Karina Yan Glaser is the author of the bestselling Vanderbeekers series and the stand-alone novel A Duet for Home. Her forthcoming middle grade novel, The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli, follows the parallel journeys of two teens across a dual timeline adventure. We invited Yan Glaser and her editor Anne Hoppe, editorial director of Clarion and Allida at HarperCollins Children’s Books, to discuss their collaboration, which is infused with their shared love of Chinese history and art.
Anne Hoppe: Karina, I was so moved when you said The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli is the book you’ve always wanted to write, but it made me realize I was harboring a secret.
Karina Yan Glaser: A secret? This I need to know!
Hoppe: It’s just—no, wait. Priorities: what should people know about your new novel?
Yan Glaser: Really? You’re not going to tell me? Now I’m going to be distracted during the rest of this conversation!
Hoppe: Sorry, the book comes first!
Yan Glaser: Fine, I’ll humor you… for now. The novel is middle grade historical fiction set in two time periods: 1931 Chinatown, N.Y.C., and 731 Chang’An and the Silk Roads, China. Both protagonists—Luli in 1931, and Han Yu in 731—embark on perilous journeys to save their families.
Hoppe: Naturally, each young hero has animal friends!
Yan Glaser: Naturally! I don’t think I can write a book without animal friends!
Hoppe: With the storylines alternating in short, suspenseful chapters, how did you even approach writing this book?
Yan Glaser: This was definitely the most ambitious book I’ve ever written. In addition to it being historical fiction, I was also working out two different time periods and locations. To create some symmetry, I have the protagonists move through the seasons at the same time, despite the over one-thousand year difference between them. While the two never meet, other elements connect them, such as their mutual love for steamed buns. When the first draft was finally done, I was so nervous to hear your reaction!
Hoppe: I was just blown away. You always create great characters—kids who solve problems—and narratives that include hardships and sorrow but retain reassuring warmth. Here, you not only did that twice, but the storylines work together with the whole being so much greater than sum of its parts! Of course, you know what I did next.
Yan Glaser: It still gives me anxiety to think about!
Hoppe: Yeah, it was pretty terrible, but I asked you to break this magnificent creation into two, so we could work on each story individually. There was no way I could have edited each storyline if I had to follow both at once.
Yan Glaser: Trading the stories back and forth was intense. Whenever I sent a revision for one storyline, I’d get notes back for the other one. Did you ever worry it wouldn’t come together in the end?
Hoppe: I’m an editor: worrying is my job! But so is having faith, and you miraculously kept the structure intact. I am still in awe!
Yan Glaser: Many thanks to the Microsoft Word table feature for helping me track everything!
Hoppe: Is that part of your standard process?
Yan Glaser: It depends on the project. It was particularly helpful here since the two stories operated on different calendar systems, Gregorian and lunar. I also created a notebook for my research, historical photos, weather and temperatures, and maps. While I loved the research part, it was absolutely overwhelming at times.
Hoppe: Little did you know your editor is a student of Chinese history and lover of Chinese painting.
Yan Glaser: Discovering that made me immediately nervous. I knew you would be editing with a lot of background knowledge!
Hoppe: I love how you’ve woven in real history—like including the great poet Du Fu as a character.
Yan Glaser: When I first picked up a book about the Tang dynasty poets, I was immediately drawn to Du Fu. I was enchanted to learn that he would often spend time wandering the areas surrounding Chang’An. Then, as I was writing Han Yu’s story, there he was! I loved making him an essential part of the journey.
Hoppe: His actual poetry is a key plot point! And while your story is about so many things—including friendship, family, entering a wider world, and finding the courage to do what needs to be done—it is also about the power of art to connect us through the ages. Which brings us back to my secret.
Yan Glaser: At last!
Hoppe: At Allida, we believe when creators draw on their passions, great books result. But I never imagined that editing a brilliant middle grade adventure would mean drawing on my own deep passion for Chinese art. Karina: this is the book I have always wanted to edit. There, I said it. Now: why is it the book you always wanted to write?
Yan Glaser: It has always been my dream to write a book that combines so much of what I love: history, art, poetry, animals, and food! I love historical fiction and dual narratives, and it was very special to pull on the threads of my own heritage.
Hoppe: Well done! But, quickly—what’s next?
Yan Glaser: I am currently writing another middle grade book about a ragtag group of kids trying to save a special building on their block.
Hoppe: I can’t wait!
The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser. Allida, $19.99 Sept. 16 ISBN 978-0-0632-8443-2
