Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Kathy Stickles is talking with Chen Junhua, author of The Dance of the Sambar Deer and More Singaporean Fables.

FQ: This is such a lovely book and I really enjoyed reading it. What made you decide to put these fables down on paper?

JUNHUA: I used to be a teacher and then when my students made mistakes I would often think of relatable fables and use it during those teachable moments. However, most of the stories that I've shared with my students were based on generic animals much like Aesop's fables. After telling the stories, I would try to remember them and type them out on a document. Eventually, I managed to compile 10 stories and thought how nice it would be if I could make them into my first collection of fables. That was my first book and after the success of that first book, I began to work on this second book.

FQ: Do you have a personal favorite among the ten stories in the book?

JUNHUA: As the father of these stories, it's really hard to pick favorites. However, If I were to really choose, it would have to be Dance of the Sambar Deer. It is like a coming-of-age story that sort of reflects my current state of mind; where everyone, including myself, often forgets to take stock of how far we have come and how much we have grown.

FQ: Are these stories that you heard as a child or did you set out to research the stories and culture of a specific place and just chose Singapore?

JUNHUA: Setting the stories in Singapore was a no-brainer because I'm from Singapore. The reason for that is also because many people think that Singapore is a concrete jungle and mistakenly think that we do not have many animals that are native or unique to our tiny island country. Thus, I felt that it was a duty of mine to raise their awareness.

FQ: The illustrations are fabulous. Do you and the illustrator work together one story at a time or do you write the whole book first and then pass it along so the pictures can be created?

JUNHUA: We usually have to write the story first because the illustrations take very long to do. The reason for this is because during the editing process, sometimes there may be major changes to the characters or even the action of the animals. Thus, to avoid abortive work, we only begin the illustrating process only after the stories have been cleared.

FQ: What does the future hold for you as an author…more fables from Singapore, fables from another country, or something completely different?

JUNHUA: Besides being the author of these 2 fables collections, I also have a Fairy Tale fantasy story, Library of Mystory, which I am currently trying to make into a full featured animated movie. Also, I'm currently working on my 3rd fables collection, with some ideas slated for the 4th book as well.

FQ: Is there anything in your personal background that has influenced the way that you write or what you write about?

JUNHUA: As mentioned, I was a teacher for over 15 years and I feel that definitely influenced the purpose of why I write. I feel that values are the most important things that parents and educators can instill in children, thus I want to create stories that do just that.

FQ: What do you enjoy the most about being an author?

JUNHUA: I love that I'm able to impact others' lives with my stories and help them learn valuable lessons about life.

FQ: What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

JUNHUA: Be open to criticism. Understand that the book-writing process is a long one and that the version that you presented to the person is unlikely to be the final version that will go out into the world anyway. One of the toughest critics will be your editor, but understand that they also want the same thing as you, which is to help your book prosper. Thus, do not take any critique of your story as an attack on you. Instead, take a step back, let go of your ego and listen with an open mind to see why they are saying the things they are saying. You may not agree with everything they say, but learn to pick your battles well so that when there are instances where you really wish to hold firm on, you will be more persuasive and likely to get your way.

FQ: Are there any authors that you have read that had a big impact on you?

JUNHUA: Besides the Dan Browns and JK Rowlings that most people would have probably read, I particularly find self-help books very impactful. In fact, I would say that Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was the book that changed my life.
I was introduced to the book by my ex-Principal in my first school, back then, he would be intentional in aligning how he runs the school with the principles shared in the book. It was the first time I've heard of the book and it forced me to go purchase a copy and read it. It's had a profound impact on my life and the way I live it, and I've even shared it with my siblings who also greatly benefited from the book.

FQ: What message(s) do you hope readers will take away with them after reading this book?

JUNHUA: Of course, other than the morals that accompany each fable, there is a central theme that I wanted to share with my readers. You will see that many stories are about adopting a new perspective to things, like in A House for Herman, it's about seeing with gratitude, the things that you already possess, just like in A Tale of Two Turtles, it's about seeing losing a friend might not be such a bad thing after all.

However, most importantly, I also hope that the readers don't just see the morals that I wrote at the end of the stories but find their own takeaways from each of the stories I've written.

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