally stepped to the path of an author. My favorite thing is being able to wake up whenever I want and be my own boss.
Are you excited for the live action adaptation of your novel?
From the trailers released so far, the adaptation seemed to be focusing more on a traditional cop show. The cast are all well-known and talented actors, so I’m especially excited to see their performance on screen.
In the Dark has a lot of psychological themes laced throughout the story. What kind of research did you do to prepare to write it?
I didn’t do any specific research for this story; I guess I have my past self to thank for reading lots of books on psychology.
You reference a lot of detective novels throughout In the Dark—do you have any personal favorites you’d like to share?
I’m an avid fan of Agatha Christie. Regardless if you’ve watched adaptations of her works or read her books, I highly recommend rereading the original novels she wrote at least once. Another honorable mention is 90’s Japanese mystery novelist Aosaki Yugo, in particular three novels from his Urazome Tenma series—The Red Letter Mystery, The Gymnasium Murder, and The Aquarium Murder. Traditional detective stories are in a decline in modern literature, but his works are filled with young vitality and refreshingly unique in their own way. I would highly recommend picking up his book.
Storytellers usually are drawn to either crafting plot or characters first. Which is your preference and why?
I’ve always believed that the heart of any story lies in the character, even for a plot-heavy story like a mystery or thriller. With In the Dark, Xie Lanshan’s internal struggle between two extremes was definitely the focus of my writing for this novel. By the later half of the story, I can often find myself resonating with his emotions and no longer had to purposely paint an image of his character or frame him with stale words—that certainly was a curious feeling.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
My current project is called The Towering Beauty*, the second installment in my contemporary trilogy. Like the first novel of the trilogy Growth at the Fingertip*, the second installment is also a 70’s to 90’s background novel with a very plot-heavy focus/drama type story. I see myself as a non-traditional webnovelist, and the area I’m focusing on improvement right now is not only developing finer relationship depictions and growth of my characters, but also to create a believable world with nations and time.
What’s one thing you’d like to be remembered for?
To be an author who can speak through her works.
Do you have anything you’d like to say to your international audience?
The last two years have been quite hectic, and the global pandemic had made me realize that nothing is more important than staying healthy and safe during a time like this, so I hope everyone can stay safe and be happy.
*Note: The English translations of the novel titles are tentative and unofficial.
Don’t forget to check out her upcoming novel In the Dark that will be released in July 2021! Click on the image below to learn all about it!
