Ya lah, I'm
Anya / Singaporean / living in Melbourne / grey-ace / a graphic designer / working in advertising / an ex-lawyer / an illustrator / a writer / a food snob / a cat herder / a briber of dogs
huh? where is singapore?
You don't remember us? It's ok. I know we're easy to miss. Never fear, this is why tacky map modules were coded. Behold:
I just want to read your stuff
I write so that my cats can have a better life.
2022 / ion curtain / novel / science fiction
My space opera ION CURTAIN has been published by Solaris! Set in a future where people have invented a way to explore the stars, it's an enemies-to-lovers queer story about space espionage, rogue ASIs, and heists. It's now available from the publisher, and on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, BAM!, Bookshop, Indiebound and more. Check it out! You can also read more about it here.
I'm represented by the awesome Jennie Goloboy of Donald Maass Literary Agency.
Older Short Stories
2020 / cradle and grave / novella / science fiction
My post-apocalyptic dystopian novella, CRADLE AND GRAVE, is out as part of Neon Hemlock's Novella series. I'm excited to join a great slate of diverse authors for this project, and I'm looking forward to everyone being able to read the book. If you're looking for some new novella reading, check it out. The paperback is available on Amazon, but ebook distribution might not be available yet outside the USA on Amazon: if you'd like to buy the ebook, buy it direct from the publisher here.
2016 / the firebird's tale / novel / fantasy
I published THE FIREBIRD'S TALE in 2016 with Less than Three Press. It starts with a familiar story: a kingdom on the edge of Faerie, a Prince Who Never Smiles, and a royal mandate—whomsoever can make Prince Aleksei smile will be awarded his hand in marriage. But life is never neat, and the one who succeeds not only does so by accident: he isn’t even human.
Unfortunately, Less than Three Press closed in July 2019. I'm still trying to figure things out, but I'm working on the sequel, and I'll probably re-release this book under a pay-what-you-want model after some editing. I'm grateful to everyone who's read and supported the book and to the lovely people at Less than Three Press. I wish them all the best.
What about nonfiction?
I run my agency's blog, which you can find [ here ]. I remain surprised that I've been given near-absolute power over the blog, which has resulted in classics such as Writing Online Dating Profiles: Advice from an Ad Agency [ x ], Long Live Avocado Toast [ x ], and The Rise of Evil Photoshop [ x ]. Don't @ me.
where's your portfolio?
I work at an ad agency in Melbourne and in my free time I write SF&F stories, so I don't tend to take freelance clients. You can see some of the packaging I've done out in the wild for Melbourne City Rooftop Honey though, a green initiative in Melbourne focused on ethical beekeeping. Buy their stuff [x]. It's super tasty.
STILL CURIOUS?
Here's some of my fave personal and agency work over the years. Working in the creative agency has been a dream. I do what I love for a living, and hopefully that can be seen from the snapshot of work below. For more agency work, check out the ad agency I'm at here [x].
you should have a blog
tell me about your cats
Here are Russ and Pascal. They are totally friends. Totally. Russ loves Pascal. You can see it in his face. Their ceasefire has been in effect since 2018.
Russ is an elderly Birman cat with food allergies and a terrible addiction to tuna. He does not think he is a cat – he thinks he is God. He considers all cat toy offerings with supreme disdain and attempts to teach him how to "sit" with contempt. Pascal is a forever kittenbrained ginger domestic shorthair with one (1) brain cell, imperfect object permanence, and an incorrectly installed cat operating system. He likes to fight all the things. Yell at all the things. He's a 24/7 perpetual motion noise machine.
Cats make great companions for writers. Mine like to cuddle up when I'm writing on the couch. Pascal often tries to add to the word count with his butt.
