Natasha Ngan

Natasha Ngan (born 1990) is an English writer of sci-fi and fantasy young adult fiction, best known for her New York Times bestselling young adult fantasy series Girls of Paper and Fire.

Natasha Ngan
Natasha Ngan at BookExpo 2019
Natasha Ngan at BookExpo 2019
Born1990 (age 32–33)
St. Albans, Hertfordshire
LanguageEnglish
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
Genreyoung adult fiction
Years active2013–present
Notable worksGirls of Paper and Fire
Website
natashangan.com

Personal life

Ngan was born in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. She is mixed-race and grew up between the U.K. and Malaysia.[1] She is of Malaysian descent on her mother's side and spent a lot of time there growing up.[1] Ngan says that her multicultural upbringing contributed to her wanting to write diverse stories.[2] Ngan has always been interested in intercultural relations, which she names as one of the reasons why she studied geography at the University of Cambridge, specializing in cultural geography.[3][4] There, she first developed the idea for what would become her debut novel, The Elites.[5] After graduation, she started working for a social media agency in London.[5][6] Aside from writing, she is also a fashion blogger and teaches yoga.[1][5]

Her third novel, Girls of Paper and Fire, is inspired by her Chinese-Malaysian heritage.[7]

She currently lives in Paris.[8]

Career

Ngan is represented by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.[9]

Standalones

Her debut novel, The Elites, was published by Hot Key Books in September 2013, about a teenager who has to protect the city as a warrior because of her genetically superior DNA.[10] Ngan names 2001 book Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve as well as the works of writers Patrick Ness and Paolo Bacigalupi as some of her influences for the novel, due to their "original" and "exotic"-feeling settings.[2]

A second novel, The Memory Keepers, about a futuristic London in which memories are currency, and following a boy who steals memories and sells them on the black market.[11] It was published in 2014, also by Hot Key Books.[12] Ngan had the idea for writing the novel during a family holiday in Seville, where she found herself wishing to be able to bottle up the memories and relive them again and again, a concept which ultimately served as the basis for the premise of the novel.[11]

Girls of Paper and Fire series

Her third novel, Girls of Paper and Fire, the first in a trilogy of the same name, is set in a world in which a Demon King chooses among eight human concubines and two of them, Lei and Wren, fall for each other.[13][14] Ngan says the first spark of the story originated from the idea of wanting to write about two courtesans of a demon king who fall for each other instead of for him.[15] The novel tackles topics like sexual assault, homophobia, and the commodification of women's bodies.[1] As a sexual abuse survivor, Ngan states that it was important for her to tackle the topics in a sensible manner, in order to prepare teens for the world and not to shelter them.[1] It was published by Jimmy Patterson Books in November 2018.[7] Girl of Paper and Fire debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list.[16]

The second novel in the series, Girls of Storm and Shadow, picks up right after the events of the first, following Lei and Wren as they travel the kingdom to gain favors from rebel clans after the assassination of the Demon King.[17] Girls of Storm and Shadow was released in November 2019.[18]

The last and final novel, Girls of Fate and Fury, is scheduled for publication in 2021.[19]

Bibliography

Girls of Paper and Fire series
  1. Girls of Paper and Fire (2018)
  2. Girls of Storm and Shadow (2019)
  3. Girls of Fate and Fury (2021)

Standalone
  • The Elites (2013)
  • The Memory Keepers (2014)

References
  1. "Q & A with Natasha Ngan". publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  2. Arianne (2018-10-10). "INTERVIEW // Take Five with Natasha Ngan, author of Girls of Paper and Fire". the paper alchemist. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  3. keithbwalters (2013-08-19). "An Interview With… Natasha Ngan!". the bibliomaniac book blog. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  4. "Career inspiration: Natasha Ngan – YA Author & Blogger – Prettygreentea". Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  5. "My 9 to 5: Natasha Ngan, the YA Writer Behind Girls of Paper and Fire". Coco's Tea Party. 2018-05-14. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  6. Natasha (2016-02-28). "At The Apartment with Natasha Ngan". Bisous Natasha. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  7. "Natasha Ngan Shares the Influences Behind Her Asian-Inspired YA Fantasy". Goodreads. 2018-10-30. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  8. "About – Natasha Ngan". Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  9. "About – Natasha Ngan". Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  10. "Philip Reeve". Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  11. "Book Birthday Interview: THE MEMORY KEEPERS by Natasha Ngan". AUTHOR ALLSORTS. 2014-09-04. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  12. "Books – Natasha Ngan". Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  13. "Natasha Ngan on Winter 2018–2019 Kids' Indie Next List Top Pick "Girls of Paper and Fire"". the American Booksellers Association. 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  14. Waites, Sarah (2018-11-08). "Author Interview: Natasha Ngan on Girls of Paper and Fire". The Illustrated Page. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  15. "Author Spotlight: Natasha Ngan talks Girls of Paper and Fire | Megan Write Now | Author Interviews | Writing Tips". www.meganwritenow.com. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  16. "Young Adult Hardcover Books - Best Sellers - November 25, 2018 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  17. "Start Reading Now From This Fantasy About Queer Love, Dark Magic, And A Rebel Uprising". Bustle. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  18. Girls of Storm and Shadow. 2019-03-05.
  19. "Girls of Fate and Fury (Girls of Paper and Fire, #3)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
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