PRESS FAQS

FAQs relating to In Safe Hands

1/ What is In Safe Hands about?

In Safe Hands is about a woman who returns to her wealthy elderly father, an immigrant in London, to care for him but he rejects her because of his new caregiver who is perfect in his eyes.

2/ What inspired you to write In Safe Hands?

My story was inspired by what I saw once in a hotel lobby bar which made me weep. An elderly man was completely phenomenal at playing the grand piano and when he stopped and got up, his daughter went to assist him. He was stunned and blinked at her. He could not speak or even know what he was playing, presumably due to dementia or Alzheimer’s. “That was you, Daddy. You played the piano, Daddy,” she said to him. “You’re so amazing, Daddy. Do you know that was incredible? All these people came to watch you.” Her tears were flowing, and so were the audience’s, and he had gathered quite an audience. He just stared into space. He was totally unaware of himself or anyone. He had no idea who he was or what he just did. He just knew what to do when he saw the 88 keys. He did not want to be led away. When the middle-aged daughter tried to, he resisted and moved his arm away from her. He wanted to stay at the piano. And I just felt so moved by the whole scene. It just shows how wonderful the brain is, and yet how awful. Like it or not, we are all ageing and one day it might be us, no matter how fit, smart, fine-looking, successful and talented we once were or still are. The character in In Safe Hands, Richie Ho, also plays the piano to a professional standard. Richie is proud and his character defines him, not his age. His mind might not be perfect but he has a mind of his own. He was once a charming businessman who could play any song by ear. He is not going to want to let go easily. We tend to think we can take over and help the elderly because they are old. Maybe not. Maybe they don’t want to, or can’t, be helped. You can’t break their spirit. This little anecdote fired up a spark in me. I wanted to write about the idiosyncrasies of old age.

3/ Why did you choose multiple-point narratives which gradually converge?

The use of multiple viewpoints allows for rich storytelling, where at any one point, only the reader knows the viewpoint. No other characters are aware of the other’s point of view. This means a more layered narrative intrigue which adds mystery and tension and thickens the plot.

4/ How did you get into writing?

I had always written as a child. I wrote and still write for fun. My story for a national writing competition when I was 16 had been Highly Recommended and it gave me a boost. Later on, when I got published for my short stories and/or won awards, I started to think, “Hey, maybe I am not bad at this. Maybe I could do this writing lark!” I began writing longer narratives when earlier in my architectural profession, I travelled for work as an architect of hotels and resorts. I had a lot of downtime in airports and hotels. I preferred to people watch than shop and go out clubbing or for dinner at night. I couldn’t stop taking notes. I enjoyed my own company and the sound of my fountain pen flying across the blank page. I liked the ticking clock. I did not welcome interruptions so the hotel room or departure gates were perfect. No one would ever talk to you. Being alone and silent is not just a luxury but a prerequisite to the discipline of writing.

5/ Are you a full-time writer?

No. I am still a full-time architect and my moonlighting jobs are illustration/graphic design and writing. I need to have a day job so that writing and reading will always be a special thing, an escape and a “me” space, something completely opposed to “working”.

6/ All your books have some element of thriller/suspense/mystery. Why these genres? Have you considered other genres?

Absolutely. I enjoy reading and writing literary fiction. That was how I started writing. I thought “literary” was the only kind of story then. But once I started reading and writing thrillers, suspense, and mystery, I became fascinated because they mirror real life in a cinematic way. I am a visual person after all as I am a designer. I like writing about ordinary, regular people like you and me. Doubts, anxiety and secrets are what we wrestle with every day. The tension between what people show and what they hide, and the psychology of all that interest me. They come as a package. These genres allow me to explore rich emotional and moral territories. That said, I don’t see myself as tied to just one style. I’m interested in character above all—what drives people, what they fear, what they desire—and that can play out in any genre. I’ve written stories with elements of romance, literary drama, and even dark comedy. I’ve considered trying other genres—perhaps historical or speculative fiction—but I think there will always be some thread of mystery or tension in whatever I write. It’s just how I see the world: layered, complex, and never quite what it seems on the surface.

7/ Are you more comfortable writing characters of a familiar background (SE Asian or Chinese) or do you want to write stories with these characters to increase representation of your culture?

It’s a mix of instinct and intention. I naturally write characters who are culturally familiar to me—Southeast Asian or culturally Chinese—because that’s the world I come from. But it’s also a conscious decision. I was frustrated by what I was reading or watching on screen. For a long time, Asian characters in English-language fiction were either invisible or reduced to tired stereotypes—the female characters being the barefoot woman in a rice field, the submissive daughter, the prostitute. The Asian male being the exotic side character, the servant, the waiter, the martial arts gangster. I’m not interested in writing those characters. I’m writing modern Asians—complicated, ambitious, flawed, and real—living in cities, facing messy relationships, moral dilemmas, and everything in between.

I want to show that we don’t have to be boxed into one kind of story. We can be the lead in a psychological thriller. We can be unreliable narrators, heroes, or villains. And the more we see that, the more it chips away at the narrow lens through which Asian characters have often been viewed.

8/ How long did it take to write In Safe Hands?

In Safe Hands took me about 18 months to write, including revisions. It took 6 months of seriously brutal self-editing. In total it was 2 years as the first draft began in 2023.

General FAQs

9/ What is your writing process?

I usually start with a strong visual or emotional image—sometimes it’s a character, sometimes it’s a scene that won’t leave me alone. Then I build the story around that. I outline loosely, but I allow for surprises along the way. I write a zero draft where I sketch the outline scene by scene. I love that moment when a character does something I didn’t plan for—it means they’ve come alive.

10/ What do you do about the dreaded writer’s block?

As for writer’s block, there is no such thing. If I stop writing, it means there is a plot problem. It’s like a tap. If it stops working, it means that something is mechanically wrong inside. It needs fixing first. You can’t just force the tap to work. It won’t. I usually get around the problem by taking the dog for a walk, watching a TV series that I like, reading a book in the same genre —anything to get out of my head. And then I return to the work with fresh eyes. Sometimes writing just means sitting down and writing badly for a while until something clicks. It’s part of the process, not the enemy of it.

11/ What books do you enjoy reading?

I enjoy reading Asian authors, literary fiction or psychological thrillers. I have read and enjoyed Mexican Gothic by Silva Moreno Garcia, Other People’s Houses by Clare Mackintosh, and The Other Girl by Emily Barr. I would recommend them to those who love good tight plotting and gripping storytelling. For those who enjoy psychological thrillers by Asian authors, I recommend Someone Else’s Life by Lyn Liao Butler and Cuckoo by Callie Kazumi.

12/ Where do you get your ideas from?

From everywhere, from travel or work. Since mine is creative work, the creative mind is working all the time on “what ifs”. But usually, I get my ideas from reading. For me, writing is an extension of reading, a continuation of the exploration of ideas. Sometimes the transition is seamless, and it’s magic when that happens. The words transcend the page.

13/ What are you working on next?

Another mystery/thriller and/or a short story at the same time. These keep my mind active, even if they are just playing with words or ideas. It’s like maths. I just like to practise a little but often.

14/ Do you prefer writing short stories or novels?

Novels. I need a big cinematic and long-term project to keep me busy and at it. It’s like sewing a dress or a pocket. I would prefer the dress because it would be so much more detailed and complex, with layering and structuring. A pocket has to look good on its own or attached to something else. It is flatter in that sense as there is no space to go into the three-dimensionality or depth. It has to be high quality and functional, that’s all. To me, that is unsatisfying. I find the same with reading short stories. It upsets me when they end.