by E.D. Walker
I would write stories to accompany my short compositions when I was a kid, and that helped me stretch my imagination and gain confidence as a writer.
Elizabeth Lim
Elizabeth Lim is the author of Spin the Dawn, a sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl named Maia who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor at court. She ends up on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars. Part Mulan, part Project Runway, this immersive first installment of The Blood of Stars series released July 9, 2019 from Random House. In addition to writing novels, Lim worked as a film and video game composer and holds a doctorate in music composition from The Juilliard School.
INTERSTELLAR FLIGHT PRESS: Did you do any research for the tailoring and fashion portion of this book? (Just how much Project Runway did you have to watch?) Do you know how to sew yourself? Where did you get your inspiration for all the incredible court dresses and outfits that you describe in the book?
ELIZABETH LIM: I actually didn’t watch any Project Runway while writing Spin the Dawn (shh lol). I’ve seen plenty of seasons though, so I didn’t need any help jogging my memory. A lot of my research came from my childhood memories: my grandmother was a seamstress, and my mother loves embroidery and all sorts of needlecraft, so I grew up around lots of sewing in the house. While I was writing Spin the Dawn, I also borrowed all the books from the library on Chinese embroidery and traditional dress and relied on my childhood hobby of fashion drawing to create the court outfits described in my book. The setting of my book isn’t Ancient China per se, but the fashion does draw heavily from historical dress (and was inspired by my visit to the Metropolitan Museum’s amazing exhibit “China: Through the Looking Glass” in 2015).
IFP: I saw on your website that you’re a composer and a fan of movie scores. (I am also a huge movie score geek.) Do you have a favorite movie composer or film score? Do you ever compose music to go along with your novels? Does composing music use the same parts of your brain that writing does, or are different muscles in play?
EL: I love this question! I don’t have a favorite movie composer or film score—I have too many to list! But the way I started out writing fiction was through music: I wanted to become a film composer, so I would write stories to accompany my short compositions when I was a kid, and that helped me stretch my imagination and gain confidence as a writer. And yes, I’m a firm believer that composing music uses the same parts of my brain as writing: I always try to pay attention to the harmony of my words as well as their rhythm, and the structure of my stories often relate to musical forms I learned in school.
IFP: You mention on your website that you’re a new mom. Has that been challenging for you? Any tips for all the other working writer moms out there on “making it work,” to quote Project Runway?
EL: I am still figuring this out! I’m not sure if I have any tips on how to “make it work,” but I’ve learned to be easier on myself and to allow myself to rest. When my baby was first born, I pushed myself to write whenever she was sleeping, and I got tired out very fast. Now I sleep when she sleeps, and I snatch whatever writing time I can in the mornings and evenings. It’s not the most ideal schedule, but I’m still working consistently, even if a bit slower!
IFP: Book Two in The Blood of Stars series has been announced already. For fans of Spin the Dawn can you give us any news about what’s coming next?
EL: Without giving anything away, you can expect a darker tale with plenty of new challenges for Maia. And there will be more Lady Sarnai!
To learn more about Elizabeth Lim, for links to her work, and ways to purchase her books, check out her website, elizabethlim.com.