Rachna Singh, Editor, The Wise Owl talks to Ambika Nagino (pen name AA Vora), an Indian Japanese author, whose debut novel, Spin of Fate, has been making waves. Spin of Fate is the first book of The Fifth Realm trilogy, that is being published by Penguin Random House US. Ambika lives in Tokyo with her husband Shotaro, her daughter, and their fiery spirited dog Feänor. After two decades of immersing herself in various fictional worlds, she decided to attempt creating her own.

 

Thanks Ambika, for taking time out to talk with The Wise Owl

 

RS: For the benefit of the readers please tell us a bit about your background and what inspired you to start writing ‘Spin of Fate’?

 

AN: I’ve always loved reading and writing but due to a combination of societal pressure, a desire for financial security, and my risk averse nature, my academic and professional life took quite a different path. I switched majors from English to Economics in my sophomore year at Princeton University; years later, I withdrew my application for a masters in creative writing to pursue an MBA. I refused job opportunities in journalism for management consulting because it seemed a more financially prudent choice, and worked for Deloitte and McKinsey Tokyo. I am currently employed in the pharmaceutical industry.

 

While my jobs were great learning opportunities and rewarding in their own way, I had no creative outlet. The pressure of working in an almost 100% Japanese language setting meant I also had limited opportunities to express myself in English. SPIN OF FATE started as a personal project to blow off steam; a catharsis for me when I was working long hours in a very intense, often stressful corporate environment.

 

 

RS: How has your Japanese-Indian heritage influenced your writing, particularly in creating the world of ‘Spin of Fate’?

 

AN: I am of Indian ethnicity but Japanese nationality, and I speak English, Gujarati, and Japanese fluently. Being a mixed bag myself, the world and nomenclature I created is also a mix, with elements taken from both cultures. Similarly, the characters and their mindsets tend to reflect archetypes seen in Indian / Japanese rather than western media, for instance…

• the ‘tiger’ mom who loves her child, but at her worst, ends up engaging in controlling and sometimes abusive parenting

• the religiously brainwashed youth who tries to make sense of the world outside the pressures of society

• the stoic, katana-wielding youth who doesn’t know how to express his true emotions

I think this combination of more “foreign” (for lack of better world) worldbuilding / nomenclature combined with character archetypes that are less frequently represented in western media will definitely make SPIN OF FATE a challenge for some reader groups… although it seems to be finding a dedicated audience which I am very grateful for.

 

 

RS: What anime or other fictional worlds have had the most significant impact on your storytelling style?

 

AN: NARUTO is my all-time favorite manga and influenced both the magic system (my magical particle “chitrons” function, in some ways, like chakra) as well as the characters (while I can’t draw any direct parallels, the dynamics of the main trio were certainly inspired by how Kishimoto-sensei wrote Team 7).

 

I also love SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN, especially how (slight spoiler alert!) Isayama-sensei subverts a certain character’s arc and makes the bold choice of having them regress at the end of the series. This development was relatively well-received in Japan but criticized heavily abroad, which I found interesting and reflective of how the two audiences have very different expectations. Personally, I admire Isayama-sensei’s narrative since it struck me as very realistic. From the perspective of psychology, it’s natural for humans to sometimes fall back on toxic patterns when subjected to stress, even after experiencing growth. That’s another thing that inspired me to write my characters the way I did—at least for book 1.

 

Other manga inspirations include sports series such as KUROKO NO BASUKE and FREE!. I wouldn’t use these as comparative titles, but I do enjoy their rivalry and friendship aspects, which I think are reflected in the way I write character dynamics and dialogue.

 

Finally, while this is not specific to any franchise, I adore certain storytelling aspects often seen in manga and anime, including:

• the dynamic fight scenes (which more often than not include characters shouting out their ideologies at one another, Naruto vs. Sasuke being a prime example)

• training arcs with explanations how certain magical techniques work

• hero and villain monologues (the latter accompanied by maniacal laughter)

• awkward romances (lots of stuttering and blushing, with more focus on subtext than explicit action)

While I recognize these elements aren’t always well received outside of manga and anime circles, I find them incredibly fun, especially when writing for children. The kids and teens I know love this kind of stuff, and I’m all for popularizing stylistic choices from different parts of the world.

 

Outside manga, Sanderson’s works (e.g. ELANTRIS) are an inspiration and the reason I chose to write a hard magic system, i.e., one with specific rules and principles that need to be understood in order to progress the plot. Also Pullman’s THE GOLDEN COMPASS, in particular the idea of dust as a conscious particle which inspired chitrons as conscious particles in my series. Jordan’s THE WHEEL OF TIME (channeling) and of course… Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS. This last one seems redundant to mention since it’s inspired nearly every fantasy author ever. Finally, the Bhagavad Gita with respect to karma for the magic system… but more on that later!

 

 

RS: What was the most challenging part of writing your debut novel?

 

AN: Editing.

 

YA books in the US seem to have a lot of unspoken rules that you don’t typically see in manga and non-western media. For instance, I was encouraged to amp up the romance in SPIN OF FATE; while I pushed back and kept it relatively minimal, the subtext is definitely stronger than it was in earlier drafts. On the other hand, before I even landed an agent, it was suggested that I simplify the magic system and worldbuilding, which pained me… although they still remain fairly complex.

 

To me, as someone who reads a lot of manga and Sanderson, SPIN OF FATE’s magic isn’t all that complicated. Many YA readers, however, seem to feel differently, so the feedback was spot-on here. I was also encouraged to cut back on some of the more philosophical aspects of the book; I would have loved to spend more time having the characters do quiet, philosophical introspection, or debate the ethical implications of the magic system. Although I think those elements are still present to an extent, I ended up having to cut them down to move the plot along quicker (the argument being that typical YA readers have shorter attention spans; while this may very well be the case, as someone whose recent favorite read is Ruocchio’s EMPIRE OF SILENCE, I personally love a slow setup).

 

Overall, the editing experience has made me realize that my tastes and the kind of book I want to write (longer, slower paced, with more complex magic and worldbuilding, and morally ambiguous characters with darker arcs) is perhaps more suitable to adult fantasy than YA. But since I want to write about dramatic, angsty teenagers, and themes that are appropriate for children, I have to write within certain rules of the YA space, which can be frustrating. To my editor’s credit, he’s let me break a few rules, and has been an absolute delight when it comes to respecting my vision for the book… even when that vision doesn’t fit the market trends.

 

I also disagree with the notion that children can’t absorb complex magic systems or enjoy philosophical debates. Manga often feature these very elements and manage to be hugely popular. There are plenty of children who read and enjoy topics far above their so-called level (e.g., twelve-year-olds who devour tomes like WHEEL OF TIME; children who excel at science and math, or enjoy activities like debate and Model United Nations). Perhaps those children aren’t necessarily the majority… but they exist, and I want to write for them.

 

RS: Can you walk us through your writing process? Do you follow a strict outline or let the story develop more organically?

 

AN: I’m a plotter all the way. When SPIN OF FATE was published, I’d already written books 2 and 3 of THE FIFTH REALM, as well as plotted out in entirety and written some of a potential prequel. When we were discussing contract terms with Penguin Random House, I sent them a detailed excel spreadsheet that outlined the main plot beats and character arcs for the series, which is one of the reasons they gave me a trilogy deal upfront (oftentimes contracts for latter books in a series are sales-dependent; thankfully this isn’t the case for THE FIFTH REALM).

 

Because of this, there are many elements in SPIN OF FATE that are tied to previous or latter books. Some easter eggs, dialogues that will take on a deeper meaning once the prequel is out, character decisions that will make more sense once you uncover their entire plan… that kind of thing.

 

RS: ‘Spin of Fate features a hard magic system loosely based on Indian philosophy. Can you elaborate on how you developed this system?

 

AN: The Toranic Law system in SPIN OF FATE is loosely inspired by the law of karma… with a bit of high school physics and chemistry thrown in. To summarize: human souls are comprised of spinning particles called chitrons. New chitrons are created with each conscious intention or action one takes, and together these chitrons constitute one’s soul. Each chitron has a spin, which is determined by the nature of the intention or action that engendered it; positive ones create forward-spinning or positive chitrons, while negative ones create the opposite. A person’s overall soul-spin is thus the average spin of all the chitrons they have accumulated over their lifetime. There are other rules and nuances that are explained in the book, but that’s the gist of it.

 

The implication of the soul-spin is that it determines what realm you may live in (and the realms in turn are loosely inspired by the idea of lokas). To put it simply, those possessing negative soul-spins inhabit the lower realms, while those with positive soul-spins inhabit the higher ones. It’s kind of like a sorting system based on cumulative morality… and you can ascend and descend between realms based on your changing soul-spin.

 

Another inspiration in developing this system was the anime PSYCHO-PASS; I don’t want to spoil much since this is a lesser-known anime than some of the ones I previously mentioned, but Toranic Law was, in parts, inspired by the crime-coefficient. Both are all-knowing, non-human systems that judge humans.

 

RS: The novel has three points of view. How did you manage to keep each character's voice distinct and engaging?

 

AN: Individual voices were written based on the characters’ realms and upbringings. Take one of the three main characters, Meizan. He is a warrior from a lower realm and has experienced much hardship, so he speaks in a fairly simple, brusque manner; he really doesn’t have time to waste when he’s constantly fighting for his survival. He swears a lot, while using realm-specific expletives (e.g. in his realm, bugs are viewed as inferior life forms due to reasons I won’t spoil here, and thus he uses words like ‘cockroach’ or ‘flea’ as insults). I tried to keep these speech patterns present throughout his chapters, including during his internal monologues and the way he describes the environment around him. He can be quite crude at times.

 

Aranel is the opposite of Meizan. He is sheltered and spoiled, having lived in relative bliss in an ethereal upper realm. His speech is thus more polished, and his descriptions of nature can get flowery. I imagine he’s the kind of person who gets lost in the beauty of a place. He also tends to soften his dialogue constantly with words like “perhaps” and “I suppose” —a speech trait I took from Japanese language, where you often do the same thing (usually to avoid coming off as too strong, or to avoid hurting another’s feelings). To add to this, he is an extremely pretentious teenager—if there’s anyone using fancy words in their speech or inner monologue, it’s Aranel. He probably thinks it makes him sound smart (all it really does is make him sound a bit ridiculous). He hardly ever swears and when he does, the expletives he uses are markedly different from Meizan and Aina (“blessed” versus “bleeding”).

 

The third main character, Aina, has lived in both realms and so she’s a mixture of the two, often depending on her mood or who she’s speaking to.

 

I made lists of words that each character would use or avoid, along with general rules for writing their chapters, including tiny, insignificant things like the placement of the dialogue tags (for Aranel’s chapters, these come before the noun, to give him a slightly more classic feel—for the other two characters, they come after).

 

RS: What was your experience like in getting your debut novel published? Any surprises or lessons learned along the way?

 

AN: A roller-coaster that gave me major whiplash and has left me with quite a bit of residual trauma (and major imposter’s syndrome) despite ending ultimately in what one might consider success.

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To get picked up by a traditional publisher in the US, you have to first find a literary agent through a process called querying. I’m not going to bore you with the details since there’s plenty of information online, but you’re essentially pitching your synopsis and sending over a writing sample to literary agents in the hopes they’ll be interested in reading your entire manuscript—and, if they finish it and enjoy it, representing you in front of publishers.

 

I spent 5 years amassing between 150 and 200 agent rejections, 99% of which were ghosts or form rejections without any meaningful feedback. More than once, I was convinced I should give up. Convinced that I didn’t have the skill to make it as a writer, that my risk-averse choice of building a corporate career had been the right one.

 

But in late 2021, I got an offer from my agent Jon. Typically, once you have an agent, they’ll polish and edit your manuscript with you, before sending it on submission. They’ll typically submit to a variety of publishers—the big 4, as well as boutique and independent publishers—after which it’s a waiting game. You usually wait a few weeks or months for a publisher response. In many cases, if there’s no response, you have to either try another round of submissions after further edits… or give up on the manuscript altogether.

 

After my 5 years of agent rejection, I expected at least 2 years of publisher rejection. Shockingly, in early 2022, I landed an overnight deal after an editor at Putnam (an imprint of Penguin Random House) devoured my manuscript within hours of Jon sending it to him. Even better, after consideration with their president and various other divisions, Putnam offered me a pre-empt—which is when publishers tempt you with a large advance upfront to stop you from going into an auction with multiple publishing houses bidding on the manuscript. So that’s where the whiplash aspect came in, because I did not expect such a quick success.

 

I was euphoric for quite a while… until we got to the marketing stage, nearly two years after I’d signed my original contract (yes, traditional publishing in the US moves at a frustratingly slow pace). I don’t want to talk too much about SPIN OF FATE’s marketing because I’m still rather bitter and sad about how things turned out… but I will say that in some ways, Booktube was my saviour. A couple of very prominent and critical booktubers posted videos positively reviewing SPIN OF FATE a few months to weeks before it released. As a debut writer, it was my dream to get picked up by one of these booktubers, although realistically, I didn’t expect it to happen until a couple years after my book had built an audience. So to get that kind of positive coverage early on was shocking, amazing, humbling… and a great boost to my sales.

 

To end with a lesson: the industry is a lot more cutthroat than a lot of us realize. I’ve heard that only 1-2% of aspirational authors ever land literary agents, and even fewer of those go on to secure publishing deals. Of the books that do get published, I’ve seen a statistic floating around (from the Penguin Random House trial) that a majority never sell more than 1,000 copies.

 

A lot of authors, myself included, tend to hyperfocus on the negative aspects about publishing (lack of transparency, tight deadlines, schedule delays, word count constraints, marketing, etc.). But upon stepping back and looking at the larger picture, I’ve realized what a privileged position I’m in.

 

For instance, despite being an unknown debut, I got to pick my cover artist (Sidharth Chaturvedi, he did the Eragon illustrated version!) and work closely with the design team on my cover; I got an audiobook (narrated by Simon Vance himself, you might recognize him from DUNE or FIRE AND BLOOD); and I was pretty much guaranteed to have my book stocked at all major bookstores in US and internationally.

 

At this point, I’m learning to try and be happy and grateful for what I have, rather than worrying about what I don’t. I can’t say I’ve been successful here—querying and the overall publishing process takes a toll on your mental health—but I’m trying!

 

RS: Can you give us a sneak peek into the next instalment of "The Fifth Realm" trilogy?

 

AN: My series website thefifthrealm.net—written, designed, and illustrated by me—has more details on worldbuilding, magic system… as well as some book 2 clues. It’s free to access so check it out if you’re interested (on desktop if you can, the mobile version is a bit glitchy). Maybe some of the content will convince you to try SPIN OF FATE.

 

Also feel free to follow me on Instagram @a2vora where I’m supposed to be actively promoting my book. This is another part of publishing that shocked me—the need to have a public social media presence (the opposite of Japan, where the public doesn’t even know the name or gender—forget face—of certain popular mangaka). I struggle to find time for socials and end up being fairly inactive, so I need to do a lot better.

 

RS: When you're not writing or working, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

 

AN: Aside from the obvious (manga, books), I enjoy Pokémon battling with my husband (initially the video games, more recently the trading cards), traveling (our family loves scuba diving and going on beachy holidays), karaoke, working out, eating spicy food, and of course, spending time with my precious toddler and our dog.

 

RS: Your dog, Fëanor, has a rather fiery name. Is there a story behind it?

 

AN: My dog is named after the character from Tolkien’s THE SILMARILLION—my favorite book of all time. I find Fëanor’s character utterly fascinating even though he’s sort of insufferable.

 

My Fëanor (whom we lovingly call Fëa) responds to commands in Elvish, and has, since his puppy days, displayed quite the adventurous spirit. Of his siblings, he was always the first to leave his cage; in fact, he hated being constrained within it… sound familiar?

 

Thank you for talking to The Wise Owl about your book. We wish you the best in all your creative endeavours and look forward to the second instalment of your trilogy.

 

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